All the News Posted December 3-4, 2008


Posted December 4, 2008

?December 15, 2008 - Comparison of Biological Activity of Human Anti-Apical Membrane Antigen-1 Antibodies Induced by Natural Infection and Vaccination - journal article (The Journal of Immunology)

?December 9, 2008 - Safety and immunogenicity of recombinant poxvirus HIV-1 vaccines in young adults on highly active antiretroviral therapy - journal article (Vaccine)

* ?December 9, 2008 - Efficient post-exposure prophylaxis against rabies by applying a four-dose DNA vaccine intranasally - journal article (Vaccine)

?December 5, 2008 - Measles epidemic risk in Warwickshire - Warwick Courier, UK

?December 5, 2008 - Glaxo, Merck vaccines race for cervical cancer space - GSK’s Cervarix to launch in a month, compete with Merck’s Gardasil - Daily News & Analysis, India

?December 5, 2008 - Nunavik women at least twice as likely to suffer HPV - Strains in territory more likely to be cancer causing - Nunatsiaq News

?December 5, 2008 - 'Zinc zipper' plays key role in hospital-acquired infections - Science Centric

* ?December 5, 2008 - Revised Surveillance Case Definitions for HIV Infection Among Adults, Adolescents, and Children Aged <18 Months and for HIV Infection and AIDS Among Children Aged 18 Months to <13 Years --- United States, 2008 - MMWR/CDC

* ?December 5, 2008 - Notice to Readers: National Influenza Vaccination Week---December 8--14, 2008 - MMWR/CDC

* ?December 5, 2008 - Progress in Global Measles Control and Mortality Reduction, 2000--2007 - MMWR/CDC

?December 5, 2008 - Neurologic Illness Associated with Occupational Exposure to the Solvent 1-Bromopropane --- New Jersey and Pennsylvania, 2007--2008 - MMWR/CDC

?December 5, 2008 - Prevalence of Self-Reported Physically Active Adults --- United States, 2007 - MMWR/CDC

?December 5, 2008 - Notifiable Diseases/Deaths in Selected Cities Weekly Information - MMWR/CDC

?December 4, 2008 - MMR 'not linked' to baby's death - The death of an 18-month-old Cheltenham boy was due to natural causes and not linked to an MMR jab he received 10 days earlier, a coroner has ruled. - BBC

* ?December 4, 2008 - MMR vaccine played no part in baby's sudden death, coroner says - George Fisher's parents dismayed by coroner's verdict that the 18-month-old died of natural causes - The Guardian, UK - "But the Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore decided that George's symptoms had emerged too soon after receiving the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab to be related to it. ... After the hearing the family's lawyer, Judith Leach, said George's parents were 'extremely disappointed' with the verdict and would always believe MMR was to blame as no other cause had been found."

* ?December 4, 2008 - MMR jab 'played no part in boy's death', coroner rules - The MMR vaccination played no part in the death of a "healthy and robust" 18-month-old boy, a coroner said. - The Telegraph, UK - "Mr Crickmore added: "The MMR vaccination did not cause or contribute to George's death. 'George's death was a natural illness or disease process which ran its course but the specific illness or disease cannot be identified.' ... The boy's mother added: 'I think it is so wrong to put the death of a healthy little boy down to natural causes. There is nothing natural about an 18-month-old boy dying of nothing, because that is what it was, nothing.'"

* ?December 4, 2008 - David Kirby: The Pentagon - A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism? - Huffington Post - "'We have preliminary findings from one of our many on-going research studies that suggest a relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations exist,' US Army Colonel Renata J. M. Engler, MD, director of the VHC, (a 'collaborative network' of the Defense Department and the CDC), wrote to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). 'These findings will require validation, but heighten our concern for the current clinical practice of multiple vaccinations.'"

?December 4, 2008 - David Kirby on HuffPo: The Pentagon, A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism? - Age of Autism

?December 4, 2008 - Olmsted In Spectrum: Historical Epidemiology - Age of Autism

* ?December 4, 2008 - Parents Meet with NJ's Health Commissioner By Louise Kuo Habakus - Age of Autism

* ?December 4, 2008 - Researchers & Department of Defense Question Multiple Vaccine Administration - SafeMinds Asks, "Is Mercury a Common Factor?" - press release - PRNewswire-USNewswire - "SafeMinds Vice President Lyn Redwood stated, 'Research clearly demonstrates that mercury in vaccines causes mitochondrial damage, yet mercury-containing vaccines continue to be administered to infants and pregnant women despite the IOM's recommendation that these populations not be exposed.' SafeMinds believes the government should initiate a comprehensive study of vaccinated/unvaccinated populations examining all health outcomes, vaccine components and synergistic interactions."

* ?December 4, 2008 - Deirdre Imus: How Do I Find a Green Pediatrician? By Kim Stagliano - Age of Autism

?December 4, 2008 - Unused autism funds raise questions - Parents say plenty of need exists; agency says program's start took time - Greenville News

?December 4, 2008 - UK Autism:Appeal to PM Brown on Mortgage Rescue Plan - Blogger News Network

* ?December 4, 2008 - Measles and MMR - Sow the wind - The long-lasting consequences of a health scare - The Economist

* ?December 4, 2008 - Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal in autism lawsuit - CBC - "The country's top court has rejected the latest appeal from parents who want their autistic children to receive specialized therapies from Ontario school boards. The Supreme Court released a ruling on Thursday in which it declined to hear the appeal from the five families trying to sue the Ontario government for discrimination against their children."

* ?December 4, 2008 - Expert urges no-fault vaccine compensation - Prevent lawsuits - National Post - "With children required to receive an increasing number of vaccines, Canada should institute a national no-fault compensation system for people who suffer serious side effects from immunization, a leading public health expert says. Vaccine adverse events are rare and far outweighed by the benefits, but the unlucky few who experience them have no recourse for financial redress, Dr. Kumanan Wilson of the University of Ottawa told a major immunization conference. ... Any compensation plan here would have to avoid decisions that are based on faulty science and send out the wrong message, warned Dr. Monika Naus, associate director of the B. C. Centre for Disease Control."

?December 4, 2008 - Immunization records due Dec. 16 - Stayner Sun

* ?December 4, 2008 - Over 500 Deaths Per Year Associated with Children's Cough and Cold Medicine - press release - Honey Don’t Cough via MMD Newswire - "Research published in the American Academy of Pediatrics official journal, 'Pediatrics,' reveals that there is an estimated 500 pediatric deaths a year associated with children’s cold and cough medicine (http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/122/6/1413 ). 'Up until this new research, officials assumed that there were only 3 or 4 deaths a year from these medications' says Dr. Jeffery L. Chamberlain, the family doctor and co-founder of Honey Don’t Cough, who performed the mathematical extrapolation.  “Deaths have been drastically underreported because when a child gets sick and dies, doctors assume that the death was solely related to the illness itself.  Typically, no one thinks to check for toxic medications that could have contributed to the death.'"

?December 4, 2008 - Daily News: Government Estimates HPV Cancer Prevalence - Nurse.com

* ?December 4, 2008 - Gardasil trials update--"New Medical Conditions" By Cynthia A. Janak - Renew America

* ?December 4, 2008 - GSK drops price of vaccine in drive to halt cervical cancer - Sowetan - "David Pritchard, general manager of GlaxoSmithKline South Africa, pledged the unequivocal support of the company to the cervical cancer drive. 'The cost vaccine would be reduced with immediate effect. Instead of paying R750 a dose, women will now pay R450,' Pritchard said."

?December 4, 2008 - Merck forecast for 2009 is bleak, as economy erodes sales expectations - The Star-Ledger via NJ.com - "Making matters worse, the company failed to win regulatory approval for Gardasil's use in older women, which would have expanded the vaccine's market."

?December 4, 2008 - Cervical Cancer Vaccine Well Tolerated - Reactions such as hives called 'idiosyncratic,' study finds - HealthDay via U.S. News & World Report

?December 4, 2008 - Low allergic reaction rate seen in Gardasil study - Only three girls and young women who were given the cervical cancer vaccine showed 'probable hypersensitivity' in a study of 380,000 shots, researchers in Australia say. (requires registration) - Los Angeles Times

?December 4, 2008 - Flu shots: Still time for protection, doctor says - Montgomery Advertiser

?December 4, 2008 - Maryland officials track flu via e-mail - Baltimore Sun via San Francisco Chronicle

?December 4, 2008 - CDC warns of possible complications from flu shots - McKnight's Long Term Care News

* ?December 4, 2008 - National Influenza Vaccination Week Is Dec. 8-14 - Event Spotlights Need for Continued Immunization - AAFP News Now

* ?December 4, 2008 - Vaccine makers urge speedy accord on pandemic plan - Reuters - "The World Health Organisation (WHO) will host an inter-governmental meeting next week where the United Nations agency's member states will discuss sensitive questions about virus sample sharing and access to vaccines in case of a flu pandemic."

* ?December 4, 2008 - Fort Collins woman hopes to renew awareness of flu dangers - Vera Cover knows firsthand what the virus can do; she lost her 23-month-old daughter to the flu - Fort Collins Now

* ?December 4, 2008 - Flu On Campus: Avoiding Misery For $20 - National Public Radio - "Colleges now are typically between $15,000 and $25,000 a semester," Doyle says. "If someone is sick for two weeks, you can gut the core of your semester. You can have to redo or dump your courses for that time period — and lose $25,000. "But there is a cheap insurance policy against such a devastating loss: a $20 flu shot. Some colleges and universities offer them for free."

* ?December 4, 2008 - Kansas wins controversial biolab? (requires registration) - The Scientist

* ?December 4, 2008 - Intelligent by Design - Fort Collins’ population of brianiacs is good news in a slumping economy - FortCollinsNow.com - "Schriefer is chief of the diagnostic and reference laboratory for bacterial diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, where he is developing a field test for plague, which is deadly if untreated. The test, which will work sort of like a pregnancy test, will allow doctors to quickly determine whether a patient suffers from plague. It can prevent misdiagnoses for more common ailments like malaria, and it could potentially save lives."

* ?December 4, 2008 - The Global Vaccines Market 2008-2023 - companiesandmarkets.com adds new report - The period 2008-2023 will see a vaccine “boost”. There will be a new resurgence in the sales and utilisation of vaccines. Are you prepared for this? You should be. - companiesandmarkets.com via PR-inside.com - "The vaccines industry is responding with innovative products, making full use of technological advances in biotechnology. This market has great developmental potential, both therapeutically and commercially. There are currently more than 1000 vaccines in research and development worldwide."

* ?December 4, 2008 - Second Virtual Vaccine Global Congress - Elsevier via Medical News Today

* ?December 4, 2008 - Tulane dedicating biosafety lab - AP via Nola.com

* ?December 4, 2008 - Senator Recommends Peter Rost As FDA Commish - Pharmalot

?December 4, 2008 - Researchers From La Jolla Institute And Albany Medical College Identify Cell Group Key To Lyme Disease Arthritis - La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology via Medical News Today

?December 4, 2008 - AIDS at 26 - The Independent, UG

?December 4, 2008 - The secret of HIV control (requires registration) - The Scientist

* ?December 4, 2008 - Mom's Cells Prime Fetal Immune System - Process prevents growing baby from rejecting the mother, researchers find - HealthDay News via U.S. News & World Report

* ?December 4, 2008 - Senate Probes Unapproved Use Of Heart Device - Pharmalot

* ?December 4, 2008 - Merck: The Outlook Is… Not So Good - Pharmalot

* ?December 4, 2008 - Sanofi-Aventis Cuts Hundreds Of US Sales Reps - Pharmalot

?December 4, 2008 - Guidance for Industry Cooperative Manufacturing Arrangements for Licensed Biologics - FDA/CBER

?December 4, 2008 - Palmetto Bay agency helps children with special needs thrive - Three counselors have started their own private practice to help children flourish in schools -- whether they have autism or are hyperactive. - Miami Herald

?December 4, 2008 - Zimbabwe Declares National Health Emergency - AP via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

?December 4, 2008 - Add PD vaccine to mandatory jabs - asiaone health

* ?December 4, 2008 - Manhattan Moment: The right prescription for drug safety - The Examiner

* ?December 4, 2008 - Research conjugated fatty acid use in dairy products in order to improve the nutritional and health-giving properties of these foods - Basque Research

* ?December 4, 2008 - Next-Generation Functional Foods Offer Condition-Specific Shot in the Arm - Packaged Facts via Market Wire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

* ?December 4, 2008 - Virus may have contributed to student’s death - Baltimore Examiner - "'Deaths associated with adenovirus are very rare, especially in people who don’t have underlying problems like respiratory or heart problems or underlying immune problems,' said Dr. David Blythe, medical epidemiologist at the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 'Even in those groups, deaths are very rare.'"

* ?December 4, 2008 - Measles deaths dramatically cut by 74 per cent worldwide – UN health agency - UN News Centre

?December 4, 2008 - Worldwide Measles Deaths Drop Dramatically - They plunged 74 percent from 2000 to 2007, report shows - HealthDay via U.S. News & World Report

?December 4, 2008 - Fears of epidemic as measles cases rise - Worcester News, UK

?December 4, 2008 - Vaccine for 10,500 children to prevent measles epidemic - Crewe and Nantwich Guardian, UK

?December 4, 2008 - Call for all children to be vaccinated - Farnham Herald, UK

?December 4, 2008 - Measles cases increase in Stratford - Coventry Telegraph

?December 4, 2008 - Chickenpox reported at second Monroe school - HeraldNet

* ?December 4, 2008 - China AIDS Vaccine Passes Phase I Test - China Bio Today via iStockAnalyst.com - "The vaccine employs a unique mechanism. The AIDS vaccine is carried by a smallpox vaccine, with the HIV virus gene inserted into the smallpox vaccine. It has a replicative vector, which kills the HIV virus by replicating itself."

?December 4, 2008 - Cellular Bullets Destroy HIV, Raise Vaccine Possibilities - Wired Science

?December 4, 2008 - GlaxoSmithKline and The Carter Center Reaffirm Commitment to Global Public Health with Expansion of LF Program - press release - GlaxoSmithKline via PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX via MarketWatch

?December 4, 2008 - Study offers insights about development of the human immune system - University of California - San Francisco via EurekAlert!

?December 4, 2008 - Lawmakers Pledge to Move on FDA Reform in the Next Congress - Pharmaceutical Technology Magazine

* ?December 4, 2008 - Documentary to shed light on Lyme disease (includes video) - KSL-TV - "The documentary "Under Our Skin" follows Lyme patients and deals with all of these other issues related to diagnosis and treatment. It is being screened tonight in Salt Lake City, free to the public, at the Leonardo on 209 E. 500 South."

?December 4, 2008 - Merck & Co., Inc. Guidance Call Transcript - Seeking Alpha

?December 4, 2008 - Review: Extracts from the public and OH literature - Details of the Government's innovative vaccination programme to protect young girls from the human papillomavirus and of the largest-ever reported Q fever outbreak are among the highlights of recently published public and occupational health literature. - Occupational Health via Personnel Today

?December 4, 2008 - Infection associated with infant forumula being studied - Valencia County News-Bulletin

* ?December 4, 2008 - Drug Marketing Techniques May Be Risking Patient Safety - With new drugs being reviewed by regulatory agencies and then released onto the market faster than ever before, patients' safety is being compromised, warns a study published on bmj.com. - BMJ-British Medical Journal, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

?December 4, 2008 - Anthrax outbreak kills 24 animals in South Africa - Reuters South Africa

?December 4, 2008 - Doctor says mercury risk minimal (includes video) - Capital News 9 - "City officials say one girl has been treated for mercury exposure and her house has been condemned because of the contamination. That has some parents worried about their children's safety, even though doctors say there is not a significant health risk."

?December 3, 2008 - Inspiring Charlie triumphs over autism - Haverhill Echo, UK

* ?December 3, 2008 - Drug Trials for Autism - Treatments are being tested for three inherited forms. - MIT Technology Review

?December 3, 2008 - Three cases of whooping cough confirmed at Ridgeway Elementary - Columbia Missourian

?December 3, 2008 - Department looks into increased whooping cough activity - Terre Haute Tribune Star

?December 3, 2008 - Mumps outbreak hits DkIT campus - Dundalk Argus

?December 3, 2008 - Skin Deep - New Products Bring Side Effect: Nanophobia (requires registration) - The New York Times

?December 3, 2008 - Sandbach and Middlewich parents urged to give children MMR jab - Crewe Chronicle

?December 3, 2008 - Killer Virus Is Spreading - Winsford Guardian, UK - "There are now 70 reported cases of measles across the county, with 16 cases reported in the neighbouring Middlewich and two in Northwich."

* ?December 3, 2008 - The Pros (and Not Many Cons) of Merck’s HPV Vaccine, According to UW’s Laura Koutsky - Xconomy Seattle

?December 3, 2008 - Non-smokers are more likely to beat cancer - Irish Independent

?December 3, 2008 - Allergic reactions to Gardasil uncommon: study - Reuters Health

?December 3, 2008 - Senator probes Edwards Lifesciences' device - Reuters

?December 3, 2008 - Abbott to add safety information in YouTube ads after group complains (requires registration) - Chicago Tribune

* ?December 3, 2008 - Danger From Chinese Milk Very Real, Says US Scientist - The Epoch Times

* ?December 3, 2008 - Mymetics Corporation Announces Initiation of Research Coverage by Khandaker Partners - Mymetics via GlobeNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch - "The Research Report states, "The outlook for the company is positive as the HIV and malaria vaccine markets are largely unexplored. The company is developing vaccines using a novel technology, and is, therefore, likely to capture a significant market share."

* ?December 3, 2008 - 109 medicines and vaccines in US development for HIV/AIDS - PharmaTimes

* ?December 3, 2008 - Variant of Mad Cow Disease Appears to Be Much More Virulent Than Classical Form - An atypical prion strain of mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BS, is more virulent than the classical strain, according to a researcher who spoke Nov. 14 at Kansas State University. - Kansas State University via Newswise

* ?December 3, 2008 - Kansas tops list for biodefense lab - The Kansas City Star - "Federal officials say the new high-tech, high-security lab is necessary to protect public health and agriculture — a $1 trillion industry that generates exports topping $50 billion each year. The new lab would replace a 1950s-era facility in Plum Island, N.Y. The Plum Island facility does not have enough space or the latest equipment to work with diseases causing some of the greatest concern. Homeland Security officials, working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have been seeking new labs that will research foreign animal diseases and others with the potential to jump from animals to humans. Pathogens that will be studied include swine fever, the Hendra and Nipah viruses and highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease."

?December 3, 2008 - Official: Vietnam faces high risk of human infection of bird flu - Xinhua via China View

* ?December 3, 2008 - AVI BioPharma Files IND for Clinical Trial of Ebola Virus Treatment - Preclinical results with AVI–6002 demonstrate excellent survival in the face of lethal virus challenge - AVI Biopharma

?December 3, 2008 - AVI BioPharma Files IND for Clinical Trial of Marburg Virus Treatment - Preclinical results with AVI–6003 demonstrate uniform survival in non–human primates following lethal virus challenge - AVI Biopharma

?December 3, 2008 - Scientists film inner workings of the immune system - Research Australia via EurekAlert!

?December 3, 2008 - Fruit Flies Help Treat Brain Damage - Cell via Ivanhoe

* ?December 3, 2008 - Extended Drug Therapy for Hepatitis Is Challenged (requires registration) - The New York Times

?December 3, 2008 - 'Airport malaria' holds clues to global spread of disease - The Medical Journal via ScrippsNews

* ?December 3, 2008 - Report: 1 toy in 3 contains dangerous chemicals - The Patriot Ledger

?December 3, 2008 - A 3-Year-Old Girl With Fever and a Limp CME/CE (requires registration) - Medscape

* ?December 3, 2008 - EEGs show brain differences between poor and rich kids - University of California, Berkeley, researchers have shown for the first time that the brains of low-income children function differently from the brains of high-income kids. - Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience via Physorg

?December 3, 2008 - New Research Will Benefit Four Million Americans Suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - CFIDS Association of America via PRNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

?December 3, 2008 - Health Highlights: - Americans' Health May Decline: Report - Cleveland Clinic to Disclose Doctors' Business Ties - Report Urges Further Measures to Help Medical Residents - Gene May Protect Against Lung Cancer - 5 Distinct Types of Ovarian Cancer: Study - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

?December 2, 2008 - Chicken Pox Outbreak Hits South Bay School - NBC San Diego

?December 2, 2008 - Managing Drug-Drug Interaction Risks CME/CE (requires registration) - Medscape

?December 2, 2008 - Noise response delayed in autistic children - Reuters via National Post

?December 2, 2008 - Curbs urged on long shifts for young doctors - Reuters

?December 2, 2008 - Lots of TV and Web harms kids' health - Reuters

?December 2, 2008 - Evolution of stimulants to treat ADHD: transdermal methylphenidate - journal article (Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental)

* ?December 2, 2008 - Snafus Mar Vaccine Program - ProPublica - "Today, seven years after the anthrax attack that killed five and infected 17, at a time when the shortage was supposed to have been alleviated, the country instead finds itself back at square one -- with a still woefully inadequate supply of the older vaccine and no certainty about when, or even if, a new vaccine might be available."

?December 2, 2008 - Concern at rise of cases of measles - Wirral Globe

?December 2, 2008 - North Essex: measles warning - The Gazette, UK

?December 2, 2008 - Report: Whites the most likely to get flu shots - The Desert Sun

?December 2, 2008 - Dumont lab to lead province's influenza pandemic work - New designation will give lab resources, equipment to handle huge number of cases if an influenza pandemic breaks out in N.B. - Times & Transcript

?December 2, 2008 - The holiday season is a good time to get your flu shot - Great Falls Tribune

?December 2, 2008 - Roberts and Prieto Ask State Health Chief Whether Breakthrough Can Help N.J. Detect Autism Earlier - PolitickerNJ.com

?December 2, 2008 - SIGA Technologies Completes Human Pharmacokinetic Bridging Study Validating Commercial Formulation - press release - SIGA Technologies, Inc. via GlobeNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

?December 1, 2008 - Virus Test - A new test may reduce the overuse of antibiotics. All it takes is a nasal swab and within hours a machine can show if the patient's symptoms are viral or bacterial. - WTVQ.com

?December 1, 2008 - Measles outbreak hits Winsford - Mid Cheshire Chronicle

?December 1, 2008 - Public Health: Cheshire town at centre of UK measles outbreak - ChiefOfficers.Net

?December 1, 2008 - €400k of vaccines returned - Irish Medical News

?December 1, 2008 - Legacy of a forgotten infection - St George & Sutherland Shire Leader

* ?December 1, 2008 - Bioresearch becomes a race against time - A doctor faced a frightening health care case when a 2-year-old presented with dangerous blisters. - Crain's New York Business

?December 1, 2008 - OX40 Drives Protective Vaccinia Virus-Specific CD8 T Cells - journal article (The Journal of Immunology)

?December 1, 2008 - Health related quality of life in survivors of pneumococcal meningitis - journal article (Acta Pædiatrica)

* ?December 1, 2008 - The mother's immune system is a balanced threat to the foetus, turning to protection of the neonate - journal article (Acta Pædiatrica)

* ?December 1, 2008 - Making an Old Brain Young - Scientists are developing new ways to manipulate the brain's normal plasticity. - Technology Review

* ?December 1, 2008 - 'Deranged Calcium Signaling' Contributes To Neurological Disorder - Defective calcium metabolism in nerve cells may play a major role in a fatal genetic neurological disorder that resembles Huntington's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a mouse study. - UT Southwestern Medical Center via ScienceDaily

* ?December 1, 2008 - Epidemiologic Considerations in Unexplained Pediatric Arthralgia: The Role of Season, School, and Stress - journal article (The Journal of Rheumatology) - "Referrals from northern Saskatchewan were significantly more numerous than from southern Saskatchewan (107 vs 45 per 100,000; p < 0.001). Serum vitamin D concentrations measured in a subgroup of patients (n = 73) showed that 62 (82%) were abnormally low, 42% between 50 and 75 nmol/l (insufficient), and 40% < 50 nmol/l (deficient)."

* ?December 1, 2008 - The Law Offices of Robert H. Weiss Appointed to Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in Bisphenol-A Multi-District Litigation - Market Wire via StreetInsider.com

* ?December 2008 - Influenza vaccination in the elderly: seeking new correlates of protection and improved vaccines - journal article (Aging Health)

?December 2008 - Detection of Mumps Virus RNA by Real-Time One-Step Reverse Transcriptase PCR Using the LightCycler Platform - journal article (Journal of Clinical Microbiology)

* ?December 2008 - Comparison of Three Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays for Detection of Immunoglobulin G Antibodies to Tetanus Toxoid with Reference Standards and the Impact on Clinical Practice - journal article (Clinical and Vaccine Immunology)

?December 2008 - Evaluation of the Recombinant VlsE-Based Liaison Chemiluminescence Immunoassay for Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi and Diagnosis of Lyme Disease - journal article (Clinical and Vaccine Immunology)

* ?December 2008 - Immunologic and Biochemical Factors of Coincident Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Children. - journal article (Pediatric Research)

* ?December 2008 - Serum Procalcitonin Level and Other Biological Markers to Distinguish Between Bacterial and Aseptic Meningitis in Children - A European Multicenter Case Cohort Study - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine)

* ?December 2008 - Relation between stressful life events, neuropeptides and cytokines: results from the LISA birth cohort study - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology) - "Stressful life events evidently have an impact on development of allergic diseases, but the mechanism linking stress to pathological changes of immune system function is still not fully understood."

* ?December 2008 - The Role of Dietary Antioxidant Insufficiency on the Permeability of the Blood-Brain Barrier. - journal article (Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology) - "These results suggest that a deficiency in vitamin E increases brain tissue oxidative stress and impairs the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. These observations may have relevance to the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurologic diseases."

* ?December 2008 - Impairment in Emotion Recognition Abilities in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Early and Moderate Alzheimer Disease Compared With Healthy Comparison Subjects - journal article (American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry) - "Healthy subjects and patients with MCI, early and moderate AD differed significantly in the recognition of all emotions and neutral faces combined. When separated by emotion, the authors found significant differences in emotion recognition between the diagnostic groups for happy, sad, fearful, and neutral faces."

?December 2008 - Management of Clostridium difficile infection - medical or surgical? - journal article (The Surgeon)

* ?December 2008 - Is caesarean delivery associated with sensitization to food allergens and IgE-mediated food allergy: A systematic review - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)

?December 2008 - Role of Pneumococcal Proteins in Sensorineural Hearing Loss Due to Otitis Media. - journal article (Otology & Neurotology)

?December 2008 - Reverse genetics approaches to combat pathogenic arenaviruses - journal article (Antiviral Research)

?December 2008 - Lack of an inverse association between tuberculosis infection and atopy: By T-cell-based immune assay (RD1-ELISpot) - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)

?December 2008 - The prevalence of allergic diseases in an unselected group of 6-year-old children. The DARC birth cohort study - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)

?December 2008 - Cutaneous drug eruptions: A 5-year experience - journal article (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology)

?December 2008 - Allergy: a systemic disease? The HUNT and Young-HUNT study, Norway. - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)

?December 2008 - Mixed handedness prevails among children and adolescents with infantile asthma and diabetes - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)

* ?December 2008 - Vitamin D (pdf) - A review Historically, vitamin D denoted a constituent of cod liver oil, which cured rickets.1 It also prevented rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. More recently, other actions of vitamin D have been discovered in addition to its crucial role in calcium homeostasis. - journal article (Australian Family Physician)

?December 2008 - Evidence of Developmental Alterations in Cortical and Subcortical Regions of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder - journal article (Archives of General Psychiatry)

?December 2008 - Allergies to fruits and vegetables - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)

?December 2008 - Lamotrigine monotherapy for newly diagnosed typical absence seizures in children - journal article (Epilepsy Research)

?November/December 2008 - Early Histories of School-Aged Children With Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder - journal article (Child Development)

?November 30, 2008 - Neuroprotective effect of cocoa flavonids on in vitro oxidative stress - journal article (European Journal of Nutrition)

* ?November 30, 2008 - Some Canadians may be unknowingly living with epilepsy - CTV - "Thousands of Canadians who have epilepsy may be living for years without a diagnosis because doctors unfamiliar with the symptoms believe patients have another illness. While many associate epilepsy with severe seizures, about 80 per cent of patients suffer from mild seizures that are harder to spot, or notice strange smells or experience an odd taste in their mouths."

?November 30, 2008 - Got milk, got health debate - Got milk? Schools reconsider milk menu, cite concerns of health and nutrition (requires registration) - Chicago Tribune

?November 30, 2008 - Pitt initiative may set model by foiling flu - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - "Stebbins co-directs the Pittsburgh Influenza Prevention Project, funded by the CDC. Last year, 10 Pittsburgh Public elementary schools volunteered for the project. Five were designated intervention schools and five were control schools."

?November 27, 2008 - Public Health Agency of Canada: New Web Portal Helps Canadians to Fight Flu - press release - Public Health Agency of Canada via Market Wire via Comtex via MarketWatch

?November 26, 2008 - New Rapid Flu Test Rated At 15 Minutes - Investor's Business Daily

?November 26, 2008 - Equateur: Over 1.5 million children to be vaccinated against measles and poliomyelitis - The DRC Government launched, on 25 November 2008 in Mbandaka, Equateur, a vaccination campaign against measles and poliomyelitis; in this respect, insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets were distributed free of charge including supplementation with vitamin A. - Monuc.org

?November 26, 2008 - Beware of whooping cough - Ten cases reported in county; officials advise seeing a doctor if symptoms develop - Shelby News

?November 26, 2008 - When 'The Great Influenza' Shut Down Ketchikan - More than a dozen residents died, but Ketchikan had a milder strain than other communities in 1918 - SitNews

?November 26, 2008 - Drive thru flu shot exercise to be held on Futenma - U.S. Marine Corps Bases Japan

?November 26, 2008 - MRI in the diagnosis of pediatric multiple sclerosis - journal article (Neurology)

?November 26, 2008 - Role of MRI in the differentiation of ADEM from MS in children - journal article (Neurology)

?November 26, 2008 - Role of Variation in the Serotonin Transporter Protein Gene (SLC6A4) in Trait Disturbances in the Ventral Anterior Cingulate in Bipolar Disorder - journal article (Neuropsychopharmacology)

?November 26, 2008 - Winter brings flu, summer brings bacterial infections - Oregon State University via EurekAlert!

?November 25, 2008 - Immunization after the elective end of antineoplastic chemotherapy in children - journal article (Pediatric Blood & Cancer)

?November 25, 2008 - Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Effects on Weight and Appetite in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: The Omega-3 Alzheimer's Disease Study - journal article (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society)

?November 25, 2008 - SHS shares costs for HPV vaccine - For Penn Student Insurance Plan subscribers, vaccine now costs only $40 - Daily Pennsylvanian

?November 25, 2008 - HPV vaccine is effective - letter - Invermere Valley Echo

* ?November 23, 2008 - Historical Epidemiology - Eye on Autism by Dan Olmsted via Spectrum Publications

* ?November 22, 2008 - The efficacy of HPV 16/18 vaccines on sexually active 18-23 year old women and the impact of HPV vaccination on organized cervical cancer screening - journal article (Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica)

?November 19, 2008 - Efficacy of Pre-S-containing HBV Vaccine Combined with Lamivudine in the Treatment of Chronic HBV Infection - journal article (Digestive Diseases and Sciences)

?November 2008 - Blockade of cytosolic phospholipase A2? prevents experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and diminishes development of Th1 and Th17 responses - journal article (Journal of Neuroimmunology)

?Volume 23 Number 6, 2008 - An Overview of the Ketogenic Diet for Pediatric Epilepsy - journal article (Nutrition in Clinical Practice)

?Volume 74 Issue 5, 2008 - Allergic to all medicines and red coloured urine - journal article (Indian Journal of Dermatology Venereology and Leprology)

* ?Volume 14 Number 10, 2008 - Vitamin C: Is Supplementation Necessary for Optimal Health? - journal article (The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine)

?Volume 14 Number 10, 2008 - Herbal and Dietary Supplement Disclosure to Health Care Providers by Individuals with Chronic Conditions - journal article (The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine)

* ?August 2006 - Acute Metabolic Crisis Induced By Vaccination in Seven Chinese Patients - journal article (Pediatric Neurology)

?Integrative Pediatrics Council - website

 

Posted December 3, 2008

 

?December 4, 2008 - Incorporation of a non-human glycan mediates human susceptibility to a bacterial toxin - journal article (Nature)

?December 4, 2008 - Regulation of ERBB2 by oestrogen receptor–PAX2 determines response to tamoxifen - journal article (Nature)

?December 4, 2008 - Protein kinase R reveals an evolutionary model for defeating viral mimicry - journal article (Nature)

?December 4, 2008 - Chronic Hepatitis B — New Goals, New Treatment  - journal article (NEJM)

?December 4, 2008 - Circumcision — A Surgical Strategy for HIV Prevention in Africa (free full text) - journal article (NEJM)

?December 4, 2008 - Initial Management of Epilepsy - journal article (NEJM)

* ?December 4, 2008 - Women being denied cervical cancer vaccine on NHS - Women are being denied the cervical cancer vaccine as half of GPs report they have been told to limit it by health bosses due to cost, it emerged. - The Telegraph, UK

* ?December 4, 2008 - Naas mum furious as HSE halts BCG baby vaccine in Kildare over staffing - A Kildare mother of a newborn who is waiting on the BCG vaccination has questioned why the vaccine, which protects children from a highly contagious disease, has not yet been administered to her daughter. - Leinster Leader

* ?December 4, 2008 - No vaccine for babies at MGM - DPT injections not available for 6 months - The Telegraph, India

?December 4, 2008 - New vaccination schedule proposed - Times of India

?December 4, 2008 - Make sure kids’ vaccines covered - Government funds, insurance isn’t keeping up - editorial (requires registration) - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

?December 4, 2008 - Thousands could die: cholera, anthrax threaten Zimbabwe - The Age, Australia

?December 4, 2008 - The measles scourge - editorial - The Sun News On-line

* ?December 4, 2008 - MMR jab pleas as measles epidemic hits the West Midlands - The Birmingham Post - "Despite the plea to vaccinate against measles, one Birmingham mother said she will not allow her grandchildren to be injected with the MMR jab. Olivia Price helped set up the Vaccine Victims Support Group after her daughter Melissa was left severely disable following a whopping cough jab in the 1970s. Melissa, now aged 33, has the mental age of a four year old, suffers from epilepsy and mobility problems and has to receive round the clock care. Mrs Price, of Rednal, said her personal experience has made her wary of vaccinations and she would not condone her grandchildren Cameo, three, and Kayde, 21 months, having the MMR jab."

?December 4, 2008 - Calls made for children to be vaccinated against measles epidemic spreading across the Midlands - Birmingham Mail

?December 4, 2008 - HIV activist 'told to shut up' - Straits Times

?December 4, 2008 - KCHD begins Phase II of FluMist vaccine - Farragutpress

* ?December 3, 2008 - As Follow-Up to the Trenton Vaccination Choice Rally, Parents Meet With NJ Health Commissioner Heather Howard - Meeting Promised By Governor Corzine (pdf) - media alert - New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice (NJCVC) via Vaccination News - "Four parents from the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice (NJCVC) are meeting with the Commissioner of the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) Heather Howard and seven senior members of her department this morning at 11:00 a.m. at the DHSS Main Building in Trenton. ... Strong public pressure has been steadily building in support of the parental vaccination choice bill currently in the health committees of the Assembly and Senate: A260/S1071, the Conscientious Exemption to Mandatory Vaccination.  Seven hundred people rallied in Trenton on October 16, an event which received national and local TV, print and radio coverage.  Over ten thousand people have signed a petition in support of this bill.  Parents are especially outraged by one of four new mandated vaccines effective this September, a flu shot for young children ages 6 to 59 months as a requirement for daycare and preschool.  New Jersey is the first state in the country to mandate the flu shot.   The flu shot has become a lightning rod for the issue of parental vaccination choice nationwide."

* ?December 3, 2008 - HPV vaccinations ‘not safe’ says former Health Canada employee - The Bracebridge Examiner and Gravenhurst Banner - "One of Canada’s leading experts in vaccines and antibiotics is calling the federally funded human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization campaign for Grade 8 girls a giant public health experiment. 'People are the guinea pigs for this vaccine,' says Shiv Chopra, a former Health Canada microbiologist."

* ?December 3, 2008 - Experimental cotton unlikely to pose feed hazard - An unauthorized strain of genetically modified cotton was accidentally mixed in with other harvested cotton in Texas last month, but government officials on Wednesday played down any safety concerns. - AP via Seattle Times

?December 3, 2008 - MMR toddler died after jab - The Mirror, UK

* ?December 3, 2008 - Measles outbreak leads to mass vaccination for thousands of at risk children - A mass vaccination programme to immunise thousands of school children is underway following a measles outbreak in Cheshire. - The Telegraph, UK - "Nursing teams are visiting more than 200 schools to supply the MMR vaccination and are urging parents to consent to the jab. Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust said there has been 75 reported measles cases in the area, 20 of which have been confirmed."

?December 3, 2008 - It's rash to think measles is history - Next time you bring junior to the surgery with a fever and a rash, I’ll have to rethink my “It’s just a virus” line – by cutting out the word “Just”. - Ask Dr. Keith via The Sun, UK

?December 3, 2008 - Mass measles vaccination starts - A mass vaccination of more than 10,000 children is beginning in Cheshire to head off a measles epidemic. - BBC

?December 3, 2008 - Mass MMR vaccination in Cheshire schools amid 'escalating' measles outbreak - 24dash.com

?December 3, 2008 - Vaccine offered after outbreak of measles - Macclesfield Express, UK

?December 3, 2008 - Mumps vaccine offered on college campuses - Orillia Packet & Times

?December 3, 2008 - Post-secondary students may need mumps protection - Midland Mirror

* ?December 3, 2008 - CNN's Anderson Cooper Blogs David Kirby's "CDC Missed the Memo" Piece - Age of Autism

* ?December 3, 2008 - Autism linked to vaccines? - Anderson Cooper 360 Blog via CNN

* ?December 3, 2008 - President Elect Obama: The Medical Director of the Autism Research Institute Speaks Out - Age of Autism

* ?December 3, 2008 - Follow-Up to the Trenton Vaccination Choice Rally - Age of Autism

* ?December 3, 2008 - A mother's battle against autism - Chesterfield Observer - "A part-time computer programmer and mother of three, Kirk chronicles her battle to heal her son in her new book, 'Hope for the Autism Spectrum: A Mother and Son Journey of Insight and Biomedical Intervention,' published by London-based Jessica Kingsley Publishers, which specializes in books about autism and other mental health issues."

?December 3, 2008 - Barbara Fischkin: Sex and the Single Young Man with Autism - Age of Autism

* ?December 3, 2008 - A New Diet Villain - Americans are spending about $2 billion a year on gluten-free products, which advocates claim can help with everything from autism to ADHD, but is the trend more about hype than health? - Newsweek

* ?December 3, 2008 - Sinovac Breathes Easier: Vaccine Casualty Limited to One Case - Seeking Alpha - "Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (SVA) released a statement clarifying the situation regarding the suspension of its most important product, the hepatitis A vaccine Healive. The company said the Health Services Bureau of Fengtai District in Beijing suspended the use of just 83 doses of the drug. The action came after the death of a minor who had been treated with the vaccine two days previously."

* ?December 3, 2008 - Vaccine Against Multiple Sclerosis? Mouse Experiment Yields Promising Results - Some 80,000 people in Germany suffer from multiple sclerosis – their immune system attacks and destroys healthy nerve tissue. Researchers at the Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg have succeeded in vaccinating mice with specially treated, autologous immune cells and preventing them from developing encephalitis, which is similar to multiple sclerosis in humans - University Hospital Heidelberg via Science Daily

* ?December 3, 2008 - Merck's $4.5 million fine goes toward open space - The Intelligencer via PhillyBurbs.com - "...$4.5 million, will be coming from Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical firm in Upper Gwynedd, as part of a settlement for federal and state Clean Water Act violations stemming from a fish kill in the Wissahickon Creek. The drug company on June 13, 2006, discharged potassium thiocynate into the Upper Gwynedd sewage treatment system where it reacted with the chlorine, resulting in toxic effluent being discharged into the Wissahickon Creek."

?December 3, 2008 - Autism Delaware's Kempner Nominated for Humanitarian Award - Artie Kempner, founding president of Autism Delaware and coordinating director of NASCAR on FOX Sports, has been nominated for the 2008 NASCAR Home Depot Humanitarian Award. Autism Delaware is dedicated to helping people and families affected by autism in Delaware. - Autism Delaware via PRWeb

* ?December 3, 2008 - Encephalitis - Exploring Vaccines - "Vaccines containing Pertussis and Measles can cause encephalitis. Per the VICP guidelines; onset of encephalitis from Pertussis-containing vaccines is 24-48 hours, and between day five and fifteen for the MMR, M, MR and R vaccines."

* ?December 3, 2008 - Wyeth Seeking EU Approval For New Prevnar Version - Wyeth via DowJones via CNN Money - "Earlier this year, this new version of Prevnar received fast-track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is given to medicines for conditions for which there is an unmet medical need."

* ?December 3, 2008 - Vets vindicated after 17 years - Panel affirms Gulf War illness, calls for funds - The Washington Times

* ?December 3, 2008 - GPs want HPV programme expanded - Exclusive - More than half of GPs told not to vaccinate outside the national programme. - Healthcare Republic News

?December 3, 2008 - New technology helps students during flu season - The Daily Collegian Online - "Students' fears of getting a flu shot could be put at ease with a nasal spray option offered by the Student Health Center."

?December 3, 2008 - Entertainer Jack Alexander faints after flu jab - Glasgow Daily Record

?December 3, 2008 - Google Unveils Fast, Accurate Flu Tracking System - The University of California, San Francisco Synapse

?December 3, 2008 - USDA drafts avian flu risk assessment for poultry and egg products - CIDRAP News

?December 3, 2008 - More than 100 Spokane school students exposed to chickenpox - The Spokesman-Review via Seattle Times

?December 3, 2008 - New vaccine plant to be inaugurated in Cuba - Caribbean Net News

* ?December 3, 2008 - Homeland Security picks K-State for biodefense lab - Wichita Business Journal

?December 3, 2008 - Kansas Fought Hard to Land National Biodefense Facility - AP via KSALLink.com

?December 3, 2008 - S.A. not recommended for biodefense lab - San Antonio Express-News - "An official announcement by the Department of Homeland Security is expected to be made on Friday, said John Verrico, a DHS spokesman."

?December 3, 2008 - Study shows school-based program enables children and adolescents to better manage chronic disease - 'Kickin' Asthma' found to help urban students reduce symptoms, activity limitations, emergency room visits, and increase school attendance - IQ Solutions, Inc. via EurekAlert! - "Nearly 10% or 6.8 million children have asthma in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

?December 3, 2008 - U.S. Health Stagnates for Fourth Year in a Row as Revealed in 2008 America's Health Rankings(TM) - Obesity, smoking, and lack of health insurance remain critical areas for national improvement - UnitedHealth Group via Business Wire via MarketWatch

?December 3, 2008 - US health gains stall, could reverse - USA Today - "ON THE WEB: See the list from America's Health Rankings"

?December 3, 2008 - Report: Vermont Is Healthiest State - Louisiana Is Last on the 'America's Health Rankings 2008' List - WebMD

?December 3, 2008 - Louisiana Unhealthiest State - WGMB FOX 44

?December 3, 2008 - Contaminated Heparin Confirmed as Cause of Allergic Reactions - MedPage Today

?December 3, 2008 - 'Airport malaria' holds clues to global spread of disease - Scripps News

* ?December 3, 2008 - Report: 1 In 3 Children's Toys Contaminated - Children's Jewelry Contains Most Toxic Chemicals - www.thebostonchannel.com - "HealthyToys.org did not find a consistent correlation between the country of manufacture and the presence of toxic chemicals in toys. Toys manufactured in the United States as well as China were contaminated."

?December 3, 2008 - Another reason to dislike Hannah Montana, plus a new tool to protect the kids in your life - The Oregonian via OregonLive.com - "The Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental group in Michigan, is just out with its second annual Healthy Toys report and database."

?December 3, 2008 - Altoona mercury mine clean-up completed - Mount Shasta Herald

?December 3, 2008 - Hayes Says New Treatments for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Not Ready for Prime Time - Hayes, Inc. via Business Wire via PharmaLive

?December 3, 2008 - Change in pet vaccination law suggested - Arkansas Online

?December 3, 2008 - Geron Announces Initiation of Phase I Clinical Trial of Vaccine Candidate Targeting Telomerase by Merck & Co., Inc. - Geron via Business Wire via MarketWatch - "The trial will assess the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in patients with solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer and prostate carcinoma."

* ?December 3, 2008 - Fact Sheet: Defending Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism - The White House - "The Administration has stockpiled enough smallpox vaccine for every American and more than 60 million 60-day courses of preventive antibiotics and 5.6 million vaccines regimens against anthrax. HHS has provided $5.2 billion in grants to improve State, local, and tribal health preparedness and mass casualty response capabilities and $3.1 billion in grants to increase hospital preparedness."

* ?December 3, 2008 - U.S. Army to Bolster Biolab Security Training - Global Security Newswire

?December 3, 3008 - FDA Teams With WebMD For New Online Consumer Health Information - New Partnership to Inform and Educate Tens of Millions of Americans - FDA

* ?December 3, 2008 - Cleveland Clinic To Disclose Drug & Device Ties - Pharmalot

* ?December 3, 2008 - How Much Is A Life Worth? The Cost Of A Drug - Pharmalot

* ?December 3, 2008 - Device Makers Illegally Advertise On YouTube? - Pharmalot - "That’s the charge by a watchdog group known as The Prescription Project, which today petitioned the FDA and asked the agency to enforce its rules by requiring Abbott Labs, Medtronic and Stryker to withdraw YouTube.com video ads for medical devices used in heart, hip and neck surgeries (see full petition and videos here)."

* ?December 3, 2008 - Closing the Evidence Gap in the Use of Emerging Testing Technologies in Clinical Practice - journal article (JAMA)

* ?December 3, 2008 - Incorporating Patient Preferences in Evidence-Based Medicine - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Flu season looks set to get off to early start - AP via The Yomiuri Shimbun

?December 3, 2008 - Incorporating Patient Preferences in Evidence-Based Medicine—Reply - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - AVI BioPharma Files IND for Clinical Trial of Ebola Virus Treatment - Preclinical Results With AVI-6002 Demonstrate Excellent Survival in the Face of Lethal Virus Challenge - AVI BioPharma via Marketwire via CNN Money

?December 3, 2008 - Interferon Needed For Cells To 'Remember' How To Defeat A Virus - Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that the immune-system protein interferon plays a key role in "teaching" the immune system how to fight off repeated infections of the same virus. - UT Southwestern Medical Center via ScienceDaily

?December 3, 2008 - Goldman Sachs Plans New Funding For Research - Pharmalot

?December 3, 2008 - Drugs firm Glaxo to cut 200 jobs - Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline has announced 200 jobs will be axed at its factory in County Durham. - BBC

?December 3, 2008 - TV’s Boston Legal: An Overmedicated Society - Pharmalot

?December 3, 2008 - Epilepsy Surgery for Pharmacoresistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Epilepsy Surgery (full text) - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Surgical Treatment for Epilepsy - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Findings From South Korea Provide Insight Into XDR-TB - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Industry v. Reform, School Lunches and Toxic Incinerators (requires registration) - The New York Times

?December 3, 2008 - Contributions of Total Daily Intake of Folic Acid to Serum Folate Concentrations - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Vitamin C and Chemotherapy - journal article (JAMA)

* ?December 3, 2008 - Principles and Practice of Toxicology in Public Health (book review) - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Handbook of Human Immunology (book review) - journal article (JAMA)

?December 3, 2008 - Hayes Says New Treatments for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Not Ready for Prime Time - Business Wire via MarketWatch

?December 3, 2008 - Despite Effectiveness, Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia Still Underused - journal article (JAMA)

* ?December 2, 2008 - Immunogenicity of Fractional Doses of Tetravalent A/C/Y/W135 Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine: Results from a Randomized Non-Inferiority Controlled Trial in Uganda - journal article (PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)

* ?December 2, 2008 - In utero valproate exposure linked to elevated autism risk - Neurology via MD Consult

* ?December 2, 2008 - Biotech in brief - BioDiem, Anadis via LifeScientist - "Melbourne’s BioDiem has received another milestone payment from partner Nobilon for the duo’s intranasal flu vaccine agreement. The payment of $1 million brings the total to $6 million in milestones from Nobilon, a subsidiary of Schering Plough."

* ?December 2, 2008 - Babies Given Antidepressants Down Under - Pharmalot - "Unpublished figures show that nearly 4,000 children under the age of 10 were prescribed antidepressants last year, including 553 children under five and 48 babies, even though no antidepressant is approved in Australia for the treatment of depression in children and adolescents, The Australian reports."

* ?December 2, 2008 - African AIDS Vaccine Programme for a Coordinated and Collaborative Vaccine Development Effort on the Continent - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

* ?December 2, 2008 - DTC Ads Were The ‘Worst Decision:’ Roche Exec - Pharmalot - "Direct-to-consumer promotion was the single worst decision for the industry,” says Burns. “When industry says we’re spending all the money on R&D but actually it’s spending it on TV advertising to preserve margins, it doesn’t get much credibility.”

* ?December 2, 2008 - Provenge Activists Fail To Get FDA Documents - Pharmalot - "A federal court judge has denied a bid to force the FDA to immediately make available documents involved in the controversy over the Provenge prostate-cancer vaccine. A group of cancer patients and investors in Dendreon, which is developing the vaccine, has been fighting in court to get the agency to approve Provenge, after a surprise move last year to require additional study."

* ?December 2, 2008 - In Canada, A Closed-Door Drug Approval Process - Pharmalot

?December 2, 2008 - Infectious Disease Experts Address Growing Epidemic of Resistant Infections - National Experts Meet to Address Treating Resistant Infections in the Hospital and Community Settings Presented by The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine - PharmaLive

?December 2, 2008 - College students vaccinated against influenza less likely to develop flu-like illnesses - College students who are vaccinated against influenza appear less likely to develop flu-like illnesses, require related health care visits or experience impairments in academic performance during flu season, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine via News-Medical.Net

?December 2, 2008 - Are flu shots a 'roll of the dice?' - Doctor says innoculations still best defence against contracting, spreading disease - Times Transcript, Canada

?December 2, 2008 - Invisible line 'protects Australia from bird flu' - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

* ?December 2, 2008 - Univ. sues biostatistician for $30M (requires registration) - Lawsuit alleges that biostatistician Sanford Bolton failed to share drug company royalties with St. John's University - The Scientist

* ?December 2, 2008 - Vytorin Named in 100+ Lawsuits, Justice Department Investigation - NewsInferno.com

?December 2, 2008 - IBT Laboratories Expands its Menu of Tests for Immune Deficiency - IBT Laboratories via PRNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

* ?December 2, 2008 - Eyes Wide Open? A Pill To Fight Jet Lag - Pharmalot - "An experimental drug that mimics the effects of the hormone melatonin can reset body rhythms, and maybe bring relief to jet-lagged travelers and night-shift workers, according to a study in The Lancet."

?December 2, 2008 - Generics Are As Good Brand-Name Meds: Study - Pharmalot

?December 2, 2008 - Maximizing your child's learning potential - The Philippine Star

?December 2, 2008 - Safety of magnetic resonance imaging of patients with a new Medtronic EnRhythm MRI SureScan pacing system: clinical study design - Trials via 7th Space

* ?December 2, 2008 - Study Finds Controversial Pesticide May Contribute to Obesity - Beyond Pesticides

* ?December 2, 2008 - Acupuncture beats aspirin - Duke University via The Straits Times

?December 2, 2008 - Article in The Pink Sheet Describes Managed Care Payers' Expanding Healthcare Value Scrutinization of New Oncology, HIV, and Rare Disease Drugs - Article highlights The Bruckner Group's industry-leading expertise helping pharma and biotech companies develop new drugs that address payers' healthcare value needs - The Pink Sheet via The Bruckner Group via MarketWatch

* ?December 2, 2008 - Members Address Health Commissioner Heather Howard - New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice - "As you are aware, Jan. 1 is the mandatory flu shot deadline. It is URGENT that the NJ Health Department change its stance, and support Assembly Bill A260/S1071."

* ?December 2, 2008 - Baby died ten days after being given MMR jab 'because of failure to warn of possible complications' - Daily Mail, UK - "Yesterday his father Christopher Fisher, 43, told the inquest it was the third time they had taken George - the youngest of four children - to have his MMR jab as he had been too ill on previous occasions. The 43-year-old said: 'He was the best he had been for some time and we had no concerns about him having the vaccination. 'But I don't recall getting any specific advice on his condition or any general advice. It just didn't happen.'"

* ?December 2, 2008 - Healthy toddler died 10 days after being given MMR vaccination - A "healthy and robust" 18-month-old boy died 10 days after being given the controversial MMR vaccination, an inquest heard. - The Telegraph, UK - "Professor of Infant Health, Peter Fleming, of Bristol University, said it was most likely that George died from a rare type of seizure known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood."

?December 2, 2008 - 'Healthy' baby died after MMR jab - The Independent, UK

?December 2, 2008 - Call for pertussis boosters - Immunisation experts are calling for a campaign to give the parents of young babies booster vaccinations against whooping cough to protect children from infection. - Pulse, UK

?December 2, 2008 - 2008: Year of the Woman; Marketing-to-Women Experts Name Best Campaigns of 2008 - The TrendSight Group Announces Winners of the Marti Awards - press release - The TrendSight Group via Business Wire - "Best 'Corporate Halo' – Pampers - Pampers and UNICEF launched 'Vaccines for Pregnant Women,' a program providing life-saving tetanus shots to women in developing countries where they and their babies are at risk due to unsanitary birthing conditions."

?December 2, 2008 - Europe immunises against Australian influenza virus - Across Europe they are talking about Australia, but it's not Nicole Kidman's latest epic of the same name, it's a potentially deadly flu strain. - The Courier-Mail via www.news.com.au

?December 2, 2008 - Flu vaccine still available for kids - PNW Local News

?December 2, 2008 - Partial vaccine dose may work as well as full shot - Reuters Health - "Giving just one fifth the dose of a commonly used meningitis vaccine may be as effective as using the full dose, researchers said on Tuesday."

?December 2, 2008 - British Balance Benefit vs. Cost of Latest Drugs (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ?December 2, 2008 - Wear scrubs? Then don't skimp on hand-scrubbing - Hospital district asking patients to remind their doctors to wash up - Houston Chronicle - "Undercover spies at work - District officials also are on the lookout for doctors who scrupulously follow hand-washing rules. Physicians caught practicing good hand hygiene by the infection control observers who monitor hand washing get a ticket for a quarterly raffle, McLeod said."

* ?December 2, 2008 - FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects on Children - NaturalNews.com

* ?December 2, 2008 - 1 in 5 young adults has personality disorder - Archives of General Psychiatry via AP via Yahoo!

?December 2, 2008 - Hot Docs: AIDS in America, Criminalizing HIV, Obama's National Security Team - Today's selection of timely reports - U.S. News & World Report

?December 2, 2008 - AIDS Crisis Is OverBlown? Many Experts Say Yes - Right Pundits

?December 2, 2008 - Homeland Security Council Planning Scenario Envisions Anthrax Attacks on Multiple Cities - CNSNews.com

?December 1, 2008 - County to offer drive-through flu shots - West County Times via Contra Costa Times

* ?December 1, 2008 - Nigeria Immunizing 30 Million Children Despite Muslim Protests Of U.S. "Depopulation Conspiracy" - The Cutting Edge News - "Dr. Lola Mabogunje, regional field activity director for non-governmental Community Participation for Action in the Social Sector polio project in Kano, says despite initial antagonisms, immunization is now gaining strong support in the region, including among mainstream Muslims."

* ?December 1, 2008 - Immunisation rules set to change - The Border Watch, Australia - "From January 1 parents and guardians will need to have their children immunised within one month of their fourth birthday to retain their childcare subsidy."

* ?December 1, 2008 - Epidemic fears as whooping cough cases rise - Brisbane Times - "Queensland Health said year 10 students were offered the vaccine but Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Queensland faculty chairwoman Jane Smith said parents might be unaware their teenagers had been offered booster shots at school. 'Rebellious teenagers who don't like injections can sabotage the immunisation process by never telling their parents that the school is organising their booster shots,' she said."

* ?December 1, 2008 - Some US doctors may give up vaccines due to cost - Miami Herald - "One example of the disparity was a vaccine that protects against pneumococcal disease. The per-dose difference ranged from a $40 profit to an $11 loss. A chickenpox vaccine netted some doctors $35 but cost others nearly $30 per dose."..."Most pediatricians are likely to keep giving vaccinations to kids, partly because of altruism and partly because giving shots drives business. "For us to give up vaccines would hurt our core business because that's why kids come in," Lessin said. But family practice doctors - who are not as dependent on vaccinations for patients - may decide the shots are too much of a financial headache, he added."

* ?December 1, 2008 - Goodwin: Pharma Ties Have ‘Never Been A Secret’ - Pharmalot - "Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the US Senate Finance Committee, revealed that Goodwin, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, also has substantial ties to several drugmakers. Since 2000, Glaxo, for instance, paid him more than $1.2 million in speaking fees and over $100,000 in expenses."

?December 1, 2008 - Research links epilepsy drug to autism - Neurology via Reuters

* ?December 1, 2008 - Brain's Magnetic Fields Reveal Language Delays In Autism - Faint magnetic signals from brain activity in children with autism show that those children process sound and language differently from non-autistic children. Identifying and classifying these brain response patterns may allow researchers to more accurately diagnose autism and possibly aid in developing more effective treatments for the developmental disorder. - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia via ScienceDaily

* ?December 1, 2008 - Hinckley researchers land $40M Army deal - Crain's Cleveland Business - "The contract research organization plans to hire more than 100 scientific, technical and support personnel, mostly at its office in Frederick, Md., as it begins to fulfill the contract, said company president Victoria Tifft."

?December 1, 2008 - Should everyone have an HIV test? - US doctors propose expanding the use of HIV tests to slow the spread of infection. - news (Nature)

?December 1, 2008 - Can HIV Infection Be Prevented with a Once-Daily Pill? - Once the bane of global activists and politicians in developing nations, pre-exposure HIV preventatives are being tested in AIDS-stricken Africa - Scientific American

?December 1, 2008 - Our Country Is Failing the AIDS Test - The Washington Post

?December 1, 2008 - No ESKAPE! New drugs against MRSA, other superbugs still lacking - Infectious Diseases Society of America via EurekAlert!

?December 1, 2008 - Mumbai Terror Attacks Will Hurt India’s Drugmakers - Pharmalot

?December 1, 2008 - UNAIDS chief prepares to pass the torch - On World AIDS Day, Peter Piot assesses the evolution of the epidemic. - news (Nature)

?December 1, 2008 - (1) Promoting asthma control in children. (2) Promoting asthma control in children 2008 supplement. - Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) via www.guideline.gov

?December 1, 2008 - Routine prenatal care. - Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) via www.guideline.gov

?December 1, 2008 - Primary care interventions to promote breastfeeding: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. - Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) via www.guideline.gov

?December 1, 2008 - Obama Addresses World AIDS Day - President-elect Barack Obama honored World AIDS Day today, releasing online his video remarks to the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health hosted by Pastor Rick Warren in Washington, D.C. (requires registration) - Washington Post

?December 1, 2008 - Obama, Blair laud Bush's AIDS work in Africa (includes video) - CNN

?December 1, 2008 - HIV-positive diagnosis not a death sentence - Augusta Chronicle

?December 1, 2008 - Bush says US meets HIV treatment goal early - Reuters South Africa

?December 1, 2008 - Facing The Giants - Drug companies struggle to deflect generics competition, appease cautious regulators - Chemical & Engineering News

?December 1, 2008 - For Three Years, Every Bite Organic (requires registration) - The New York Times - "In a fascinating experiment — on himself — Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author in Danville, Calif., decided to find out. For the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods, whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road."

* ?December 1, 2008 - NM baby dies from illness associated with formula - AP via KVIA.com - "The illness, called Enterobacter sakazakii, has killed a male baby from Otero County and has left a female baby from Lea County hospitalized. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the illness is associated with powdered baby formula."

* ?December 2008 - Autism Prevalence Trends Over Time in Denmark - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine)

* ?December 2008 - Medical Diagnoses Commonly Associated With Pediatric Malpractice Lawsuits in the United States - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ?December 2008 - Sleep Hygiene for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Indeterminate Colitis: A Distinctive Clinical Pattern of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Active, Population-Based Surveillance for Severe Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Children in the United States - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Hepatitis B Virus Screening for Internationally Adopted Children - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Physicians' Contact With Families After the Death of Pediatric Patients: A Survey of Pediatric Critical Care Practitioners' Beliefs and Self-Reported Practices (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Disagreement in Parent and Primary Care Provider Reports of Mental Health Counseling - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Pediatric Aspects of Inpatient Health Information Technology Systems - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pediatrics - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Pseudoephedrine Use Among US Children, 1999–2006: Results From the Slone Survey - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Hearing Loss in Children With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in Relation to the Maternal Trimester in Which the Maternal Primary Infection Occurred (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Effectiveness of a Clinical Pathway for the Emergency Treatment of Patients With Inborn Errors of Metabolism - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - HLA-A33 Is Associated With Susceptibility to Enterovirus 71 Infection - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Epidemiological Features of Clostridium difficile-Associated Disease Among Inpatients at Children's Hospitals in the United States, 2001–2006 - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Descriptive Epidemiological Features of Bronchiolitis in a Population-Based Cohort - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - They came from above - Opportunistic infections seem to pop up out of nowhere, but new strains are appearing in new places, striking otherwise healthy animals - including humans. A few microbiologists go hunting. - The Scientist

?December 2008 - Child Care Is not a Substantial Risk Factor for Gastrointestinal Infection Hospitalization (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Unintentional Child Poisonings Treated in United States Hospital Emergency Departments: National Estimates of Incident Cases, Population-Based Poisoning Rates, and Product Involvement - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Does a 'reverse' atopic march exist? - journal article (Allergy)

?December 2008 - Quality of Inpatient Care for Asthma: Challenges and Opportunities - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - A Comparison of Canadian Pediatric Resident Career Plans in 1998 and 2006 (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Estimated Savings From Paid Telephone Consultations Between Subspecialists and Primary Care Physicians (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Quality of Care for Common Pediatric Respiratory Illnesses in United States Emergency Departments: Analysis of 2005 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Data - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Complex interactions with several arms of the complement system dictate innate and humoral immunity to adenoviral vectors - journal article (Gene Therapy)

?December 2008 - Application of the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale System to Pediatrics - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Glucose metabolism inhibits apoptosis in neurons and cancer cells by redox inactivation of cytochrome c - journal article (Nature Cell Biology)

?December 2008 - Breastfeeding Status on US Birth Certificates: Where Do We Go From Here? (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

?December 2008 - Treating Alzheimer's: 4 Disease-Fighting Advancements - 4 breakthroughs in Alzheimer's prevention and care. - Reader's Digest

?November 30, 2008 - No Black Box for Anti-epileptics - It looks like the Food & Drug Administration will be requiring consumer medication guides and new warning language regarding the risk of suicidality associated with anti-seizure medications--but not a full-fledged "black box" warning. - The RPM Report

* ?November 28, 2008 - Hawaii Biotech finishing first tests of West Nile vaccine - Pacific Business News (Honolulu)

?November 28, 2008 - Whooping cough on increase - Manning River Times, Australia

?November 27, 2008 - New EPA grant to reduce mercury exposure from fish - Rutland Herald

?November 27, 2008 - Beware of increased cases of mumps - letter - Kilkenny Advertiser

?November 26, 2008 - Immunization: KTSG seeks Ulamah support - Daily Triumph - "Katsina state government has pleaded with the Ulamah to engage in preaching sessions for the success of immunization against measles."

?November 26, 2008 - Spencer Hospital achieves high rate for flu immunization - Spencer Daily Reporter - "Spencer Hospital held a comprehensive influenza vaccination program which has yielded an exceptional 97 percent of the hospital's workforce to receive a flu vaccination or be determined exempt from receiving the vaccine."

?November 26, 2008 - Kaiser Permanente Clinical Trials Patients Celebrate World AIDS Day with Another Year of Good Health - press release - Kaiser Permanente via Business Wire via MarketWatch

?November 25, 2008 - FDA Commissioner Search: Finding Kessler’s Kessler - Who should be the next head of FDA? According to former commissioner David Kessler, it should be someone with a profile that is strikingly similar to his own. But does he want that job again? - The RPM Report

?November 25, 2008 - Kalamazoo doctor wins national award for immunization efforts - Kalamazoo Gazette via MLive.com - "Allen, a family practitioner at Michigan State University/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, has won the Best Practices Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians/Foundation, as part of the 2008 group's Wyeth Immunization Awards....One of the measurements used as a selection criterion for the award was the vaccination status of children ages 19 to 36 months old. Among MSU/KCMS patients in that age range, 89 percent were fully immunized."

?November 25, 2008 - New Details on FBI’s False Start in Anthrax Case (requires registration) - The New York Times

?November 25, 2008 - Increase in measles cases lead to fear of epidemic - Worcester News

?November 25, 2008 - Study Cites Toll of AIDS Policy in South Africa (requires registration) - The New York Times

?November 24, 2008 - Man must pay $12.5M for infecting ex-wife with HIV - AP via San Francisco Chronicle

?November 17, 2008 - Early-life rotavirus and norovirus infections in relation to development of atopic manifestation in infants. - journal article (Clinical and Experimental Allergy)

?November 11, 2008 - Effect of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Asthma after Low-Dose Allergen Challenge. - journal article (International Archives of Allergy and Immunology)

?November 2008 - Drug wars (requires registration) - The Scientist

?November 2008 - National Character and Scientific Enterprise (requires registration) - Is there something in our cultural heritage that makes us better or worse at biotech? - The Scientist

?October 16, 2008 - Reports: High-security research labs not well-protected - AP via USA Today

* ?Vaccine Healthcare Centers Network - website

* ?Table 2: Systemic Events (SE) After Vaccination - Vaccine Healthcare Centers Network

* ?Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Acellular Persussis Vaccine (DTaP) - Vaccine Healthcare Centers Network - "Adverse Events ... Autism"

?Green Play: A Toy Safety Fair sponsored by ChildTrek - Dec. 6, 2008, 10 am - 6 pm - ChildTrek.com - "Tacoma's historic Freighthouse Square ... Test for lead levels in your body (breastfeeding / pregnant women, young children) 10 am - 2 pm"