►April 24, 2008 - Help us combat cot deaths - Gwent Gazette via icWales - "COT death is still the biggest killer of babies over one month old in the UK today, claiming around 300 infants' lives every year - that's more than road traffic accidents, leukaemia and meningitis put together."

* ►April 23, 2008 - House Panel Criticizes F.D.A. Role in Drug Cases (requires registration) - The New York Times - "'Last year, this nation’s regulatory failures resulted in dead dogs and cats,' said Representative Bart Stupak, Democrat of Michigan. 'This year, it has tragically led to the deaths of people. If we don’t make some rapid progress on fixing the foreign drug inspection program, the next melamine or heparin tragedy will soon be upon us.'"

* ►April 23, 2008 - GPs cry foul over flu vaccines - General practitioners say they are being forced to turn patients away because "unco-operative" Queensland Health bureaucrats are ignoring appeals for more supplies of publicly-funded vaccines. - Courier Mail via www.news.com.au

►April 23, 2008 - Prepare for the flu season - Australian Ageing Agenda

►April 23, 2008 - Baptism of fire for new CEO - Wellington Hospital's new chief executive has walked straight into the junior doctors' strike and a flu jab. - The Dominion Post via www.stuff.co.nz

►April 23, 2008 - Agartala suffers bird flu outbreak - Economic Times, India

►April 23, 2008 - Adolescent HPV vaccine decision imminent - New Zealand Doctor Online

►April 23, 2008 - FDA to limit distribution of diet pills by hospitals, clinics - Bangkok Post

►April 23, 2008 - Bio-threat HQ opens at RDH - Royal Darwin Hospital has been given a state of the art containment laboratory to fight bio-threats such as anthrax and bird flu. - Northern Territory News, Australia

* ►April 22, 2008 - David Kirby: Obama Climbs On The Vaccine Bandwagon - Huffington Post - "Barring some big Clinton blowout in Pennsylvania today, the next President of the United States will unequivocally support research into the growing evidence of some link between vaccines and autism. Republican John McCain has already expressed his belief that vaccines and the mercury containing preservative thimerosal could be implicated in what he has rightly termed an 'autism epidemic.' Yesterday, at a rally in Pennsylvania, Barack Obama had this rather surprising thing to say: 'We've seen just a skyrocketing autism rate. Some people are suspicious that it's connected to the vaccines. This person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it.'"

* ►April 22, 2008 - Thanks to Obama For Supporting Vaccine Research - Age of Autism

* ►April 22, 2008 - All Three Candidates Have Spoken About "Link" Between Vaccines and Autism - TAPPED via The American Prospect

* ►April 22, 2008 - Dr. Obama and Dr. McCain (requires registration) - Fact Checker via Washington Post Blog - "The alleged link between thimerosal and autism has spawned numerous investigations, including a sensational Rolling Stone article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that claimed that the government was engaged in a medical cover-up. The scientific debate will always continue, but the body of evidence uncovered so far suggests no proven link. Both McCain and Obama are wrong to suggest that the scientific verdict is still hanging in the balance."

* ►April 22, 2008 - What the Autism Studies Show Isn't Reflected in What the Candidates Say (requires registration) - Washington Post

* ►April 22, 2008 - Verstraeten Conference Call? What Verstraeten Conference Call? - Adventures in Autism - "Today we have yet more evidence that CDC has not been honest with us. This week, in response to a FOIA request, an interested physician was sent these records. They are emails back and forth between Verstraeten and CDC employees in the summer of 2001, setting up a conference call on the thimerosal study, more than a year after he went to GSK....That an employee of GSK was shaping a government safety study that could so profoundly impact its products and its bottom line is a serious breach."

* ►April 22, 2008 - NFL Hall Of Famer Discusses Autism Research - Symposium Discusses Causes Of Disorder - WSMV Nashville - "Whether it’s a chemical imbalance or environmental factors, researchers still don't know exactly what causes autism. For NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, giving up the fight is not an option."

►April 22, 2008 - Obama Cites Link Between Vaccines and Autism - Outside the Beltway

* ►April 22, 2008 - UK MMR Vaccine Trial - New Diary Entry, Video and Book - The One Click Group

* ►April 22, 2008 - Tipping Point in Autism-Vaccine Debate - OpEdNews

* ►April 22, 2008 - State panel OK's health coverage for autism - Miami Herald - "A broad-based plan to provide health insurance coverage and education alternatives for children with autism and other developmental disabilities cleared a key Florida House council Tuesday, clearing the proposal for a potential floor vote in the final days of the legislative session."

►April 22, 2008 - Crist, Sink take different course on autism bill - Palm Beach Post blog

* ►April 22, 2008 - Lansing rally pushes for autism insurance coverage - AP via www.mlive.com

►April 22, 2008 - Autism Therapy Funding At Risk - WYFF Grenville - "Sanford said that South Carolina is going into a tough budget year and that the therapy program is just one of numerous priorities – one the state may not be able to afford."

►April 22, 2008 - Attacking the puzzle of autism - Actress-comic Jenny McCarthy speaks out on issues - Detroit Free Press via South Bend Tribune

►April 22, 2008 - A world apart - Few options available for adults with autism - Longmont Times-Call

►April 22, 2008 - Wirral autism group has turned our lives around - Wirral Globe, UK

►April 22, 2008 - Momologue: Learning to accept my autistic son - Centre Daily Times

►April 22, 2008 - Educational DVDs help alleviate autism woes - The Clarion-Ledger

* ►April 22, 2008 - Is Type II Diabetes in Children Caused by Vaccines? - Age of Autism

* ►April 22, 2008 - MEA CULPA, MEA MAXIMA CULPA (Thanks to Harry for this piece, most appropriate since The Pope just visited America.) by Harry Hofherr - Age of Autism

* ►April 22, 2008 - Law scholars receive American Bar Association grant - ASU News - "Three scholars at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law have received a national grant to support their study of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Program....Saks, Grey and Wissler want to better understand the functioning of the program, and they want to gain broader insights into the use of no-fault systems to litigate health-care injury disputes. As part of the study, the researchers have interviewed people who administer, litigate and decide cases within the program and reviewed its legislative history, and they are analyzing published decisions and examining thousands of closed cases to determine how – and how promptly – they were resolved."

* ►April 22, 2008 - A Stand Against Gifts - letter (requires registration) - The New York Times - "In becoming 'unbranded doctors,' my partners and I cleansed our office of literally 100 pounds of pharmaceutical 'gifts.' We have not seen drug reps in years and we do not allow any pharma-sponsored talks on the premises. I encourage all doctors to pursue similar spring cleaning. It feels terrific!"

* ►April 22, 2008 - Schools put on lockdown after mercury spill - KSN-TV - "A mercury spill put the high school and middle school on lockdown Tuesday after a thermostat broke, causing a small amount of mercury to spill out. The thermostat, containing about half an ounce of mercury, was located in the boys locker room at the high school. A Haz-Mat crew was called to the scene. More than 20 students were told to change into white jumpsuits and were later sent home to shower."

►April 22, 2008 - Update your family's immunization records - Midland Mirror

* ►April 22, 2008 - IAC Express 2008 Issue number 726 - Immunization Action Coalition - "Latest U.S. hepatitis B birth dose rate is less than 50%. How to increase it? IAC Express readers may hold the answers. - Many of you are intimately involved in implementing CDC's hepatitis B (hepB) birth dose recommendations. You write orders, create standing orders, develop hospital policies, administer vaccines, document vaccines given in a hospital or practice, order lab tests, provide care to newborns and postpartum women, and make sure written orders are carried out. You are the key players in the complex decision-making process that results in a newborn receiving--or not receiving--hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge. You are best positioned, therefore, to shed light on how it is that the U.S. birth dose rate is so low and how it might be increased. For that reason, we have prepared an online survey aimed at gathering your views and experiences with the hepB birth dose. (If you have already filled out this survey after reading about it in Needle Tips, please do not fill it out again.) It is located at http://www.immunize.org/surveybdd"

* ►April 22, 2008 - Denogean : Not getting measles shots is a choice hard to justify - Tucson Citizen - "'It's frustrating that in this particular developed country, where we have so much access to preventive medicine, people are choosing not to do that and are putting themselves and the community at risk,' said Dr. Sean Elliott, a UMC pediatric infectious disease specialist. I know I'm inviting the anti-vaccination crowd to fill my e-mail in-basket. But I agree with Elliott that vaccination is as much a responsibility to society as a personal choice."

►April 22, 2008 - Extra Infant Vaccines from Sept - Vhi.ie - "All children under 2 will be offered vaccines against pneumococcal meningitis and hepatitis B from September next as part of the expanded National Childhood Immunisation Programme."

►April 22, 2008 - Campaign helps stress importance of immunizations - El Paso Times

►April 22, 2008 - National Infant Immunization Week is April 19-26 - National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases. NIIW is being held April 19-26. "Immunizations are one of the most important ways parents can protect their children," stated Sue Bowden, Director of the Kansas Immunization Program at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). "We encourage parents to talk to their healthcare provider about making sure their infants are up-to-date on immunizations." - press release - Kansas Department of Health and Environment via Media Newswire

►April 22, 2008 - If You Love Them, Immunize Them (includes video) - KFYR-TV

►April 22, 2008 - Officials Encourage Parents to Vaccinate Kids (includes video) - KPVI-TV

►April 22, 2008 - Stay Safe When Studying Abroad - Immunizations Top List of Important Precautions - UConn Daily Campus

►April 22, 2008 - Statement by Minister of Health and Social Development, Hon. Dancia Penn, Q.C. on Vaccination Week 2008 - BVI News

►April 22, 2008 - Travelers still face some delays in getting yellow-fever vaccinations - Seattle Times

►April 22, 2008 - Kindergarten change fails - The Patriot-News via www.pennlive.com - "Superintendent Linda Bigos said one reason the change was proposed is a district policy that requires kindergartners to have their required immunizations by the first day of school. Board member Patti Gilbert, who supported the Aug. 1 date, said some doctors won't give certain immunizations until children turn 5."

* ►April 22, 2008 - Babysitter jailed for battering boy to death was the victim of a 'serious miscarriage of justice', hears appeal - Daily Mail, UK - "Dr Anslow said they were all factors linked to epilepsy and said he believed Kyle had died because he stopped breathing during an epileptic fit. He said: 'Children die of epileptic seizures. It is not very common but it does happen.'"

►April 22, 2008 - Pediatric groups to convene in Honolulu - Pacific Business News (Honolulu) - "Participants representing the American Pediatric Society, the Society of Pediatric Research, the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Asian Society for Pediatric Research will focus on research in child health."

* ►April 22, 2008 - Shareholders question Merck about credibility issues - AP via Houston Chronicle

* ►April 22, 2008 - Dingell scolds FDA over foreign drug oversight - Pounding his desk and raising his voice, a key House committee chairman on Tuesday castigated the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of imported drug safety as "archaic and fraught with inaccuracies." - Medill News Service via MarketWatch

* ►April 22, 2008 - FDA Commissioner Isn't Doing His Job, Lawmaker Says - Bloomberg

* ►April 22, 2008 - The HPV Vaccine: Herd Immunity or Human Sacrifice? - NaturalNews.com

* ►April 22, 2008 - Who's Safeguarding the Drug Supply? - Tracing Blood Thinner Heparin Highlights Complex Supply Chain - ABC News

* ►April 22, 2008 - ADHD Drugs: Heart Screen Recommended - American Heart Association Calls for Electrocardiograms Before Kids Take ADHD Drugs - WebMD - "This represents a departure from the previous scientific statement published about this topic in 1999. More than 2.5 million children and teens in the U.S. take stimulants to control their ADHD."

* ►April 22, 2008 - Rickets cases: A medical time bomb - A boy with rickets exemplifies an alarming fear: That vitamin D deficiency will revive long-dormant diseases. - Miami Herald - "''This potentially is a time bomb,' says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone chief at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington. 'What I worry about is that an affluent country like ours is growing a population that is going to be old before its time.'"

* ►April 22, 2008 - Medication mixups: are hospitals harming Maine kids? - InjuryBoard.com

►April 22, 2008 - China vows strict quarantine checks for Games - Reuters via The Guardian, UK

►April 22, 2008 - 'Dow Chemicals seeking immunity in Bhopal gas tragedy' - Expressindia.com

* ►April 22, 2008 - Ugandan Monkeys Harbor Evidence Of Infection With Unknown Poxvirus -  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign via ScienceDaily - "Whatever had infected the monkeys 'looked a little bit like monkeypox virus, a little bit like vaccinia virus, a little bit like cowpox virus, but not exactly like any of them,' he said."

* ►April 22, 2008 - Victorians Get Life-Saving Meningococcal Detection - A vital test in the fight against meningitis and meningococcal has become easier to access in a first for Victorian adults, Health Minister Daniel Andrews announced today. The Royal Melbourne Hospital has become the first accredited site in Victoria able to test adults for a possible genetic predisposition for meningitis or meningococcal. - Media-Newswire.com - "'Depending on the results, this means patients can receive a vaccination to protect them from the illnesses sooner, they can begin antibiotic treatment sooner, and they receive urgent treatment if they present with any of the symptoms. 'The idea is to go beyond what the infection is and how to treat it, and ask why the person has contracted this infection and how we can stop it happening in the future.'"

* ►April 22, 2008 - Survivor Pushes for Meningitis Vaccine - A meningitis survivor pushes for a mandatory vaccine. - video - KOCO.com

* ►April 22, 2008 - Georgia girl died of meningococcal disease, officials say (requires registration or subscription) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Lab work has not yet established what kind of meningococcal disease the Perry girl died from, Jones said."

►April 22, 2008 - Perry High student dies of meningococcal disease - Macon Telegraph

►April 22, 2008 - How will childhood pneumonia change if vaccine campaigns are a success? - In developing countries, two bacteria, pneumococcus and Hib, are the dominant causes of severe pneumonia in children. - PLoS Medicine via PhysOrg.com

►April 22, 2008 - State sees big jump in flu cases - Bucks County Courier Times via PhillyBurbs.com

►April 22, 2008 - Russia escalates tension over Georgia instead of escalating measures to fight bird flu - Abkhazia

►April 22, 2008 - NKorea to ban SKorean poultry, eggs as bird flu precaution - AP via Forbes

* ►April 22, 2008 - Emerging Threats - Analysis Analysis: Indonesian-US bird flu sharing - United Press International

* ►April 22, 2008 - HHS official reports on Southeast Asia issues - CIDRAP News - "The NAMRU-2 lab is situated near other government buildings in Jakarta and has been integrated into the country's health system, Steiger added. The lab has connections to several private and public hospitals in Indonesia and has played a key role in tracking pathogens in the country. However, Indonesia's health minister recently prohibited all tissue samples—not just those containing H5N1 influenza viruses—from being sent to NAMRU-2, he said."

* ►April 22, 2008 - Flu still spreading across NB - CBC - "Getting a flu shot won't likely help because the vaccine was targeted at a different type of illness, he said. 'So even if you had the vaccine you may be affected by it.'"

►April 22, 2008 - Actor Noeline Brown joins flu campaign - AAP via The Age, Australia

►April 22, 2008 - Kenya: Mother, Child Deaths 'High' - The East African Standard (Nairobi) via AllAfrica.com

►April 22, 2008 - Maine CDC: Food served at conference is source of illness - AP via Bangor Daily News via WBZ-TV

►April 22, 2008 - Today's health topic: Why measles has hit record levels - The Mirror, UK

►April 22, 2008 - High school on measles alert - Calgary Herald via Canada.com

►April 22, 2008 - FdL County health officials investigate local measles case - Fond du Lac Reporter

►April 22, 2008 - Fifth case of measles in city - Officials confirm illness as students return to school - Guelph Mercury

►April 22, 2008 - Supreme Court dismisses husband's hepatitis C appeal - Irish Medical Times

►April 22, 2008 - Vertex Pharma shares rise ahead of Hepatitis C data release - Vertex Pharma posts wider loss, but shares rise on "encouraging" interim Hepatitis C drug data - AP via CNNMoney

►April 22, 2008 - U.S. FDA warns Philips Medical over procedures - Reuters

►April 22, 2008 - UPDATE 2-US FDA says Zila mouth rinse promotion misleading - Reuters

►April 22, 2008 - Princess Tiáamii hospitalised with chickenpox - Digital Spy

►April 22, 2008 - Chickenpox booster shot not as permanent as once thought - Jackson Clarion-Ledger

►April 22, 2008 - Medic who helped stamp out polio in Nuneaton dies - Coventry Telegraph

►April 22, 2008 - immatics begins Phase I/II study of its peptide-based cancer vaccine IMA910 - Second proof-of-concept study by cancer immunotherapy specialist - PharmaLive

►April 22, 2008 - Eighth Grader Arrested After Alleged Peanut Allergy Prank - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►April 22, 2008 - Overuse of antibiotics killing potentially life-saving bacteria - Kansas State Collegian

►April 22, 2008 - 10% of people given fibrinogen have HCV - The Yomiuri Shimbun - "About 10 percent of the 7,400 or so patients who were administered the blood product fibrinogen were infected with hepatitis C, a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry study team announced Tuesday."

►April 22, 2008 - Research Priorities To Fight Drug-resistant Tuberculosis Described - NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via ScienceDaily

►April 22, 2008 - Cimzia Sanctioned to Treat Crohn's Disease - HealthDay via Forbes

►April 22, 2008 - U.S. FDA approves UCB bowel drug, with caution - Reuters

►April 22, 2008 - Gold and silver add 'bling' to chromatin images - An intriguing new method which allows for more detailed electron microscopy images is set to shed light on the complex chromosomal structures that carry out DNA functions such as replication and transcription. - LabTechnologist.com

►April 22, 2008 - HIV in Prisons, 2006 - US Department of Justice

►April 22, 2008 - Daily micronutrients of some benefit for HIV-positive patients receiving TB treatment -  Journal of Infectious Diseases via Aidsmap

►April 22, 2008 - Uncovering The Secret Ways Of HIV: The HIV Protein Nef Impairs Blood Cell Development - Journal of Clinical Investigation, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

►April 22, 2008 - Emory Vaccine Center Events Highlight "Weel of Hope" in Atlanta - The Emory Vaccine Center via WebWire

►April 22, 2008 - Minn. Board of Animal Health Confirms Becker County Cows Died Of Anthrax - Cattle Network

►April 22, 2008 - Anthrax kills 2 Minnesota cows, vaccinations urged - Reuters

►April 22, 2008 - Elusys' Anthim(TM) Dramatically Improves Survival of Animals Treated After Active Anthrax Infection - Single, Intramuscular (IM) Dose, Protects up to 75 Percent in Primate Study - press release - Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. via PRNewswire

* ►April 22, 2008 - A simplified method of giving rabies vaccine - Public Library of Science via www.eurekalert.org - "A simplified economical method of giving rabies vaccine is just as effective as the expensive standard vaccine regimen at stimulating anti-rabies antibodies."

►April 22, 2008 - Owners urged to vaccinate horses to protect them from West Nile virus - Chico Enterprise-Record

►April 22, 2008 - UH Cleared For New West Nile Virus Study - Researchers Discuss Study's Safety Protocols - KITV Honolulu

►April 22, 2008 - Stop CFL Giveaways From Turning Into Mass Throwaways, Say Groups; Earth Day Pledge Made to Consider Toxicity and Other Concerns - press release - Mercury Policy Project via PRNewswire-USNewswire via EarthTimes.org

►April 21, 2008 - Mercury and Autism: What the FDA and CDC Don´t Want You to Know - American Chronicle

►April 21, 2008 - Sanofi and Merck to expand R&D operations in North America - Pharmaceutical Business Review

* ►April 21, 2008 - Immunization and the paradox of success - 33 countries from Ireland to Tajikistan take part in European Immunization Week 2008 - press release - WHO/Europe

* ►April 21, 2008 - An alarming side effect: Thoughts of suicide - Los Angeles Times via Quad City Times

* ►April 21, 2008 - FDA thinks it has trigger in heparin deaths - CNN

►April 21, 2008 - FDA cites Chinese firm's manufacturing processes for heparin - The Associated Press via google

►April 21, 2008 - US watchdog critical of FDA foreign drug oversight - Reuters

►April 21, 2008 - 3M Health Care announces new 3M Rapid Detection Flu A+B test - Test combines science and technology to deliver objective results - WeissComm Partners via www.eurekalert.org

►April 21, 2008 - Need For More Child Immunization Across the State - KNDO/KNDU

►April 21, 2008 - The Contract (Procter and Gamble) - Scientific Misconduct Blog

* ►April 21, 2008 - MMR Vaccines - editorial - ADVANCE  for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists

* ►April 21, 2008 - Polio cases double in Nigeria - AP via Yahoo! - "The vaccine-sparked outbreak has struck more than 100 children so far, including eight this year."

►April 21, 2008 - Infectious Diseases in Abkhazia region of Georgia and the Threat to Sochi Olympics - Abkhazia

►April 21, 2008 - Guardsman succumbs to heart virus - 20-year-old hoped to serve overseas - Press & Sun-Bulletin

►April 21, 2008 - Deadly dangers of whooping cough drawing greater attention - Bluefield Daily Telegraph

►April 20, 2008 - New vaccine to combat pneumococcal disease - Times of India - "A high-level expert committee, headed by department of biotechnology (DBT) secretary Dr M K Bhan, has recommended the use of the pneomococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the country's routine immunisation (RI) programme."

►April 20, 2008 - PREVIEW-Distressed U.S. war veterans get day in court - Reuters

►April 19, 2008 - FDA chief lays out plans for healing the agency - News & Observer

►April 19, 2008 - Blitzkrieg to battle vicious virus - Times of India

►April 18, 2008 - Wildebeest virus kills 2 cows, 1 in Louisiana - AP via Houston Chronicle
 
►April 18, 2008 - New TB threat: Global ties bring an ancient disease to Silicon Valley - San Jose Mercury News

►April 16, 2008 - Bisphenol A Dangerous chemical? - video - CBC

►April 16, 2008 - No profit in drug, so virus fights cancer - Portsmouth News

►April 16, 2008 - Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder. - journal article (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)

►April 15, 2008 - Editors: Vital Vioxx Details "Manipulated" - JAMA Editors Call For Clinical Trial Reforms, Alleging Vioxx Withheld Data On Deaths - WebMD via CBS News

►April 15, 2008 - SIGA Advances ST-246 Smallpox Antiviral Development in Europe - Granted ‘Small and Medium Enterprise,’ or SME, Status to Support Regulatory Submission Objectives - press release - SIGA Technologies, Inc. via Business Wire

►April 14, 2008 - From cancer vaccines to a cure for allergies - Israel 21C

►April 14, 2008 - Opinion | More Human Clinical Research on HIV/AIDS Vaccine Needed To Find 'Magic Formula' Against Disease, Opinion Piece Says - www.kaisernetwork.org

►April 9, 2008 - Biota Begins Dosing of Influenza Candidate in Elderly Patients - FDAnews

►April 8, 2008 - After 25 Years, AIDS Vaccine Research Makes Mid-course Correction - It took 47 years to develop a polio vaccine, 42 to develop a measles vaccine and 105 for typhoid. So historically speaking, at 24 years in, research on the AIDS vaccine is still young. - Online NewsHour via PBS.org

* ►April 8, 2008 - Is there a Connection Between Vaccines and Food Allergies? - Journey to Crunchville Blog

►April 8, 2008 - Mercury use in dental amalgam - letter - EurActiv.com

►April 8, 2008 - Lord Freeman Appointed as Chairman of BigDNA Ltd - AllMediaScotland.com - "The unique process being developed by Dr. John March and his team uses bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) to deliver a vaccine. These contain the genetic instructions (or DNA) rather than using the disease organism itself, which conventional vaccines rely upon."

►April 7, 2008 - Nutritional Labels: How Precise Are They? - The FDA Allows Foods to Contain 20 Percent More Diet-Damaging Nutrients Than Labels State - Good Morning America via ABC News

►April 3, 2008 - Benefits of Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day Questioned - eFluxMedia

►April 2, 2008 - Tooth Regeneration May Replace Drill-and-Fill - Wired

* ►April 2008 - Infected with Insanity: Could Microbes Cause Mental Illness? - Viruses or bacteria may be at the root of schizophrenia and other disorders - Scientific American

 * ►The Patients of Job - Monday 14th to Friday 18th of April. - CryShame

* ►Silenced Witnesses - The Parents' Story - The Denial of Vaccine Damage by Government, Corporations and the Media. Written by the parents. - CryShame

►Investigate Before You Vaccinate - Australian Vaccination Network Seminars/Events - www.avn.org.au

►Autism Society of the Pikes Peak Region Autism Awareness Conference - University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, April 23, 2008 - KXRM FOX 21

►Who's In Charge of Your Health? - Catherine O'Driscoll is the founder of Canine Health Concern, which spearheads research and education by and for dog lovers to promote positive canine health. She is author of the books What Vets Don't Tell You About Vaccines, and Shock To The System....Saturday 3rd May...London - The Informed Parent, UK

►Comparing Natural Immunity With Vaccines By Trevor Gunn - June 4, Brighton, June 24, London, UK - The Informed Parent, UK

Posted April 21, 2008

* ►May 1, 2008 - Assessing the Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid on Cognitive Functions in Healthy, Preschool Children: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study - journal article (Clinical Pediatrics)

* ►May 2008 - Monitoring influenza virus content in vaccine production: Precise assays for the quantitation of hemagglutination and neuraminidase activity - journal article (Biologicals)

* ►May 2008 - Social identity, autism and visual impairment (VI) in the early years - journal article (British Journal of Visual Impairment)

►May 2008 - Design and optimization of a multiplex anti-influenza peptide immunoassay - journal article (Journal of Immunological Methods)

►May 2008 - Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Australia - journal article (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)

►May 2008 - Milk consumption and acne in teenaged boys - journal article (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology) - "We found a positive association between intake of skim milk and acne. This finding suggests that skim milk contains hormonal constituents, or factors that influence endogenous hormones, in sufficient quantities to have biological effects in consumers."

* ►April 28, 2008 - Post-outbreak study: Mumps immunity waning - A public health debate will likely ensue over how, when and even whether to boost the vaccine's performance. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Doctor-staffed retail clinics to open - A hospital-owned chain becomes one of the few to put physicians in store locations. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Walk-ins welcome, but only if they're healthy - A California physician says the philosophy behind his WellnessMart is that the sick and the well should go to separate places for care. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - House call on Congress - Physician activism and involvement through the AMA National Advocacy Conference amplify key messages -- for now and for medicine's future. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Alzheimer's rates expected to climb among minority elderly - Health care disparities and low minority enrollment in clinical trials interfere with crafting solid treatment plans for blacks and other minorities. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Part D standards aim to encourage e-prescribing - Drug benefit managers say the rules complete the groundwork needed for doctors to embrace the technology. Physicians argue that more needs to be done. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - U.S. report finds sluggish increases in quality of care - For the first time, an HHS agency's annual report explores ways of figuring out the cost efficiency of health care. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - House panel OKs bill to delay Medicaid cuts - The nation's governors and the physician and hospital communities are concerned about Medicaid rules that would reduce hospital funding and eliminate GME funding. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Medicare disease-management pilot faces closure over costs - Physicians are among those calling on Congress to repair and renew the demonstration program. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - New York awards $105 million in health IT projects - The grants eventually will benefit more than half of the patients in the state, the health commissioner says. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Hospital told to check bylaws on exclusive deals - A Georgia court found that while hospitals are entitled to offer exclusive contracts to specialty groups, applications for privileges are governed by medical staff bylaws. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Boomer loyalty: Insurers draw on a little help from their friends to market pre-Medicare coverage - Health plans are marketing hard to baby boomers, a generation that was once overlooked. Insurers hope the ties they establish now with this giant demographic group will transfer to their Medicare Advantage plans later. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Walgreens enters work-site clinic market - The pharmacy chain plans to launch a health and wellness division that will include new retail and clinic acquisitions. - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - Letters to the Editor - There is a strong case to be made for postpartum depression screening - For a couple facing the match, a couple of services spells trouble - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - News in brief: Health & Science - Women's waistline fat tied to cancer, heart health - New tool for alcohol abuse screening - Heavy backpacks decrease blood flow to arms - AIDS drug waiting lists nearly gone - FDA reviewing asthma drugs link to mood changes, suicide - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - News in brief: Government & Medicine - Mass. reform board raises health plan affordability standards - NIH says Social Security data on stolen laptop - www.ama-assn.org

►April 28, 2008 - News in brief: Professional Issues - Humana settles Missouri payment class action - Dr. Nathan Davis award winners announced - www.ama-assn.org

►April 22, 2008 - GSK Pharma to bring in rotavirus, cancer vaccines - Breast cancer drug Tykerb slated for launch next month - Hindu Business Line

* ►April 22, 2008 - American Samoa concern over measles among teens - Radio New Zealand International - "Fuata Dr Iatala says measles is usually confined to children under ten but they’ve seen a significant number of children in their early teens, who are contracting measles. These include those who have already had measles, mumps and rubella shots. Dr Iatala says what they are afraid of is a new strain of measles developing."

Comment:  It's not EASY to fool Mother Nature.

►April 22, 2008 - Immunisation stressed to ensure healthy child development - The News - International - Pakistan - "The ceremony was organised to award “Best Attendance Award” to those children who have attended 'Maternal and Child Health Centre' on regular basis with the objective of growth monitoring and immunisations. About750 children were awarded who had met the set criteria for eligibility of the award."

►April 22, 2008 - Immunization drive 'needs more funding' - China Daily

►April 22, 2008 - Outcome of equine flu inquiry this week - Horsetalk, New Zealand

►April 22, 2008 - Pathogen Virulence Proteins Suppress Plant Immunity - Virginia Tech, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

►April 22, 2008 - Mercury Migrating Out of Rivers to the Shore (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►April 22, 2008 - With all hands on deck, autism can be defeated — DAIN - Vanguard, Nigeria - "Autistic children are sometimes called children of pain. In some parts of the country they are often regarded as being 'evil' or possessed by animals or spirits. But this is far from truth even if autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the world."

* ►April 22, 2008 - Autism awareness campaign to be launched next year - Peninsula On-line, Qatar - "Bob Wright stressed on the need for awareness and research on autism, saying, 'We are losing one percent of the male population in the world to autism, which is incredible.'"

* ►April 22, 2008 - Anti-Psychotic Drugs (Zyprexa) Change Metabolism - Study out on Eli Lilly Zyprexa causing diabetes - 'Based on these findings we concluded that male rats treated with olanzapine experienced an early disruption of energy metabolism.' - American Physiological Society via PR-USA.net

* ►April 21, 2008 - It's a parent's choice to immunize or not - by Dr. Tom Gross - Marin Independent Journal - "As a physician and parent, I chose to recommend immunizations for my children, and I continue to do so even as my children now have children of their own. True, I am concerned about the risk of side effects. But given my training and experience, I believe the risks to my children are greater if they are not immunized than if they are. But the choice rightfully belongs to the parents, not the physicians. When parents question the safety and necessity of childhood immunizations, they deserve accurate information and good answers. The burden of proof belongs to the medical industry."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Vaccines across Borders throughout the Americas - Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University via Mexidata - "Scheduled to kick off on Saturday, April 19, the week-long immunization drive is expected to draw tens of thousands of volunteers from 44 countries.  According to a press statement from PAHO, the goal for 2008 is to vaccinate 62 million children, adults and elderly persons in order to prevent deaths and illnesses from measles, polio, rotavirus and other diseases."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Guest Viewpoint: Infant vaccines ensure the health of all - Parents should keep immunizations current - Press & Sun-Bulletin

►April 21, 2008 - Merck Reports First-Quarter 2008 Financial Results - press release - Merck & Co., Inc. via Business Wire

* ►April 21, 2008 - Vaccines 'Golden Era' Is Under Threat - Medical News Today - "The report by Prof Galambos, What are the prospects for a new golden era in vaccines, is available to view online."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Vaccines pump up Novartis 1Q profits; US sales down - AP via ABC 7 News WJLA-TV - "Group sales, including vaccines and diagnostics, generics and consumer health products reached $9.91 billion (6.28 billion euros) in the first quarter, a 9 percent rise in U.S. dollar terms but unchanged in local currencies compared with the previous year."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Eli Lilly 1Q profit doubles, but falls short of expectations - The Associated Press via Google

* ►April 21, 2008 - Merck Profit Gains on New Drugs, Partnership Payment - Bloomberg - "Gardasil generated $390 million worldwide in the quarter, an increase of 7 percent. The total is less than the estimate of Bear Stearns's Boris, who was expecting that much in the U.S. alone. The company sees Gardasil sales reaching $1.9 billion to $2.1 billion this year....Merck is asking U.S. regulators to expand the use of the vaccine for women up to age 45, from 9 to 26 years, which would double the market size."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Immunize your children, Canadian parents urged - CanWest News Service via Vancouver Sun via Canada.com

* ►April 21, 2008 - Sutter Pediatrician Addresses Importance of Childhood Immunizations - Sutter Regional Medical Foundation via PRNewswire via EarthTimes.org - "'Vaccines are very safe and effective,' Dr. Collins says. 'They are all thoroughly tested and approved by the by the FDA. The Centers for Disease Control monitors all side effects to ensure vaccines continue to be safely given to children. Millions of children are protected from life-threatening disease through vaccines. The important thing to remember is that getting the disease is much more dangerous than getting the vaccine,' Dr. Collins says."

►April 21, 2008 - Vaccination clinic for infants, kids set for Thursday - News-Leader.com

►April 21, 2008 - Immunization coalition wants vaccination rates to rise - CBC

►April 21, 2008 - Cleveland: Immunization information fair is Thursday - WKYC-TV

►April 21, 2008 - Child Vaccination Rates Too Low In Canada Group Warns - CityNews

►April 21, 2008 - IAC Express 2008 Issue number 725 - Immunization Action Coalition

►April 21, 2008 - Novavax CEO to Present at the World Vaccine Congress 2008 - press release - Novavax, Inc. via PRNewswire-FirstCall

►April 21, 2008 - A good week to keep up baby's health - Gloucester County Times via NJ.com

►April 21, 2008 - Phoenix Fire Department to offer free shots for measles - ABC15.com - "It's being called the largest measles outbreak in 10 years and Governor Janet Napolitano, along with state health leaders, is spreading the word on stopping the spread of the disease."

►April 21, 2008 - Free immunizations offered this week - The Clarion-Ledger

►April 21, 2008 - National Immunization Week - WEYI NBC25 - "All children receiving a vaccination during this special celebration will receive one special treat from an area restaurant which include Chili's restaurant, Chuck E. Cheese, and Gillies Family Fun center."

►April 21, 2008 - European Immunisation Week - Focus Information Agency, Bulgaria

►April 21, 2008 - Georgia fights polio, measles as part of European Immunization Week - Messenger.ge

►April 21, 2008 - Uganda: Health Centres Run Out of Gas, Stop Immunisation - The Monitor (Kampala) via AllAfrica.com

* ►April 21, 2008 - Be a meningitis hero for your child - "VAC Check Day" celebrates Canadians who make a difference in understanding the importance of proper vaccination - press release - National Public Relations Ltd. via CNW Group - "Parents can use The Mother of All Immunization Trackers (www.canadaimmunization.com), an easy-to-use immunization tracking tool that is customized to each province's and territory's schedules. It offers easy-to-understand definitions of each childhood vaccine and e-mail alerts letting parents know when to schedule the next vaccine-related doctor's appointment. While this online record of immunizations is not an official document, it helps parents quickly check the status of their child's immunization."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Mercury, Testosterone and Autism - A Really Big Idea! by Kent Heckenlively, Esq. - Age of Autism - "Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University Research Center created a firestorm of controversy a few years ago with his claim that autism was the result of an 'extreme male brain'.  Dr. Mark Geier and his son David believe Baron-Cohen may be exactly right.  I recently spoke with David Geier about these issues. According to David Geier, the father-son team first became interested in this question after viewing a poster in which Dr. Boyd Haley showed how the addition of even a small amount of testosterone greatly enhanced the destructive power of mercury."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Press Conference and Hearing on Autism and Vaccines - Nassau County, NY, Noon, Monday, April 28, 2008 - A-CHAMP.org

* ►April 21, 2008 - Obama and Clinton Respond to A-CHAMP Autism Questionnaire - A-CHAMP.org

* ►April 21, 2008 - Don't blame vaccines for autism - column - Roanoke Times - "One point is clear: No credible link has been established between vaccines and autism. I repeat: There is no good evidence for a direct link between vaccines and autism. That includes live vaccines like MMR and vaccines containing the controversial preservative thimerosal."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Biomedical intervention helps moms battle autism - The Register-Herald via Athens Daily Review - "'We are not trying some weird form of voodoo. We are treating medical conditions known to exist in children with autism,' said Janet Lintala of Beckley."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Families, schools, children pay the price of autism - Cleveland Daily Banner - "According to Dr. Tammy Johnson, the incidences of autism are increasing astronomically. 'A number of years ago the incident rate was 1-in 20,000 and now it is 1-in-150 and 1-in-90 are boys. Autism occurs in four out of every 10,000 live births. 'There are all kinds of theories from vaccines to food allergies or the mothers have compromised immune systems during pregnancies,' she said."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Autism advocates to rally at Capitol - Insurance reform is battle cry - Macomb Daily - "Shelby Township's Debbi Ringle will be in attendance Tuesday, and is encouraging others to be there, too. 'I know it's difficult for people to get up there; parents are working and gas mileage is a factor,' Ringle said, "but this is a unique opportunity to be heard.' 'Other states have passed similar bills,' she added. 'In Michigan, this is long overdue.'"

►April 21, 2008 - Overcoming barriers to autism treatment - Families, caregivers meet to discuss how to deal with insurance. - Allentown Morning Call

►April 21, 2008 - Rich Center for autism gets grant of $421K - Youngstown Vindicator - "The Rich Center is one of five institutions in Ohio to receive a 2008 congressionally directed grant. There were 333 such grants awarded nationally."

►April 21, 2008 - Forum for autism carers - Star News Group, Australia

►April 21, 2008 - McDonald looks to expand autism awareness effort - Glens Falls Post-Star

►April 21, 2008 - Autism data grows, but not answers - The Register-Guard

►April 21, 2008 - Living with tantrums - For children with mental disorders, outbursts can mean more than misbehavior - Mail Tribune

►April 21, 2008 - Family's autism appeal to raise awareness - The first ever World Autism Awareness Day took place on April 2 and to help raise more funds towards research - New Post Leader

►April 21, 2008 - Preparing tomorrow's autism educators - SF State Campus Headlines

►April 21, 2008 - When child has autism, excursions are challenge - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

►April 21, 2008 - KidCare May Be Updated - www.wjhg.com - "Major changes to the state’s KidCare program are being discussed in Tallahassee (Meeting starts at 6). Lawmakers want to expand coverage to every kid and they also want KidCare to pay for autism treatment."

►April 21, 2008 - Hong Kong Study Finds Some Mercury Levels of Concern in Fish Samples - Occupational Health Safety

►April 21, 2008 - Smarter socket - Fluorescent lights are green, until they burn out. Then it's up to consumers to do the right thing and keep mercury out of the environment. - Minneapolis Star Tribune - "It's against the law to put fluorescent lights in the garbage in Minnesota and several other states. Even if it weren't, you wouldn't want to do it. The bulbs contain toxic mercury, which requires special handling."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Mercury-Infested Day Care To Be Destroyed (includes video) - NBC10.com

* ►April 21, 2008 - Mercury Rising--Up the Food Web - Elevated mercury levels in fish aren't alone. Higher levels in birds and insects point to a contamination across the food web. Adam Hinterthuer reports. - podcast and transcript - Scientific American

* ►April 21, 2008 - China threatens life in jail in food safety crackdown - The Guardian, UK

* ►April 21, 2008 - Department of Health Green book for immunisation updates - National Electronic Library for Medicines, UK - " Link to newsletter - The Department of Health has published the latest vaccine supply newsletter which highlights updates to chapter 8 (Vaccine safety and the management of adverse events following immunisation) and 33 (Typhoid) of the Green Book. Chapter 8 has been updated to reflect the new Resuscitation Council Guidelines for the treatment of anaphylaxis, and chapter 33 has been updated to highlight the change in the lower age limit for Typhim Vi from 18 months to 2 years due to the lack of efficacy for use in children under the age of 2 years."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Pneumonia is still possible after jab - Nurses should be alert to potential cases of pneumonia in children, even if they have received the pneumococcal jab, according to UK research. - Healthcare Republic

►April 21, 2008 - Immunisation success hailed as no young deaths from meningitis reported - Management in Practice

* ►April 21, 2008 - Vaccine Study - editorial - Winston-Salem Journal - "Too often in our country, government experts write off the concerns of the public. The feeling is that scientists know best and that the public really cannot understand the science involved in their decisions. There's a problem with that sentiment: If the public doesn't trust vaccines and it is not allowed to express that distrust in an open way that requires expert response, the public will avoid vaccines. No matter how effective a vaccine, it does no one any good if the public doesn't use it."

►April 21, 2008 - National immunisation programme continues to save lives -Department of Health via eGov monitor

►April 21, 2008 - Parents to be asked for vaccination go-ahead - Wirral Globe, UK - "Parents and carers of girls aged 12 and 13 will be asked for permission to have their child vaccinated against a virus which can cause cervical cancer. The move is part of a nationwide vaccination programme starting in September."

►April 21, 2008 - PCTs should pay for immunisation courses - I have recently returned to work for a GP in a new PCT to undertake the childhood immunisation programme. - Healthcare Republic

►April 21, 2008 - GlaxoSmithKline Pharma to launch more vaccines in India - Economic Times

►April 21, 2008 - Local clinics provide free HPV vaccines through program - Southeast Missourian

►April 21, 2008 - Merck Now Hyping Gardasil for Older Women - NaturalNews.com

* ►April 21, 2008 - Vaccine could end most cervical cancer: study - HPV shots urged for older women - National Post - "'Eradication could come reasonably easily,' Dr. Robert Smith?, a biomathematician at the University of Ottawa and the lead researcher, said in an interview. "All you really have to do is release a little bit of the vaccine into the adult population and you'd have it.'....Dr. Smith? -- who renders his name with a question mark at the end -- said it could be done with less effort, over several decades, for HPV by exploiting 'herd immunity,' where enough people in certain populations are inoculated that even those not actually vaccinated are protected."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Real voices highlighted in campaign for HPV test - DM News - "'There is a lot of noise in the market about the [HPV] vaccine, which has a much higher budget than we do,' Rasmussen said. 'The vaccine is most effective for young girls and women who have not been exposed to the virus. Once you're older and have been exposed to this infec­tion, the vaccine won't give you the full protection. The test is the best protection for mature women'....Digene, which originally developed the test, was acquired by Qiagen last year. Its test is currently the only one that has received FDA approval.”

* ►April 21, 2008 - Weekend marks first human trials of new avian flu vaccine - Viet Nam News - "The volunteers are 30 students and staff from the Military Medical Institute (MMI) in the capital. The vaccine, developed from monkey kidney cells, employs the latest in Vietnamese bio-technology."

►April 21, 2008 - Expert Group Report on deaths of three children released - The Expert Group set up to investigate the deaths of three children with acute febrile illnesses in recent months released its report today (April 18). The Expert Group, chaired by Professor KY Yuen, Head of Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, was appointed by the Government on March 12 to investigate the role of influenza in these deaths and to make recommendations to minimise similar incidents in future. - Media-Newswire.com

►April 21, 2008 - One more reason to boycott China's Olympics: Avian flu - letter - The Free Lance-Star

►April 21, 2008 - Soldier suspected of contracting bird flu - The Hankyoreh, Korea - "A soldier who showed symptoms of avian influenza is being treated a military hospital, authorities said Monday."

►April 21, 2008 - South Korea has new bird flu case - Reuters - "South Korea on Monday said it planned to cull a record 5.3 million birds as it announced its 17th case of bird flu in three weeks, in what has become the country's fastest and biggest outbreak of avian influenza."

►April 21, 2008 - Over 400,000 poultry vaccinated against bird flu in Primorye - ITAR-TASS

►April 21, 2008 - CDC Finds This Year's Flu Vaccine Lacking - Two of three flu strains slipped by this year's vaccine - Consumer Affairs

►April 21, 2008 - Flu vaccination cuts COPD exacerbations - Flu jabs prevent COPD exacerbations, can prevent decline in lung function and lead to reduced hospital admissions, Indian research suggests. - Int J Clin Pract via Healthcare Republic

►April 21, 2008 - Last flu season nothing to sneeze at - McKnight's Long Term Care News

►April 21, 2008 - Huron Health Unit Says Flu Vaccine Still Important - CKNX Radio - "A public health nurse with the Huron County Health Unit says recently-released research indicating the flu vaccine missed the mark this past winter should not discourage people from getting flu shots."

►April 21, 2008 - Annual flu shot is still an important lifesaver - Vaccine has an off year, but it's still good health policy. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

►April 21, 2008 - Bird flu pandemic risk remains - The hysteria surrounding bird flu may have flown the coop but the risk of a pandemic remains. - Timaru Herald via www.stuff.co.nz

* ►April 21, 2008 - US says Indonesia stalling in talks on US lab - Reuters - "Talks between Indonesia and the United States over the future of a U.S. naval medical lab have become entangled in an international dispute over how to share crucial bird flu samples, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said on Monday."

►April 21, 2008 - 2 cases of measles reported in Calgary - CBC

►April 21, 2008 - Measles Vaccination Program Launched at Local High School - 660 News Calgary - "The Calgary Health Region is hoping to avoid an outbreak of red measles at a local high school."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Health Experts Call For Vigilance Against Measles - Eurosurveillance via Medical News Today

* ►April 21, 2008 - Nigeria: Measles Claims 126 Lives in Niger - This Day (Lagos) via AllAfrica.com

►April 21, 2008 - Health Officials: Measles Outbreak May Be Slowing - Today's TMJ4

* ►April 21, 2008 - Mumps epidemic hits Dutch Bible belt - DutchNews.nl - "Many people in the affected area are orthodox Protestants who refuse to have their children vaccinated against mumps and other diseases on religious grounds. Labour MP Khadija Arib said in a radio programme at the weekend that she will ask the health minister to investigate the possibility of making vaccinations compulsory....The RIVM says mumps (fever and swollen neck glands) is not normally dangerous and complications such as meningitis are rare."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Polio cases double in Nigeria, doctors fighting 2 different outbreaks - AP via International Herald Tribune - "Polio cases in Nigeria have nearly doubled this year as officials struggle to fight various natural strains of the virus and those unleashed by the vaccine itself."

►April 21, 2008 - CDC reports vaccinia infections in lab workers - CIDRAP News

►April 21, 2008 - State Legislature Declares April 21 to 25, 2008 West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week - Campaign Alerts Public of the Threat of West Nile Virus and Other Diseases - press release - Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California via PRNewswire

►April 21, 2008 - Infection rate lowers for hepatitis B - Shanghai Daily

►April 21, 2008 - Eighth case of hepatitis C reported in Las Vegas medical scare - AP via KRNV.com

►April 21, 2008 - Tennessee health officials investigate acute hepatitis B outbreak in Hawkins County - Kingsport Times News

►April 21, 2008 - Health Officials Suspect Norwalk Virus In Chipotle Cases - NewsNet5.com

* ►April 21, 2008 - Tuberculosis: Growing Problem at Home and Abroad - It was honeymooner Andrew Speaker, an attorney from Atlanta, who touched off an international health scare last May when he flew to Europe knowing he had a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. - FOX News

►April 21, 2008 - CDC results show impact of Red Cross efforts to fight malaria - press release - Canadian Red Cross via CNW Group - "Preliminary results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the Red Cross distribution of insecticide-treated nets in Sierra Leone is having a significant impact."

►April 21, 2008 - Meningitis crisis grips Meghalaya - Sify

►April 21, 2008 - 17 Dead from Rift Valley Fever Outbreak - An Emerging Wildlife Virus Takes a Heavy Toll in Madagascar - Daily Green

►April 21, 2008 - Information on outbreaks at 21 April 2008. - Healthcare Republic

►April 21, 2008 - Telavancin Shows Benefits for Treatment of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia: Presented at ECCMID - Doctor's Guide

* ►April 21, 2008 - Uganda: Ebola Vaccine Trials in Final Stage - New Vision (Kampala) via AllAfrica.com

►April 21, 2008 - Anthrax vaccine developed - News-Leader.com

►April 21, 2008 - Vido Enterprise To Develop Animal And Human Vaccines - Discover Moose Jaw - "The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan has secured five-years' worth of funding from Industry Canada, valued at $15 million, to fast-track vaccine development for human and animal diseases. The new national non-profit research corporation will be known as the Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise, or PREVENT."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Tainted Chinese heparin now considered worldwide threat - 10 countries find agent suspected in U.S. deaths - Baltimore Sun

* ►April 21, 2008 - FDA: Heparin supplier's Chinese factory 'unsuitable' (requires registration or subscription) - Chicago Tribune

►April 21, 2008 - FDA warns heparin supplier over manufacturing - Reuters

►April 21, 2008 - Before you pop - How not to take painkillers - GoErie.com

►April 21, 2008 - Infections Control And Contamination Of Daily Use Objects - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases via Medical News Today

►April 21, 2008 - FDA says Pfizer's online Viagra ad did not mention risks - AP via Google

►April 21, 2008 - Ghostwriting fuels foes of FDA rule change - FiercePharma

►April 21, 2008 - FDA Proposal for Ghostwritten Articles Criticized - The Money Times

* ►April 21, 2008 - 'THIS RAISES A RED FLAG' | Potentially toxic bug repellent DEET turns up in Sun-Times tests of Chicago's drinking water - Chicago Sun-Times

►April 21, 2008 - Update: Toys 'R' Us to Phase Out BPA Baby Bottles (requires registration) - Washington Post Blog

►April 21, 2008 - How air pollution hurts your kids' lungs (includes video) - CNN

* ►April 21, 2008 - Scientists test device to track medication adherence in patients with HIV/AIDS - University of Florida News

►April 21, 2008 - The go-to person on HIV (requires registration) - Boston Globe

►April 21, 2008 - Global Challenges | Some HIV-Positive People in Zambia Stopping Antiretroviral Treatment for Alternative Drugs, Health Official Says - www.kaisernetwork.org

►April 21, 2008 - Abnormal anal cells and high-risk HPV common in HIV-positive Australians - Aidsmap

►April 21, 2008 - N. C. State Researcher's HIV Findings May Lead to New Treatment Strategies - WRAL.com

►April 21, 2008 - House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing Assessing the Evidence of Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs - All American Patriots

►April 21, 2008 - In Search of an AIDS Vaccine - Rededication follows disappointment. - editorial (requires registration) - Washington Post

►April 21, 2008 - Pre-chewed Food Is Found To Transmit HIV To Babies - New York Times via Manila Bulletin

►April 21, 2008 - Opinion | Commitment To Conducting More Basic Research in Search for HIV/AIDS Vaccine 'Prudent,' Editorial Says - www.kaisernetwork.org

►April 21, 2008 - Insufficient Tetanus Vaccination Status in Patients with Chronic Leg Ulcers - journal article (Dermatology) - journal article (Dermatology)

►April 21, 2008 - A good week to keep up baby's health - Gloucester County Times via www.nj.com - "On average, 115,000 babies are born in New Jersey each year. Current statistics indicate that only 78 percent of New Jersey children are fully immunized by age 2, according to the state Health and Senior Services department."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Vitamin D in brain function - Vitamin D supplementation for high risk groups may be warranted - Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland via EurekAlert! - "McCann & Ames point out that evidence for vitamin D’s involvement in brain function includes the wide distribution of vitamin D receptors throughout the brain. They also discuss vitamin D’s ability to affect proteins in the brain known to be directly involved in learning and memory, motor control, and possibly even maternal and social behavior. The review also discusses studies in both humans and animals that present suggestive though not definitive evidence of cognitive or behavioral consequences of vitamin D inadequacy. The authors discuss possible reasons for the apparent discrepancy between the biological and behavioral evidence, and suggest new, possibly clarifying avenues of research."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Research suggests breathing in pollution could trigger brain cancer - The Press-Enterprise via www.knoxnews.com

* ►April 21, 2008 - Study: Lyme bacteria can 'hide' from antibiotics - Phenomenon may help explain chronic symptoms after treatment - UC Davis - "The UC Davis researchers infected three groups of mice with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Mice showed comparable symptoms of Lyme disease as humans and responded similarly to antibiotic treatment. One group of mice received antibiotics during the first three weeks of infection, while another got antibiotics four months later. The third group received only a placebo. When the treatments were completed, the placebo group showed continued infection in a standard lab test, while the two antibiotics groups showed no trace of the bacteria using the same test."

* ►April 21, 2008 - Wyeth Acted In ‘Bad Faith’ In Prempro Case - Pharmalot

* ►April 21, 2008 - Andy’s Take: We Care About Conflicts Of Interest - Pharmalot

►April 21, 2008 - Counterfeiting Bill Introduced In Congress - Pharmalot

►April 21, 2008 - Profits & Promises: Your Earnings Round-Up - Pharmalot

►April 21, 2008 - Guidance for Sponsors, Industry, Researchers, Investigators, and Food and Drug Administration Staff - Certifications To Accompany Drug, Biological Product, and Device Applications/Submissions: Compliance with Section 402(j) of The Public Health Service Act, Added By Title VIII of The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 - FDA

►April 21, 2008 - Recall Rho(D) Immune Globulin (Human) Hyper RHO S/D, Mini-Dose - FDA/CBER

►April 21, 2008 - Clostridium difficile Infection ‘Epidemic’ Leads to Calls for Emerging Next-Generation Therapies - Business Wire

►April 21, 2008 - RCPLondon: What role can the UK play in global health? - politics.co.uk

►April 21, 2008 - Microbial Resistance Towards Antibiotics: Still A Critical Issue - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases via Medical News Today

* ►April 21, 2008 - Minister caves in over cancer files - The Bligh Government has been forced into an embarrassing backdown, yesterday giving researchers access to data from the cancer registry after being hit with legal action and condemnation by Australia's leading scientists. - The Australian

►April 21, 2008 - Custom research pharmas eye buyout in US, Europe - The Financial Express

►April 21, 2008 - Sleeping aid dangers - The Seattle Times

►April 21, 2008 - City: Official got bad rap on lead - New York Daily News

►April 21, 2008 - New Abbott Kaletra® (lopinavir/ritonavir) Lower-Strength Tablet for Pediatric Use Approved in Europe - Abbott via Medical News Today

►April 21, 2008 - Genentech And Biogen Idec Announce Top-Line Results From A Phase II/III Clinical Trial Of Rituxan In Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis - Genentech And Biogen via Medical News Today

►April 21, 2008 - In Lean Times, Biotech Grains Are Less Taboo (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►April 21, 2008 - "Hormone-Free' Milk Spurs Labeling Debate - Some say chemical company is behind efforts to sink 'rBGH-free' milk choice. - The Christian Science Monitor

►April 21, 2008 - What do pollution numbers mean? - The Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times

►April 21, 2008 - Pesticide lawsuit looms - The Cornwall Standard Freeholder, Ontario, Canada

►April 21, 2008 - Chemical levels in pets are too high - The Daily Advertiser

►April 21, 2008 - Spring Allergies Are Back: Five Natural Ways to Put Them in Check - Doctors Say You Can Be Naturally Free From Nagging Symptoms - ABC News

* ►April 20, 2008 - Drug studies for hire - As Drugmakers Turn - The Mercury News

* ►April 20, 2008 - Cost of prevention - Cheaper to let people get ill, studies show - The Washington Post via The Journal Gazette

►April 20, 2008 - 'The Successful Child' - Summit Daily News - "What Babies Want." It will be followed with a panel discussion and during the second half of the afternoon Sears will speak about vaccinations."

►April 20, 2008 - Health care must be scaled up to reduce maternal and child deaths - UN-Health via Irna

►April 20, 2008 - Science Expands Science Signaling, Featuring Research Related To Medical Advances, And More - Science via Medical News Today

►April 20, 2008 - Tiny weapons, huge hopes in the fight against cancer - Nanoparticles may detect, treat disease - The Boston Globe

►April 20, 2008 - Georgia home to some important medicinal plants - OnlineAthens.com

►April 20, 2008 - Military medical malpractice: Seeking recourse - Outrage over a recent spate of incidents spurs fresh efforts to overturn the Feres doctrine, a 1950 Supreme Court decision denying active-duty service members the right to sue over medical errors. (requires registration or subscription) - Los Angeles Times

►April 20, 2008 - Measles vaccination planned in western Racine County - Journal Times

►April 20, 2008 - SIUE School of Nursing to bring pandemic flu seminar to campus - Event to focus on planning - Alton Telegraph

►April 20, 2008 - Authorities report that prescriptions are the drug of choice for teens - Gainesville Times

►April 20, 2008 - Hundreds Walk For Autism - Hernando Today

►April 20, 2008 - Collaborative to study HIV - Group formed to promote sharing of data among national researchers - McClatchy Newspapers via Myrtle Beach Online

►April 20, 2008 - In marijuana debate, both sides can point to the science - Bill would make Minnesota the 13th state to allow medical uses within strict limits. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

* ►April 19, 2008 - Telling it like it is (Procter and Gamble) - Scientific Misconduct Blog

* ►April 19, 2008 - Malaria bug an elusive adversary - After 30 years of disappointing results, research into a malaria vaccine is looking more hopeful, writes Lynnette Hoffman. Thirty years into the worldwide search for a vaccine to fight malaria, the most advanced vaccine candidate to date, known as RTSS, has been found to reduce the chances of malaria infection in children aged 1 to 4 by a mere 35 per cent. - The Australian

* ►April 19, 2008 - State Senate OKs doctor gift ban - Boston Herald - “This will prevent the illicit marketing that is compromising the doctor-patient relationship,” Montigny said. “Billions is being spent on schmoozing and sending doctors on junkets, and it shouldn’t be happening.”

* ►April 19, 2008 - Benefit Managers Profit by Specialty Drug Rights (requires registration) - An anti-seizure drug used to treat Reegan Schwartz’s epilepsy registered a fourteenfold increase in price last summer. - The New York Times

►April 19, 2008 - GPs shortage a long-term worry - Concerns are growing that medical workforce planning is being neglected. Health editor Adam Cresswell reports. The previous government probably copped an unfair share of the blame for Australia's doctor shortage. Although its own policies of cutting back on training places undoubtedly made this problem worse than it would otherwise have been, those policies were rooted in beliefs shared on both sides of politics in the 1990s that the country was awash with doctors who were busy drumming up business to keep themselves in BMWs. - The Australian

►April 19, 2008 - Short breastfeeds 'best for baby' - Giving regular, short breastfeeds is more beneficial than the "baby-led" method, a British study suggests. - BBC

►April 18, 2008 - The influence of in vitro fitness defects on pneumococcal ability to colonize and to cause invasive disease (pdf) - journal article (BMC Microbiology)

►April 18, 2008 - Glaxo, Novartis Lose Bid for Separate Alabama Trials - Bloomberg

►April 18, 2008 - Tainted Heparin Discussed By U.S., Other Countries, FDA Says - Bloomberg

►April 18, 2008 - Training People With Autism To Recognize Faces - NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center via Medical News Today

►April 18, 2008 - Study confirms Parkinson's-pesticides link - Reuters

* ►April 17, 2008 - NIH report omits specific blame? (requires registration) - The Scientist - "Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences are saying the recent NIH report on mismanagement at the agency fails to pinpoint some root causes of the problems."

* ►April 16, 2008 - Toxic 100 Index - Links on company names lead to detailed company reports. - Political Economy Research Institute

►April 16, 2008 - Hep Express Issue 69 - Immunization Action Coalition via www.hepprograms.org

►April 10, 2008 - Govt to close doors to victims of new flu strain - The Yomiuri Shimbun

►April 10, 2008 - Avian Flu: Pandemic Planning to Vaccine Development - The journal, Respirology, has launched a special supplementary issue specifically on avian influenza. Published by Wiley-Blackwell, the collection of papers provide an insight into the threat of the avian influenza pandemic by addressing a wide range of topics including the basic biology of the virus, updates on laboratory diagnosis and influenza anti-viral, treatment options, and pandemic planning. - ThePoultrySite.com

►April 9, 2008 - BC’s recycled mercury poisons Asia - The Asian Pacific Post

►April 7, 2008 - Electronic medical records: glue for a piecemeal system - The benefits are many, but doctors and other providers have been slow to adopt electronic record-keeping - The Globe and Mail

►April 7, 2008 - H1N1 Influenza Virus with Highest Replikin CountTM Since the 1918 Pandemic Identified in the U.S. and Austria - Replikins, Ltd. has found that the Replikin Count™ of the H1N1 strain of influenza virus has recently increased to 7.6 (plus/minus 1.4), its highest level since the 1918 H1N1 pandemic (p value less than 0.001). A rising Replikin Count of a particular influenza strain, indicating rapid replication of the virus, is an early warning which has been followed consistently by an outbreak of the specific strain. The current increase appears to be specific to H1N1; there was a concurrent 80% decline in the Replikin CountTM of H3N2, for instance. - Replikins, Ltd. via PRWeb

►April 7, 2008 - Colorado State University Scientists Test Nature's Own Filter to Detect Bird Flu Virus in Vietnam - Colorado State University

* ►April 2, 2008 - Vaccines' autism link encourages parents - Florida Times-Union - "Leslie Weed's daughter, Lanier Weed, was developing normally until she was 18 months old and had a standard dose of vaccinations. Then, everything she had learned, including how to say a few words and make hand gestures, ceased. 'She didn't know who we were. She lost all her motor and speech skills,' Weed said. 'The other trauma is that you know your child, they've become this little person and then they completely go away.' Some Beaches-area families, like the Weeds, take their children to Pediatric Partners of Ponte Vedra in Palm Valley, where physicians Jerry Kartzinel and Julie Buckley treat autism and other developmental disabilities by changing children's diets, adding vitamin and mineral supplements and using other biomedical."

►April 2, 2008 - European Medicines Agency To Grant Fee Waivers To Applications For Bluetongue Vaccines - Medical News Today

►April 1, 2008 - Case of fulminant-SSPE associated with measles genotype D7 from India: An autopsy study - journal article (Neuropathology)

►April 2008 - Recognition and management of neonatal seizures - journal article (Paediatrics and Child Health)

►April 2008 - MRI of the newborn brain - journal article (Paediatrics and Child Health)

►April 2008 - Vaccine Supply Newsletter (pdf) - www.immunisation.nhs.uk

* ►April 2008 - Advances in Autism Research compiled by Teresa Binstock for ARI - Autism Research Institute

►March 31, 2008 - Pitfalls in diagnosing limbic encephalitis – a case report - journal article (Acta Neurologica Scandinavica)

►March 28, 2008 - Pesticide exposure and risk of Parkinson's disease: A family-based case-control study - journal article (BMC Neurology)

►March 26, 2008 - Study aims to replace Pap testing - Cervical Cancer; B.C. agency says HPV test more effective - Canwest News Service via National Post

►March 25, 2008 - Myelin, mitochondria, and autoimmunity: What's the connection? - journal article (Neurology)

►March 2008 - Unpleasant auditory illusions and related avoidance behaviour in a child - journal article (Epileptic Disorders)

►March 2008 - Hot water epilepsy: a video case report of a Caucasian toddler - journal article (Epileptic Disorders)

►March 2008 - Ictal hiccup during absence seizure in a child - journal article (Epileptic Disorders)

* ►Supporting Research - The list below is the biography from Dr. Jepson's book, Changing the Course of Autism; A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians . Treatment and research at Thoughtful House are guided largely by the information presented in these studies - Thoughtful House

* ►What are the Prospects for a Golden Era in Vaccines? - The governments of both the US and UK have been re-examining their policies on preventive medicines, and there continues to be substantial media concern about sustaining innovation and providing a safe, adequate supply of vaccines in the future. This booklet examines the current threats to vaccine innovation and production, and what should be done to encourage a vibrant and innovative vaccines industry. - The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry - "This report is published in partnership with the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry and the UK Vaccines Industry Group. Financial support for this research was provided by Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd."

* ►GMC Hearing 2008 - CryShame - "Also read about the GMC Hearing 2007"

* ►Something in the System - When a child dies of measles the story hits the headlines. But when children die after the MMR jab, their stories are hard to find. - video - CryShame

* ►May 2008 - Chronic Bacterial and Viral Infections in Neurodegenerative and Neurobehavioral Diseases (pdf) - journal article (Lab Medicine) via The One Click Group

* ►April 21, 2008 - Health staff fleecing air passengers - The News - International - Pakistan - "Sources claim that there is no health counter in the world at any international airport as this causes delay in flights and often become a tool of harassing passengers. At present, the airport health department is even injecting anti-meningitis doses to the passengers traveling to Gulf States. When pointed out to the Airport Health Officer, Dr Liaquat Bhutto that vaccination for meningitis must have been done ten days prior to embarking upon the journey, his answer was, 'We are following WHO’s guidelines and passengers can be vaccinated at random.' Following such complaints about malpractices by foreigners and even influential locals, AD General Health Dr Zahid Hussain wrote to Director Central Health Establishment Karachi about complaints of ‘unethical vaccination’ at the airports and seaport for which Pakistanis coming home from Gulf are charged heavy amount."

* ►April 21, 2008 - DNA test saving lives - A BLOOD test revealing who is most likely to suffer from deadly meningitis has begun saving Victorian lives. - Herald Sun via www.news.com.au - "Having spent four weeks battling fevers and suffering blackouts before being diagnosed with meningococcal disease, Rishabh Tandon is one of the first lining up for the test. Recovering in Royal Melbourne Hospital on a penicillin drip yesterday, the 20-year-old accounting student was vaccinated against certain strains of meningococcal disease in 2003 and was desperate to know if he had an increased susceptibility."

►April 21, 2008 - Multiple activities to reduce child deaths being launched today - The News - International - Pakistan

►April 21, 2008 - More funding for study of autism urged - Gulf Times

►April 20, 2008 - Fairfield students rally for Autism - Oxford Press

* ►April 20, 2008 - Polio Survivor on Immunzations by Anne Van Rensselaer - Age of Autism - "And my daughter sent me an email reporting an article in The Independent (April 14) in the UK: "INCREASE IN SEVERE PNEUMONIA IN CHILDREN MAY BE CAUSED BY VACCINE" http://tinyurl.com/69skyx  Written by the paper's health editor, it describes how Prevnar, a vaccine against seven of the ninety or so streptococcal germs known to cause pneumonia, is suspected of creating new problems:  'When one (germ) is eliminated, it creates an opportunity for another to take its place. In the US, where Prevnar was introduced in 2000, researchers have reported an emergence of 'sero-replacement' disease—types of pneumonia not covered by the vaccine.'"

* ►April 20, 2008 - Parents oppose polio doses - The Statesman - "The father of the left-out child is a homeopath surgeon in Ichhapur locality of Kendrapara urban area is a glaring exception. His father argued that his child was being administered homeopathic drugs to counter polio virus. Thus there was no need for pulse polio drops administration."

* ►April 20, 2008 - IACC Meeting Listen in Via Conference Call - Age of Autism

* ►April 20, 2008 - Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Almost Specified - Adventures in Autism

* ►April 20, 2008 - AP misstated mercury in vaccines connection - letter - Nashua Telegraph

►April 20, 2008 - Aids put life with autism in order - Pictures guide children through daily activities, reducing anxiety for them and their families. - Philadelphia Inquirer

►April 20, 2008 - Mom wants to be there to help her son with autism - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

►April 20, 2008 - The complexities of autism are innumerable - The Cornellian

►April 20, 2008 - 'New frontier in education' - Des Moines Register

►April 20, 2008 - National Autism Conference at FGCU - Winknews.com

►April 20, 2008 - Understanding, treating autism begins with diagnosis - Appleton Post Crescent

►April 20, 2008 - A boy's best friend: Canine companion helps child cope with autism - Foster's Daily Democrat

►April 20, 2008 - Families find help for autistic children - Sources of support available locally, based on child's age - Appeal Democrat - "According to the Autism Society of America, autism is growing at a rate of about 17 percent, as compared to 16 percent for all disabilities worldwide, 13 percent within the U.S. population. The organization also reports that is costs about $90 billion annually to treat autism and that in 10 years, that dollar figure will reach between $200 billion and $400 billion a year."

* ►April 20, 2008 - Puzzling disorder lacks area services - Local parents of autistic children join to create change, support network - Chillicothe Gazette - "Daniel Jr. had started typical development - he talked and hit normal milestones for children, but between 12 and 15 months old, he began to rapidly regress, Brooke said. He stopped looking people in the eye, began having seizures and losing his speech. 'It was like somebody got into his body and took everything away over four months,' Brooke said. 'We panicked ... I thought he had a brain tumor and was going to die because he was slipping away from us.'"

* ►April 20, 2008 - Childhood Pneumonia Rises in Scotland - Age of Autism

* ►April 20, 2008 - Fears as child chest infections rocket - THE number of Scots children rushed to hospital with pneumonia has rocketed by more than 50 per cent in three years. - Sunday Post Online - "Despite this, Dr Spencer admitted the introduction of the vaccine could potentially lead to increases in cases involving serotype one. 'The pneumonia bug lives in peace with us for most of the time, but it does not like a vacuum,' he explained. 'If you take away one of the types of serotype by vaccination then another may then take its place. 'I contacted the Health Protection Agency 18 months ago and expressed concern there was a potential for the vaccine to make things worse.'"

* ►April 20, 2008 - Killer meningitis C 'wiped out' since introduction of vaccine saving more than 500 lives - Daily Mail, UK - "The majority of deaths are now due to type B of the disease, which kills around 200 people a year - half under five - and for which there is no known immunisation."

* ►April 20, 2008 - Vaccination campaign halts most lethal strain of meningitis - The Independent, UK - "The Government is not claiming to have conquered meningitis. A girl of 10 died after being admitted into hospital with a suspected case in early April and the meningitis B strain is still claiming hundreds of lives. Trials have begun in Belgium to find a vaccine designed to eradicate all variations of the meningococcal B strain, which accounts for 60 per cent of all UK meningitis cases, killing approximately 250 people each year."

* ►April 20, 2008 - Medical ghosts - Our view: Merck scandal points to larger doctor-industry coziness - Baltimore Sun - "Doctors are expected to have nothing but their patients' best interests at heart as they dispense treatment and advice. Companies that sell pharmaceuticals and medical equipment are driven by profits; they're part of an almost $1 trillion-a-year global industry. The two groups rely on each other, but the symbiotic relationships that have developed between doctors and drugmakers present conflicts that can no longer be ignored."

►April 20, 2008 - Squeezed by the Courts (requires registration) - The New York Times - "The push for a federal shield law to help journalists protect the identities of confidential sources got a big boost last week when John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, endorsed it in Washington at a convention of the nation’s newspaper editors and publishers."

* ►April 20, 2008 - DNA Tests Offer Deeper Examination Of Accused - Biological, Emotional States Scrutinized (requires registration) - Washington Post - "Already, chemical companies facing 'toxic tort' claims have persuaded courts to order DNA tests on the people suing them, part of an attempt to show that the plaintiffs' own genes made them sick -- not the companies' products.  In other cases, defense attorneys are asking judges to admit test results suggesting that their clients have a genetic predisposition for violent or impulsive behavior, adding a potential 'DNA defense' to a legal system that until now has held virtually everyone accountable for their actions except the insane or mentally retarded."
 
* ►April 20, 2008 - Infections in Neurodegenerative and Neurobehavioral Disease - Lab Medicine via The One Click Group

►April 20, 2008 - Drug studies for hire (requires registration or subscription) - San Jose Mercury News - "The huge cost and complexity of testing potential new medical products - a forbidding burden for fledgling Silicon Valley biotech firms - has given birth to an army of entrepreneurs offering to do the tests for others. Hundreds of so-called contract research organizations, or CROs, have cropped up over the past two decades around the world, creating a multibillion-dollar industry that many people say provides an essential service and is bound to expand."

►April 20, 2008 - Health district to offer free immunizations - The Galveston County Daily News

* ►April 20, 2008 - Immunization Records Night at New Britain Stadium April 22 - OurSports Central - "Parents and children will be met at the Stadium's main gates by friendly local Health Department professionals who will review the child's records and advise parents as to their child's current immunization status; Rock Cats staff will also be on hand to award a free game ticket for the evening's 6:35 PM game to every child whose records are presented for review."

►April 20, 2008 - Officials stress importance of infant immunization - KTUU.com

►April 20, 2008 - Parents encouraged to check children's vaccination records - Burlington Post

►April 20, 2008 - MMR vaccines’ effectiveness varies in time - KPCnews.com

►April 20, 2008 - Measles outbreak. Is it under control? - Today's TMJ4

►April 20, 2008 - Measles warning issued in Vaughan - Vaughan Today

►April 20, 2008 - Introduction of cervical cancer vaccine approved - Belfast Telegraph

►April 20, 2008 - Hiqa gives approval to national cervical cancer vaccine - Sunday Business Post, Ireland

►April 20, 2008 - Cornucopia Institute to USDA: Organic baby food harmful - BusinessNorth.com

* ►April 20, 2008 - New TB threat: Doctors worry about powerful strains resistant to drugs - Would patients need to be isolated - San Jose Mercury News

►April 20, 2008 - Algal sex could spawn malaria vaccine - New Scientist

* ►April 20, 2008 - Infertility: handle with care - Can these everyday household items really be blamed for an alarming rise in infertility? More and more scientists would say yes. Anna Moore looks at the facts - The Telegraph, UK

►April 20, 2008 - Whitefish High School considers random drug tests - The Missoulian

►April 20, 2008 - Expert on human aggression to speak at St. Joseph School - Log Cabin Democrat

►April 20, 2008 - Flu virus cases up this season - 'EDUCATED GUESS': Public health officials say vaccine not a good match this year - Watertown Daily Times

►April 20, 2008 - SKorea culls 5 million poultry over bird flu - AFX via Forbes

►April 20, 2008 - Human testing of Vietnamese H5N1 vaccine starts - The first phase of the human testing of Vietnamese made H5N1 influenza vaccine officially began Saturday, marking a big step for the country in achieving its goal of protecting humans from the deadly virus. - VietNamNet Bridge

* ►April 20, 2008 - Vietnam begins second human trial of bird flu vaccine - The Ministry of Health Saturday started the first stage of a second human trial for a human vaccine for the H5N1 virus. - Thanh Nien Daily

* ►April 20, 2008 - Mumps rears its bumpy head again - Los Angeles Times via The Nashua Telegraph

* ►April 20, 2008 - Health officials say NZ flu shots different to failed US jabs - NZPA via Yahoo! - "The southern hemisphere mix being used to protect New Zealanders is made up of three strains:  A/Solomon Islands/3/2006 (H1N1)-like virus -  A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus - B/Florida/4/2006-like virus. The mix used in the USA had the Solomons strain, but not the other two, instead using A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like virus and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like virus."

* ►April 20, 2008 - Wyeth ordered to post $58M bond - Tahoe Bonanza - "A Washoe District judge ordered pharmaceutical giant Wyeth to post a $58 million bond and pay $1.6 million in attorney fees in a landmark case against the drug company."

* ►April 20, 2008 - Purdue researchers wage long battle against bird flu - AP via WLFI.com

* ►April 20, 2008 - Enviro group seeks revised merucy rules - Times-News: Magicvalley.com

* ►April 20, 2008 - Letters: Lyme disease - The Philadelphia Inquirer - "There are many times when it is wise for patients to seek alternative opinions and treatments. Trying acupuncture for chronic back pain or seeing a homeopath for your child's asthma are but two examples of unconventional approaches which may or may not be effective, but are low-risk and usually not too expensive. But I have seen far too many patients treated with potent antibiotics (some given intravenously) over years, without a shred of evidence that they ever had Lyme disease. The emotional as well as financial costs are staggering, and by now most of us know that long-term antibiotics can be dangerous to our health."

►April 20, 2008 - Inflammation triggers cell fusions that could protect neurons - Chronic inflammation triggers bone marrow-derived blood cells to travel to the brain and fuse with a certain type of neuron up to 100 times more frequently than previously believed, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. - Nature Cell Biology via Physorg

►April 20, 2008 - Exposed: the great GM crops myth - Major new study shows that modified soya produces 10 per cent less food than its conventional equivalent - The Independent, UK

►April 20, 2008 - Poor pharma performance shows no sign of let-up - Reuters via The Guardian, UK

►April 20, 2008 - Research identifies first method for testing, assessing drug treatments for Chagas' disease - University of Georgia via EurekAlert!

►April 20, 2008 - High intake of omega 3 fatty acids fights chronic diseases - Foodconsumer.com

►April 20, 2008 - Achieving Happiness: Healing benefits of thinking positive - The Capital

►April 20, 2008 - U.S. Investigates Artificial Turf's Lead Levels - The Washington Post

* ►April 19, 2008 - Doctors worry more child vaccine exemptions could cause health risks - 9News Colorado - "When her eldest son Jori got sick following his initial immunizations, Tompot suspected the shots might be the culprit. "I looked into that and decided not to immunize anymore," Tompot said. Tompot used Colorado's immunization exemption law to get her three children into school without having them immunized. Parents in Colorado can excuse their children for medical or religious reasons, or simply due to the parents' belief that vaccines are dangerous."

* ►April 19, 2008 - Governor signs law requiring some health plans to cover HPV shot - Des Moines Register - "In an interview after the bill-signing, Culver declined to say if he supports the idea of requiring HPV shots. The governor said the bill, House File 2145, was a "really good first step." "I'm really proud to sign the bill because I think it guarantees Iowa families access to the HPV vaccine, and there wasn't that guarantee before we signed the law," he said. The guarantee has several caveats, however. It only pertains to state-regulated health-insurance policies, which cover about 40 percent of Iowans with employer-provided insurance. The state has no jurisdiction over most large-employer insurance policies, which are federally regulated. Also, the new bill will not apply to policies that don't already cover other vaccinations."

* ►April 19, 2008 - Difficult discussions with daughters could save their lives - Brownsville Herald - "Before cancer develops, painless and invisible changes in cells of the cervix can be detected by a Pap smear. If left untreated or unrecognized, cervical cancer slowly develops in some women. For all of these reasons, it is recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that women between the ages of 9 and 26 years be given the "cancer vaccine" we call Gardasil®, which protects from the two most important cancer causing strains of HPV and two others which cause genital warts.  The vaccine is made in a laboratory and it does not contain any of the infectious material at all. It is given as a series of three shots over a six-month period and will protect against 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts."

* ►April 19, 2008 - Governor's actions speak louder than his words - The Columbus Dispatch - "My daughter has autism, and the services that she currently receives will be eliminated on July 1. Gov. Ted Strickland has made many statements and proclamations about what makes Ohio better. In May 2007, Strickland proclaimed May as Mental Health Month. In that proclamation, it is stated that "nearly one in five experience mental illness," that mental illness "affects the overall quality of life," that "14 to 20 percent of all children have some type of behavior disorder," that "persons with mental illness can and do recover," and that "all people, with access to evidence-based services and proper supports, have the potential to be resilient in the face of serious mental and emotional challenges and experience positive outcomes."

►April 19, 2008 - Trying to take bite out of summer's West Nile risk - Contra Costa Times

►April 19. 2008 - She pulled off 2 big disease findings - Wisconsin State Journal

►April 19, 2008 - 'Revolutionary time' for saving lives, doctors say - Speakers at Bay Area conference tout advances in global health - The Oakland Tribune via InsideBayArea

►April 19, 2008 - The "New" Brain disorders, Real or Imagined? (blog) - Progressive U - "I often get quite annoyed by all of the new diseases that have emerged in the past 10 years or so. People have been living in civilization for about 6000 years or so & in the last decade almost everyone seems to have developed SAD, ADD, ADHD, Chronic depression, or some other form of mental illness for which they "need" a drug."

►April 19, 2008 - As fish die in droves in Virginia, scientists seek clues - PilotOnline via Hamptonroads.com

* ►April 19, 2008 - Freed woman hopes to help others - Says she has learned much from shaken baby debate - The Telegraph - "A woman imprisoned for allegedly killing an 8-month-old in her care is contemplating a book on the reversal of her conviction, her newfound freedom and the trauma she and her family endured for years. Stephanie Bartok and her pro-bono attorney, Dick Meno of Carlinville, say the book would attempt to make the public and prosecutors aware of two schools of thought in shaken baby syndrome cases."

►April 19, 2008 - Mother, volunteer aims to conquer autism through communication and connections - Star-Banner via Ocala.com

►April 19, 2008 - Demand high for MU's Asperger program - Huntington Herald Dispatch

►April 19, 2008 - Local demand for autism services keeps growing - Huntington Herald-Dispatch

►April 19, 2008 - COMMUNITY: Nurturing ‘special’ kids - New Straits Times

►April 19, 2008 - Method rounds autism's words into form - Billings Gazette

►April 19, 2008 - New antibiotic class proves effective against MRSA - Phico Therapeutics to take PT1.2 lead candidate into clinic - Business Wire

►April 19, 2008 - Tick Riders: Guarding U.S. From Deadly Pest - AP via CBS 4

►April 19, 2008 - Schools deemed emergency vaccination sites - Star-Banner via Ocala.com

►April 19, 2008 - Great Falls health officials promote immunizations for infants - KPAX-TV

►April 19, 2008 - Health Officials: Measles Outbreak May Be Contained - WISN.com

►April 19, 2008 - Flu vaccines may involve as much style as science - It was the worst of flu seasons, it was the best of flu seasons - Minneapolis Star Tribune

►April 19, 2008 - S. Korea confirms 25th outbreak of H5N1 strain of bird flu - Xinhua via China View

►April 19, 2008 - New strategies against bird flu - Austrian scientists identify the common mechanism underlying acute respiratory disease syndrome ARDS. - The Hindu

►April 19, 2008 - Understanding Forces Behind Seasonal Flu Virus Evolution - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via eMaxHealth.com

►April 19, 2008 - Chickenpox hits area schools - Farmington Daily Times

►April 19, 2008 - Disease can be hard to diagnose - North Platte Telegraph - "He had polio as an infant and now has a condition called Post-Polio Syndrome. So when he began noticing other physical symptoms in the late 1980s, everyone just assumed it was the Post-Polio Syndrome. It wasn’t until 1994 when the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was finally made."

►April 19, 2008 - Do Not Stop Taking Your Vitamins and Supplements - American Chronicle

►April 19, 2008 - Helping decrease number of ET rabid animals - KETK.com

►April 18, 2008 - Medical Research To Tackle Mitochondrial Toxicity of Drugs - The One Click Group

* ►April 18, 2008 - The History of Vaccine Preventable Illnesses - http://pediatrics.about.com

►April 18, 2008 - New Mexico: 250 Screened for TB After Scare - Albuquerque Journal via www.aegis.org

►April 18, 2008 - University of Arizona scientist shares in discovery of microbe filaments' power - University of Arizona via EurekAlert!

►April 18, 2008 - Autism Awareness in Minot - KFYR-TV

►April 18, 2008 - Berthoud Resident Supports Autism Awareness and Research - Berthoud Recorder

►April 18, 2008 - Toronto police search for missing autistic boy - 680 News All News Radio

* ►April 17, 2008 - Flu shot didn't protect against B strain - Canadian Press via C-Health Canoe - "An interim look of the efficacy of the vaccine by U.S. researchers showed it had zero impact on the main family of influenza B viruses circulating this winter, the so-called B/Florida-like viruses. That line of viruses has caused substantial illness in Canada in recent weeks. "What we saw with B this time is that there was really a terrible match," said Dr. Edward Belongia, an infectious diseases epidemiologist with the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in Marshfield, Wis."

* ►April 17, 2008 - Vitamin E May Help Alzheimer's Patients Live Longer, Study Suggests - People with Alzheimer's disease who take vitamin E appear to live longer than those who don't take vitamin E, according to new research. - American Academy of Neurology via ScienceDaily

►April 17, 2008 - Scientists discover new arenavirus associated with hemorrhagic fever - Public Library of Science via EurekAlert!

►April 17, 2008 - CDC: Mounting illness reports linked to supplement - AP

►April 17, 2008 - Duke scientists deconstruct process of bacterial division - University of Arizona via EurekAlert!

►April 17, 2008 - Roche sales, stock hit by Tamiflu slump (requires registration) - Reuters via Washington Post

* ►April 17, 2008 - CDC Media Briefing: Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness - CDC via FoodConsumer.org

* ►April 16, 2008 - Chemical exposure may increase risk of ALS - American Academy of Neurology via EurekAlert!

►April 16, 2008 - National Jewish Medical and Research Center Evaluating Treatment To Prevent Allergic Reactions to Food - National Jewish Medical and Research Center - "Previous research has suggested that placing the allergenic food protein under the tongue or directly swallowing it, are safer methods of administering food immunotherapy. So that is how National Jewish researchers will try to desensitize allergic patients in the trials."

►April 16, 2008 - Men more likely to have problems with memory and thinking skills - American Academy of Neurology via EurekAlert!

* ►April 15, 2008 - Disturbances in brain circuitry linked to chronic exposure to solvents - Chronic occupational exposure to organic solvents, found in materials such as paints, printing and dry cleaning agents, is widespread all over the world, and is thought to damage the central nervous system. The pattern of cognitive impairment, involving memory, attention and psychomotor function, frequently persists even after exposure has ceased, is usually referred to as chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy (CSE). - Wiley via Physorg

* ►April 15, 2008 - Cerebral impairment in chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy. - journal article (Annals of Neurology)

►April 15, 2008 - Drugs in the pipeline: new therapies that could change treatment strategies - American Association for Cancer Research via EurekAlert!

►April 15, 2008 - Homemade asthma-relief device could be an option for poor families - Center for the Advancement of Health via EurekAlert!

►April 15, 2008 - Dust mites outlast heroic efforts to help asthma patients - Center for the Advancement of Health via EurekAlert!

►April 14, 2008 - How my son and I got help for ADHD - Independent, Ireland

►April 14, 2008 - Potential blood test for chronic sinusitis identified - Medical College of Georgia

►April 14, 2008 - Safe 'Green' Decontamination Method Detoxifies Nerve Agents In Chemical Weapons And Pesticides - Queen's University via ScienceDaily

►April 11, 2008 - What You Need to Know About Attention Deficit Disorder - NBC Newschannel 6 KPVI

►April 8, 2008 - Are we being hoodwinked by alternative medicine? Two leading scientists examine the evidence - Daily Mail, UK

►April 4, 2008 - Shedding light on autism - Disease still holds stigma and obstacles to overcome for sufferers - The Daily Evergreen

►April 3, 2008 - Autism-- Fight for Rights - NBC13.com

►April 1, 2008 - Towson University to offer services for young adults with ASD - www.gbc.org

►April 2008 - NCLB on the Ropes - The fine print in the federal education law may be its undoing. - Potomac Chronicle

* ►May 15, 2008 - Severe Eczema Vaccinatum in a Household Contact of a Smallpox Vaccinee - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases) - "This case illustrates the need for careful screening prior to administration of smallpox vaccine and awareness by clinicians of the ongoing vaccination program and the potential risk for severe adverse events related to vaccinia virus."

* ►May 15, 2008 - The Interaction between Nutrition and Infection - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases) - "Five infectious diseases account for more than one-half of all deaths in children aged <5 years, most of whom are undernourished. Micronutrient deficiencies have effects such as poor growth, impaired intellect, and increased mortality and susceptibility to infection. The worldwide magnitude of parasite infection is enormous. It is understood that parasites may lead to malnutrition, but the extent to which malnutrition causes increased parasite infestation is not known; thus, the conditions need to be addressed together. Nutritional deficiencies associated with pregnancy are associated with poor immune response to infection."

►May 15, 2008 - Infections in 252 Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

►May 15, 2008 - The Deadly Toll of Invasive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection in Community Hospitals - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

►May 15, 2008 - Moxifloxacin Monotherapy Is Effective in Hospitalized Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: The MOTIV Study—A Randomized Clinical Trial (full text) - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

►May 15, 2008 - Running with Scissors: Using Antiretroviral Therapy without Monitoring Viral Load (full text) - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

►May 15, 2008 - Monotherapy or Combination Therapy for Hospitalized Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Not Yet the End of the Story? (full text) - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

►May 15, 2008 - The Case for Vancomycin as the Preferred Drug for Treatment of Clostridium difficile Infection (full text) - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

►May 15, 2008 - Vancomycin for the Treatment of Clostridium difficile Infection: For Whom Is This Expensive Bullet Really Magic? (full text) - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

* ►May 1, 2008 - Hepatitis A: The Vaccine Dividend (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases) - "Even before the introduction of hepatitis A vaccine, rates of HAV infection, but not of disease severity, had begun to fall. In developing countries, exposure to hepatitis A is almost universal during early childhood, when HAV infection is associated with an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic illness. In the United States and other developed countries in the prevaccination era, improvements in environmental hygiene during the last half of the twentieth century resulted in a decline in the frequency of hepatitis A, in the exposure of children to HAV, and in the prevalence of immunity to hepatitis A. This secular trend resulted in the emergence of succeeding generations that have remained susceptible to HAV infection into adulthood."..."Are these observations valid? Potentially, the observed decline in the incidence of hepatitis A and of hepatitis A deaths could have resulted from the regular cyclical reduction in hepatitis A cases that has been recorded every 10–15 years; the fact that declines in hepatitis A mortality occurred even in states for which universal childhood vaccination programs were not recommended leaves unresolved the potential contribution of natural variation to the observations reported. In addition, reliance on death-certificate diagnoses is only as good as the notorious imprecision of death-certificate entries and of the methodologies used to capture and interpret disease-code data."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Declining Hepatitis A Mortality in the United States during the Era of Hepatitis A Vaccination (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases) - "We attempted to reduce the effect of year-to-year variation and temporal trends by comparing average rates during the prevaccine and post–vaccination recommendation periods and by excluding from comparisons the middle time period, when vaccination practices were likely in transition. However, some of the observed decline in mortality can undoubtedly be attributed to this temporal trend, as reflected by the statistically significant declines in mortality in states in which no large-scale vaccination programs were implemented. Monitoring incidence and mortality patterns over time will help to clarify the relative contribution of natural variation versus the use of hepatitis A vaccine to reductions in hepatitis A–associated mortality."

* ►May 1, 2008 - School-Aged Children: A Reservoir for Continued Circulation of Haemophilus influenzae Type b in the United Kingdom - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases) - "Potential conflicts of interest: A.J.P. acts as chief investigator for clinical trials conducted on behalf of Oxford University and sponsored by vaccine manufacturers (Novartis Vaccines, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Aventis, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, and Wyeth Vaccines) and has received assistance from vaccine manufacturers to attend scientific meetings. Industry-sourced honoraria for lecturing or writing are paid directly to an independent charity or an educational fund held by the Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford. E.R.M. is a member of the scientific advisory board of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. All other authors report no potential conflicts of interest."

►May 1, 2008 - Efficacy of Recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guérin Vaccine Secreting Interleukin-15/Antigen 85B Fusion Protein in Providing Protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Oseltamivir Prophylactic Regimens Prevent H5N1 Influenza Morbidity and Mortality in a Ferret Model - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Comprehensive Analysis of West Nile Virus–Specific T Cell Responses in Humans - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - The Continuing Saga of MRSA (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Changes in the Prevalence of Nasal Colonization with Staphylococcus aureus in the United States, 2001–2004 (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - What Is Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus? (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Host Polymorphisms in Interleukin 4, Complement Factor H, and C-Reactive Protein Associated with Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and Occurrence of Boils (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Double-Blind Study Comparing 2 Dosages of Valacyclovir Hydrochloride for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Herpes Zoster in Immunocompromised Patients 18 Years of Age and Older - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Scaling Up Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa: The Impact of Speed on Survival (free full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►May 1, 2008 - Mindfulness Meditation Training in Adults and Adolescents With ADHD - journal article (Journal of Attention Disorders)

* ►May 2008 - Maternal amalgam dental fillings as the source of mercury exposure in developing fetus and newborn - journal article (Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology) - "A strong positive correlation between maternal and cord blood Hg levels was found (=0.79; P<0.001). Levels of Hg in the cord blood were significantly associated with the number of maternal amalgam fillings (=0.46, P<0.001) and with the number of years since the last filling (=- 0.37, P<0.001); these associations remained significant after adjustment for maternal age and education. Dental amalgam fillings in girls and women of reproductive age should be used with caution, to avoid increased prenatal Hg exposure."

* ►May 2008 - Restoration of anti-tetanus toxoid responses in patients initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy with or without a boost immunization: an INITIO substudy - journal article (Clinical & Experimental Immunology)

* ►May 2008 - Advances in autism genetics: on the threshold of a new neurobiology - journal article (Nature Reviews Genetics)

* ►May 2008 - Are some cases of psychosis caused by microbial agents? A review of the evidence - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry)

* ►May 2008 - Probabilistic estimation of dietary exposure of the general Japanese population to dioxins in fish, using region-specific fish monitoring data - journal article (Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology)

* ►May 2008 - 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in maternal breast milk and newborn head circumference - journal article (Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology) - "These facts suggested that fetal brain development might be influenced by maternal exposure to TCDD in the environment."

►May 2008 - Gender-medicine aspects in allergology - journal article (Allergy)

►May 2008 - GABAA receptor trafficking and its role in the dynamic modulation of neuronal inhibition - journal article (Nature Reviews Neuroscience)

►May 2008 - MyD88 signaling in brain endothelial cells is essential for the neuronal activity and glucocorticoid release during systemic inflammation - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry)

►May 2008 - Glucocorticoid modulation of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 protein in raphe nuclei and 5-hydroxytryptophan concentrations in frontal cortex of C57/Bl6 mice - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry)

►May 2008 - Direct proteasome-independent cross-presentation of viral antigen by plasmacytoid dendritic cells on major histocompatibility complex class I - journal article (Nature Immunology)

►May 2008 - Genome-wide linkage analysis of ADHD using high-density SNP arrays: novel loci at 5q13.1 and 14q12 - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry)

►May 2008 - Antipsychotic-induced tardive dyskinesia and polymorphic variations in COMT, DRD2, CYP1A2 and MnSOD genes: a meta-analysis of pharmacogenetic interactions - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry)

►May 2008 - Genome-wide association studies for complex traits: consensus, uncertainty and challenges - journal article (Nature Reviews Genetics)

►May 2008 - From genetic privacy to open consent - journal article (Nature Reviews Genetics)

►May 2008 - Vitamin D status in postmenopausal women living at higher latitudes in the UK in relation to bone health, overweight, sunlight exposure and dietary vitamin D - journal article (Bone)

* ►April 22, 2008 - The Plastics Revolution - It Changed Our World. But Are We Trading Convenience for Safety? (requires registration) - Washington Post

* ►April 20, 2008 - Why the Flu Vaccine Fizzled - editorial (requires registration) - The New York Times

►April 20, 2008 - Official warns millions could be infected in bird flu pandemic - The Jakarta Post

* ►April 19, 2008 - Thai researchers develop vaccine against H5N1 virus - Asia News Network via Inquirer.net

* ►April 19, 2008 - Wakefield admits fabricating events when he took children’s blood samples - journal article (BMJ)

* ►April 19, 2008 - US hospitals pass on most of the costs of errors - journal article (BMJ) - "Medical errors cost $17bn (£8.6bn; 10.7bn) to $29bn a year in the United States, estimates the Institute of Medicine. Advocates for patients’ safety have tried to persuade hospitals that the cost of malpractice lawsuits and adverse events are a "business case" for improving safety, the authors of the report write. However, the study found that hospitals shift most of the costs of injury to other parties and therefore have little economic incentive to improve patient safety."

* ►April 19, 2008 - More than 10% of hospital deaths could be avoided, conference is told - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - Complaints against doctors - Could be reduced by identifying and remedying poor communication skills early on - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - Australian drug industry seeks to improve its image - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - More than 26 000 Americans die each year because of lack of health insurance - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - Better delivery, not more funding, is crucial to improving health care - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - Internal and external validity of cluster randomised trials: systematic review of recent trials - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - No separate trials for drug price cases: - The Birmingham News - "The Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday that drug giants GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Novartis AG won't get separate trials in a lawsuit that says they inflated drug prices paid by the state Medicaid program."

►April 19, 2008 - Two doctors in Holland are to be prosecuted over use of complementary therapy - journal article (BMJ)

►April 19, 2008 - Competent Novice Confidentiality - journal article (BMJ)

* ►April 19, 2008 - Jay Gordon, MD: Evidence of Harm - The Huffington Post - "Doctors and government agencies which insist that we have to prove harm are being irresponsible: It's the manufacturers' obligation to prove safety."

* ►April 19, 2008 - Better safe than sorry, Ottawa says of plastic ban - Canada's move against bisphenol A evokes U.S. effort to curb use of insecticide DDT (requires registration or subscription) - The Globe and Mail - "In one of the most significant regulatory moves in decades, Canada is set to become the first country in the world to list bisphenol A as a toxic substance and ban the use of polycarbonate baby bottles. It also intends to tell baby food manufacturers to reduce the amounts of it leaching from the linings of formula cans."

* ►April 19, 2008 - Professor receives Fulbright grant - Iowa City Press-Citizen - "In 2006, New South Wales implemented a plan that requires the screening and vaccination of all health care workers for preventable diseases. Its goal is to reduce the transmission of such diseases among health care workers and to patients. Currently, Iowa and most other U.S. states do not require mandatory programs of health care worker vaccinations. Hence, understanding the impact of the Australian directive could be key to shaping vaccination policies in the United States, Helms said."

* ►April 19, 2008 - Williams family deals with autism - Andalusia Star-News - "The causes of LKS aren't known, but Wendy believes immunizations played a role. 'We believe his disorder was brought on by immunizations because as a baby he was normal in every way,' she said. 'Then at 22 months he received his MMR shot then another shot within a month. Within a month of his last shot he quit talking.'"

►April 19, 2008 - The Vaccine Debate - Immunization Basics - http://pediatrics.about.com

►April 19, 2008 - Win a Signed Copy of Deirdre Imus' Growing Up Green! - Age of Autism

►April 19, 2008 - Life, Love and Lint by Nancy Hokkanen - Age of Autism

►April 19, 2008 - Purdue, CDC work on avian flu vaccine - Journal and Courier

►April 19, 2008 - Peanut butter crackers found in lunchbox; classmate charged - Lexington Herald-Leader via www.kentucky.com

►April 19, 2008 - U.S. looking at lead levels in artificial turf - CNN

* ►April 18, 2008 - How many vaccines should be given in one visit? - Tampabays10.com - "A bigger question for some of the government's advisers Friday was what the CDC's proposed research agenda didn't include the question of how many vaccines should be given in one visit, and if they're all really needed by age 2. "We all have to have our kids vaccinated by the time they go into daycare or kindergarten, but ... does it all have to happen in the first two years?" asked panelist Dr. Christopher Carlson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, himself the father of a 9-year-old with a mild type of autism called Asperger's. "I'm not saying ther's proof one way or the other. But the lack of options is a concern I think we should think about."

* ►April 18, 2008 - Dr. Marie McCormick Subpoenaed (blog) - AutismVox - "Clifford Shoemaker is a lawyer who has represented more than a few families who claim that their child was “injured” by a vaccine and became autistic; he is the lawyer for the family of Hannah Poling. A Motion to Quash the Subpoena has been filed on behalf of Dr. McCormick. More from Kathleen Seidel:"

* ►April 18, 2008 - Do Your Homework before Vaccinating (blog) - Dr. Vicky Arcadi - Healthy Answers Online - "What would I do if I were to vaccinate my child? Well, I wouldn’t. Most parents have experienced or heard of children coming down with a fever or simply not feeling well after a vaccine. These are called adverse effects. I have seen children who had adverse effects to vaccines and have never recovered. One toddler in Australia became a vegetable following a vaccine."

* ►April 18, 2008 - Outsourcing patient records to commercial corporations heap bad medicine say doctors - Two respected senior American doctors writing in a prestigious medical journal have warned that allowing companies such as Google and Microsoft to store, manage and manipulate the personal health records of US citizens could cause huge privacy of information problems that will drastically change the way clinical research is conducted around the world. - TelecomTV

* ►April 18, 2008 - Surveillance of vaccine breakthrough cases following MeNZB vaccination - journal article (The New Zealand Medical Journal) - "From the start of the meningococcal B immunisation programme in July 2004 to the end of 2006, 34 vaccine breakthrough cases were identified. No underlying host factors were identified that explained disease occurrence for the 30 cases (88.2%) for whom questionnaires were completed. For 12 (35.3%) cases all requested laboratory tests to assess immune competence were performed and these subjects were judged to be immune competent."

* ►April 18, 2008 - Preventable medication-related events in hospitalised children in New Zealand - journal article (The New Zealand Medical Journal) - "Most commonly implicated in preventable ADEs and potential ADEs were, event rate (95%CI): improper dose and the prescribing stage—35 (29 to 42) and 74 (64 to 84) respectively per 1000 patient days; and antibacterial agents and the intravenous route of administration 21 (17 to 25) and 11 (10 to 13) respectively per 100 medication orders."

* ►April 18, 2008 - Halt funding for HIV vaccine - Herald Tribune - "The latest round of vaccine trial failures (including a large-scale Merck trial halted when the vaccine turned out to have possibly increased subjects' risk of acquiring HIV) has added to a growing consensus in the scientific community that an AIDS vaccine is a decade or more away, if one can be developed at all."

* ►April 18, 2008 - Report says ‘golden era’ of vaccines under threat - PMLive.com - "A report by Professor Louis Galambos of John Hopkins University warns that a period of rapid vaccination research expansion could be thwarted as governments attempt to cut costs - a move that too could jeopardise the future of R&D investment."

* ►April 18, 2008 - Pharma Lobbies DC For Off-Label Rights - Pharmalot - "Drugmakers are descending on Washington to protect their freedom to advertise meds directly to consumers and push for looser government restrictions on off-label promotion, The Wall Street Journal writes."

►April 18, 2008 - Health unit to suspend students over inoculations - Northumberland Today, CA

►April 18, 2008 - Science and conspiracies, why some Americans say scientists lie (blog) - zdnet.com - "There’s an online debate about the current, widespread American denial of science. From intelligent design to the belief that global warming is an eco-fascist or eco-socialist (depending on where the boogeyman hides) conspiracy. From fear of vaccines to disdain for anti-pollution regulations, American policy debate on matters of science and politics are rife with theories about who’s conspiring with whom."

►April 18, 2008 - Advaxis' Listeria Monocytogenes-Based Vaccine Garners National Media Attention U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Other Online Outlets Report on Lovaxin C - Business Wire via Quote.com News & Commentary

►April 18, 2008 - FDA, Prozac, & Children with Autism (blog) - Stop Think Autism

►April 18, 2008 - Schering-Plough And Another AHA Connection - Pharmalot - "Among those the drugmaker has recently asked for help is Gil Bashe, who works at Makovsky & Co., a well-known public relations firm based in New York. Bashe, however, also serves as a board member on the New York chapter of the American Heart Association, as does Brent Saunders, a compliance expert who runs Schering-Plough’s consumer healthcare business. You may recall that there is yet another connection between the drugmaker and the non-profit organization. The Merck/Schering-Plough joint venture that markets Vytorin also makes nearly $2 million in annual contributions to the AHA, including $350,000 to sponsor a cholesterol page on the AHA web site."

►April 18, 2008 - Device Maker Vows New Ethical Practices - Pharmalot

►April 18, 2008 - Good health gets a shot in the arm - Brownwood Bulletin

►April 18, 2008 - Population-based study of diagnostic assays for Borrelia infection: comparison of purified flagella antigen assay (IdeiaTM, Dako Cytomation) and recombinant antigen assay (Liaison(R), DiaSorin) (pdf) - journal article (BMC Clinical Pathology)

►April 18, 2008 - Health care must be scaled up to reduce death - Ghana Review International

►April 18, 2008 - Strep bacteria may treat pancreatic cancer - Gut via Reuters Health

►April 18, 2008 - Developmental Delays And Infantile Esotropia Linked - Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus via Medical News Today

►April 18, 2008 - Psychiatric disorders: Double GPCR trouble - The potential and confirmed anti-psychotic drug targets metabotropic type-2 glutamate receptor (mGluR2) and 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) have been found to form a complex that might be involved in schizophrenia. - journal article (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery)

►April 18, 2008 - Pharma Sector Off To Rough Start With Pfizer's Q1 - Investor's Business Daily via CNN Money

►April 18, 2008 - Prevent pets' Lyme disease - The Nashua Telegraph

►April 18, 2008 - Health Highlights: - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors ofHealthDay via The Washington Post

* ►April 18, 2008 - The age of 'disease-mongering' - Drug companies fatten their profits by convincing us that threats to our health lurk everywhere. Hand sanitizer, anyone? - National Post - "From Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear by Dan Gardner."

* ►April 18, 2008 -  Call the AAP. They need a kick to get started in DAN - Autism Speaks Community Forums

* ►April 17, 2008 - 65 million Indonesians at risk if bird flu mutates: official - AFP

* ►April 17, 2008 - Japan plans massive bird flu vaccine - Reuters via tvnz.co.nz

* ►April 17, 2008 - House Committee Releases Drug Safety Draft - Pharmalot

* ►April 17, 2008 - Former Wyeth CEO Accuses FDA of Intentionally Creating Drug Monopolies - Natural News - "If you're the first company to get approved in a certain area and competitors can't get on the market, the FDA is now establishing monopolies. And that's certainly not their mandate," Bob Essner said. Essner said that the FDA might have overstepped the bounds of its legal mandate, which is only to determine if drugs are safe and effective. "It could well be legally challenged," Essner said. "Although that may not be a formal standard, it does appear to be a growing practice."

* ►April 17, 2008 - Massachusetts Docs To Lawmakers: No Gift Ban - Pharmalot - "The bill would prevent reps from offering gifts and ban docs from accepting gifts of any kind. And the ban would extend to a doc’s staff and family members, although samples could be distributed, as long as the samples are for the exclusive use of patients. Now, a couple of prominent docs are firing back. In an editorial in The Boston Herald, they write “For the Legislature even to deliberate passing a law imposing fines up to $5,000 and jail sentences up to two years on practicing physicians if they accept a pen, pad of paper or slice of pizza from a company representative reflects the success that critics hostile to commerce in general have had in capitalizing on profound misunderstandings of how these companies interface with medicine."

* ►April 17, 2008 - Measles Deaths Down, but Challenges Remain - Red Cross hosts Measles Initiative partners to discuss next steps in vaccination campaign vaccination campaign - American Red Cross - "In some places in Africa, parents do not even give a child a name until he survives the measles," said Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, director of the department of immunization, vaccines and biologicals at WHO."

* ►April 17, 2008 - Fever After Measles Vaccination Tied to Reduced Immune Response (requires registration) - Archives of Disease in Childhood via Reuters Health via Medscape - "'In light of these results,' the researchers conclude, 'it is clear that some individuals, even those without underlying diseases, such as immunodeficiency, require multiple doses of a vaccine to develop antibodies as otherwise they will have a poor antibody response.'"

►April 17, 2008 - AlphaVax Announces Initial Analysis of Data From CMV Phase 1 Clinical Trial - PRNewswire via RT Magazine - "The trial is a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, single center study involving 40 healthy, 18-40 year old, CMV-negative volunteers. The trial is being conducted by David I. Bernstein, M.D., Director of Infectious Diseases at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. AlphaVax's CMV vaccine was administered three times over six months at one of two dosage levels, and safety and immunogenicity data were obtained from all volunteers following each dose of the vaccine."

►April 17, 2008 - A confirmed case of the measles in Orillia has led public health officials to issue an advisory this week. - Simcoe.com

►April 17, 2008 - Postmarketing Study Commitments - FDA/CDER

►April 17, 2008 - For Glaxo, The Next Big Thing Is Very Small - Pharmalot

►April 17, 2008 - How Much Do We Know about Avian Flu? - Saba Net News

►April 17, 2008 - Common Medications May Harm Memory in Older People - Those on anticholinergic drugs had sharper declines in thinking skills, study finds - HealthDay News via U.S. News & World Report

►April 17, 2008 - What is Diphtheria and what are it´s main causes? - American Chronicle

►April 17, 2008 - Arc of Florida Brings the Needs of Persons with Developmental Disabilities to the Attention of the Legislature - Press Conference Commends Newly Formed Committee and Pending Legislation Recognized 'Legislators of the Year' for Advocacy Efforts - The Arc of Florida via Business Wire via MarketWatch

►April 17, 2008 - Zinc reduces common cold symptoms - Journal of Infectious Diseases via Reuters Health

►April 17, 2008 - Antidepressant may treat lazy eye - Fluoxetine helps rats rewire their brain's visual centre. - news (Nature)

►April 17, 2008 - Cancer's effect on immunity is studied - The Johns Hopkins-Newsletter

►April 16, 2008 - NIST, Army Researchers Pave the Way for Anthrax Spore Standards - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) via Biocompare

►April 16, 2008 - Household interventions for prevention of domestic lead exposure in children - journal article (The Cochrane Library)

►April 16, 2008 - Short-course versus long-course antibiotic therapy for non-severe community-acquired pneumonia in children aged 2 months to 59 months - journal article (The Cochrane Library)

►April 16, 2008 - Omega-3 fatty acids for bipolar disorder - journal article (The Cochrane Library)

►April 14, 2008 - Investigational Human Drugs: Clinical Investigator Inspection List (CLIIL) - FDA/CDER

* ►April 1, 2008 - Title: Stabilized HBc chimer particles as immunogens for chronic hepatitis (patent) - Lorantis, Limited (Cambridge, GB) via www.pharmcast.com - "A method of treating chronic hepatitis B is disclosed that comprises administering a T cell-stimulating amount of a vaccine to a patient. The vaccine comprises an immunogenic amount of chimeric, carboxy-terminal truncated hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid (core) protein (HBc) that is engineered for both enhanced stability of self-assembled particles and the substantial absence of nucleic acid binding by those particles."

►April 1, 2008 - Title: Method for neuronal protection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by a vaccine comprising Copolymer-1 or Copolymer-1 related peptides (patent) - Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd. (Rehovot, IL) via www.pharmcast.com

►April 1, 2008 - Title: Microorganism strain GM-090 of Lactobacillus fermentum and its use for stimulating IFN-.gamma. secretion and/or treating allergy (patent) - GenMont Biotech Inc. (TW) via www.pharmcast.com

►April 1, 2008 - Title: Method of detecting norwalk-like virus (GII) (patent) - BML, Inc. (Tokyo, JP) via www.pharmcast.com

►April 1, 2008 - Treatment of Life-Threatening Self-Injurious Behavior Secondary to Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type II: A Controlled Case Study - journal article (Journal of Child Neurology)

►April 1, 2008 - A Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of the Cerebellar Deficit Hypothesis of Dyslexia - journal article (Journal of Child Neurology)

►April 2008 - An ongoing multi-state outbreak of measles linked to non-immune anthroposophic communities in Austria, Germany, and Norway, March-April 2008 - journal article (Eurosurveillance)

►April 2008 - Difference in Age at Regression in Children with Autism with and without Down Syndrome. - journal article (Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics)

►April 2008 - Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Children in the Northeast of Spain - journal article (Clinical and Vaccine Immunology)

►April 2008 - Neurologic Manifestations of Pediatric Chikungunya Infection - journal article (Journal of Child Neurology)

►April 2008 - Sublingual immunotherapy for latex allergy: tolerability and safety profile of rush build-up phase - journal article (Current Medical Research and Opinion)

* ►March 27, 2008 - 25 Shocking Facts About the Pharmaceutical Industry - Nursing Online Education Database

►January 2008 - Exposure of the US population to bisphenol A and 4-tertiary-octylphenol: 2003-2004. - Environmental Health Perspectives via Environmental Health News

►August 7, 2007 - Maternal nutrient supplementation counteracts bisphenol A-induced DNA hypomethylation in early development. - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences via Environmental Health News

►2007 - Chapel Hill Bisphenol A Expert Panel Consensus Statement: Integration of mechanisms, effects in animals and potential impact to human health at current exposure levels. - Reproductive Toxicology via Environmental Health News

►Executive Summary of : Baby’s Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Baby Bottles - Center for Health, Environment & Justice

►What Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean? - A Guide to Recycling Codes - The Daily Green

►Understanding Asperger Syndrome: A Professor’s Guide - Organization for Autism Research

►Pharma 2020: The vision - Which path will you take? (pdf) - Price Waterhouse Coopers via www.pwc.com

* ►Vaccination Awareness Headquarters on Squidoo - blog - "The purpose of Vaccination awareness group is to empower You with information about the hidden dangers of vaccinations And to learn the different ways to maintain strong immunity naturally the way our creator intended you to do.

* ►Vaccine Diabetes Epidemic Connection on Squidoo

* ►The Lyme-Autism Connection Conference - June 26 - 29th, 2008 - The location for the 2008 Lyme-Autism Connection conference will be the beautiful Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, CA.   Just a few miles from the Palm Springs Airport. - L.I.A. Foundation