Posted December 13, 2008

* ►January 1, 2009 - Preparing for HPV vaccination in South Africa: Key challenges and opinions - journal article (Vaccine)

* ►January 1, 2009 - Development of a freeze-stable formulation for vaccines containing aluminum salt adjuvants - journal article (Vaccine)

* ►January 1, 2009 - Re: World wide experience with inactivated poliovirus vaccine - journal article (Vaccine)

* ►January 1, 2009 - Reflections on early malaria vaccine studies, the first successful human malaria vaccination, and beyond - journal article (Vaccine)

►January 1, 2009 - Vaccination as teenagers against meningococcal disease and the risk of the chronic fatigue syndrome - journal article (Vaccine)

►January 1, 2009 - Immunogenicity, reactogenicity and persistence of meningococcal A, C, W-135 and Y-tetanus toxoid candidate conjugate (MenACWY-TT) vaccine formulations in adolescents aged 15–25 years - journal article (Vaccine)

►January 1, 2009 - An IL-12 DNA vaccine co-expressing Yersinia pestis antigens protects against pneumonic plague - journal article (Vaccine)

►January 1, 2009 - Identifying the determinants of childhood immunization in the Philippines - journal article (Vaccine)

* ►January 2009 - Oral immunotherapy for food allergy - journal article (Current Allergy and Asthma Reports)

* ►January 2009 - Characteristics of food-allergic patients placing them at risk for a fatal anaphylactic episode - journal article (Current Allergy and Asthma Reports)

►January 2009 - The problem of anaphylaxis and mastocytosis - journal article (Current Allergy and Asthma Reports)

►January 2009 - General anesthetic allergy testing - journal article (Current Allergy and Asthma Reports)

* ►Volume 5, 2009 - SPEEDY babies: A putative new behavioral syndrome of unbalanced motor-speech development - journal article (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment)

►Volume 5, 2009 - Postulated vasoactive neuropeptide immunopathology affecting the blood–brain/blood–spinal barrier in certain neuropsychiatric fatigue-related conditions: A role for phosphodiesterase inhibitors in treatment? - journal article (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment)

►Volume 5, 2009 - Bipolar disorder and neurophysiologic mechanisms - journal article (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment)

►Volume 5, 2009 - Treatment options and patient perspectives in the management of fibromyalgia: future trends - journal article (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment)

* ►December 15, 2008 - White Matter Tractography in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia - journal article (Biological Psychiatry)

* ►December 14, 2008 - Pharma industry awaits boom - The Daily Star

* ►December 14, 2008 - Mystery illness paralyses girl given cervical cancer jab - The Times, UK - "Cheryl Cave said that she found the timing of her daughter’s symptoms impossible to ignore. She said that within 30 minutes of Ashleigh having the jab at Maricourt Catholic high school on the morning of October 15, she was complaining of severe headaches and dizziness. Over the next 48 hours her condition worsened and she collapsed five times. Two days later they set off to visit friends in Hampshire but the schoolgirl collapsed again on the train. She was admitted to Frimley Park hospital in Camberley, Surrey, where doctors gave the initial diagnosis of 'vertigo and generalised myalgia, probably due to recent vaccinations'. On October 22, a week after she was given the HPV jab, she was admitted to Alder Hey hospital, where she has remained ever since. Her mother said: 'At first they tried to tell us she was imagining it because she was being bullied . . . they will not mention her illness and the vaccine in the same sentence.'"

* ►December 14, 2008 - The Glaxo-Gates Malaria Vaccine - editorial (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►December 14, 2008 - End of painful jabs is just a breath away - The Scotsman - "Pain and fear surrounding medical injections could become things of the past with a revolutionary new treatment that allows patients to inhale drugs rather than endure a needle and syringe. Millions being treated for cancer, diabetes and even vaccines are set to be helped by the groundbreaking 'microcrystal' treatment created by Scottish scientists."

* ►December 14, 2008 - New form of avian flu vaccine may be available shortly - Better, Stronger: More than 90 percent of those who were given the new vaccine were able to develop an immunity against the H5N1 virus - Taipei Times - "Three hundred and twenty people were inoculated with the vaccine with an AS03 adjuvant, while 81 acted as the control group and were inoculated with an adjuvant-free vaccine."

* ►December 14, 2008 - 23,000 children die of type-B haemophilia every year - Pakistan introducing new vaccine to protect children against the bacterium - Daily Times, Pakistan - "They said the HI-B vaccine would be administered through a one-shot immunisation called the pentavalent vaccine that also protected against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and hepatitis B."

►December 14, 2008 - 1.6m children to be administered anti-polio drops - Associated Press of Pakistan via The Post

►December 14, 2008 - Instant HIV tests - Clinics offering 60-second results can save weeks of worry - The Times, UK

►December 14, 2008 - Immune devil blow - The Tasmanian devil thought to hold the genetic key to its species' survival appears to have developed cancer. - Tasmania Mercury

* ►December 14, 2008 - Boost for autism carers - The Age, Australia - "Parents with autistic children will be able to obtain disability support after a decision to change the law recognised the condition as a neurological disorder."

* ►December 13, 2008 - CDC forum focuses on immunizations - The Birmingham News via al.com - "About 75 people gathered in Birmingham to hear presentations from some of the nation's top physicians in the field of immunization and respond to surveys. 'We want to know what you think about vaccines,' said Dr. Karen Broder, a senior medical advisor for the CDC's Immunization Safety Office. Later forums will be held Jan. 10 in Ashland, Ore., and Jan. 17 in Indianapolis. 'It's a chance to find out what people think of the nation's vaccine safety system,' said Dr. Bruce Gellin, director of the National Vaccine Program Office."

* ►December 13, 2008 - Father Plays Russian Roulette With the Life of His Son in Parental Battle Over Vaccination Safety - American Chronicle - "A 3 year old Florida child is caught in a battle between his parents over vaccination. The divorced parents cannot agree on the child's best interests when it comes to vaccination. Little 3-year-old Judah Howard may have inherited a rare genetic disorder that makes normal childhood immunizations a 'shot in the dark'."

Anyone who is able to lend support can contact the mother via Vaccination News (sandy@vaccinationnews.com) and your email will be forwarded to her.

* ►December 13, 2008 - Wyeth Is Pressed on Drug Reviews - Wall Street Journal

►December 13, 2008 - Fear over MMR vaccine - Last week, a British coronial inquest tried to find a cause of death for baby George. - The Daily Telegraph, Australia

* ►December 13, 2008 - Father and Son Warriors: David and Andrew By David Atkinson - Age of Autism

* ►December 13, 2008 - When Autism Leads to Advocacy By Katherine Walker - Age of Autism

►December 13, 2008 - Hard-won early autism treatment could be cut from budget - Greenville News

►December 13, 2008 - Illinois Governor Blagojevich Says "Yes" to Autism Insurance and "No" to Corruption Charges - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

►December 13, 2008 - Reactions to cervical cancer vaccine in 'very rare' category - Good week for ... Girls given the cervical cancer vaccine, after research showing allergic reactions to it are very rare. - The Australian

►December 13, 2008 - Living with Enza - Financial Times

* ►December 13, 2008 - 90% avian flu vaccine trial subjects produce antibodies: research - CNA via eTaiwan News - "Results of a clinical trial on avian influenza vaccine in Taiwan show that antibodies formed in over 90 percent of the trial subjects and that even if the virus mutated, 45 percent of the vaccinated subjects would still be able to resist the virus. ... Each trial subject was given two shots of H5N1 vaccine containing AS03 adjuvant, with the second shot given three weeks after the first."

►December 13, 2008 - Hong Kong awaits test results to find cause of avian flu outbreak - Xinhua via China View

►December 13, 2008 - Despite recommendations, few adults seek flu shots - Bennington Banner

►December 13, 2008 - It's not too late to have a flu jab - Blackpool Gazette

►December 13, 2008 - What's Your Flu IQ? - Find Out By Taking Quiz Offered By Dr. Jon LaPook On The Early Show Saturday Edition (includes video) - CBS News

►December 13, 2008 - Vaccine warning as measles spreads - Bromsgrove Advertiser - "The Health Protection Agency said that the latest updated figures show there were 18 suspected cases of measles in Worcestershire."

►December 13, 2008 - Whooping Cough Reported In Angels Camp - MyMotherLode.com

►December 13, 2008 - Whooping cough reported at Parkland - Principal confirms two cases at the high school. - Allentown Morning Call

►December 13, 2008 - 2 Canyon County babies treated for pertussis - AP via The Olympian

►December 13, 2008 - Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Notice in Calaveras County - PineTree.net

►December 13, 2008 - Fighting the TB Threat - letters (requires registration) - The New York Times

►December 13, 2008 - Hepatitis C drug for kids approved - AP via The Star-Ledger via NJ.com

* ►December 13, 2008 - DPP drops charges over Hep C scandal - Irish Independent - "The decision not to prosecute means that nobody has stood trial for the infection of more than 1,000 women with Hepatitis C from contaminated blood products -- a scandal that was one of the biggest health tragedies in the history of the State."

►December 13, 2008 - The MEC who (almost) stole a Christmas party - The South African Star - "Hlongwa was launching vaccines against streptococcus pneumoniae and the rotavirus."

►December 13, 2008 - 3.9 mln kids to be immunized in Nigeria commercial hub - Xinhua via China View

* ►December 13, 2008 - Who is Responsible for Zimbabwe's Current Anthrax and Cholera Epidemics? - Anthrax Vaccine -- posts by Meryl Nass, M.D.

►December 13, 2008 - Swedish farm hit by anthrax outbreak - The Local

►December 13, 2008 - Quarantined from state mailroom free to go following preliminary results - KRNV.com

►December 13, 2008 - When Medicine Meets Marketing - The business of storing umbilical-cord blood is growing. Is salesmanship outpacing science? - Newsweek

►December 13, 2008 - Doctor warns on rampant strains of MRSA - Irish Times

►December 13, 2008 - Immunology Center Will Continue To Drive Standard Methods, Better Science - University of Rochester Medical Center via Medical News Today

►December 13, 2008 - Making A Cure For Type 1 Diabetes A Reality: University Of Minnesota Receives $40 Million For Research - University of Minnesota via Medical News Today

►December 13, 2008 - Vu1 Raises $5M for Mercury-Free Light Bulbs - SustainableBusiness.com

* ►December 13, 2008 - 12-year-old dies; cause unclear - Daytona Beach News-Journal Online - "Reached Friday night, Dr. Sanford Zelnick, medical director of the Volusia County Health Department, said the boy's death due to chickenpox has not been confirmed. 'I'm not going to speculate unless there's a public health reason to do so,' he said. Cody made a trip to the hospital five days earlier after banging up his knee in a skateboard spill. A Volusia County Sheriff's Office report said Cody was taken to the Halifax Health Medical Center emergency room about 4:30 p.m. Monday after he fell off his skateboard and bruised his right knee. He was instructed to 'ice the injury and take Ibuprofen four times a day for five days,' the report said."
 
* ►December 13, 2008 - Official: Chickenpox likely cause of skateboarder's death - Daytona Beach News-Journal Online - "County spokesman Dave Byron said that the medical examiner is awaiting cultures and tests to definitively confirm that the cause of the boy's death was chickenpox, but there is some evidence that is the case, he said. The boy had visited Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach five days before his death to treat a knee injury suffered in a skateboard spill."

* ►December 12, 2008 - 12-year-old dies at home several days after skateboarding injury - Daytona Beach News-Journal Online - "A Sheriff's Office spokesman said Shrout hurt his leg Monday afternoon while skateboarding and was taken to the emergency room at Halifax Health Medical Center. A doctor there recommended Shrout ice the injury, take Ibuprofen for the pain and released him, the spokesman said."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Editorial: Childhood shots - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - "An important public hearing on Monday seeks to find common and compassionate ground in state health policy with parents who believe that their children's autism is linked to childhood communicable disease vaccinations. The hearing begins at 5 p.m. at the Advanced Education Center on the Ole Miss/ICC campus in Tupelo."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Adverse Event Reporting Systems May Need Improvement (requires registration) - Medscape - "A national survey evaluating the present status of US hospital-based adverse event reporting systems suggests needed improvements in reporting processes, according to a report in the December issue of Quality and Safety in Health Care."

* ►December 12, 2008 - From Agenda Item to Published Medical Article (requires registration) - The New York Times - "In the years before a federal study found in 2002 that the drug maker Wyeth’s female hormone replacement treatment Prempro raised a patient’s risk of breast cancer, the company actively solicited medical journal articles favorable to the drug, according to documents obtained in patient lawsuits."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Daschle on Health-Care: We Have a Sickness System - Planet Chiropractic

* ►December 12, 2008 - FDA’s $1.5 Million Morale Contract Draws U.S. Lawmaker Scrutiny - Bloomberg - "A $1.5 million contract between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a California firm to improve morale at the agency’s drug division faces scrutiny from lawmakers who questioned whether the company’s plan will work."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Vaccines Force Their Way off Pharma’s Back Burner, as Price Increases Help Fuel New Wave of Innovation - Xconomy Seattle - "Todd Patrick, CEO of Vaxent Vaccines, vice chair of Seattle Biomedical Research Institute - On pricing: The prices of standard childhood vaccines like measles/mumps/rubella was about $7 a dose in the late 1980s and has quadrupled to about $28 now, Patrick said, citing a market research report. Another old standby, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis has exploded from 30 cents a dose to $16.64, he said. Polio vaccine, without any major technological advance, shot up from $1.60 a dose to $15.42, he says. 'Pricing is helping drive the market,' he says"

►December 12, 2008 - GP who failed to give meningitis girl penicillin made 'worst decision of life' - A GP who failed to give a child who later died of meningitis the penicillin that could have saved her life said his decision was the "worst one I've ever made", a hearing was told. - The Telegraph, UK

►December 12, 2008 - Canyon County twin babies released from hospital after contracting whooping cough - Idaho Statesman

►December 12, 2008 - Cambodia reports new H5N1 case - CIDRAP News

* ►December 12, 2008 - Incidence of Anaphylaxis Higher Than Previously Reported - New Study Indicates Food Allergies Send 50,000 Americans to the Emergency Room Annually - press release - Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network via PRNewswire-USNewswire

►December 12, 2008 - Autism a factor in swallowing magnets - UPI via redOrbit

►December 12, 2008 - Yes We Can! Choose Science in Autism - book review (free summary) - Science Magazine - "Autism's False Prophets Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure by Paul A. Offit"

►December 12, 2008 - Gauteng offers children vaccines - Sapa via Independent Online

►December 12, 2008 - German Meat Worker Catches Anthrax - A worker in a German meat factory has come down with the potentially fatal disease anthrax, but authorities said it had not come from the plant's meat. - Deutsche Welle

►December 12, 2008 - Al Qaeda's Anthrax Scientist - Malaysia releases a dangerous terrorist from jail. - Weekly Standard

►December 12, 2008 - Most Triple-negative Breast Cancers Express Muc-1 Target - Research out of the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center has found that the vast majority of triple negative breast cancers express the MUC-1 target. This first-of-its-kind finding, presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, has paved the way for an upcoming vaccine trial for patients with early stage triple negative breast cancer that could potentially prevent recurrence of this aggressive type of breast cancer. - University Hospitals of Cleveland via ScienceDaily

* ►December 12, 2008 - Lancet: Dozens of nations inflated vaccine numbers - AP via Yahoo! - "Experts suggest that inflating the numbers is part of a larger problem in attracting limited resources. "That's how you get money," said Ken Hill, a public health professor at Harvard University who was not linked to the study. "You exaggerate the number of people who die or who you save to get visibility. Somehow, numbers always end up bigger than they would be otherwise." The global alliance pays developing countries $20 per extra vaccinated child — a payment that relies exclusively on reports from the countries. Murray and colleagues estimated that the alliance should have paid countries $150 million. Instead, it paid them $290 million."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Nigeria: Lagos to Immunise 3.9 Million Children Against Measles - Daily Champion via www.allafrica.com

* ►December 12, 2008 - Children With Disabilities Arrested For Behavior - WCCO.com - "More Minnesota kids with autism and developmental disabilities are actually getting arrested for having tantrums at school. That's landing students in treatment centers, where they live alongside the worst sex offenders."

* ►December 12, 2008 - New Technology Helps Protect US Troops From Infectious Diseases - Representatives from NASA convened in New Orleans December 11 to report at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting the results from a NASA-enhanced computerized system to assess environmental and health concerns for deployed U.S. forces. The Global Situational Awareness Tool (GSAT), developed and operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command, is a computerized set of linkable databases that characterizes and predicts health risks and other dangers to U.S. troops and multi-national forces in Afghanistan and other areas. - American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

* ►December 12, 2008 - Schering: Cafe Pharma Is A Men’s Room Wall - Pharmalot - "The drugmaker is accused in a class-action lawsuit of playing shenanigans with the results of the Enhance clinical trial for Vytorin, which raised questions about the effectiveness of the heavily advertised cholesterol pill. And in their lawsuit, shareholders cited comments on CafePharma that suggested some folks at the drugmaker knew of the less-than-impressive results beforehand (back story)."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Schering-Plough Lawyer Gets $500K Reward - Pharmalot

►December 12, 2008 - First case of flu confirmed in state - Pioneer Press

►December 12, 2008 - The Medium Is The Message: Manipulating Salmonella In Spaceflight Curtails Infectiousness - Infectious pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium employ a startling array of techniques to skillfully outwit the body's defense mechanisms and produce illness. Through their expression of genes—the fundamental building blocks of cellular physiology—such microbes ingeniously adapt to varied environments, modifying their disease-causing potential or virulence. - Arizona State University, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

►December 12, 2008 - NAHN to discuss getting flu vaccinations - National Association of Hispanic Nurses via The Brownsville Herald

►December 12, 2008 - Trust for America's Health Applauds New IOM Report on Improving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the 21st Century - PRNewswire-USNewswire

►December 12, 2008 - Cancer Med Labels May Reflect Genetic Issues - Pharmalot

►December 12, 2008 - Hot Drinks Help Fight Cold And Flu - A hot drink may help reduce the symptoms of common colds and flu, according to new research by Cardiff University's Common Cold Centre. - Cardiff University via ScienceDaily

►December 12, 2008 - Pfizer To Slash 700 Jobs In France - Company - AFP via CNN Money

►December 12, 2008 - Hundreds of dogs vaccinated after outbreak of lethal virus - thisiscornwall.co.uk

* ►December 11, 2008 - I think we're out of life-jackets - World of DTC Marketing.com - "A leading critic of big pharma possibly on the short list for FDA Commissioner, new restrictions on DTC advertising and the whole industry is feeling the effects of the latest economic downturn. Take a good look around because the industry as we know it today may be changing in a lot of ways and some big mergers that are coming down the road could mean a continued consolidation that all but assures that big pharma will remain in tact."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Retinal hemorrhages and shaken baby syndrome: An evidence-based review - journal article (Journal of Emergency Medicine)

* ►December 11, 2008 - Death Highlights Painful Condition - Many Sufferers Struggle to Make Others Believe Pain of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - ABC News

►December 11, 2008 - An evidence-based approach to theories of medical decision making and health - Research published in current special section of Medical Decision Making - SAGE Publications via EurekAlert!

►December 11, 2008 - The health of nations - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2008 - It’s time to change how Europe regulates research - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2008 - Promotion of exercise in primary care - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2008 - Immunology Center will continue to drive standard methods, better science - "One unique capability that drove the RHIC renewal was that the Medical Center has a world-leading core of biostatisticians along with leading immunologists. Led by Hulin Wu, Ph.D., chief of the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, the biostatistics team within RHIC will seek to establish statistically-rigorous, automated gating protocols for flow cytometry analysis that will greatly increase the reproducibility of data and the speed of flow cytometry lab by lab." - University of Rochester Medical Center via RxPG News

►December 11, 2008 - About 40 pct of docs use electronic records: CDC - Reuters

►December 11, 2008 - NCF1 gene and pseudogene pattern: association with parasitic infection and autoimmunity (pdf) - journal article (Malaria Journal)

►December 11, 2008 - China Has Twice the Global Average of Drug-Resistant TB Cases - BMC Infectious Diseases via Bloomberg

►December 11, 2008 - Ebola in pigs! [Updated] - Aetiology ScienceBlogs

►December 11, 2008 - AVI BioPharma to Present at FDA Public Hearing Regarding Priority Review Vouchers - AVI BioPharma via Market Wire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

* ►December 11, 2008 - WHO calls for major clinical trial for vitamin D - The Globe and Mail

►December 11, 2008 - Novartis and Schering-Plough Statement on the FDA's recommendation regarding medicines containing long-acting beta2-agonists - Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Schering-Plough Statement on Food and Drug Administration's Joint Advisory Committee recommendation regarding medicines containing long-acting beta2-agonists for the treatment of asthma - Schering Plough via Fierce Biotech

►December 11, 2008 - Friend or foe – microbes in the intestine - Micro-organisms in the intestine live in symbiosis with humans but can cause illness or even death. Together with an international team, Nicola Harris of ETH Zurich researched the factors that make a person immune to worm infections. The knowledge can now be used to develop vaccines. - ETH Life

►December 11, 2008 - An enzyme that mutates antibodies also targets a cancer-causing oncogene - Cell via The Rockefeller University Newswire

* ►December 11, 2008 - MMR vaccine reduces risk of asthma - Short Sharp Science via New Scientist

►December 10, 2008 - Sask. union concerned with autism spending - Leader-Post via Financial Post - "The province, which has committed $3 million in annual funding for Autism Spectrum Disorder services, is hiring 15 consultants to act as one of the first points of contact for families seeking services, and 18 support workers -- all part of an action plan announced in the fall."

►December 10, 2008 - Autism Speaks' New Board Members Include No One with Autism - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

►December 10, 2008 - Toni Braxton's Autism Ads May Mislead Parents - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

  ►December 10, 2008 - How should health be defined? - journal article (BMJ)

* ►December 10, 2008 - Copying letters to patients Copying patients in is not as simple as it seems - journal article (BMJ)

* ►December 10, 2008 - Copying letters to patients Copying in or copping out? - journal article (BMJ)

* ►December 10, 2008 - Regulation’s threat to research Time for patients to speak out? - journal article (BMJ)

►December 10, 2008 - Nobel Prize winner teams with Houston doctor (includes video) - The Nobel Prize represents a life's work or a discovery that has changed the world. On Wednesday in Stockholm, the scientist who linked HIV to a virus and paved the way for AIDS treatment was awarded a Nobel Prize in medicine. - ABC 13 KTRK-TV Houston

►December 10, 2008 - Economic package to include health tech - Reuters

►December 9, 2008 - Gross placental measures and childhood growth - journal article (The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine)

►December 9, 2008 - Delayed neural network degeneration after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia - journal article (Annals of Neurology)

►December 9, 2008 - Measles jab appeal after Cheshire outbreak - Parents in West Cheshire are being urged to get their children immunised against measles in the wake of an outbreak across Cheshire. - Chester Evening Leader

* ►December 8, 2008 - USP Asked to Adopt Safer Limit on Lead in Drugs and Supplements - Warns That Lead Contamination May Worsen if USP Accepts Currently Proposed Allowance - ConsumerLab.com via PharmaLive

* ►December 1, 2008 - How to Avert Supply-Chain Quality Failures - Enterprise software systems can help, but must meet certain criteria to do so. - BioPharm International

* ►December 1, 2008 - The New Era of Process Validation - This guidance manages to explain the underlying concepts of Quality by Design without every using the phrase. - BioPharm International

►December 1, 2008 - Antibody Purification Using Membrane Adsorbers - Results from a process developed for a commercial antibody. - BioPharm International

►December 1, 2008 - Indian Biopharmaceutical Industry: 2008 in Review - Enterprise software systems can help, but must meet certain criteria to do so. - BioPharm International

►December 1, 2008 - Disposable Technologies Implementation: Understanding and Managing Risks - In new disposables projects, it is critical that engineering, procurement, and operations groups work together early on to manage supply chain risk. - BioPharm International

* ►December 2008 - FDA Still Hammering Out Adverse Event Guidelines - Something is holding up FDA's guidances on the reporting of adverse events for OTC drugs and dietary supplement products. As a result, the agency has extended the deadline for compliance with the labeling requirements of the 2006 adverse event reporting law another year, to January 2010. The Tan Sheet looks into what's behind the delay: - OverTheCounterToday

* ►December 2008 - Reflections on melatonin: focus on child mental health - journal article (Psychiatric Bulletin)

►December 2008 - Autoimmune response following annual influenza vaccination in 92 apparently healthy adults - journal article (Autoimmunity Reviews)

* ►December 2008 - Pay for Performance in Behavioral Health - journal article (Psychiatric Services)

►December 2008 - Psychotropic agents in functional gastrointestinal disorders - journal article (Current Opinion in Pharmacology)

►December 2008 - Clinical Characteristics of ADHD in Thai Children - journal article (Journal of The Medical Association of Thailand)

►November 19, 2008 - Use of digital camera imaging of eye fundus for telemedicine in children suspected of abusive head injury - journal article (British Journal of Ophthalmology)

* ►November 13, 2008 - Requiring Influenza Vaccination for Health Care Workers - journal article (American Journal of Public Health)

►November 2008 - Prevalence of Hepatitis A and B Markers and Vaccine Indication in Cirrhotic Patients Evaluated for Liver Transplantation in Spain - journal article (Transplantation Proceedings)

►November 2008 - Response to a Vaccination Schedule With 4 Doses of 40 μg Against Hepatitis B Virus in Cirrhotic Patients Evaluated for Liver Transplantation - journal article (Transplantation Proceedings)

►November 2008 - Type 1 diabetes: Lessons for other autoimmune diseases? - journal article (Journal of Autoimmunity)

►April 2007 - A Case Series of Children with Apparent Mercury Toxic Encephalopathies Manifesting with Clinical Symptoms of Regressive Autistic Disorders (full text) (pdf) - Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health via www.bodiesinrebellion.com

►SEMINARS AND UPCOMING EVENTS - New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice
Parent vaccine choices seminars, RSVP requested to: vaxRSVP@verizon.net.  Flyers available.
*Highland Mills, NY on Tue 1/6, 7:00-10:00 pm, Pediatric OT Solutions, 615 Route 32, close to Bergen County, NJ!  
*Springfield, NJ on Tue 1/13, 6:15-9:30pm, Presbyterian Church, 37 Church Mall, near Westfield, Summit, South Orange
*Toms River, NJ on Wed 1/28, 6:30-9:30pm, Sung Star Academy, 182 James Street
*Somerset Hills, NJ on Thu 2/5, 7:00-10:00pm, Somerset Hills Baptist Church, 510 Mount Airy Road
*Ocean, NJ on Tue 2/10, 6:30-9:30pm, Church of St. Anselm, 1028 Wayside Road
*Go see Maureen Drummond, long-time New Jersey activist, founder of Network Organization for Vaccine Awareness and Choice (NOVAC) and member of the NJ Coalition for Vaccination Choice:  Morristown, NJ on Wed, 12/17, 6:30-8:30pm, Morris Twp Library, 1 Miller Road, Morristown, davidbeckdc@yahoo.com

* ►January 2009 - Transmitted duplication of 8p23.1–8p23.2 associated with speech delay, autism and learning difficulties - journal article (European Journal of Human Genetics)

►January 2009 - Prader–Willi syndrome - journal article (European Journal of Human Genetics)

►December 14, 2008 - We can’t afford to wait to fix this broken system - editorial (requires registration) - Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "The depth of the nation’s financial crisis seems to argue that major reform efforts on a host of long-delayed critical issues should be put off yet again. But getting started on fixing the nation’s health care financing system is more important than ever."

* ►December 13/19, 2008 - Tracking progress towards universal childhood immunisation and the impact of global initiatives: a systematic analysis of three-dose diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunisation coverage - journal article (The Lancet)

►December 13, 2008 - Assam steps up flu surveillance - Times of India

* ►December 12, 2008 - Report: Nations exaggerated numbers of vaccines in Gates-funded program - The Gates Foundation has invested heavily in a program to boost childhood vaccinations around the world, but a new analysis — also paid for by The Gates Foundation — says the program may have reached only half the number of kids reported. - The Seattle Times

* ►December 12, 2008 - Number of Children Immunized Has Been Inflated for Years (requires registration) - Washington Post - "Specifically, it suggests that the pioneering Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) may have paid out twice as much in performance rewards as it should have: $290 million instead of $150 million."

►December 12, 2008 - Lancet: Dozens of nations inflated vaccine numbers - AP via Yahoo!

* ►December 12, 2008 - Maryland Researchers Take Aim at Avian Flu Vaccine - Researchers at the University of Maryland are hot on the trail of a universal flu vaccine for animals - which could ultimately help prevent or delay another avian flu pandemic in humans. - University of Maryland, College Park via Newswise

* ►December 12, 2008 - Drug Maker Said to Pay Ghostwriters for Journal Articles (requires registration) - The New York Times - “For the last three years, I’ve looked at ghostwriting at Wyeth,” Mr. Szaller said in a telephone interview. “There is a mammoth amount of material. The problem is that almost all of it is still under seal.” In Friday’s letter, Mr. Grassley asked Wyeth to list all scientific reports prepared for the company by DesignWrite since Jan. 1, 1995, to describe the named authors’ “extent of involvement” and to disclose fees paid to DesignWrite, authors and others. He also requested “all internal and external correspondence, communications and meeting minutes regarding each of the DesignWrite-prepared studies.”

* ►December 12, 2008 - Memory Protein in Mice Linked to Autism - Neuron via Ivanhoe - "The protein FKBP12, found in both humans and mice, regulates mTOR, an enzyme that helps neurons change the strength of their connections with other neurons. Changes in synaptic strength are believed to result in learning and memory."

* ►December 12, 2008 - 300,000 people in bird flu-hit Assam under surveillance - The Hindu

* ►December 12, 2008 - A gaping loophole in city's bird flu defences - South China Morning Post

* ►December 12, 2008 - NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

NY Philosophical Exemption To Be Discussed at Monday, Dec. 15 Vaccine Education Roundtable on L.I.   by Barbara Loe Fisher

Assemblyman Marc Alessi (D-Wading River) is hosting a public roundtable discussion on vaccination and proposed legislation (A.5468) to allow parents a philosophical exemption to vaccination on Monday, December 15, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Stony Brook University's Student Activities Center, Ballroom B. All sides of the vaccine debate will be discussed by parents and physicians in a panel discussion. Representatives from the New York State Department of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics, including Lou Cooper, M.D., will participate on the panel along with Barbara Loe Fisher, of the National Vaccine Information Center; New York pediatrician Lawrence Palevsky, M.D., John Gilmore, of Autism United, and Louise Kuo Habakus, of the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice.

New York state law requires children attending daycare and/or school to receive 26 doses of 11 vaccines. New York pediatricians promote adherence to the vaccine schedule recommended by the federal government, which is 69 doses of 16 vaccines for girls and 66 doses of 15 vaccines for boys between birth and age 18. Often federal guidelines are turned into state laws by state public health officials. Neighboring state, New Jersey, requires the most vaccinations of any state in the country: 35 doses of 13 vaccines. A vaccine freedom rally supporting legislation to give New Jersey parents the right to exercise conscientious belief exemption to vaccination was held in Trenton in October.

New York law prohibits children from attending daycare or school unless they can provide documented proof they have received every state mandated vaccine or have filed and received approval from state officials to exempt their children from vaccine requirements for medical reasons or for deeply held religious beliefs. In 1987, the New York State Supreme Court upheld the right of parents to file and receive religious exemption to vaccination for personal, spiritual beliefs which were not associated with an organized church or religion (Sherr v Northport- E, Northport Union Free School Dist., 672F. Supp81 [ED NY 1987].)

Parents who have attempted to file medical or religious exemptions to vaccination in New York continue to report that both exemptions can be very difficult to obtain. Usually medical exemptions written by physicians will not be accepted by state education and public health officials unless the contraindications stated by physicians conform with narrow guidelines approved by federal public health officials. There have been cases of parents having appropriately filed religious exemptions only to have them denied after New York state education officials and attorneys have grilled parents for hours about the sincerity of their religious beliefs.

Bayport mother of two, Rita Palma has had the religious exemption she filed for her two sons rejected by New York. She is in the courts right now fighting for her right to receive a religious exemption to vaccination for her children and is still looking for legal representation as she goes up against the State of New York.

In the U.S., all states provide for medical exemptions to vaccination in vaccine laws; all but two (Mississippi and West Virginia) provide for religious exemptions; and 18 provide for personal, philosophical or conscientious belief exemptions. State vaccine laws and a map and information on vaccine exemptions in different states can be found on the website of the National Vaccine Information Center.

In a media advisory outlining why he is holding the Dec. 15 vaccine education forum, leading sponsor of the philosophical exemption legislation Assemblyman Alessi said "Parents are presented with a lot of conflicting information regarding the consequences of certain vaccines, leaving us with many unanswered questions about the basic safety of New York's current vaccine programs."

The roundtable discussion is open to the public. Seating in the room is limited to about 175 people and is on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, call 631-929-5540.

* ►December 12, 2008 - Gardasil Deaths, Injuries & Money by Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Awakening

►December 12, 2008 - Wisconsin parents hopeful for passage of autism-insurance bill - SmartBrief

►December 12, 2008 - Blago Watch Day 4: Blagojevich Signs Autism Bill into Law - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich stayed busy Friday with executive work amid growing calls for his resignation. - FOX News

* ►December 12, 2008 - Blagojevich Back At Work, Signs Autism Bill - The Huffington Post - "Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today signed Senate Bill 934 into law, providing insurance coverage to parents of children with autism. The new law, which received overwhelming support from the Illinois General Assembly, will provide coverage for all individuals under age 21 for the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) up to $36,000 per year."

* ►December 12, 2008 - On Media: Autism Speaks, Beating "Awareness" to Death By Anne Dachel - Age of Autism

* ►December 12, 2008 - Best of: Bernie vs. Brynna The Trouble with Autism Speaks By J.B. Handley - Age of Autism

►December 12, 2008 - Study backs theory: parents' age link to autism - New research backs previous studies that there's a link between a parents age and autism. - ABC 7 WLS Chicago - "The study in the American Journal of Epidemiology finds advanced parental age does indeed appear to boost autism risk in children."

►December 12, 2008 - When 'terrible 2s' may be signs of autism - United Press International

* ►December 12, 2008 - Vatican: Parents may allow kids to get vaccines linked to abortion - Catholic News Service - "Parents may allow their children to be inoculated with vaccines that were produced with cells of illicit origin, said a top Vatican official. However, Catholics also must urge doctors and pharmaceutical companies to let alternative, less controversial vaccines become more widely available for use, said Bishop Elio Sgreccia, former president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who helped the Vatican prepare a new bioethics document."

►December 12, 2008 - CDC sees early-season signs of Tamiflu resistance - CIDRAP News

►December 12, 2008 - Immunize kids against bringing home the flu - Galesburg Register-Mail

►December 12, 2008 - Health Officials: Not Too Late For Vaccine (includes video) - KEYC.com

►December 12, 2008 - What's the difference between cold and flu? - Two winter respiratory illnesses may look alike, but pay attention to tell them apart. - Scientific American

►December 12, 2008 - Achoo! One Sneeze Infects 150 People in Five Minutes - NaturalNews.com

* ►December 12, 2008 - ME campaigners offer condolences to Lynn's family - This Is Sussex, UK - "Lynn Gilderdale, who died on Wednesday last week, and her family, struggled not only with the terrible effects of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), but also the stigma attached to its sufferers."

►December 12, 2008 - Authorities: Powder tested positive for Anthrax in preliminary test - Nevada Appeal

* ►December 12, 2008 - Chickenpox Outbreak At Volusia School - WFTV Orlando - "Fifty of her 2,700 Volusia County classmates have come down with the illness since September. It is concerning enough that Friday afternoon a letter went home to parents encouraging vaccinations. (CDC Vaccination Info) But the letter warns even vaccinated kids can contract chickenpox and the severe rash, fever, or pneumonia that can come with it. 'We're starting to see the outbreak in older children,' said Dr. Sanford Zelnick of the Volusia County Health Department."

* ►December 12, 2008 - Officials: Update chicken pox vaccine - East Volusia News - "Pediatrician Andrea Thorpe, who practices in Daytona Beach, said she recently had an 11-year-old patient who came down with chickenpox in spite of receiving his vaccination in 2001. 'He had a 104 fever, itching all over, covered (with the rash) from head to toe,' she said. 'When you're older and you get it, you get it bad. It's miserable.'"

►December 12, 2008 - Incurable forms of TB challenge Armenia – and the world - Public health specialists and international organizations in Armenia speak out - Armenian Reporter

* ►December 12, 2008 - UK caused cholera, says Zimbabwe - The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe which has left hundreds dead was caused by the UK, an ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has said. (includes video) - BBC

►December 12, 2008 - Gilead Sciences files patent lawsuit against Teva Pharmaceuticals over HIV drug - San Francisco Business Times

►December 12, 2008 - FDA accepts application for Merck HIV drug - AP via Forbes

* ►December 12, 2008 - Trust for America's Health Applauds New IOM Report on Improving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the 21st Century - press release - Trust for America's Health via PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

* ►December 12, 2008 - FDA Draft Report Urges Consumption of Fish, Despite Mercury Contamination (requires registration) - Washington Post - "If approved by the White House, the FDA's position would reverse the government's current policy that certain groups -- women of childbearing years, pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants and children -- can be harmed by the mercury in fish and should limit their consumption. The FDA's recommendations have alarmed scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, who in internal memos criticized them as 'scientifically flawed and inadequate' and said they fell short of the 'scientific rigor routinely demonstrated by EPA.'"

* ►December 12, 2008 - Leahy Slams 'Midnight' Bid to Relax Mercury-in-Fish Warnings to Women and Children - press release - Office of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy via PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

►December 12, 2008 - CDC report may shed light on venison debate - St. Joseph News-Press

►December 12, 2008 - CDC takes its epidemiological software open source - Government Health IT

►December 12, 2008 - Why an FDA Panel Saw Asthma Drugs Differently - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►December 12, 2008 - Silence! Apotex, A Doctor And Freedom Of Speech - Pharmalot

►December 12, 2008 - Bird flu investigation groups formed - news.gov.hk

►December 12, 2008 - How Many Negative Drug Studies Still Go Unpublished? - The Wall Street Journal

►December 12, 2008 - Tort Lawyers Try to Undermine the Constitution - Cherry Creek News

►December 12, 2008 - Pfizer Cutting Nearly 1,000 Jobs In Europe - Pharmalot

* ►December 12, 2008 - Novartis MS Drug Reduces Relapses - TheStreet.com - "However, serious safety concerns have dogged FTY720, including reports of fatal infections and increased risks for heart and liver problems. While all existing multiple sclerosis drugs carry side-effect risks, FTY720's safety profile is likely to be scrutinized very closely by regulators."

* ►December 12, 2008 - FDA Adds Black Box To Bowel Clearing Drugs - Pharmalot

►December 12, 2008 - The Skinny on the Latest Drug Trial - The Motley Fool

►December 12, 2008 - Ask a doctor: Can this yogurt really boost my immune system? - OCRegister.com

* ►December 11, 2008 - High Growth Forecasted for the China Vaccine Market Report, 2007-2009 - Reportlinker.com via Business Wire via MarketWatch

* ►December 11, 2008 - Mathematical Models Of Adaptive Immunity - More than five million people die every year from infectious diseases, despite the availability of numerous antibiotics and vaccines. The discovery of penicillin to treat bacterial infections, along with the development of vaccines for previously incurable virus diseases such as polio and smallpox, achieved great reductions in mortality during the mid-20th century. - European Science Foundation via ScienceDaily

* ►December 11, 2008 - New lung cancer vaccine trial launched - Cancerfacts.com

* ►December 11, 2008 - Research halted at Seattle hospital (requires registration) - The Scientist - "Officials have halted enrollment in more than 600 human research studies taking place in Seattle this week after a federal audit found shoddy paperwork in some consent forms."

►December 11, 2008 - BV Health officials: 'We're ready' - Preparedness efforts ramp up for possibility of flu pandemic, TB, salmonella, bird flu or other health disasters - Pilot Tribune

* ►December 11, 2008 - Novartis Guards Against Unapproved Advertising - Pharmalot

* ►December 11, 2008 - Testing grounds - St. Petersburg Times - "Drug makers spend hundreds of millions of dollars bringing a promising compound to the stage where it can be tested on humans — only to be stymied when subjects in developed countries are slow to sign up. So the companies have moved offshore in search of subjects, and now nearly half of all studies are conducted outside the United States. Brazil, Russia and China have been popular trial locales, but India is moving up fast, aggressively courting the drug study business."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Massachusetts Gift-Ban Bill Causes Another Ruckus - Pharmalot - "Health care activists complain that the state needs to plug a big loophole that allows doctors to receive pay for research and work on clinical trials without disclosing it. “They need to go further,” Lisa Kaplan Howe, policy manager at Health Care for All, tells The Boston Herald. The state legislature passed the gift ban last summer as part of a health care cost-containment bill."

►December 11, 2008 - Appellate court orders new Vioxx trial in Texas - AP via Forbes

►December 11, 2008 - Baltimore’s Sharfstein May Be FDA Commish? - Pharmalot

►December 11, 2008 - Lilly Is The Latest To Lower Expectations - Pharmalot

►December 11, 2008 - Lilly Chases Biotechnology With Merck as Profit Slips - Bloomberg

* ►December 11, 2008 - Vytorin: A Top Ten Public Relations Blunder - Pharmalot

►December 11, 2008 - Charting HIV’s Rapidly Changing Journey in the Body - HIV is so deadly largely because it evolves so rapidly. With a single virus as the origin of an infection, most patients will quickly come to harbor thousands of different versions of HIV, all a little bit different and all competing with one another to most efficiently infect that person’s cells. Now scientists have settled a longstanding question about just how HIV morphs in the body. - University of Rochester Medical Center via Newswise

►December 11, 2008 - Guidance for Industry and the Food and Drug Administration; Modifications to Devices Subject to Premarket Approval--the Premarket Approval Supplement Decisionmaking Process; Availability - Food and Drug Administration, HHS via FDA/CBER

►December 11, 2008 - A widely-used, understudied chemical alters inflammation. - Environmental Health News

►December 11, 2008 - AES 2008: Valproate Should Not Be Used in Women Who May Become Pregnant: NEAD Study CME (requires registration) - Medscape Medical News

►December 11, 2008 - Psychostimulant Treatment of ADHD in the Pediatric Patient: Cardiac Considerations CME (requires registration) - Medscape

►December 11, 2008 - Avandia, Actos And Bone Fractures In Women - Pharmalot

►December 11, 2008 - F.D.A. Panel Votes to Ban Asthma Drugs (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►December 11, 2008 - Gardasil daily events or what the families have to say - Renew America - "Since I started to write about Gardasil I have had the privilege and the honor to meet and correspond with many, many families whose daughters have a new medical condition or unknown medical condition coincidentally after the Gardasil vaccine. What I want to do today is to give you their story about what is going on in their lives on a daily basis because I feel it is important for people to know the truth."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Many Saying No to Flu Shot for 2008 2009 Flu Season - Planet Chiropractic

►December 11, 2008 - Tests confirm H5N1 in Hong Kong outbreak - CIDRAP News

►December 11, 2008 - Farm-Raised Tilapia Fish May Increase Inflammation - NaturalNews.com

►December 10, 2008 - Examination of Widely Used Antimicrobial Compound Reveals New Strategies to Fight Malaria - Cell Press via Biocompare

►December 10, 2008 - Computation And Genomics Data Drive Bacterial Research Into New Golden Age - European Science Foundation via Biocompare

* ►December 10, 2008 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007 (pdf) - CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health

* ►December 10, 2008 - According to a New Government Survey, 38 Percent of Adults and 12 Percent of Children Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine - NIH News via National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

* ►December 10, 2008 - NRC Staff Proposes $3,250 Fine for Security Violations at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals - PharmaLive

►December 10, 2008 - What Oversight? Elan Board Angers Shareholders - Pharmalot

►December 10, 2008 - Possible AIDS Treatment Shows Promise in Monkeys - It stops virus from fooling immune cells, researchers say - HealthDay News via U.S. News & World Report

* ►December 9, 2008 - Biologists Spy Close-Up View of Poliovirus Linked to Host Cell Receptor - Purdue University via Biocompare

* ►December 9, 2008 - SIDS Linked To Low Blood Pressure In Preterm Infants? - Scientists from Monash University, Melbourne have shown that infants born prematurely have lower blood pressure during sleep in the first six months of life, compared to healthy, full-term infants. - Monash University, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

* ►December 9, 2008 - Doctors raise questions, concerns about FDA suicide warning - Epilepsy experts urge patients and caregivers to continue drug therapy - American Epilepsy Society via EurekAlert!

►December 9, 2008 - Drug side effects drive patient behavior - World of DTC Marketing

►December 9, 2008 - Properties of Unusual Virus Revealed in Researchers - Penn State via Biocompare

►December 9, 2008 - Reforms needed in health care services for adolescents - National Academy of Sciences via EurekAlert!

►December 9, 2008 - Some people may be predisposed to PTSD - American College of Neuropsychopharmacology via Reuters

►December 9, 2008 - The Advertising Council and Autism Speaks Launch New PSAs to Raise Awareness of Autism - Grammy Award -Winning Recording Artist Toni Braxton and Her Son Featured in TV and Radio Ads (includes video) - Autism Speaks

►December 8, 2008 - Pavlov's Neurons: Researchers Find Brain Cells That are a Key to Learning - University of Washington via Biocompare

►December 8, 2008 - Food Can Affect a Cell in the Same Way Hormones Do - VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) via Biocompare

* ►December 7, 2008 - Bodies in Rebellion - Ideas for Changing America via Change.org

* ►December 4, 2008 - Measles Deaths Drop World-Wide - Wall Street Journal via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►December 1, 2008 - Efficacy of a Vitamin/Nutriceutical Formulation for Early-stage Alzheimer's Disease: A 1-Year, Open-Label Pilot Study With an 16-Month Caregiver Extension. - journal article (American Journal of Alzheimers Disease and other Dementias)

►December 2008 - Campylobacter jejuni Mediated Disruption of Polarized Epithelial Monolayers is Cell-Type Specific, Time Dependent, and Correlates With Bacterial Invasion. - journal article (Pediatric Research)

►December 2008 - Recurrent chromosomal abnormalities in human embryonic stem cells - journal article (Nature Biotechnology)

►December 2008 - Autism Research Institute Newsletter - www.autism.com

►November 1, 2008 - Diffuse Changes in Cortical Thickness in Pediatric Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury - journal article (Journal of Neurotrauma)

* ►November 2008 - Current childhood vaccine programs: An overview with emphasis on the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine and of its compromising of the mucosal immune system - Harold E. Buttram, MD - journal article (Medical Veritas)

* ►November 2008 - Thimerosal in vaccines: inconvenient reality - journal article (Medical Veritas)

* ►November 2008 - The dangerous impurities of vaccines - journal article (Medical Veritas)

►November 2008 - The hCG diet protocol: two case studies - journal article (Medical Veritas)

►November 2008 - Imaging the deluded brain. - journal article (European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience)

►Defeat Autism Now! Spring 2009 Conference April 17th – April 19th Renaissance Waverly Hotel Atlanta, Georgia

►Anaheim Autism/Asperger Conference Set for February - This is a comprehensive autism conference offering practical information for children and adults of all ages and abilities. It features more than 20 great speakers, including separate tracks on Biomedical, Behavior, Speech/Social, Yoga, Family/Life, Sensory Integration, and Teaching. When:  Saturday & Sunday Feb. 14-15 Where: Anaheim Convention Center (3rd floor) 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA.

►Research Funded: Winter 2008 - 13 projects funded in two categories: Pilot Study and Basic and Clinical Research Grants - Autism Speaks

►2008 Pilot Awards (Winter) - Autism Speaks

►2008 Basic and Clinical Awards (Winter) - Autism Speaks

* ►December 12, 2008 - Critics Top Shortlist for FDA Head - Baltimore's Sharfstein, Cleveland Clinic's Nissen Have Tangled With Industry - Wall Street Journal - "Joshua Sharfstein, now head of the Baltimore Health Department, has tangled with the pharmaceutical industry on several occasions and would likely lead the agency to get tougher on drugs. Companies might benefit from his strong support of childhood vaccinations, however."

►December 12, 2008 - Cash-for-vaccination rates ‘exaggerated’ - Financial Times - "Developing countries funded by donors on the basis of their success in boosting immunisation rates have exaggerated their results, according to a study published in the Lancet on Friday."

►December 12, 2008 - Asbestosis-Related Years of Potential Life Lost Before Age 65 Years --- United States, 1968--2005 - MMWR/CDC

►December 12, 2008 - Potential Effects of Electronic Laboratory Reporting on Improving Timeliness of Infectious Disease Notification --- Florida, 2002--2006 - MMWR/CDC

* ►December 12, 2008 - Update: Influenza Activity --- United States, September 28--November 29, 2008 - MMWR/CDC

►December 12, 2008 - QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged >18 Years Who Consumed Five or More Alcoholic Drinks in 1 Day at Least Once in the Preceding Year,* by Sex and Age Group --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2007 - MMWR/CDC

►December 12, 2008 - Notice to Readers: Publication of World Report on Child Injury Prevention - MMWR/CDC

►December 12, 2008 - Notice to Readers: Pre-Beta Version of Open Source Epi Info Released - MMWR/CDC

►December 12, 2008 - Notifiable Diseases/Deaths in Selected Cities Weekly Information - MMWR/CDC

* ►December 11, 2008 - A Government Call for Vaccine Research By Bernadine Healy M.D. - U.S. News & World Report - "Vaccine response. Vaccines do more than stimulate antibodies. Yet there is scant research on the way the complex networks of specialized white blood cells and immune chemicals behave in response to the currently licensed vaccines and their assorted nonvaccine components. Reactions vary among children and those of different ages, and sometimes, vaccines can induce overly sensitive immune reactions. Studies showing that early childhood vaccination may promote chronic allergies, for example, beg for further research."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Vaccines Get New Scrutiny - Vaccinations are supersafe, but maybe not all at once, or for certain children - U.S. News & World Report - "When Julie Austin decided to give her daughter the Gardasil vaccine, she desperately wanted to protect Sara, then 15, from the human papillomavirus that had caused abnormal Pap smears in other family members. A day after the shot, however, Sara complained that she was dizzy and her head was pounding. 'Her doctor said the migraine—the first one Sara ever experienced—could have been caused by Gardasil, but it faded the next day, so I didn't worry,' says Austin, of Westfield, Mass. But the headache struck again after Sara's second shot—and again after her third. Then, the crushing pain became constant, causing Sara to miss school, quit the soccer team, and spend weekends in bed."

* ►December 11, 2008 - A Parents' Guide to Managing Vaccinations - What to do if you don't want your child to get 8 vaccines at once - U.S. News & World Report

* ►December 11, 2008 - POP QUIZ - Pull Quotes from US News Magazine By David Kirby - Age of Autism

* ►December 11, 2008 - David Kirby on Autism and the Military: One Very Brave Captain By David Kirby - Age of Autism - "I often receive letters from parents of children with autism, from all over the world. They are moving, gratifying, and powerful. They keep me going. Yesterday, I received a letter that I will never forget. It was from a Captain in the U.S. Army, who has risked his life in the name of his country. He also has three sons on the autism spectrum, and he blames vaccines."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Olmsted on Autism: The Decline and Fall of (Almost) Everything By Dan Olmsted - Age of Autism - "We're looking at the same kind of catastrophe and the same kind of consequences in the financial markets and New Orleans and Iraq and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the safety studies conducted by Merck and company; it's a ditto, not a different universe. The autism enablers are down to their last act, raging like a dying King Lear against the ungratefulness of the vaccine-protected herd instead of facing the reality of the neurological havoc they are wreaking."

* ►December 11, 2008 - A Message to Autism Speaks' Singer and Shih: ENOUGH ALREADY! By Katie Wright - Age of Autism

* ►December 11, 2008 - IACC Meeting Friday to Finalize Federal Autism Research Plan By Jim Moody, Esq. - Age of Autism - "The federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) will meet this Friday, 9-4 at the Neurosciences Center (home of NIMH) in Rockville, Maryland.  This is a continuation of the November 21 meeting...."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Important Hearing on NY Vaccine Exemption Rights - Monday, Dec 15, Stonybrook - The Autism Action Coalition

* ►December 11, 2008 - The Toxic Origins of Autism - video - Mercola.com via Clipmarks

* ►December 11, 2008 - Defending Vaccines: Actress Dispels Link To Autism - audio - Morning Edition via NPR

* ►December 11, 2008 - American Home Products Corp v Ferrari - Reinterpreting the Vaccine Act (requires registration) - International Law Office

* ►December 11, 2008 - Barr's BLA for Adenovirus Type 4 and 7 Live Oral Vaccines Accepted for Filing by FDA - press release - Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. via PRNewswire - "The finished dosage form is an orally administered enteric-coated tablet, with an inner tablet core containing live adenovirus -- type 4 or type 7 -- surrounded by an outer tablet coat and a final enteric coating."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Global immunization rates may be exaggerated-study - Reuters AlertNet - "'An incentive to over-report progress, either intentionally or unintentionally, will always exist with performance-based payments,' said a statement from Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington in Seattle, whose study appears in the journal Lancet.  Murray and colleagues studied the number of children receiving the three-dose diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DPT3) vaccines in countries receiving aid money from the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunizations, or GAVI, a Geneva-based body working to improve access to vaccines."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Bill again pushes anti-HPV vaccine - Louisville Courier-Journal - "Rep. David Watkins, D-Henderson, has pre-filed a bill that would require public and private school girls to be immunized against the virus that causes most cervical cancer, but would allow parents to opt out for any reason."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Board rejects info that warns of HPV — Pamphlet will not be distributed to Catholic parents - The Sault Star - "Trustee Regis O'Connor said the board shouldn't be afraid to disseminate information to inform parents. He is concerned that the only information that has come in writing so far has been in favour of the vaccine. 'What do you expect Algoma Public Health to say? That's like asking Dracula if he's in favour of looking after the blood bank,' said O'Connor. Rosilius rebuffed the education director's concern that the pamphlet comes from an outside agency. 'It seems to me that Algoma Health Unit is an outside agency,' said Rosilius. She also expressed concern that despite the board's efforts to put the decision on the vaccine in the hands of parents, students may legally be able to choose the vaccine against their parents wishes."

* ►December 11, 2008 - No baloney: vaccine issue rattles school trustees. Again - SooToday.com

►December 11, 2008 - January is Cervical Health Awareness Month - Cancer Institute of New Jersey via Newswise

►December 11, 2008 - 10 ideas that changed the world - CNN - "4. Vaccination - Today vaccines are widely available for common illnesses which were once life-threatening, as well as for more severe conditions like cervical cancer. The origin of vaccines -- which involve introducing an antigene which encourages the body to produce antibodies boosting the body's immunity to a particular disease -- is thought to be 17th century India, when powdered smallpox scabs were used to inoculate people against the disease. Modern humans owe better healthcare and longer life-spans to this innovation."

►December 11, 2008 - A jab of hope - Vaccines may help defeat both a scourge of the poor and a rich-world affliction - The Economist

* ►December 11, 2008 - AFFiRiS Begins Development of a Parkinson's Vaccine - press release - AFFiRiS GmbH via PRNewswire

* ►December 11, 2008 - 38% of Adults Use Alternative Medicine - Study Prompts Critics to Warn of Therapies' Risks (requires registration) - HealthDay via Washington Post - "'In addition to the fact that these things are unproven and potentially dangerous, they also feed the mentality that you can forgo proven treatments in favor of these magic potions,' said Seth Asser, a pediatrician and consultant to Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty"

* ►December 11, 2008 - US FDA panel says two asthma drugs risky - Reuters

* ►December 11, 2008 - FDA Puts Black-Box Warning on Bowel-Cleansing Drugs (requires registration) - HealthDay via Washington Post

►December 11, 2008 - Winds of change - Merck’s woes illuminate the shifts taking place in the drugs industry - The Economist

►December 11, 2008 - WHO Members Slow To Bridge Disagreements At Pandemic Flu Meeting - Intellectual Property Watch

* ►December 11, 2008 - Few opt for flu shot - ‘Vulnerable, high-risk’ Capital Health workers have poor record for getting vaccinations - TheChronicleHerald.ca

* ►December 11, 2008 - Vical Pandemic Influenza Vaccines Achieve T-Cell Responses and Cross-Clade Reactivity in Humans - press release - Vical Incorporated via PRNewswire-FirstCall

* ►December 11, 2008 - USD 12.5 m Funding for the Development of Intercell's Vaccine Patch System for Pandemic Influenza From U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - press release - Intercell AG via PRNewswire

* ►December 11, 2008 - Novavax Announces Top Line Results of Phase IIa Clinical Trial for Its Seasonal Influenza VLP (Trivalent) Vaccine Candidate - Favorable immunogenicity results for seasonal vaccine program follows positive results from its pandemic influenza vaccine Phase IIa trial in July 2008; plans to initiate a study of the seasonal vaccine in the elderly in 2009 - press release - Novavax, Inc. via PRNewswire-FirstCall via The Earth Times

* ►December 11, 2008 - Bird flu vaccine for poultry headed for 'total failure' - FierceVaccines

* ►December 11, 2008 - Just a third of U.S. adults got flu shots - Reuters - "'What we're seeing here are huge opportunities for improvement,' said Rand economist Katherine Harris, who helped write the report ... Companies that make flu vaccine for the U.S. market include Sanofi Pasteur, Australia's CSL, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis AG and nasal spray maker MedImmune, acquired by AstraZeneca. Glaxo helped pay for the Rand survey."

* ►December 11, 2008 - Quit Procrastinating and Get Your Flu Shot - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►December 11, 2008 - So What if Adults Aren’t Getting Their Flu Shots? - On Medicine Blog via U.S. News & World Report

►December 11, 2008 - Americans Don't Have Time To Get Flu Shots - InjuryBoard.com

►December 11, 2008 - Crucell antibody beats Tamiflu in preclinical test - Reuters

►December 11, 2008 - HK confirms H5N1 bird flu at chicken farm (requires subscription) - South China Morning Post

* ►December 11, 2008 - Assam on the brink of bird flu epidemic - MyNews.in - "As many as 82 cases with people having upper respiratory infection (URI) were reported since the outbreak of the disease early this month, but were not stated be be bird flu cases."

►December 11, 2008 - Half-dose flu shots could help prevent shortages - CIDRAP News

* ►December 11, 2008 - Girl died of meningitis 'after GP failed to call ambulance' - An eight-year-old girl died of meningitis after the GP treating her failed to call an emergency ambulance and administer penicillin, a panel heard. - The Telegraph, UK

►December 11, 2008 - Chickenpox outbreak at Spruce Creek High School prompts warning to parents - newsjournalonline.com

►December 11, 2008 - Whooping cough cases up in Juneau - AP via KTUU.com

►December 11, 2008 - Ouch! Do you need a tetanus vaccination? - Calgary Herald via Canada.com

►December 11, 2008 - Vaccine And Drug Research Aimed At Ticks And Mosquitoes To Prevent Disease Transmission - American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

►December 11, 2008 - Analysts Debate Bioterror Risks - NTI: Global Security Newswire

►December 11, 2008 - US Extends Anthrax Vaccine Funding for Alabama Firm - NTI: Global Security Newswire

►December 11, 2008 - Smallpox Vaccination Could Remain Potent for Decades, Researchers Find - NTI: Global Security Newswire

►December 11, 2008 - Biodefense: Preparing for Biological Battle - What's New in Life Science Research via ScienceBlogs

►December 11, 2008 - About 40 pct of doctors use electronic records: CDC - Reuters Canada

►December 11, 2008 - Experts: FDA ripe for sweeping change - Washington Post via Cape Cod Times

►December 11, 2008 - CDC Director Calls for Sweeping Health Reform - UCSF Today - "Gerberding delivered a lecture in a crowded Cole Hall at UCSF on how to confront the 'two-headed monster' of an ailing economy and a broken health system."

►December 11, 2008 - Lawsuit highlights dangers of newborn jaundice -  A lawsuit being filed on behalf of a 5-year-old girl in the Bay Area could focus new attention on jaundice, a condition that is extremely common in newborn babies. While it often clears up on its own, in a small number of cases jaundice can be the symptom of a dangerous and potentially devastating condition. (includes video) - KGO ABC 7

►December 11, 2008 - Higher cerebral palsy risk in late pre-term babies - Reuters - "The late pre-term babies were about 3.4 times as likely to develop cerebral palsy as full-term babies. They also were about 25 percent more likely to develop learning, speech and other developmental delays and mental retardation as full-term babies, according to the study."

►December 10, 2008 - Three quarters take up anti-cancer vaccine - This is Lancashire

►December 10, 2008 - Yukon to immunize girls against HPV cancer risk (requires registration or subscription) - The Globe and Mail

* ►December 10, 2008 - Epidemics of Both Type 1 Diabetes (Insulin Dependent) and Type 2 Diabetes (Obesity Related) Are Linked to Immunization - press release - Classen Immunotherapies, Inc. via PRNewswire - "Data by Dr. J. Bart Classen published this week in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews provides further evidence that epidemics of type 2 diabetes/obesity/metabolic syndrome, like type 1 diabetes, are linked to immunization. Classen previously published proof vaccines are causing an epidemic of type 1 diabetes in children."

* ►December 10, 2008 - Nurse’s union files grievance over Providence flu shot policy - KTUU.com - "ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Providence Alaska Medical Center has implemented a new policy telling its employees to either get a flu shot or get fired, and some workers are fighting it. According to Providence, the Centers for Disease Control said it is unethical for health workers to not get a flu vaccine. ... 'It is a basic right to say what is and isn't put in your body,' said Debbie Thompson, president of the Alaska Nurses Association. 'There is so many mixed studies on the flu vaccination study right now that it's hard to say what its success rate is.'"

* ►December 10, 2008 - Rep. Barton Questions FDA Delay In Blood Thinner Seizure - Dow Jones via CNNMoney

►December 10, 2008 - China names and shames fake drug websites - Reuters

►December 10, 2008 - Fitch: Pharma faces longer regulatory reviews - Fitch Ratings: Drug developers face longer regulatory reviews for range of new treatments - AP via CNNMoney

►December 10, 2008 - Do Stringent Quality Guidelines Drive BioProcess Design? - Theresa's Biotech / Biomedical Blog via http://biotech.about.com

►December 10, 2008 - Safe Melamine Levels Named by World Health Organization - Health News

* ►December 9, 2008 - One-two punch: Albany Med team probes theory about bacterial infections following viral illnesses such as flu - Schenectady Gazette

►December 9, 2008 - Indonesia reports 2 new H5N1 cases, 1 fatal - CIDRAP News

►December 9, 2008 - FDA Calls Off Ban on Animal Antibiotics (free preview) - Wall Street Journal

►December 9, 2008 - Drug-Safety Data: Too Much Information? - Wall Street Journal

►December 9, 2008 - For a stronger FDA - letter (requires registration) - Boston Globe

►December 9, 2008 - A Real Food Safety Investigation? - The China Blog via TIME.com

►December 9, 2008 - UNICEF is 62 years old on December 11 - Examiner.com

►December 8, 2008 - MMR warning as cases of measles rise further - Nurses must continue to remind parents about the importance of ensuring that their children receive both doses of the MMR vaccination, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has warned. - Healthcare Republic

►December 8, 2008 - UK's NICE Backs Glaxo's Relenza,Roche's Tamiflu In Some Cases - EasyBourse.com

►December 4, 2008 - Another Chickenpox Outbreak In Snohomish County - KIRO Seattle

►December 3, 2008 - Evidence childhood epidemics of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are opposite extremes of an immune spectrum disorder induced by immune stimulants. Role of race and associated cortisol activity as a major determining factor of the type of diabetes - journal article (Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews)

* ►December 3, 2008 (Online) - Evidence childhood epidemics of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are opposite extremes of an immune spectrum disorder induced by immune stimulants. Role of race and associated cortisol activity as a major determining factor of the type of diabetes (full text) (pdf) - journal article (Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews) via www.vaccines.net

* ►Fall 2008 - Bringing Chickenpox to the Boil by Hilary Butler [Chapter 48] From One Prick to Another - This appeared in VRAN Newsletter Fall 2008 - http://whale.to - "I could bombard you with article after article showing not only that fever in infections is beneficial, but also that when you use paracetamol products, you increase the likelihood of dying and you increase the likelihood of complications. Pubmed is littered with articles from around the world saying this. The World Health Organization surprised me by having two articles on its website decrying the use of paracetamol for bringing down fevers. Treating fevers is dicing with more severe infection, and a greater likelihood of death, because fever is a key immune response to get the immune system working properly. You mess with fever, and you mess with lots of things. It stands to reason. Do you need to know what the medical profession does not yet know about fever in its totality, to see that?"

* ►Fall 2008 - Fever: When Will They Ever Learn? by Hilary Butler [Chapter 46] From One Prick to Another - This appeared in VRAN Newsletter Fall 2008 - http://whale.to - "I had one conversation with an overseas mother whose child had been exposed to chickenpox and was taken to the doctor with a fever. The doctor thought it would be chickenpox, given the known exposure and time frame, and told the mother to treat with paracetamol. The doctor then had a brainwave, and gave this child an MMR shot because it would 'save' the mother coming back in three weeks’ time. The mother did as told, and for several days, the child’s fever was treated as specified by the doctor. Not only did the child get chickenpox, but got measles as well, had seizures, and died.  In the child’s post-mortem, neither the role of paracetamol, nor of MMR was considered relevant to the cause of death, which was specified as “chickenpox”. I believe the role of both paracetamol and the MMR were very relevant as factors in this child’s death, and that such a post mortem reveals the ignorance and contempt that many doctors have to this day, to the immunosuppressive role of fever reducers, or to any suggestion that a sick child should never be vaccinated."

* ►Volume 5, Issue 2, 2008 - Analysis of causes that led to baby Jackie Ray’s developmental delay and intracranial bleeding (pdf) (full text) - journal article (Medical Veritas)

►Childhood Diseases: Reality, Care & Treatment - next class January 7 - Sheri Nakken, Vaccination Information & Choice Network

►Introduction to Vaccine Dangers classes - next class January 7 - Sheri Nakken, Vaccination Information & Choice Network

►Introduction to Homeopathy OnLine Class - Class #43a - Part 1 of 2 , Basic Level next classes January 7 - Sheri Nakken, Vaccination Information & Choice Network

►Truthful Testimony - website - "Although the major focus of Truthful Testimony is on testimony dishonest egregiously by medical expert witnesses, its mission transcends matters medical-legal, being relevant equally to testimony of all kinds by every citizen and to behavior ethical in regard to every aspect of the endeavor."