Join the Multiple Sclerosis
Association of America (MSAA) in raising awareness for multiple sclerosis
(MS) during the month of March. MSAA will be hosting various events
designed to expand knowledge, understanding, and support of individuals
whose lives are affected by multiple sclerosis.

Activities planned for March include:

– Regional events and programs will highlight themes such as intimacy and
MS, newly diagnosed issues, and symptom management.

— MSAA will participate in the National MS Society’s annual MS Public
Policy Conference scheduled for March 11-14 in Washington, DC. MSAA
joins other MS organizations in advocating for increased federal
funding for MS research.

— The Everybody Falls CD launch party and auction at the Home and Guest
House in New York City is scheduled for Friday, March 2, 2007.
Everybody Falls features the music of Erik Kjelland and was produced by
Jilladair Carlson, who has MS. Carlson has spearheaded this fundraising
opportunity for MSAA by enlisting the help of some of Hollywood’s best,
as guests will have the opportunity to bid on items donated by George
Clooney, Mary Tyler Moore, Maria Sharapova and more.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is a national nonprofit
charitable organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life for
everyone affected by multiple sclerosis. MSAA offers programs and services
including a toll-free Helpline; support groups; equipment
ranging from grab bars to wheelchairs; MRI funding and insurance advocacy;
educational literature including a quarterly magazine, The Motivator;
Lending Library; cooling program for heat-sensitive individuals; awareness
events; and more.

The most common neurological disorder diagnosed in young adults,
multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system.
This disorder damages or destroys the protective covering (known as myelin)
surrounding the nerves, causing reduced communication between the brain and
nerve pathways. Common symptoms include visual problems, overwhelming
fatigue, difficulty with balance and coordination, and various levels of
impaired mobility. MS is not contagious or fatal.

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
msaa Continue reading →

Kitt Shaffer, MD, PhD, professor of radiology and vice chairman for Education in Radiology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), received this year’s Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Outstanding Educator Award during the society’s 96th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting in Chicago .

This award recognizes distinguished academics that have devoted 15 years or more to radiologic education while demonstrating original and significant contributions to the field. Shaffer has been teaching in radiology for nearly 30 years while contributing to research and working as a staff radiologist at numerous schools and hospitals. In 2008 she became the vice-chair for education of BUSM’s Department of Radiology and continued as a lecturer at Harvard Medical School and educational consultant at Brigham and Women’s hospital.

Shaffer’s current work at BUSM and Boston Medical Center (BMC) focuses on integrating imaging education including Anatomy, DRx and IP-2 lessons, into first- and second-year medical school courses. She has also developed a Resident as Teacher curriculum for the radiology department in order to train the next generation of educators in the field.

Shaffer graduated from Kansas State University with a BA in Biology before she received her MD from Tufts Medical School and a PhD in Anatomy at the University of Kansas. She has served as an instructor, assistant professor and visiting professor at almost 20 universities and hospitals around the world. She is a member of 12 radiological societies, serves on the editorial boards of four journals and has been the recipient of more than 15 awards for excellence in radiological education and research in the past decade.

Source:
Nathan Bliss
Boston University Medical Center Continue reading →

Two of Canada’s most eminent health researchers – Dr. Jacques Genest at McGill University and Dr. Michael Hayden at the University of British Columbia – have been awarded the inaugural Margolese National Brain and Heart Disorders Prizes, the most lucrative prizes bestowed by UBC.

The two prizes were created by an estate gift to UBC by Leonard Hubert Margolese to recognize Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration or cure of brain or heart disorders. Margolese, who died in 2000, was a Vancouver businessman who had a heart condition and whose brother had Alzheimer’s disease.

The prizes, each of which includes a $50,000 grant, will be awarded annually with the expectation that the recipients will continue their outstanding research focused on improving the lives of individuals with brain or heart disease. Genest and Hayden will be honoured at a banquet in the fall.

Candidates were nominated by experts in each field, and were initially evaluated by an impact review panel that included scientists from Harvard University, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Oxford and the University of Calgary. The panel’s recommendations were then forwarded to a selection committee that included several members of the UBC Faculty of Medicine – including Dr. Gavin Stuart, Dean and Vice Provost Health – as well as two community members.

Genest, winner of the Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize, is a professor of medicine and director of the Centre for Innovative Medicine at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He has focused on cardiovascular risk factors, the genetics of coronary artery disease and the formation of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). His research has led to insights into the genesis of HDL.

For the past 15 years, Genest has participated in the development of Canada’s cholesterol guidelines. For the past decade, he was head of cardiology at McGill University and prior to this, directed the Cardiovascular Genetics Laboratory at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal. Today, he holds the McGill/Novartis Chair in Medicine at McGill. The impact review panel described Genest as being “in the prime of his career.”

“In addition to everything Dr. Genest has already accomplished, it was his potential for a continuing future impact on the genetics and metabolism of HDL cholesterol that was most impressive,” said Alison Buchan, Vice Dean, Research and International Relations at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, chair of the impact review panel and former Executive Associate Dean, Research, in the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Hayden, winner of the Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize, is a Killam professor in UBC’s Department of Medical Genetics and director and senior scientist at the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the Child & Family Research Institute.

Hayden has worked to understand the genetic cause of illness in search of better treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, especially Huntington disease (HD), which causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. He is the world’s most-cited author on HD, with over 600 peer-reviewed publications and invited submissions. He developed a predictive genetic test for the condition, which is now the standard of care worldwide.

Hayden is also co-founder of three national research networks, including the Canadian Collaborative Network for Huntington’s Disease.

“Dr. Hayden’s seminal discoveries, the translational aspect of his work, and his prolific research have established him as one of the world’s leading authorities on Huntington disease,” Buchan said. “He shows no signs of letting up in unraveling the mechanisms of Huntington disease, as well as applying his insights to other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease.”

This is Hayden’s third national scientific award to be announced during the past month. In March, he was named the winner of the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, and earlier this week, the Canadian Council for the Arts gave him the 2011 Killam Prize in health sciences. (The Margolese Prizes’ rules allow a UBC faculty member to be selected only once every six years.)

Source:
Brian Kladko
University of British Columbia Continue reading →

Medevac transport safety – and that of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), in particular – is a focal point of this year’s Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC), which is set for Oct. 11-13, 2010, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Not-to-be-missed HEMS safety regulatory-related conference highlights include details from Administration (FAA) officials regarding the FAA’s soon-to-be-released Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM); and a briefing from Government Accountability Office (GAO) representatives regarding the GAO’s much-anticipated examination of the scope and regulation of the air medical industry, a study that comes at the request of leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In addition, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will share what has been learned from recent accidents, and what should be done to prevent them in the future.

The GAO session takes place on Monday, Oct. 11 from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. while the back-to-back FAA and NTSB briefings are set for Tuesday, Oct. 12, from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., respectively, in the Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Broward County Convention Center.

Other key safety-focused conference events and session offerings include:

- Safety Management Systems (SMS) 101: Familiarization, Lessons Learned and Current Industry Best Practices (AAMS pre-conference session) – SMS is considered an accreditation best practice and will soon enter the FAA’s rule making process. This is an opportunity to more about this important initiative from the architect and head of the FAA’s SMS Program Office – Sunday, Oct. 10, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

- Your Heliport, Your Life – Know the rules and who is responsible for what, as well as the liability issues a program and hospital face every time a helicopter lands or takes off from any heliport and what can be done to fix the problems that arise – Monday, Oct. 11, 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

- So I Fell Out of the Sky…Who What: Panel Discussion – The founders of the Survivor’s Network for Air & Surface Medical Transport tell their stories of surviving air-medical crashes and what they are doing to help others in similar circumstances – Monday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Ground Transport Safety: Are We Safe? – A brief discussion of how the medevac transport industry can help increase safety during critical-care ground transports and an open discussion with participants regarding how they have incorporated safety into their systems – Monday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Safety: Educating Using a Communication Forum- A detailed explanation of what happens behind the scenes when a medical helicopter is requested along with an outline of when helicopters fly, and recent industry incidents that have led to an increase in medical helicopter crashes – Monday, Oct.11, 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Opportunities for Safety Improvement in HEMS: A Multi-Discipline Safety Research Project and HEMS Accident Analysis: The State of the Union presentations by Ira Blumen, MD, FACEP, University of Chicago Medical Center, based on his nationally recognized research focusing on safety improvement in HEMS – Tuesday, Oct. 12, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Quantum Safety Metrics – Talking about safety is great, but to be really safe, one needs to use the proper tools to Measure – Mitigate – Measure – Wednesday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

An Environment of Safety: Adding an Air Medical Safety Goal to your State Strategic Plan – A discussion of the 2009 Florida AeroMedical Association’s Air Medical Safety Summit, which resulted in the adoption of an air medical safety goal in Florida and how this goal can be achieved this in any state – Wed., Oct. 12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

In addition, the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMPSA) will release its Helipad Report on Tuesday, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Still other offerings include You Say You Have a SMS, Now What?; Green Acres, Big Dangers; Flight Safety Networking; How Can We Maintain Excellence in an Ever-Changing World of Air Medial Dispatch?; Fit, Forty and Flying; Safety Is No Mystery; Safety: Educating Using a Communication Forum; Five Dysfunctions of the Communications Center Team; Teaching Safety with Stories; Managing Risk in the Communication Center; Do You Know Where Your Helicopter Is?; Solving Substandard Care -The Other Side of Safety; An Environment of Safety: Adding an Air medical Safety Goal to Your State Strategic Plan; You Think You’ve Had a Bird Strike; and NVG or IFR: A Peek at the Costs.

Safety-focused Scientific Assembly research and education exhibit hall presentations include Ambulance Safety for the 21st Century; An Eight-Year Review of Backcountry HEMS Hoists; Dispatcher-Initiated Auto Launch (DIAL); Flight Crew Fatigue After 24-Hour Shifts; and Pilot Safety Survey: Concept Mapping.

In addition, don’t miss the Vision Zero Booth (#1724) in the Exhibit Hall, a project spearheaded by flight nurse and HEMS accident survivor Jonathan Godfrey, which is aimed at building a better safety culture through raising awareness, education and personal vigilance.

The exhibit hall also will house many safety related products and consulting services, including such safety technologies as night-vision goggles, terrain awareness and warning systems, and weather reporting tools; risk-assessment programs; and safety-training programs.

AMTC is a one-stop shop for access to representatives from myriad key aviation and health-care-related organizations. Organizers include the Association of Air Medical Services, the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association, the Air Medical Physician Association, the International Association of Flight Paramedics, the National Association of Air Medical Communication Specialists, and the National EMS Pilots Association.

Source:

Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) Continue reading →

California Republican lawmakers on Monday released a plan to address the state’s projected $41.8 billion budget deficit in part by redirecting funds for mental health services and children’s health care, the Los Angeles Times reports (Rau, Los Angeles Times, 12/16). The $22 billion plan is an effort by state Republicans to avoid tax increases by raising $6.5 billion of new revenue for the general fund and reducing spending by $15.6 billion over the next 18 months. Under the plan, $6 billion in new revenue would be directed to the state’s general fund by asking voters in a special election to alter Proposition 63, a 2004 measure that funds mental health services for homeless adults, and Proposition 10, a 1998 tobacco tax increase that pays for health care and education programs for young children (Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/16). The transfer of funds would include $2.1 billion from First 5 California Children and Families Commission, which administers proceeds from the tobacco tax (Los Angeles Times, 12/16).

In addition, state Republicans have proposed cutting more than $3 billion from Medi-Cal, health services, and programs for low-income residents, the elderly, and people who are blind or have disabilities. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program. The $3 billion cuts include taking $716 million from Medi-Cal and would include decreasing hospital reimbursement rates, eliminating certain benefits and reducing eligibility (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 12/16).

Aaron McLear, a spokesperson for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), said the Republicans’ plan is “simply a rehash of the tax cuts that have been on the table for months with some borrowing on top of that,” adding, “It’s not a negotiated compromise. Until Republicans and Democrats negotiate with one another, our problem continues to get worse.” State Assembly Budget Committee Chair Noreen Evans (D) criticized the plan as balancing the budget “on the backs of poor children and the mentally ill.” According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Evans plans to convene a committee hearing on Tuesday to consider the Republican plan, which likely will be rejected if brought to a vote (San Francisco Chronicle, 12/16). State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D) on Monday said Democrats plan to introduce a new budget proposal that includes about $9 billion in new revenue and $8 billion in cuts (AP/Boston Globe, 12/15).

Healthy Families Funding
In related news, the First 5 California Children and Families Commission voted to provide $16.8 million to the state Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to help the board avoid capping enrollment in Healthy Families, the Times reports. MRMIB administers Healthy Families, California’s version of SCHIP. The funding from First 5 will be used specifically for Healthy Families coverage for children younger than age six. The funds will permit Healthy Families to continue enrolling children in the program through the end of the fiscal year in June 2009. MRMIB is expected to accept the funding on Wednesday at a meeting that had been scheduled to vote on a proposal to cap enrollment in Healthy Families (Los Angeles Times, 12/16).

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune the First 5 vote was “a pre-emptive move,” in light of Republican legislators’ proposal to reallocate First 5 reserves to the state general fund (Sweeney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12/16).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

The health risk factors of obesity and overweight in Alabamians will be the focus of a combined
satellite conference and webcast March 17 from 2-3 p.m. central time.

Excessive weight and obesity are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, the No. 1
cause of death worldwide. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported
that Alabama has the second highest rate of adult obesity in the nation at 31.2 percent and the
sixth highest rate of overweight youths (ages 10-17) at 36.1 percent. With excessive weight and
obesity on the rise, it is important to take control of heart health.

The CDC has six target areas for weight loss and improved health, which are:

1. Increase physical activity.
2. Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.
3. Decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
4. Increase breastfeeding initiation and duration.
5. Decrease consumption of high energy-dense foods.
6. Decrease television viewing.

Strategies to work toward are:

- Providing access to healthy foods and to places to be active.
- Strengthening obesity prevention and control programs in preschools, child care
centers, work sites, and other community settings.

“By educating families, communities and individuals on increasing physical activity and
changing decisions to better eating habits, the Alabama Department of Public Health works
together with groups such as the Alabama Cooperative Extension offices to help Alabama
citizens make healthy lifestyle changes,” said State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson.

The Alabama Department of Public Health Office of Minority Health, the Division of Nutrition and
Physical Activity, and Alabama County Cooperative Extension offices of Montgomery and
Autauga counties are partnering in this combined satellite and webcast. This is the sixth satellite
conference/webcast program in a series on Alabama health disparities.

To find out more about the free satellite and webcast conference, go to the Alabama Public
Health Training Network at adph/alphtn/ and click on “Satellite Conference and
Webcast Schedule” to view program information.

For more information on the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities, visit the
Federal Office of Minority Health at omhrc/ or for additional information visit the
State of Alabama Office of Minority Health Web site at adph/minorityhealth/.

Source
Alabama Department of Public Health Continue reading →

Mussels are delicious when cooked in a white wine broth, but they also have two other well-known qualities before they’re put in a pot: they stick to virtually all inorganic and organic surfaces, and they stick with amazing tenacity.

Northwestern University biomedical engineer Phillip B. Messersmith already has developed a material that mimics the strength of the bonds; now he has produced a versatile coating method that mimics the mussels’ ability to attach to a wide variety of objects.

Messersmith and his research team, in a study to be published in the Oct. 19 issue of the journal Science, report that a broad variety of materials can be coated and functionalized through the application of a surface layer of polydopamine.

Potential applications of the simple and inexpensive method include flexible electronics, such as bendable and flexible displays, biosensors, medical devices, marine anti-fouling coatings, and water processing and treatment, such as removing heavy metals from contaminated water.

Key to the coating method is the small molecule dopamine, commonly known as a neurotransmitter. Dopamine, it turns out, is a good mimic of the essential components of mussel adhesive proteins, and the researchers use it as a building block for polymer coatings. (Dopamine itself is not found in mussels.) So, like a mussel, Messersmith’s coating sticks to anything.

“This is an astonishingly simple and versatile approach to functional surface modification of materials,” said Messersmith, professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, who led the research. “We dissolve dopamine, which we buy at low cost, in a beaker of water exposed to air. We adjust the water’s pH to marine pH, about 8.5, put in an object and several hours later it’s coated with a thin film of polydopamine. That’s it.”

Solid objects of any size and shape can be immersed in the solution. (The dopamine solution is very dilute — only two milligrams of dopamine per one milliliter of water.) At marine pH, there are chemical changes in the dopamine molecule that result in polymerization of the molecules together to form a polymer, polydopamine, which coats the object. The polymer is fairly similar to what is found in the mussel adhesive protein.

And to make things more interesting, the polydopamine coating, in turn, provides a very chemically reactive surface onto which the researchers can deposit a second coating. And because the surface is so reactive in so many different ways, a wide variety of second coatings can be applied.

“We take advantage of that reactivity to apply the second layer,” said Messersmith. “As a simple example, I could put an iPod in the dopamine solution, and a thin polydopamine coating would form. Then I could take it out and put it in a metal salt solution and form a coating of copper or silver.”

This second coating, depending on what it is, promises to take researchers and industry in multiple directions as far as applications go. In addition to cladding objects with metal coatings, this includes inhibiting biofouling of materials (such as for medical devices), engineering surfaces to support biospecific interactions with cells (such as for culture and expansion of stem cells) and applying self-assembled monolayers to nonmetal surfaces (such as for biosensors).

Messersmith and his colleagues tested the two-step process on 25 different substrate materials (but not an iPod) with a wide range of characteristics representing all major classes of materials, from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, from inorganic to organic, as well as the traditionally difficult material Teflon, all with positive results. They then demonstrated deposition of metal and organic coatings and self-assembled monolayers onto the polydopamine coating.

“Existing methods for modifying material surfaces are fairly restricted to specific materials — what works well on glass would not work well on gold,” said Messersmith. “Our method is a much more general strategy for a variety of surfaces. We haven’t found a material to which we can’t apply polydopamine.”

###

In addition to Messersmith, other authors of the paper, titled “Mussel-Inspired Surface Chemistry for Multifunctional Coatings,” are Haeshin Lee (lead author) and Shara M. Dellatore, both graduate students, and William M. Miller, professor of chemical and biological engineering, all from Northwestern.

Source: Megan Fellman

Northwestern University Continue reading →

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced presentation of data in a poster titled “Results from a multicenter, open-label Phase 3 study to determine the safety and efficacy of gadobutrol, a macrocyclic 1.0 molar GBCA in patients referred for contrast-enhanced MRI of the central nervous system (CNS)” at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) in Boston, MA. The results of this study of this investigational drug met all of its pre-specified primary efficacy objectives. Gadobutrol is investigational in the United States and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This phase 3 study had four primary efficacy objectives. In results comparing unenhanced CNS MRI versus the combined unenhanced and gadobutrol-enhanced CNS MRI, statistically significant superiority (P Continue reading →

The latest developments in drug discovery – including solutions to tackle obesity, the latest on the Northwick Park drug-trial disaster and issues surrounding drugs used in sport and the Olympics – will be highlighted at a conference in Brighton next week.

The British Pharmacological Society (BPS), Europe’s leading pharmacological research society, is to host its Winter Meeting in the seaside resort, attracting experts from across the world.

Running from 16 to 18 December, the three-day conference will hear the latest research tackling the global obesity problem.

Other researchers will present their work on the safety of drugs, particularly the new biopharmaceuticals developed in the wake of the Northwick Park drug-trial disaster in 2006 that left six volunteers fighting for their lives.

A third theme of the conference will examine the latest techniques using stem-cell therapies to tackle heart disease.

Just three presentations from the packed programme will be press released but newsworthy research to be presented at the Brighton conference includes:
Professor Luke O’Neill (Trinity College Dublin): ‘The IL-1 receptor / Toll-like receptor super-family: 10 years of progress’

Professor O’Neill’s talk will deal with possible new targets for drugs to treat immune and inflammatory diseases.

These targets are the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and they have been identified as possible new targets to block in such diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and multiple sclerosis.

They are also implicated in infectious diseases such as malaria and TB. TLRs have been shown to be over-active in these diseases – they go into overdrive and cause inflammation and damage.

There is a consensus emerging that inhibiting them might prove useful to treat these diseases, or, alternatively, if they are activated, they might boost the immune response to help generate new vaccines.

In his talk, Professor O’Neill will lay out the case for TLRs as excellent new targets worth exploring for these diseases where there remains a major unmet medical need.

He will also describe what to target – his team has found proteins within the Toll-like receptor pathway that might lend themselves to therapeutic manipulation.

TLRs may also prove essential in the fight against malaria, as the disease has recently shown resistance to current medication (16 Dec).
* Dr Sandra Diebold (Cancer Research UK): ‘Stimulatory nucleic acids as adjuvants for tumour immunotherapty’ (16 Dec)
* Dr Stephen Poole (National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls): ‘Cytokine Storm in the phase 1 trial of monoclonal antibody TGN1412 – better understanding the causes to improve preclinical testing of immunotherapeutics’ (16 Dec)

Dr Ben Field (Imperial College, London): ‘New targets – peripheral obesity’ (17 Dec)

Dr Nick Finer (Wellcome Clinical Research Facility, Cambridge): ‘Clinical challenges: can current drugs compete with surgery?’ (17 Dec)

Dr Christine Mummery (Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands): ‘Cardiomyocytes from human embryonic stem cells: towards cell-based therapy and disease models’ (18 Dec)

Dr Marisa Jaconi (Geneva University, Switzerland): ‘ Tissue-engineered strategies using biomatrices to implant stem cells into the infarcted heart’ (18 Dec)

Dr Kai C. Wollert (Hanover Medical School, Germany): ‘Bone marrow cell therapy after myocardial infarction: the BOOST experience’ (18 Dec)

###

Notes:

Additional lectures:
Professor David Back (Liverpool): ‘Optimising the management of patients with HIV infection’ (16 Dec)

Dr Andrew Kicman (Kings College London): ‘Pharmacology in sports/Olympics’ (17 Dec)

Kirk Leech / Corina Hadjiodysseos: ‘Animal research: Winning the debate’ (18 Dec)

Professor Arthur Weston (University of Manchester): Potassium channels and myo-endothelial crosstalk in blood vessels: a pharmacologist’s view’ (18 Dec)

The British Pharmacological Society, including its Clinical Pharmacology Section, is the professional association for pharmacologists in the UK and is one of the leading pharmacological societies in the world.

The history of the Society dates back to 1931 when a group of pharmacologists met in Oxford and decided to form a learned society. Since those small beginnings the Society has grown to about 2,500 members, who work in academia, industry and the health services, and many are medically qualified. The Society covers the whole spectrum of pharmacology, including the laboratory, clinical and toxicological aspects.

The aims of the Society are to promote and advance pharmacology, including clinical pharmacology, by: assisting, promoting and encouraging research and providing a forum for the presentation of pharmacology; publishing the results of research; promoting and encouraging the education and training of pharmacologists; publishing material in various forms, and promoting and arranging conferences and meetings.

For further information about the British Pharmacological Society visit: bps.ac

The BPS Winter Meeting will be held at the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel from Tuesday, 16 December, to Thursday, 18 December, 2008.

Click here for further information about the BPS Winter Meeting.

Source: Aeron Haworth

University of Manchester Continue reading →

If you weigh nearer the lighter end of your ideal weight range your risk of developing cancer is lower than if you weighed more, according to a new report published by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). According to the WCRF, it is the most comprehensive report ever published which links weight, diet, physical activity and cancer risk.

The researchers searched through the databases of nine academic institutions worldwide, found half a million studies that took place since the 1960s, and selected the 7,000 most relevant ones.

The report, which included contributions from 21 of the world’s most renowned scientists, includes 10 key recommendations. The WCRF says that the report contains the most authoritative advice that has ever been available – advice aimed at helping people reduce their risks of developing cancer. The World Health Organization and UNICEF were among the official observers while the report was underway.

Keep Your Weight Down

One of the key recommendations is to keep your Body Mass Index (BMI) to within the 20-25 range if you want to minimize your cancer risk. The higher your levels of body fat the higher your chances are of developing cancers, especially colorectal cancer, post-menopausal breast cancer, and four others.

Panel Chair, Prof Sir Michael Marmot, said “We are recommending that people aim to be as lean as possible within the healthy range, and that they avoid weight gain throughout adulthood. This might sound difficult, but this is what the science is telling us more clearly than ever before. The fact is that putting on weight can increase your cancer risk, even if you are still within the healthy range. So the best advice for cancer prevention is to avoid weight gain, and if you are already overweight then you should aim to lose weight.”

The report also found that??

– The consumption of processed meats raises the risk of developing colorectal cancer. The panel advises people to consume processed meats “sparingly”. Processed meats include bacon and ham.

– There is compelling evidence that red meat, if more than 500grammes are consumed per week, raise the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

– Breastfeeding exclusively during the first six months protects the mother from breast cancer, as well as protecting the baby from obesity later on.

– Dietary supplements should not be used for cancer prevention.

– Evidence is becoming much more compelling that alcohol consumption rates are linked to risk of cancer rates

Professor Martin Wiseman, Report Project Director, said “This report is a real milestone in the fight against cancer, because its recommendations represent the most definitive advice on preventing cancer that has ever been available anywhere in the world. When individual studies are published, it is impossible for the public to put them into context and know how seriously they should be taking the findings. But the great thing about this report is that it does this job for them. If people follow our recommendations, they can be confident they are following the best advice possible based on all the scientific research done up to this point. These recommendations are not based on one study but are based on 7,000.”

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Fiona Adshead, in charge of delivering on the UK Government’s obesity target, said “We will examine the findings and detail of this comprehensive and useful report. We have already made progress in tackling obesity with improved physical activity levels at school, healthier school food for children, clearer food labelling and tougher restrictions on advertising foods high in fat and sugar to children – but we know that we need to go further and faster. We want to see the positive work by the food industry continued with more and more retailers and manufacturers adopting the traffic light model to make it easier for people to make the right food choices. We are encouraging the most sedentary people to get more active through pedometer schemes and some physical activity pilots based in GP surgeries. There is no single solution to tackle obesity and it cannot be tackled by Government action alone. We will only succeed if the problem is recognized, owned and addressed at every level and every part of society. With new resources from the CSR we are planning a long-term drive for action on obesity. There is high-level cross-government commitment to tackling obesity, and we will provide the leadership, vision and sustained commitment required to help start this cultural and societal shift.”

Professor Mike Richards, UK Government’s Clinical Director for Cancer, said “The WCRF report is the most authoritative and exhaustive review done thus far on the prevention of cancer through food, nutrition and physical activity. For those of us wanting to lower our risk of developing cancer, the Report provides practical lifestyle recommendations. The Report also provides public health goals. Both will form an important element for the forthcoming Cancer Reform Strategy.”

– World Cancer Research Fund
– More information about the Report, plus the report itself

?? Christian

Continue reading →