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NIMH Recovery Act Funds Boost HIV Prevention Program
Developing interventions to reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among heterosexual men, couples and ethnically diverse populations continues to be complex and challenging. To help address this issue, NIMH awarded a two-year grant to David Pç©rez-Jimç©nez, Ph.D., at the University of Puerto Rico, to support the adaptation and assessment of an HIV and other sexually transmitted infection intervention designed for young, heterosexual Latino couples. This grant will use funds allocated to NIMH through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to promote economic recovery and spur advances in science and health.
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Editorials Examine Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings, Prospects
Four newspapers recently published editorials responding to last week"s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Summaries appear below.~ Boston Globe: Sotomayor "far surpassed" the "meager standard" of "just [having] to avoid saying anything damaging," according to a Globe editorial. During the hearings, she "made it clear she believes that Supreme Court justices base their decisions on the Constitution, the law and the relevant precedents," and her "judicial record offers no reason to think otherwise," the editorial states. It continues that "the hearings did nothing to undermine -- and much to underscore -- the notion that Sotomayor has the right temperament, intellect and credentials for the Supreme Court. She should be confirmed" (Boston Globe, 7/20).~ New York Times: The Senate "has learned more than enough about [Sotomayor"s] qualifications to give her a seat on the court," according to a Times editorial. However, "[i]t would also be good if senators -- and the nation -- had a deeper sense of her views on some of the most pressing legal questions of our times," the editorial continues. It adds, "We were disappointed that at her confirmation hearings last week, she continued what is becoming an unbreakable habit of nominees dodging controversy." For example, "[w]e would have liked to hear her boldly defend the idea of the Constitution as a living document, one that changes with the times," and "we would have preferred if she had used the hearings to explain to the public that the much-mentioned distinction between judges making and applying the law has little meaning," the editorial states. Sotomayor "avoided saying much of substance about abortion rights, the scope of presidential power, and other hot-button issues," although this is "not entirely her fault," as the "Senate has shown repeatedly that it will tolerate this sort of evasion." However, "the public has a right to know where judicial nominees stand on important legal issues that will have a direct impact on their lives," the editorial states. It concludes, "We hope the Senate confirms her without delay so we can see more clearly what her contribution will be" (New York Times, 7/21).~ Washington Post: During her confirmation hearings, Sotomayor "proved herself well-qualified and worthy of confirmation," according to a Post editorial. The editorial continues, "She spoke convincingly about her belief in and record of consistently respecting legislative prerogatives -- an approach that signals a modest style of judging." Although the hearings focused on Sotomayor defending her previous speeches and comments, her "attempts to explain away and distance herself" from the statement that a wise Latina might make a better decision than a white man "were unconvincing and at times uncomfortably close to disingenuous, especially when she argued that her reason for raising questions about gender or race was to warn against injecting personal biases into the judicial process." The editorial adds, "Her repeated and lengthy speeches on the matter do not support that interpretation." According to the Post, "It"s too bad that she felt she had to disavow her true intent, because, though a wise Latina won"t necessarily judge better than a white man would, diversity on the bench is indeed important" (Washington Post, 7/19).~ Washington Times: During the hearings, Republican senators "failed to ask questions of great relevance to public understanding of the judge"s record and integrity," a Times editorial states. The editorial continues, "They owe it to all Americans to get tough enough to force an examination of whether the judge may have perjured herself during her testimony." According to the editorial, "The questions for which Judge Sotomayor"s answers are almost impossible to believe involved legal briefs on abortion cases that were filed by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund during the 12 years Judge Sotomayor sat on its board." Republican senators also "failed to ask sharp f
News of the day
Technique That Improves Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery
Surgeons from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York have identified a drilling technique that improves the outcome of surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The news is being presented during the annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, June 9 -12, in Keystone. Colo.

Lloydspharmacy Reveals Britons Play Russian Roulette With Worlds Deadliest Disease.

According to new research* carried out by Lloydspharmacy, the UK"s leading community pharmacy chain, around 2.1million British holidaymakers and travellers are ignoring the need to protect themselves against malaria. This may explain the alarming rise in the number of cases found in the UK, with the British Medical Journal reporting a 30% rise in malaria cases in the UK over the last 15 years**. According to the new survey of over 1000 people, 25% had travelled to a malaria hotspot in the last five years, with the African continent the most popular of these destinations (11%). The research also found that 19% of these intrepid adventurers either ignored the risk of malaria, or abandoned their malaria medication during the danger period. Despite malaria being one of the leading causes of disease and death in the world, with an estimated 300-500 million new cases worldwide every year, resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths***, Lloydspharmacy found 9% of men and 5% of women simply relied on less effective measures like mosquito repellent, nets or Vitamin B to protect themselves from the potentially deadly disease. contactos

Healthcare Outcome Boost Needs Better Studies.

Evidence suggests that outcomes in many clinical settings leave a lot to be desired, which means that research into quality improvement (QI) in clinical care has the potential to greatly improve the lot of patients. Now a study in the journal Medical Care Research and Review published by SAGE suggests that both theoretical and practical improvements in QI effectiveness studies could make these into much more powerful tools for positive change. Evidence suggests that one in four hospital deaths may be preventable, a third of certain clinical procedures expose patients to risk without improving their health, a third of drugs are prescribed erroneously and one third of abnormal laboratory results are not chased up by clinicians in the US. QI focuses on understanding, controlling, and improving work processes, analysing problems" root causes, making work processes predictable, and then continuously improving process performance. Why choose Vibra Pro

Bosentan Is Cost-Effective For Patients With Moderate PAH.

Bosentan appears to be a more cost-effective initial treatment option for patients with moderate pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), classified as WHO functional class III, than no active intervention. A cost-utility model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bosentan compared with no active intervention, both added to palliative care in the UK. In the model, simulated patients remained on their initial intervention until death or until they deteriorated to functional class IV, which triggered initiation of intravenous epoprostenol treatment. In the base-case analysis, which assumed that first line treatment did not affect survival, bosentan was more effective and less costly than no active intervention. When survival benefits associated with bosentan treatment were taken into consideration, bosentan was found to be a potential cost effective first line treatment.

Thousands At Risk From Hidden Heart Condition.

Thousands of people in England are unaware that they are at risk of developing heart disease due to an undiagnosed genetic condition, says the Royal College of Physicians. Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition causing high levels of LDL cholesterol, and increased risk of coronary heart disease in men in their 50s and women in their 60s. Early treatment with statins has been shown to reduce risk and improve life expectancy to normal. A pilot audit of 248 cases in 12 hospitals in England and two in Wales, funded by the Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly Government and carried out by the Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit at the Royal College of Physicians, found that while care for identified patients was generally good, very few families were being systematically genetically screened, and there were not enough facilities for diagnosing and treating children with FH in the right care settings.