►April 2008 - Complications of Viral Influenza - journal article (The American Journal of Medicine)

* ►April 2008 - Increased risk of immune thrombocytopenic purpura among inpatients with coeliac disease - journal article (Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology)

* ►April 2008 - Pesticides and child neurodevelopment. - journal article (Current Opinion in Pediatrics) - "Given that the literature suggests a link between organochlorine and in-utero pesticide exposure and impaired child neurodevelopment, clinicians should educate parents about prevention of exposure, especially in populations living in agricultural areas or where household use is common."

* ►April 2008 - A mutation of human cytochrome c enhances the intrinsic apoptotic pathway but causes only thrombocytopenia - journal article (Nature Genetics)

* ►April 2008 - Newly identified prion linked to the chromatin-remodeling factor Swi1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae - journal article (Nature Genetics)

* ►April 2008 - Newly identified genetic risk variants for celiac disease related to the immune response - journal article (Nature Genetics)

►April 2008 - Information Disclosure in Population-Based Research Involving Genetics: A Framework for the Practice of Ethics in Epidemiology - journal article (Annals of Epidemiology)

►April 2008 - Social phobia in coeliac disease - journal article (Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology)

►April 2008 - Autism Research Institute Newsletter - http://autism.com

* ►March/April 2008 - The Role of Fish Oil in Arrhythmia Prevention. - journal article (Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation & Prevention) - "In summary, any patient with documented coronary heart disease and those with risk factors for sudden cardiac death, such as left ventricular dysfunction, left ventricular hypertrophy, prior myocardial infarction, or high-grade ventricular dysrhythmias, should consider fish oil supplementation. The American Heart Association recommends four 3-ounce servings of oily fish weekly. For those who cannot eat fish or do not have access to fish, as well as those who would prefer not to eat fish regularly, capsules of fish oil are readily available in various concentrations. At the present time, we recommend doses of eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexanoic acid in the combined range of 800 to 1000 mg/day for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease."

* ►March 29, 2008 - Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder: an open randomised clinical trial - journal article (The Lancet) - "Funding AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis."

►March 29, 2008 - Killer virus back after 30 years - A deadly mosquito-borne disease has been detected in northern Victoria for the first time in more than 30 years. Health officials have warned people at Kerang to avoid mosquito bites. - Melbourne Herald Sun - "The Murray Valley encephalitis virus has been detected in chickens, which were placed in the area as a monitor for the disease."

►March 29, 2008 - Positive results deserve greater focus - FOR more than 10 years, suicide rates in Australia have been falling dramatically. - opinion - The Australian - "Only when remarkable progress had been achieved did the extremely rare accounts of immunisation causing harm to individual children begin to attract disproportionate media attention."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Congressmen: CDC punished doctor for good work (requires registration or subscription) - Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "In an interview with the Journal-Constitution last month, De Rosa said he was demoted for insisting the CDC thoroughly investigate the long-term health risks of formaldehyde in trailers the federal government purchased to house victims of Hurricane Katrina....Also playing a role in his demotion, De Rosa said, was his effort to have the CDC release the Great Lakes draft report, which identified abnormally high rates of health problems in areas near toxic waste sites around Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and other cities and called for further study."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Woodford Green: Doctor defends MMR jab research - East London and West Essex Guardian - "Professor John Walker-Smith, of Monkhams Drive in Woodford Green, along with colleagues Prof Simon Murch of Tooting and Dr Andrew Wakefield, who now lives in the USA, all deny serious professional misconduct....Taking the stand, Prof Walker-Smith said: "None of the tests would have been conducted if they were not considered necessary."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Mother told me of child’s autism after MMR jab, Andrew Wakefield claims - The Times, UK - "The doctor at the centre of the MMR vaccine controversy was told by a mother that her child showed signs of autism after receiving the vaccination — and that other parents were facing the same problem, a medical hearing heard yesterday. Dr Andrew Wakefield. 51, said that he found the story of a link 'compelling' and that it 'merited attention'. It was his duty as a human being to help mothers who came to him seeking answers, he said."

* ►March 28, 2008 - MMR scare doctor: Wakefield earned £150 an hour from law firm that planned to sue vaccine's manufacturer - Daily Mail, UK - "He admitted being approached by the Norfolk-based solicitor in February 1996 and asked to draw up a report on the triple jab's safety. When asked how much he was paid, Dr Wakefield said that he initially did not know how much he ought to charge, so he asked the GMC what the 'going rate' was. He told the enquiry: 'They indicated that fee was £150 to £200 an hour. I opted for the former of the two figures.'"
 
* ►March 28, 2008 - Doctor who began MMR scare stands by research - Independent, UK

* ►March 28, 2008 - Autism doctor faces disciplinary hearing - Austin-based doctor defends his controversial research into children's vaccine - Austin American-Statesman - "His attorney, Kieran Coonan, made a point of highlighting Wakefield's career, during which the doctor helped write at least 136 papers in scientific journals, in addition to the article that sparked the panel's proceedings.  Wakefield resigned from England's Royal Free Hospital in 2001 before moving to Austin to develop Thoughtful House, which treats children with autism and other developmental disorders. The center has said it has seen demand for its services rise significantly in the past year."

* ►March 28, 2008 - MMR doctor denies child experiments - The Scotsman - "Yesterday, he told a General Medical Council disciplinary panel that the children concerned did not undergo any procedures not deemed clinically appropriate. He claimed all the tests were ordered by the youngsters' doctor, Professor John Walker-Smith, and that all investigations were stopped when they failed to shed light on what was causing the children's problems. He said: "At all times, our foremost consideration was the well-being of the children."

►March 28, 2008 - Doctor Who Linked MMR Jab to Autism Insists: It Was My Duty - The doctor behind the safety scare over the MMR jab has denied he subjected children to a barrage of painful tests in a bid to further his research. - Daily Express, UK

►March 28, 2008 - MMR row doctor says he was doing his duty by researching autism link - Western Mail via icWales

►March 28, 2008 - MMR jab doc Andrew Wakefield: I did it to help - Mirror.co.uk

►March 28, 2008 - Success of fight for MMR jab rethink - Shropshire Star

►March 28, 2008 - MMR take-up rates – the impact - Western Mail via icWales

►March 28, 2008 - 'I was only doing my duty' said MMR doc - Yorkshire Evening Post

* ►March 28, 2008 - Burning issues: Has the MMR row altered doctors' views towards autism? (requires subscription for full article) - The Scotsman - "YES - John Fletcher, Justice Awareness and Basic Support (Jabs) The GMC hearings are nothing more than a witch hunt against Dr (Andrew] Wakefield, Professor (Simon] Murch and Professor (John] Walker-Smith."

* ►March 28, 2008 - MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, VACCINES AND AUTISM: 1 in 50 Children Could Be at Risk - WILL THE GOVERNMENT CURB AN OVERLY AGGRESSIVE VACCINATION SCHEDULE TO COMBAT RISING AUTISM RATES? - press release - National Autism Association via PRNewswire-USNewswire

* ►March 28, 2008 - Autism: News & Videos about Autism (includes video) - CNN - "CDC chief on autism, vaccines CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding discusses autism with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta."

 * ►March 28, 2008 - Autism & CNN - Paging Dr. Gupta via CNN

* ►March 28, 2008 - Kim Stagliano: The Tilt-a-Whirl World of Autism - The Huffington Post

* ►March 28, 2008 - A Love Letter from a Father for his Sons to the Woman Who Refuses to Listen by Jack Russell - Age of Autism

* ►March 28, 2008 - Doug Flutie on Football, Autism - Age of Autism

* ►March 28, 2008 - Vaccination plan disputed - Bismark Tribune - "As a retired pediatrician and former state health officer, I wish to respond to the guest column by Dr. Edward Fogarty, 'A proposal on vaccinations.'"

* ►March 28, 2008 - See the child behind disorder on Autism Day - Our view: Youth's perspective reflects struggles, potential of those with disability - Arizona Daily Star

►March 28, 2008 - Caring for children with autism - The Blue Ridge Autism Center reaches out to children between ages 2 and 12. - Roanoke Times

►March 28, 2008 - Think-tank report knocks autism tuition vouchers - Cleveland Jewish News

►March 28, 2008 - Port Hope father of autistic child calls attention to growing concern - Northumberland Today

►March 28, 2008 - Dr. Rock Positano: Autism Spectrum Disorders A Focus Of HBO Special - The Huffington Post

►March 28, 2008 - iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction (includes video) - CNN

►March 28, 2008 - Asperger's: My life as an Earthbound alien - CNN

►March 28, 2008 - Art and Autism - Researcher Blythe Corbett of the U.C. Davis M.I.N.D. Institute in Sacramento discusses the misunderstood world of autism and its connections to creativity (includes audio) - KUAR Public Broadcasting

►March 28, 2008 - Group to make Magical Music at UN to raise autism awareness - New Canaan Advertiser

►March 28, 2008 - As We See It: Mercury testing good for all parties - Santa Cruz Sentinel

* ►March 28, 2008 - Gardasil is becoming a living hell for many young women - Renew America

* ►March 28, 2008 - Some fear infant vaccinations risky shot in dark - Asbury Park Press

* ►March 28, 2008 - Kathleen McGee: Toxin alert: Don't forget dental fillings - Bangor Daily News - "The Maine Legislature is filled with people who want to do the right thing, who care about our children, our health, our environment, education and the lives of their constituents. Unfortunately, they are also surrounded by industry lobbyists and state agencies which, after years of regulating industry, exhibit Stockholm syndrome symptoms. This month the Legislature took up An Act to Protect Children’s Health and the Environment from Toxic Chemicals in Toys and Children’s Products. Toxic products are everywhere in our lives; be it flame retardants in pajamas, mercury amalgams that fill cavities, or thimerosal, a mercury preservative that has been used in the many vaccines pumped into our children."

* ►March 28, 2008 - FDA Falling Short on Safety - American Chronicle

* ►March 28, 2008 - Vermont spent millions on suspect drug Zyprexa - Barre Montpelier Times Argus - "Michael Hartman, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health, said Thursday that all medications have potential side effects, but the situation with Zyprexa is especially troubling due to the allegation that the company went out of its way to downplay its health consequences. He faulted the Food and Drug Administration for its lax authority over the testing of new drugs, saying the federal organization needs to rely more on independent tests as opposed to the ones submitted by the drug-makers."

* ►March 28, 2008 - New schizophrenia drugs no better, Dutch team find - The Lancet via Reuters - "Costly new antipsychotic drugs are not significantly better than cheaper older ones at treating a first episode of schizophrenia, Dutch researchers said on Friday. The finding adds to controversy about the benefits of second-generation products like AstraZeneca Plc's Seroquel and Eli Lilly and Co's Zyprexa, which were introduced in the 1990s and are now multibillion-dollar sellers."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Richard T. Clark Elected PhRMA Board Chairman - Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America via PRNewswire-USNEwswire via FOX Business - "Mr. Clark has been chairman of Merck's board of directors since April 2007 and has been the company's chief executive officer and president since May 2005. Prior to assuming the top management spot, he was president of the Merck Manufacturing Division from 2003 to 2005."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Merck’s Singulair likely to see prescription drop-off only in high-risk populations - Pharmawire via Financial Times - "He added that other allergy drugs have also been linked to suicide, including Pfizer’s Zyrtec. Santilli noted that he would consider each patient’s individual risk factors - and the severity of their asthma - before making any treatment changes. GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair has a black box warning linking it to an increased risk of asthma-related death, he said, and Zyflo patients must be monitored for liver toxicity."

►March 28, 2008 - CDC chief Gerberding to speak at MIT April 2 - MIT News

►March 28, 2008 - HPV vaccine to protect next generation - UNH The New Hampshire

* ►March 28, 2008 - FDA deciding whether to give boys HPV vaccine (includes video) - WHEC News 10 NBC

►March 28, 2008 - Provide vaccination loan, IAP urges Govt - Newinpress.com

* ►March 28, 2008 - Girls lose out on immunity boost - Times of India - "Says Dr Sanjeev Bagai, director and head of the department of paediatrics, Rockland Hospital: 'It is very unfortunate but true. Sixty years after Independence even in the more well-to-do families there is a reluctance to administer the slightly costly vaccines like chicken pox to the girl child for ‘personal' reasons. Whereas, in case of a boy there is hardly a second thought given.'"

* ►March 28, 2008 - Families blame Smith's bosses - Inadequate oversight cited in doctor's errors (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star - "The submission from the families says top officials from the coroner's office failed to provide adequate oversight of Smith whose mistakes in child-death investigations are at the heart of the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Lawmakers pushing to get the lead out - Connecticut Post - "'When the toys our children play with are no longer safe, it is the responsibility of government to act,' she said. 'We can no longer accept agencies whose interest is in shielding businesses from cost.'"

* ►March 28, 2008 - Toy-safety debate continues - Seattle Times - "Toy sellers and manufacturers are pressing Gov. Christine Gregoire to veto a bill that would outlaw toys that contain certain toxins, while children's-health advocates are encouraging her to sign it. Gregoire is expected to decide the bill's fate next week. If approved, it would give Washington the toughest toy-safety laws in the nation."

►March 28, 2008 - Sebelius signs bill to help land bio-defense facility - Kansas City Business Journal - "The NBAF, which would replace an aging facility at Plum Island, N.Y., will employ as many as 500 scientists in research aimed at protecting the nation's food supply and public health from bioterrorism and disease."

►March 28, 2008 - Reversal Urged in Journalist's Case - AP via Google - "Lawyers for a former USA Today reporter asked a federal appeals court Friday to reverse a contempt of court citation against the journalist, who refuses to reveal her sources for stories about the criminal investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks."

* ►March 28, 2008 - FBI Focusing on 'About Four' Suspects in 2001 Anthrax Attacks - The FBI has narrowed its focus to 'about four' suspects in the 6 1/2-year investigation of the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001, and at least three of those suspects are linked to the Army’s bioweapons research facility at Fort Detrick in Maryland, FOX News has learned. - FOX News

* ►March 28, 2008 - The Influenza Vaccine Is The Fastest Growing In The Adult Vaccine Segment Followed By The Hepatitis Vaccine - press release - Research and Markets via Business Wire

* ►March 28, 2008 - Large number of flu cases slowing down - Spike attributed to vaccine not effective enough for strain. - News-Leader.com

►March 28, 2008 - Autopsies confirm flu deaths in Northeastern Minnesota - Duluth News Tribune

►March 28, 2008 - Vietnamese man died of pneumonia, not bird flu - A man who died in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday was not infected with the H5N1 virus, or bird flu, as was previously suspected. - Thanh Nien Daily

►March 28, 2008 - Russian expert warns of 'bird flu pandemic' - RIA Novosti

►March 28, 2008 - TV crew denies passing fatal flu - A British TV production company has denied allegations that its researchers spread a fatal flu to an isolated indigenous tribe in Peru. - BBC

►March 28, 2008 - Vaccination of 6m Malians against Yellow Fever starts Friday - Afrique En Ligne

►March 28, 2008 - India sits right on top of the world polio map - OneWorld.net

►March 28, 2008 - There is nothing more important than a child in Cuba - El Habanero - "The first period of the 47th National Campaign of Anti-Polio Vaccination started today in Havana – as in all the country-, and will last until the third of April, where Bauta, has notable reults in the Mother-Infant Assistence Program and immunization in general."

* ►March 28, 2008 - SUNY Oswego: Student died of meningitis strain unaffected by vaccine - The Syracuse Post-Standard - "A State University College at Oswego student who died this month after contracting bacterial meningitis had a strain of the disease that is difficult to treat and vaccines given to his classmates probably had no effect, according to college officials. 'He had the B strain and the vaccine does not affect that strain,' said Julie Blissert, college spokeswoman."

►March 28, 2008 - Baby and toddler on the mend from meningitis - Cyprus Mail

►March 28, 2008 - Mutant gene linked to most severe type of TB-study - Reuters

►March 28, 2008 - Bat and vaccine breakthrough in fight against Ebola, Marburg - AFP via Google

►March 28, 2008 - Measles outbreak prompts shots for all - Mass vaccinations against measles are being rolled out across Switzerland to cope with the country's worst epidemic since 1999. - Swissinfo

►March 28, 2008 - Hepatitis Sidelines Allman; Concerts Cancelled - AP via WSBtv.com

►March 28, 2008 - Nevada governor scraps effort to remove medical board members (requires registration) - AP via San Jose Mercury News - "Reversing course, Gov. Jim Gibbons on Friday ended efforts to oust three doctors from the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners because of their ties to the owner of a Las Vegas clinic where flawed procedures set off a regional health scare."

►March 28, 2008 - Hepatitis A Linked Restaurant Worker - WKRC TV Cincinnati

►March 28, 2008 - GlaxoSmithKline Awards the Hepatitis B Foundation with $40,000 in Funding - (Bucks County Nonprofit Receives the GlaxoSmithKline 11th Annual IMPACT Awards) - press release - Hepatitis B Foundation via PRLog

►March 28, 2008 - Nurse pleads not guilty in hepatitis C assaults - Las Cruces Sun-News

►March 28, 2008 - Insurance Carriers Drop Las Vegas Clinics Tied to Hepatitis Scare - KLAS-TV

►March 28, 2008 - Meningitis Claims Life of Local Residents - Westbury Times

►March 28, 2008 - Mumps numbers double - Chilliwack Times via Canada.com - "The mumps are alive and well in Chilliwack says the Fraser Health Authority (FHA)."

►March 28, 2008 - Study links Parkinson's disease to long-term pesticide exposure - The Guardian, UK

►March 28, 2008 - Study Ties Genetic Variations to Schizophrenia (requires registration) - The New York Times

►March 28, 2008 - Chicken Pox Warning Issued by Health Department - AM850.com

►March 28, 2008 - Statement by Robert Janssen, M.D. -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention - National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - press release - NCHHSTP News Media Office via Business Wire

* ►March 28, 2008 - VIRxSYS Presents Data on HIV Vaccine at Keystone HIV Vaccine Symposia - HIV-Based Lentiviral vector VRX1023 Shows Promising Results - press release - VIRxSYS via PRNewswire

►March 28, 2008 - Global Challenges | Number of HIV Cases in Asia Could Increase by 8M Unless Increased Action Is Taken To Address Virus, Report Says - www.kaisernetwork.org

►March 28, 2008 - Biomarker May Signal HIV Progression - Increase in specific white blood cells could warn doctors early to change treatments - HealthDay via U.S. News & World Report

►March 28, 2008 - Results published of study into how to advance the AIDS vaccine pipeline - The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative commissioned the George Institute for International Health to undertake a study to discover what would advance the AIDS vaccine pipeline. - European Public Health Alliance

►March 28, 2008 - HIV Ignored? South Park and AIDS Foundation Think So - PharmExec.com

►March 28, 2008 - Monocyte Subset Expansion Could Be Biomarker for HIV Progression - Temple University via Newswise

* ►March 28, 2008 - VaxGen may liquidate after merger deal collapses - Company failed to produce vaccines for HIV, anthrax (requires registration or subscription) - San Jose Mercury News

►March 28, 2008 - FDA Warns 'Significant Hair Loss' Linked to Dietary Supplement - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers in 15 states about the link between a dietary supplement and adverse side effects including "significant hair loss." - FOX News

►March 28, 2008 - Vets bills cost over £1bn per annum - Insurance Daily, UK

►March 28, 2008 - Keeping kids safe from dog bites, rabies - Philippine Inquirer

* ►March 28, 2008 - Novavax sees world of vaccine plants - Rockville biotech set to open demonstration site of facility for global network - Gazette.Net - "Unlike conventional vaccine production using chicken eggs, Novavax’s method does not use live virus and all manufacturing materials that touch the vaccine are disposable. The pilot plant can be easily adaptable to making pandemic flu vaccine, seasonal flu vaccine and other vaccines in its pipeline, Robinson said."

* ►March 28, 2008 - Toward A New Generation Of Vaccines For Malaria And Other Diseases - Researchers in Colombia, South America, describe a new strategy for designing the next generation of synthetic vaccines that could lead to more effective treatments for fighting malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS and other infectious diseases. These conditions kill more than 17 million people around the world each year. - American Chemical Society, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

* ►March 28, 2008 - Drugmakers Spend Lavishly On Docs Down Under - Pharmalot

* ►March 28, 2008 - Big Pension Fund To Fight Lilly Over Directors - Pharmalot

* ►March 28, 2008 - EU set to clash over proposed mercury ban - EurActiv - "Mercury is highly toxic, with a recent study published in January by the 'Stay Healthy, Stop Mercury' campaign concluding that even low-level exposure to it in the womb can cause brain damage in children. Mercury contamination comes from a wide variety of sources, including waste recycling and industrial facilities involved in cleaning non-ferrous metals and natural gas. In the EU, the chlor-alkali industry remains the largest single user of mercury and has already committed to either close or convert its mercury plants by 2020 at the latest."

* ►March 28, 2008 - FDA Criticizes Study On User Fees & Approvals - Pharmalot

►March 28, 2008 - Predicting the Next Major Virus - Live Science

►March 28, 2008 - Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 - FDA/CBER

►March 28, 2008 - Will Investors Need A Pill For Uncontrollable Crying? - Pharmalot

►March 28, 2008 - Families struggle dealing with autistic children - Alamogordo Daily News

►March 28, 2008 - F.D.A. Reviewing H.I.V. Drugs for Heart Risk (requires registration) - The New York Times

►March 28, 2008 - Mental disorder origins studied - Gene-scanning may help understanding of schizophrenia - South Florida Sun-Sentinel

►March 28, 2008 - City could be sued over pesticide bylaw - The Cornwall Standard Freeholder, Ontario, CA

►March 28, 2008 - Japan Drug Firms Seek New Growth Outlets (free content) - Companies Shift Plans in Bid to Tap Product Pipelines - The Wall Street Journal

►March 28, 2008 - Childhood Illnesses Where Paediatrics Meets Child Mental Health, Meeting, Swansea, Wales - Royal Society of Medicine via Medical News Today

►March 28, 2008 - The Immune System and Cancer - New Insights into a Not Always Healthy Interplay - For a long time, scientists believed that the immune system acted to fight cancer development. However, recent findings demonstrate that the immune system also acts to promote cancer progression. At the International conference "Invasion and Metastasis" held at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Dr. David DeNardo from the laboratory of Professor Lisa Coussens from the University of California, San Francisco, USA reported on how tumours use immune cells to grow faster and disseminate in the body. - IDW-Online, DE

►March 28, 2008 - Schizophrenia (requires registration) - The New York Times

►March 28, 2008 - Researchers Of The University Of Navarra Have Designed A Product For The Detection And Characterization Of Brucellosis - www.basqueresearch.com via Medical News Today

* ►March 27, 2008 - Product Approval Information Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed Adacel - Sanofi Pasteur, Ltd, License #1726 - FDA/CBER

* ►March 27, 2008 - Doc Who Tied Vaccine To Autism Takes The Stand - Pharmalot

* ►March 27, 2008 - FDA Commish: The Agency ‘May Fail…Peril Exists’ - Pharmalot

* ►March 27, 2008 - Impact of methodological 'shortcuts' in conducting public health surveys: results from a vaccination coverage survey (pdf) - journal article (BMC Public Health)

* ►March 27, 2008 - Manipulating known protein may make for effective Bird flu vaccine - Thaindian News

* ►March 27, 2008 - Autism: Amino acid DMG helps in 42 per cent of cases - WDDTY

* ►March 27, 2008 - Med Students And Their Pharma-Free Guide - Pharmalot

* ►March 27, 2008 - In India, Drugmakers, Gifts & ‘The Poor Patient’ - Pharmalot

* ►March 27, 2008 - Manual of Standard Operating Procedures and PoliciesRegulatory - Compliance Procedures for Handling Adverse Reaction Reports Related to "361" Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/Ps) - FDA/CBER

* ►March 27, 2008 - Children are the future - why can't we protect them? - The Globe And Mail - "Consider that, among the 29 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada ranks: 22nd when it comes to preventable childhood injuries and deaths; 27th in childhood obesity; 21st in child well-being and mental health; 22nd in child poverty; 22nd in youth suicide. These are abysmal numbers."

* ►March 27, 2008 - In Alaska, The Jury Was Leaning Against Lilly - Pharmalot

* ►March 27, 2008 - Early Communication About an Ongoing Safety Review of Montelukast (Singulair) - This information reflects FDA’s current analysis of available data concerning these drugs.  Posting this information does not mean that FDA has concluded there is a causal relationship between the drug product and the emerging safety issue.  Nor does it mean that FDA is advising health care professionals to discontinue prescribing this product. FDA is considering, but has not reached a conclusion about whether this information warrants any regulatory action.  FDA intends to update this document when additional information or analyses become available. - FDA/CDER

* ►March 27, 2008 - FDA Identifies First Steps in Requirements for Safety Plans for Certain Drugs and Biologics - New FDAAA requirements being implemented - FDA

►March 27, 2008 - Superbug MRSA spreading fast, report warns - Experts call for more hospital hand-washing - The Globe And Mail

►March 27, 2008 - FDA Probes Merck Drug, Suicide Link - TIME Magazine

►March 27, 2008 - Putting Human Immunity in a Test Tube - The Modular Immune In vitro Construct, or MIMIC, uses human cells to create a surrogate human immune system, which allows researchers to test the efficacy of new drugs, vaccines and chemical compounds. - TIME Magazine

►March 27, 2008 - Six baby cough medicines pulled - Cough remedies aimed at very young children are to be removed from shelves amid fears of accidental overdose. - BBC

►March 27, 2008 - Medical Students Ask Congress To Increase Funding For Infectious Diseases - American Medical Student Association via Medical News Today

►March 27, 2008 - Contact Patterns And The Flow Of Infectious Diseases - PLoS Medicine via Medical News Today

►March 27, 2007 - Mysterious fevers of unknown origin: could surgery be a cure? - Largest study to date finds tonsillectomy works, for reasons that aren't known - Childrens Hospital Boston

►March 27, 2008  - The Dangers of Systemic Yeast Infection - Los Angeles Chronicle

►March 27, 2008 - Merck, Schering Call on Doctors to Boost Vytorin Use - Bloomberg

►March 27, 2008 - Wyeth cutting 1,200 US sales jobs under major restructuring - AP via International Herald Tribune

►March 27, 2008 - Improving Preschoolers’ Skills - Child Development via Ivanhoe

►March 27, 2008 - Terrible Twos Conflicts Revealed - Child Development via Ivanhoe

►March 27, 2008 - ProActive Remedies, LLC Announces Launch of New Allergy Medication - ProActive Remedies via PRNewswire via RT Magazine

►March 27, 2008 - Seeking out allergy relief ... naturally - Colfax Record

* ►March 27, 2008 - The doctor who sparked the MMR vaccination debate - David Batty examines the career of Andrew Wakefield, the doctor at the centre of the row over the triple MMR vaccine. - The Guardian, UK

* ►March 27, 2008 - Doug Flutie on football, autism (requires registration or subscription) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Q: Do you think there is a link between autism and vaccines? A: There is some relation. What it is, I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. All I know is at 2, Dougie’s shooting hoops and talking smack. Next thing you know, he’s tripping over toys. I was never immunized for chicken pox. I did okay."

►March 27, 2008 - Rare Structural Variants Disrupt Multiple Genes in Neurodevelopmental Pathways in Schizophrenia - journal article (Science)

* ►March 27, 2008 - Rare Mutations Hint at Multiple Schizophrenias - ScienceNow

►March 27, 2008 - Schizophrenia Tied to Multiple Genetic Errors - Finding could lead to specific treatments for individual patients, study says - HealthDay via U.S. New & World Report

* ►March 27, 2008 - Combination of Antidepressants Linked to Risk of Diabetes - MedPage Today

►March 27, 2008 - DOE OKs exemption to vaccines - Honolulu Advertiser - "The Department of Education does allow exemptions from immunization requirements for medical or religious reasons, with proper documentation."

►March 27, 2008 - All Incoming Students Must Be Vaccinated For Meningitis - News Talk AM 580 WDBO - "The new rules follow a meningitis scare at the University of South Florida in 2007 and this year right here in Central Florida....State law already makes it mandatory for students living in campus dorms to receive the vaccinations or provide a waiver but now the law covers all incoming students, including transfers from other schools and graduate students."

►March 27, 2008 - Pathologists failings difficult to detect: chief coroner (requires registration or subscription) - The Globe and Mail

►March 27, 2008 - A year of fear, hope for the future - Brick comes together for ailing 4-year-old - Brick Township Bulletin

►March 27, 2008 - AHF: CDC Makes It Official—HIV Infections Up 48% Nationwide - AHF Calls Numbers a National Catastrophe; Notes Lifetime Costs of Treatment Will Approach $36 Billion - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) via Business Wire

►March 27, 2008 - John Milne: New Hampshire is in denial about prescription drug abuse - Eagle Tribune

►March 27, 2008 - Red Feather Owner Paying Vaccine Costs (includes video) - Fox 12 Boise

* ►March 27, 2008 - GMO and Morgellons Disease - Center for Research on Globalization - "According to Mike Stagman, PhD, 'Genetic Engineering is a nightmare technology that has already caused MANY disease epidemics -- documented but unpublicized.' (4)"

* ►March 26, 2008 - The art of self-defence - Vaccines are no longer 'worthy but dull'. A heady mix of funding and breakthroughs is bringing this once-quiet area to life, says Virginia Gewin. - Naturejobs via www.nature.com

►March 26, 2008 - 'Bullying' and 'negligence' highlighted by autism group - An advocacy group for autistic children has highlighted the plight of a Hobart mother to step up its campaign for early intervention programs in schools. - www.abc.net.au

►March 26, 2008 - Group says GE supplier in China subjects workers to toxins - AP via International Herald Tribune - "A new report says a Chinese factory that makes light bulbs for General Electric Co. subjects many of its employees to 64-hour work weeks and toxic mercury used in the production process."

►March 26, 2008 - New Approach May Lead To Effective H5N1 Influenza A Virus Vaccine - American Society for Microbiology via ScienceDaily - "Manipulating a previously identified protein may be the key to developing an effective H5N1 influenza A virus vaccine say researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Women's International Film & Arts Festival schedule - Miami Herald - "SUNDAY, March 30 • Vaccine Nation, Film about the dangers of vaccines and their relationship to diseases, infections, allergies and an unprecedented increase in developmental learning and behavioral disorders in children; 1 p.m., AMC."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Rethinking our vaccine policies - letter - Bismark Tribune - "Dr. Edward Fogarty should be commended for his proposal on childhood vaccinations. This new information on how our children should be tested prior to vaccinations is exactly what we parents should demand the very next time we take our children to the pediatrician. The simple lab test for titers could ensure against over-vaccination."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Rumblings over Science retractions (requires registration) - The Scientist

* ►March 26, 2008 - User Fees Increase Recalls And Warnings: Study - Pharmalot

* ►March 26, 2008 - Late Drug Approval Linked To Safety Issues (free content) - The Wall Street Journal

►March 26, 2008 - Is This Biotech-Pharma Hotbed Due to Cool? (free content) - The Wall Street Journal

►March 26, 2008 - A Pill For Compulsive-Impulsive Spectrum Disorder? - Pharmalot

►March 26, 2008 - Lunesta Moth Being Mothballed as a Result of Negative Marketing ROI - Pharma Marketing Blog

►March 26, 2008 - Tobacco sponsors tomato work, too (requires registration) - The Scientist

* ►March 25, 2008 - Discovery About Fertilization Points Way to Possible Malaria Vaccine - UT Southwestern Medical Center via Biocompare

* ►March 24, 2008 - A proposal on vaccinations by Dr. Edward Fogarty - Bismark Tribune - "A vast majority of children will not be affected by the administration of vaccinations. But if epidemiological purposes can be met with a more directed approach, there is no reason to endanger a genetically vulnerable child with unneeded boosters. Titer checking protocols are inherently safer for individuals, especially in the at-risk families for autism. A simple lab test to check titers can tell you whether an additional "booster" is needed.

►March 23, 2008 - Yerkes Researchers Identify Language Feature Unique to Human Brain - The center's extensive imaging capabilities were critical to this evolutionary language finding - Emory University via Biocompare

►March 23, 2008 - Home Bipolar Disorder Test Causes Stirs - Dr. John Kelsoe has spent his career trying to identify the biological roots of bipolar disorder. In December, he announced he had discovered several gene mutations closely tied to the disease, also known as manic depression. - AP via Physorg

►March 20, 2008 - Early Cognitive Impairment May Precede Type 2 Diabetes (requires registration) - Diabetes Care via Reuters Health via Medscape

►March 20, 2008 - Neuronal Regulators Offer Potential Targets for Cancer - Harvard Medical School via Biocompare

* ►March 15, 2008 - Risperidone Use in Children with Down Syndrome, Severe Intellectual Disability, and Comorbid Autistic Spectrum Disorders: A Naturalistic Study. - journal article (Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics)

►March 14, 2008 - Low Apgar Score Linked to Low IQ in Adolescence (requires registration) - The Archives of Disease in Childhood--Fetal and Neonatal Edition via Reuters Health via Medscape

►March 14, 2008 - Early Breast-Feeding Reduces Neonatal Mortality (requires registration) - Journal of Nutrition via Reuters Health via Medscape

►March 7, 2008 - Parents Seeking Remedy for Mercury Removal May Find Citrus Peel Offers New Hope - press release - The St John GroupBusiness Wire

* ►March 7, 2008 - Feds. say vaccine determined to have contributed to autism in isolated case (includes video) - KRNV.com - "News 4's Lemor Shlomof spoke with Julia Jones this evening who recalled the days her son looked her in the eye, smiled and laughed like any normal baby boy. She says that suddenly changed after Alex was vaccinated for the measles. For Jones it all started when her Alex was 18 months old. He lost all of his language and didn't' talk again until almost 4 years of age. That's when Jones says she knew something went wrong. She believes a vaccination may accidentally have harmed her son."

►March 7, 2008 - Autistic Girl Gets Paid From Vaccine Fund (includes video) - AP via WBAL.com

►March 7, 2008 - Vaccines and Autism case (includes video) - WCBD.com

►March 7, 2008 - State ‘toxic toys’ bill hits opposition - The News Tribune - "Though their lobbyists have had influence on the process, some of the amendments tacked onto the bill might pose a greater threat. Among the most controversial is one added by Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland, that would require parents to be notified if vaccines given to their children contain thimerosal, a mercury-containing additive once commonly used as a preservative in vaccines."

►March 1, 2008 - Fire and NICE - UK agency taking the heat for slow evaluations and failing to consider societal benefits of new drugs - PharmExec

►March 1, 2008 - The New Name of the Game: Adherence - Why Big Pharma can no longer afford to treat patient-adherence programs as an afterthought - PharmExec

►March 1, 2008 - e-Pedigree to the Next Degree - Electronic pedigree is the future of supply chain security. Those still waiting and seeing might want to stop waiting and start tracking. - PharmExec

* ►March 2008 - A Vote for a Vaccine Czar - Pediatric News - "It's time for a Vaccine Czar, a Godfather (or Godmother) of Immunization. Someone who has the president's ear every day. Someone armed with a sharp knife that cuts red tape like warm butter. Someone who carries a big stick to whack the kneecaps of the insurance companies. And someone with an ample supply of carrots to keep the pharmaceutical companies drooling for the profits of newly developed vaccines."

* ►March 2008 - San Diego Measles Outbreak Shows The Effect of Vaccine Exemptions - Pediatric News

* ►March 2008 - FDA Panel Backs Two-Dose Oral Rotavirus Vaccine: Concerns on G2 serotype may affect label. - Pediatric News - "In the Latin American study, there were six cases of intussusception within 31 days of vaccination among the Rotarix recipients vs. seven in the placebo group, a relative risk of 0.85; there was no clustering of intussusception cases within 7 or 14 days after any Rotarix dose. In eight clinical trials, including in the United States, Latin American, Europe, and Asia, there were 27 reports of Kawasaki disease, of which 22 cases were in a large ongoing phase III study in Asia (13 cases in Rotarix recipients and 9 after placebo, for a relative risk of 1.4). But there was no temporal evidence of an association with the vaccine and Kawasaki disease in all the trials, according to GSK. In the Latin American study, there were 16 (0.05%) pneumonia deaths among vaccine recipients versus 6 (0.02%) among placebo recipients, which was not a significant difference. Nonetheless, the company plans to follow this issue after approval. In the studies, the only cause of death not balanced between placebo and vaccine recipients was pneumonia. There also was a higher rate of convulsions over the course of the study among vaccine recipients, compared with placebo recipients (0.05% vs. 0.02%) but the rate within 31 days of vaccination was similar."

* ►March 2008 - More Pediatricians Than Family Physicians Embrace RotaTeq - Pediatric News

* ►March 2008 - Universal Flu Shots Urged by 2009–2010 - Pediatric News - "Several panel members endorsed that cautious approach, but others urged the committee to move forward more quickly."

* ►March 2008 - Adenovirus Serotype 14: One of Nature's Pathogen Cycles - Pediatric News

* ►March 2008 - Allergy and asthma: Mother knows best - The presence of transforming growth factor- (TGF-) in breast milk induces regulatory T cells in newborn mice, which helps protect mice against the development of allergic airway inflammation. - journal article (Nature Reviews Immunology)

* ►March 2008 - Evidence for a role of cow's milk consumption in chronic functional constipation in children: Systematic review of the literature from 1980 to 2006 (full text) - journal article (Nutrition & Dietetics)

►March 2008 - Data Show ‘Full’ Flu Immunization Prevents Hospitalizations in Infants - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - MMRV Vaccine May Raise Risk for Febrile Seizures - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Oral Sucrose Eases Immunization Pain in Infants - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Trio of New Strains Chosen For 2008–2009 Flu Vaccine - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Midseason Flu Update: Rates Peak, but Within Normal Range - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Bacterial Gastroenteritis Appears to Raise Intussusception Risk 30-Fold - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Incidence of Melanoma Increases Among Children - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Data Watch: Asthma Prevalence in Children Aged 0–17 Years - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Experts Flag ‘Mild to Moderate’ Hearing Loss: The issue is often not addressed, causing significant problems in academic and social development. - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Keyboards, Mouses Blamed In School's Norovirus Hit - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - Medical Liability Matters - Pediatric News

►March 2008 - E-Newsletter March 2008 #3 - Mini Edition - TACA Talk About Curing Autism

►February 6, 2008 - Major Changes in Glucose Metabolism, Including New-Onset Diabetes, Within 3 Months After Initiation of or Switch to Atypical Antipsychotic Medication in Patients With Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder. - journal article (The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry)

* ►February 1, 2008 - MM1-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with unusually prolonged disease duration presenting with panencephalopathic-type pathology - journal article (Neuropathology)

* ►Volume 22 Issue 4, 2008 - Reading emotions after childhood brain injury: Case series evidence of dissociation between cognitive abilities and emotional expression processing skills - journal article (Brain Injury) - "Based on the profile of results across the cases, this study reports that modality-specific, selective impairments in reading emotional expression can be found in children after brain injury. In addition, the data provide evidence of dissociation between cognitive abilities and emotional expression processing."

►December 2007 - Integrative Medicine and the Role of Modified Citrus Pectin/Alginates in Heavy Metal Chelation and Detoxification – Five Case Reports (pdf) - journal article (Forsch Komplementärmed)
 

►HB 2647 - 2007-08 Regarding the children's safe products act. - Washington State Legislature

►Online autism seminar with Donna Williams - Live from 16 Apr 2008 until 17 Apr 2008 - AWARES Conference Centre - "The seminar will open at 12.01am British time on April 16, 2008, to allow delegates from overseas to enter their questions, and will run throughout the day until 11.59pm."

* ►Autism Speaks Announces Environmental Sciences Request for Applications - Autism Speaks

Posted March 27, 2008

* ►March 28, 2008 - Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication --- Pakistan and Afghanistan, 2007 - MMWR/CDC - "Four (24%) of the 17 children with polio had never received OPV before, and six (35%) had received 1--3 OPV doses. The median OPV doses received by children with polio was 2, compared with a median of 12 doses received by children with nonpolio AFP reported in 2007."

►March 28, 2008 - Notice to Readers: Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day --- March 25, 2008 - MMWR/CDC

►March 28, 2008 - Hospitalization Discharge Diagnoses for Kidney Disease --- United States, 1980--2005 - MMWR/CDC

►March 28, 2008 - Fight to stop measles - Vaccinations have been given to patients who may have been exposed to measles at a Redlynch medical practice, which has also enforced strict quarantine measures. - Cairns.com.au

►March 28, 2008 - Tas Government defends policies for autistic children - The Tasmanian Government says its policies for diagnosis and care of children with autism have improved significantly over the past five years. - www.abc.net.au

►March 28, 2008 - “Not all bugs need drugs,” Vinnie the Virus says - Wash your hands and finish your prescriptions, health ­officials say - Nunatsiaq News

►March 28, 2008 - First bluetongue vaccine on the verge of approval - Farmers Guardian

►March 28, 2008 - Bird flu outbreak in Jalpaiguri district - The Hindu

* ►March 28, 2008 - PharmAthene lands $5.8M for bio-agent treatment - Annapolis firm also buying anthrax, plague vaccines - Gazette.net

* ►March 28, 2008 - A Boost for Vaccine Research - http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org - "A recent estimate of the global vaccine business by Lehman Brothers predicts that the vaccine industry will grow at a rate of 18 percent a year to $30 billion by 2011—significantly faster than the average of 4.4 percent for the pharmaceutical industry overall."

►March 28, 2008 - Autism a rising-but silent-epidemic - Saipan Tribune

* ►March 27, 2008 - Lawmakers warn CDC not to terminate whistleblower - AP via www.mlive.com - "A House committee warned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday not to fire a whistleblower who was involved in a controversial draft report that suggested pollution is causing health problems in parts of the Great Lakes region. Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., wrote CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding that they were concerned the agency might be taking steps to terminate the scientist in charge of the project, Christopher De Rosa."

* ►March 27, 2008 - 'We still believe in Wakefield' - Outside the General Medical Council's London HQ it was clear something significant was happening. - BBC - "Scores of campaigners, watched by police, had gathered from early morning waving placards in support of Dr Andrew Wakefield. Most were parents with autistic children wanting to show support for the man who made the link between the three-in-one measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab and the disorder."

* ►March 27, 2008 - MMR-autism link doctor Andrew Wakefield defends conduct at GMC hearing - The Telegraph, UK - "The doctor at the centre of the controversy over the MMR vaccine has denied committing serious professional misconduct, saying it had been his 'duty as a physician and a human being' to investigate potential links between the jab and autism in children. In a passionate defence of his research Dr Andrew Wakefield told a disciplinary hearing at the General Medical Council in London that he had responded to the "plight" of mothers with sick children."

* ►March 27, 2008 - MMR scare doctor: How I made link with autism - Daily Mail, UK - "He told the hearing that following earlier research, which had not looked at autism, parents had started coming forward to him with their concerns. He said they told a 'remarkably constant story' of normal children who had lost their ability to communicate and interact with their siblings, and were suffering from constipation, diarrhoea or were off their food. 'In a research capacity I was fascinated that something might be done to help these children and their plight,' he said."

* ►March 27, 2008 - MMR doctor: GMC hearing resumes - The Press Association via Google - "Following the publication of an earlier 1995 paper on a possible link between a measles vaccine and inflammatory bowel disease, Dr Wakefield said he received several calls from parents. One, referred to as Mrs 2, told him her child had regressed into autism following the MMR jab. She also told him her child had 'terrible bowel problems' which she believed were related to the autism. Dr Wakefield said this 'made a great deal of sense' to him as a gastroenterologist because of a well-known link between the gut and the brain."

* ►March 27, 2008 - MMR doctor to begin his defence - The doctor who first linked the MMR vaccine to autism has defended the way he carried out his research and his motivation for doing so. - BBC

►March 27, 2008 - Doctor who sparked MMR debate defends his claims at GMC hearing - The Guardian, UK

►March 27, 2008 - MMR jab take-up among two-year-olds "still at low level" - Management in Practice

* ►March 27, 2008 - Autism One Radio: On Site in London Special on Autism One Radio - Age of Autism

* ►March 27, 2008 - Major Autism Groups Support Dr. Andrew Wakefield by The Editors - Age of Autism

* ►March 27, 2008 - The Study That FINALLY Got The CDC to Pay Attention - Adventures in Autism

* ►March 27, 2008 - David Kirby: Are 1 in 50 Kids at Risk? - Age of Autism

* ►March 27, 2008 - The Fragile Basis of Genetic Autism Claims Revealed by an OSOTEN* by Mark Blaxill - Age of Autism

►March 27, 2008 - Unlocking the potential of children with autism - Craegmoor.co.uk

►March 27, 2008 - Asperger’s Disorder makes everyday life more challenging for school-age kids, families - Nantucket Island Inquirer

►March 27, 2008 - 'Autism: The Musical' Adds to the Public Discussion - Broadcasting & Cable

►March 27, 2008 - Advocate lauds throne speech autism pledge - Provincial government creating centre to help children and to provide parental support - The Powell River Peak

* ►March 27, 2008 - Autism Treatment Center of America CEO, Himself Fully Recovered From Autism, Unleashes Bold 7-Part Challenge for Autism Awareness Month - Part 2: Stop Trying to Turn Our Children Into Robots - press release - The Autism Treatment Center of America via Marketwire

* ►March 27, 2008 - Getting help for a child with autism (includes video) - CNN

* ►March 27, 2008 - Amalgam Fillings: Norway is first to ban mercury in teeth - Townsend Letter via WDDTY What Doctors Don't Tell You

►March 27, 2008 - Pathologist not solely to blame: lawyers - National Post

* ►March 27, 2008 - Baby death reviews needed, inquiry told (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star - "'Miscarriages of justice have surely occurred in cases other than those involving Dr. Smith where the diagnosis or cause of death was attributed to shaken baby syndrome or head injury,' the group wrote, noting that infant head injuries are viewed differently today because of advances in science."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Ont. urged to review pediatric autopsies since 1981 in wake of pathology errors - CP via 680News - "Ontario is being urged to widen its review of pediatric autopsies in the wake of the 'dreadful' work performed by disgraced pathologist Dr. Charles Smith, whose series of errors sent innocent people to jail accused of killing their children."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Expert: Baby's injuries caused by chronic bleeding, not shaking - Syracuse Post-Standard via Syracuse.com

* ►March 27, 2008 - Appeal decision victory for mum - Wigan Evening Post - "A crusading Wigan solicitor has won a high profile battle to help a mother wrongly convicted of shaking her baby to death. Mike Pemberton, manager of the crime/special cases department of Wigan solicitors Stephensons, has secured the right to appeal over the government's denial of compensation for time wrongly spent in prison for the woman later cleared of any wrong-doing."

* ►March 27, 2008 - FDA probes suicide risk in Merck Singulair - Reuters - "U.S. health regulators are probing a possible connection between Merck & Co Inc's blockbuster Singulair asthma drug and suicidal behavior in adults and children, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday. The FDA said it is reviewing the issue after receiving reports of mood and behavior changes, suicidal thinking and suicide in patients who took the drug, which is used to treat stuffy nose, sneezing and other allergy symptoms, as well as asthma."

* ►March 27, 2008 - HIV Drugs Might Raise Risks Of Heart Attacks, FDA Says - Wall Street Journal

* ►March 27, 2008 - Cancer risk seen with J&J foot gel: FDA - Reuters

►March 27, 2008 - Merck, Schering-Plough Appeal to Doctors to Boost Vytorin Sales - Bloomberg

►March 27, 2008 - Eli Lilly Settles Alaska's Zyprexa Suit for $15 Million - Wall Street Journal

* ►March 27, 2008 - The Supreme Court and Alaska’s Zyprexa Case - Wall Street Journal Blogs

* ►March 27, 2008 - Jeffs: HPV vaccine not for boys - Guernsey Press and Star

* ►March 27, 2008 - An ounce of precaution - HPV vaccine protects against virus that causes most cervical cancers - The Daily Advertiser - "Hardy points to some of the more serious possible side effects as a reason to wait, including seven deaths and 13 cases of Guillaume Barré Syndrome, a chronic but temporary neurological disorder that have been reported among the more than 7 million girls who had received the vaccine by June 2007. However, a report from the Centers for Disease Control states that the seven deaths are still under investigation. It also states that of the 13 reports of Guillaume Barré Syndrome, 'only two meet the case definition of GBS ... and had received Gardasil alone.' Six had received other vaccines at the same time.'"

►March 27, 2008 - HPV infection: Can men get it too? - Mayo Clinic

►March 27, 2008 - Teens need accurate sex education - letter - Daily Record - "The recent news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that more than three million teenage girls have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) emphasizes the need for real comprehensive sex education and access to life-saving services like STI testing and treatment and the breakthrough HPV vaccine, Gardasil."

►March 27, 2008 - Wrap it up: Real protection against infection - Centers for Disease Control reports that one in four women between the ages of 14 and 19 have an STD - Berkeley Beacon - "As the statistics continue to climb, the CDC urges individuals to get vaccinated and get tested. Gardasil, distributed solely by Merck & Co., is the only vaccine currently developed to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous genital lesions and genital warts."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Doctors close to vaccine breakthrough - Manchester Evening News - "Dr Borrow, head of the Health Protection Agency's Vaccine Evaluation Unit, said: 'We're hoping that the vaccine will be ready in the next couple of years, so that it can be introduced into the childhood immunisation programme to protect against strain B. 'We have been trying to produce a vaccine against the group B strain of the disease for some time now and are delighted with the first signs of success. 'Meningococcal B strains are highly variable and there are a lot more than a dozen or so. The ideal vaccine would be to protect against 100 per cent of strains but if coverage could get to 80 per cent that would be fantastic."

* ►March 27, 2008 - UCF on YouTube: Teaching Students About Meningitis - University of Central Florida - "Today, the Florida Board of Governors tightened vaccination policies, requiring all new incoming students at each state university to be vaccinated or produce a waiver opting out. This new policy will go into effect July 1."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Cost-Effective Combination Vaccines Offer Tremendous Growth Potential in the South African Paediatric Vaccines Markets - press release - Research and Markets via Business Wire - "'Growth in the South African private paediatric sector has risen significantly due to combination vaccines available in the market.' Combination vaccines consist of up to nine antigens against various diseases incorporated into one vaccine, leading to fewer injections per immunisation, higher coverage rates and broader disease coverage."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Differ In Genes That Could Control Disease Susceptibility - University of California - Los Angeles, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

►March 27, 2008 - 27th Children's Festival taking place this weekend - Greeley Tribune - "The festival also will have an onsite immunization clinic, courtesy of the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment. The fee is $14.70 per immunization, but no one will be turned away if they can't pay."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Health department confirms secondary infection in father-son flu deaths - Duluth News Tribune

* ►March 27, 2008 - Inspection ordered after vaccinated birds die of bird flu - The Animal Health Department will examine vaccinated poultry in Hanoi and some provinces after bird flu outbreaks were reported at farms that had taken part in vaccination programs. - Thanh Nien Daily

* ►March 27, 2008 - Russia proposes bird flu vaccine cooperation with Southeast Asia - RIA Novosti - "Medics in Vietnam are also currently testing a bird flu vaccine. The first clinical trial was successfully carried out in early March, when a group of volunteers was injected with the vaccine. Further clinical trials are scheduled for early April. The vaccine will be recognized as having passed human trials when it has been tested among at least 300 people."

►March 27, 2008 - Notice of Availability of Assessments of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Subtype H5N1 Status of Denmark and France - Agriculture Department Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX via Trading Markets

►March 27, 2008 - Switzerland detects first bird flu case - Independent Online

►March 27, 2008 - Several Germantown Students Getting Meningitis Vaccines (includes video) - Today's TMJ4 Milwaukee

* ►March 27, 2008 - Measles kills at least 165 children in Nigeria - Reuters

►March 27, 2008 - County Health Department: Whooping cough cases increasing - Polson Lake County Leader

►March 27, 2008 - Hospital contacting 310 patients possibly exposed to hepatitis - AP via Houston Chronicle

►March 27, 2008 - Vegas Health Agency Reports Big Rise in Positive Hepatitis Tests - AP via KOLO 8

* ►March 27, 2008 - Polio Caused by Pesticides, Not Virus - American Chronicle

►March 27, 2008 - India, Nepal, Bangladesh join hands against polio - IANS via Thaindian.com

►March 27, 2008 - Huge anthrax outbreak hits farms - Independent Online
 
►March 27, 2008 - Scientists find new way of lowering cholesterol - InTheNews.co.uk

►March 27, 2008 - Jurors find HIV patient needed to use marijuana - AP via Houston Chronicle

►March 27, 2008 - Global Challenges | U.N. To Hold Meeting in June To Examine HIV/TB Coinfection Worldwide - www.kaisernetwork.org

►March 27, 2008 - NanoViricides to Begin HIV Animal Trials - Business Wire via FOXBusiness

►March 27, 2008 - New DVD From HHMI Details Fight Against HIV/AIDS - Howard Hughes Medical Institute

►March 27, 2008 - Central Asia: UNAIDS Chief Says Disease Spreading At Record Pace - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

►March 27, 2008 - US Healthcare Quality Measures Only Edging Up - MedPage Today

►March 27, 2008 - Appeal Allows Lawsuits by Ground Zero Workers (requires registration) - The New York Times

►March 27, 2008 - Findings reveal how dengue virus matures, becomes infectious - Purdue University via www.eurekalert.org

►March 27, 2008 - Kidney-Disease Hospital Cases in US Rise Fourfold in 25 Years - Bloomberg

►March 27, 2008 - Food agency expands tainted cantaloupe warning - CanWest News Service via Global TV via Canada.com

* ►March 26, 2008 - David Kirby: The Next Big Autism Bomb: Are 1 in 50 Kids Potentially At Risk? - The Huffington Post - "On Tuesday, March 11, a conference call was held between vaccine safety officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several leading experts in vaccine safety research, and executives from America's Health Insurance Plans, (the HMO trade association) to discuss childhood mitochondrial dysfunction and its potential link to autism and vaccines. It was a sobering event for all concerned, and it could soon become known as the Conference Call heard 'round the world."

* ►March 26, 2008 - A Shot in the Dark - The Naked Truth about Literature and Life

* ►March 26, 2008 - Needed Protection - A federal study on teen sexual disease underlines the need for the HPV vaccine. - editorial (requires registration) - Washington Post

►March 26, 2008 - CNN Classroom Edition: Autism is a World - CNN

►March 26, 2008 - Officials discuss flu planning - Troy Messenger

►March 26, 2008 - When a disease is donated - Mom's quest to warn daughter's offspring goes to the heart of a thorny debate on sperm, egg donors (requires registration or subscription) - Chicago Tribune

* ►March 25, 2008 - GMC resumes Wakefield hearing - OnMedica - "The parents' pressure group JABS stands by Wakefield and colleagues - accusing the GMC of a 'witchhunt'. 'The GMC had brought the case itself claiming that it was in the public interest. In our view no parent of a child has complained,' says a spokesperson for JABS."

* ►March 25, 2008 - Immune Development May Play a Role in the Expression of Childhood Leukemia (requires registration) - American Journal of Epidemiology via Reuters Health via Medscape - "They conclude: 'Our results are congruent with the current hypothesis put forth by Greaves that states that reduced antigenic challenge during early postnatal development may contribute to an increased risk of childhood leukemia.'"

* ►March 24, 2008 - Meeting of the Vaccine Safety Working Group - Department of Health & Human Services via Federal Register via Justia Regulation Tracker Meetings - "SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is hereby giving notice that the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) will convene a meeting of NVAC's Vaccine Safety Working Group. The meeting is open to the public. DATES: The meeting will be held on April 11, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m....Pre-registration is required for both public attendance and comment."

►March 12, 2008 - Herb Anise Contains Unique Healthful Phenylpropanoids, Study Suggests - US Department of Agriculture via ScienceDaily

►March 11, 2008 - Are fat moms to blame for fat kids? Answer unclear - Reuters

►March 11, 2008 - Exploring the Developmental Overnutrition Hypothesis Using Parental–Offspring Associations and FTO as an Instrumental Variable - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 9, 2008 - Can Allergic Reactions To Soy Be Overcome Through Fermentation? - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign via ScienceDaily

►March 3, 2008 - Protein Transport (Mitochondria) - YouTube

►March 2008 - Vitamin D insufficiency in southern Arizona - journal article (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

* ►October 2007 - Epidemiology of autism spectrum disorder in Portugal: prevalence, clinical characterization, and medical conditions. - journal article (Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology) - "A diversity of associated medical conditions was documented in 20%, with an unexpectedly high rate of mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders."

►July 2007 - Methylmercury-induced changes in mitochondrial function in striatal synaptosomes are calcium-dependent and ROS-independent. - journal article (Neurotoxicology)

►March 2007 - Developmental vitamin D deficiency alters the expression of genes encoding mitochondrial, cytoskeletal and synaptic proteins in the adult rat brain. - journal article (Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

►June 2006 - Mitochondrial trafficking to synapses in cultured primary cortical neurons. - journal article (Journal of Neuroscience)

►2006 - Inhibition of mitochondrial complex II affects dopamine metabolism and decreases its uptake into striatal synaptosomes. - journal article (Folia Neuropathologica)

►September 2005 - The effects of methylmercury on mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species formation in rat striatal synaptosomes are age-dependent. - journal article (Toxicological Sciences)

►June 2005 - Developmental lead exposure alters mitochondrial monoamine oxidase and synaptosomal catecholamine levels in rat brain. - journal article (International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience)

►December 2003 - Mitochondria and release at hippocampal synapses. - journal article (Pflugers Arch.)

►August 2003 - Oxidative phosphorylation by in situ synaptosomal mitochondria from whole brain of young and old rats. - journal article (Journal of Neurochemistry)

►May 2003 - Mitochondrial regulation of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. - journal article (Journal of Biological Chemistry)

►July 2002 - Presynaptic mitochondrial calcium sequestration influences transmission at mammalian central synapses. - journal article (The Journal of Neuroscience)

►May 2002 - The role of mitochondrial porins and the permeability transition pore in learning and synaptic plasticity. - journal article (Journal of Biological Chemistry)

►April 2001 - Binding of estradiol to synaptosomal mitochondria: physiological significance. - journal article (Cell and Molecular Life Sciences)

►April 2000 - Cerebral cortex synaptic heavy mitochondria may represent the oldest synaptic mitochondrial population: biochemical heterogeneity and effects of L-acetylcarnitine. - journal article (Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes)

►February 7, 2000 - N-Acetylcysteine delays age-associated memory impairment in mice: role in synaptic mitochondria. - journal article (Brain Research)

►January 2000 - Neurotrophic factors protect cortical synaptic terminals against amyloid and oxidative stress-induced impairment of glucose transport, glutamate transport and mitochondrial function. - journal article (Cerebral Cortex)

* ►DEBUT Polly Tommey presents: Autism Issues Around the World. The MMR & Autism: Dr. Andrew Wakefield's General Medical Council Hearing: An On-Site Report from London - Autism One Special Edition Saturday March 29, 2008 12:30 pm - 1:30 ET - Autism One Radio

►April 2008 - Synaptic NMDA receptor activity boosts intrinsic antioxidant defenses - journal article (Nature Neuroscience)

* ►March 27, 2008 - Drug-Review Deadlines and Safety Problems - journal article (NEJM)

►March 27, 2008 - Infectious Disease Surveillance - journal article (NEJM)

►March 27, 2008 - Corticosteroids for Bacterial Meningitis (free full text) - journal article (NEJM)

►March 27, 2008 - The aryl hydrocarbon receptor links TH17-cell-mediated autoimmunity to environmental toxins - journal article (Nature)

►March 27, 2008 - Genetics of gene expression and its effect on disease - journal article (Nature)

►March 27, 2008 - Variations in DNA elucidate molecular networks that cause disease - journal article (Nature)

►March 27, 2008 - Compartmentalized dendritic plasticity and input feature storage in neurons - journal article (Nature)

►March 27, 2008 - In Search of New Ideas for Global Health (free full text) - journal article (NEJM)

►March 27, 2008 - Regular checks keep babies safe - Get your free immunisations now – that’s the message from Fifita Atirai and the team of nurses at East Tamaki Health Care. -  Manukau Courier via www.stuff.co.nz

►March 27, 2008 - Fear of a bad flu season prompts vaccination call - A huge increase in influenza patients last year has prompted a warning from experts for South Australians to get a flu shot - Advertiser Adelaide via www.news.com.au

►March 27, 2008 - Autism Research Institute Puzzle Piece Campaign - Age of Autism

►March 27, 2008 - Measles alert - Health workers were yesterday evaluating how many children at two Cairns childcare centres could have been exposed to another two suspected measles cases. - Cairns.com.au - "Another mum Cheryl Eva of Redlynch, whose son Connor, 4, attends another Cairns childcare centre, said she could not understand why anyone would not make sure their child got their shots when they were free."

* ►March 27, 2008 - Vaccination Nation - Nashville Scene - "Shortly before my first child was born, strange and alarming emails started showing up in my inbox. My father, a doctor, was the author of these missives, which included attachments with scholarly articles warning about the potential dangers of the infant vaccination schedule. He bandied about words such as 'autism,' 'serious injury' and 'death.'"

* ►March 27, 2008 - MMR: Moment of truth for man behind the scare - The doctor who linked the vaccine with autism will today be called to account. By Jeremy Laurance - Independent, UK

* ►March 26, 2008 - MMR campaigner to protest at GMC - Shropshire Star, UK - "A Telford mother will lead a heartfelt protest against Government vaccine policy when a hearing about claims of a link between childhood autism and the controversial MMR jab begins. Allison Edwards, of Muxton Lane, Muxton, believes the jab is responsible for her son Jonathan’s autism and is preparing to support Dr Andrew Wakefield when he appears before the General Medical Council tomorrow."

* ►March 26, 2008 - The UK MMR Vaccine Demonstration Tomorrow!  Cryshame Demonstration Press Release - The One Click Group - "The prosecution was launched at the request of the then Health Secretary John Reid and is based entirely on the flawed allegations of journalist Brian Deer and pharmaceutical industry lobbyist, Dr Evan Harris MP. NO PARENT HAS COMPLAINED AGAINST THE DOCTORS. Above all, the hearing is designed to serve as a warning to any other doctors who put their necks on the line to serve the interests of their patients rather than the rich and powerful."

* ►March 26, 2008 - CryShame Demonstration Press Release - On Behalf of MMR-Damaged Children as the GMC Recommences Its Hearing Against Dr Andrew Wakefield and Professors John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch - CryShame parents and other organisations are demonstrating their support for the doctors outside the GMC on 27th July. - The One Click Group

* ►March 26, 2008 - The Complainant, Brian Deer, the ABPI and MLI - The One Click Group - "The GMC hearing could be part of a law school learning module on ‘abuse of process’, nowhere more so than in its origins. How could it be possible for a single pro vaccine journalist to have such command of the medical-legal process that he can initiate one of the biggest complaints in GMC history against three doctors whose research casts doubt on the safety of MMR? How could it be possible that an agency solely funded by the pharmaceutical industry could help this journalist bring the complaint before the GMC?"
 
* ►March 26, 2008 - The Complainant - Brian Deer, the ABPI, Medico Legal Investigations and Dr Andrew Wakefield Martin Walker MA for CryShame. (pdf) - CryShame via The One Click Group

* ►March 26, 2008 - CDC Offers Another Non Response on Autism and Vaccines in the AJC - Adventures in Autism - "'Kirby's column included many inaccuracies related to childhood vaccines.' Great… now we are going to hear what they are and where Kirby was wrong. 'As such,..' Wait, Doctor… don’t you have to list what those inaccuracies are and counter them with some sort of correction or argument to the contrary? You just made the statement, decided it was true and move onto, 'As such'! How is this exactly advancing the vaccine autism discussion?"

* ►March 26, 2008 - Autism recovery stories: Amanda's journey - Julie's Health Club via Chicago Tribune

* ►March 26, 2008 - Immunization 'Movie Mania' event postponed - Las Cruces Sun-News

* ►March 26, 2008 - CDC Media Event on Autism, Vaccines and Mitochondrial Disease: Your Opinion Invited - http://autism.about.com

* ►March 26, 2008 - Good Morning America: Stagliano Family on Autism Expenses by Kim Stagliano - Age of Autism

* ►March 26, 2008 - Tax Relief for the Disabled - Tips for families fighting for insurance coverage (video) - Good Morning America via ABC News

* ►March 26, 2008 - Autism Tax Breaks - How families with an autistic child can get the medical treatment they need (video) - Good Morning America via ABC News

* ►March 26, 2008 - Maternal antibodies may contribute to autism - Journal of Neuroimmunology via Reuters UK

►March 26, 2008 - Why You Should Vaccinate Your Children - The CDC Makes Its Argument, Amid Renewed Autism Scare - The Daily Green

* ►March 26, 2008 - Autism a growing concern for many - column - Port Clinton News Herald

►March 26, 2008 - Study explores delicate issue of discussing autism - To tell or not to tell? That is one of the most common dilemmas facing parents of children diagnosed with autism and asperger syndrome. - www.abc.net.au

►March 26, 2008 - Dr. Stephen Shore To Speak At Autism Symposium - The Chattanoogan - "Lee University will soon host the sixth annual Southeastern Autism Symposium, this year entitled, 'The Sense and Nonsense of Autism.' The symposium will be June 6-7, in the Lee University Helen DeVos College of Education. The event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Shore."

►March 26, 2008 - Dorgan visits ACCC to discuss program for children with autism - The Jamestown Sun

* ►March 26, 2008 - Dental chair a possible source of neurotoxic mercury waste - University of Illinois at Chicago via www.eurekalert.org

* ►March 26, 2008 - Environment Committee insists on banning mercury imports and exports by 2010 - The ban on mercury imports and exports should be brought forward to 1 December 2010, says the Environment Committee. The Council had rejected most of Parliament’s first-reading amendments to a draft regulation on the banning of exports and the safe storage of metallic mercury, but at Wednesday's second reading, the committee voted to reinstate most of them and repeated Parliament's call for a mercury import ban and stricter rules on storage. - European Parliament

* ►March 26, 2008 - Hiding Behind a Charity to Fund Studies - Age of Autism

* ►March 26, 2008 - Cigarette Company Paid for Lung Cancer Study (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►March 26, 2008 - Sharp Debate Over HIV Vaccine Failure - Scientists Can't Agree on Future of HIV Research - WebMD via CBS News - "'We have to admit to ourselves that we don't know how to make an HIV vaccine right now,' said Beatrice H. Hahn, MD, a microbiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Science & Medicine | HIV/AIDS Vaccine Researchers at NIH Meeting Call for Increase in Basic Research, New Strategies - www.kaisernetwork.org

►March 26, 2008 - Researchers Meet For Summit on AIDS Vaccine - First Coast News

* ►March 26, 2008 - U.S. agency vows to back AIDS study - Researchers gather to regroup after failure of key vaccine trials (requires registration or subscription) - Baltimore Sun - "'We will not discontinue research, period. Not only will we not decrease it, we will in fact try to increase it,' Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a summit of top HIV/AIDS researchers in Bethesda."

* ►March 26, 2008 - AIDS Vaccine Testing at Crossroads - After Little Progress in 25 Years, Scientists Urge Return to Basic Research (requires registration) - Washington Post

* ►March 26, 2008 - Lilly Settles Alaska Suit Over Zyprexa (requires registration) - The New York Times - "Eli Lilly has agreed to pay $15 million to the state of Alaska to settle a lawsuit claiming that the company’s schizophrenia drug Zyprexa caused patients to develop diabetes, Lilly and the state said Wednesday morning."

►March 26, 2008 - State of Alaska and Eli Lilly and Company Reach Agreement to Settle Zyprexa Lawsuit - press release - Eli Lilly and Company via PRNewswire

* ►March 26, 2008 - FDA commissioner: Unfunded provisions giving agency headache - CongressDaily via GovernmentExecutive.com - "FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach told food and drug lawyers Wednesday the agency is struggling with ambiguities and a lack of resources as it works to implement an agency overhaul Congress passed in the summer."

* ►March 26, 2008 - FDA deadlines may compromise drug safety by rushing approval - Fast-tracked medications more likely to face later regulatory action to remedy safety concerns - Harvard University via www.eurekalert.org

►March 26, 2008 - Rush decisions by FDA may subvert drug safety - Meds OK'd right on deadline are 4 times more likely to have major problems - AP via MSNBC

►March 26, 2008 - Unintentional overdoses common in children - The Journal of Pediatrics via Reuters - "'Unintentional overdoses remain the most common cause of emergency visits for adverse drug events in children 1 to 4 years old,' warns Dr. Daniel Budnitz, from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

►March 26, 2008 - State board delays drug-tracking system - San Francisco Chronicle

* ►March 26, 2008 - Bidding War for Biowarfare Labs - The Germs Next Door - CounterPunch - "Every potential location for the bioterror facility lies close to large human and animal populations. In Manhattan, Kansas, for example, the lab would be located not only in an agricultural region, and not only in the nation's second most tornado-prone state, but also within hailing distance of a senior-citizen home, a student housing area, an affordable-housing complex, a student recreation facility, a football stadium, and a basketball arena."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Kindergarten registration season brings vaccinations to mind - Incoming students are required to have documented immunizations before they start the school year - Puyallup Herald - "Some parents are concerned with how vaccines affect their children. A common concern is its connection with autism. However, Peterson said, those concerns should be a thing of the past. 'There isn’t any proof to back it up, but people are still afraid,' she said. The fear came from a alleged link between the mercury-based preservative thiomersal and autism. Thiomersal had been used in vaccinations, but it no longer is, Peterson said. 'There are no preservatives (in today’s vaccines),' she said."

►March 26, 2008 - 2 new services now available at Galion hospital - Bucyrus Telegraph Forum - "Galion Community Hospital's occupational medicine program, WorkWell, has added two new services: a blood test to determine hepatitis B immunity in previously vaccinated employees, and administration of the hepatitis B vaccine."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Nventa Announces Positive Interim Immunological Data From HspE7 Phase 1 Cervical Dysplasia Trial - 3 out of 4 Patients in Cohort 2 Demonstrate T-Cell Responses Indicating Potential HspE7 Therapeutic Benefit - Nventa Biopharmaceuticals via PRNewswire-FirstCall

* ►March 26, 2008 - FDA denies it is risk-averse on drugs - The Financial Times

* ►March 26, 2008 - Overseas Drugs Hit U.S. Regulatory Snags (free content) - The Wall Street Journal - "The scientists and physicians who are reviewing the products are looking over their shoulder at Capitol Hill," said the head of drug development at Novartis, James Shannon, who the Swiss company last week said was stepping down. "I think it results in them taking decisions which are conservative." Some industry executives also say a lack of FDA funding and staff has contributed to delays in drug approvals."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Lilly To Pay $15M To Settle Alaska Zyprexa Suit - Pharmalot

* ►March 26, 2008 - Lawmaker Asks NJ AG To Probe Antipsychotics - Pharmalot - "New Jersey’s Medicaid program spent more than $73 million on antipsychotic meds for children less than 18 years old between 2000 and 2007, according to state records, even though the drugs weren’t approved by the FDA for treating kids. And a state official acknowledges the drugs may have been prescribed for conditions other than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the approved uses."

* ►March 25, 2008 - Baxter And Heparin Liability: Foreseeable Risk - Since the moment Heparin became a household word, Baxter International has been vulnerable. With nearly 800 serious adverse events and 19 deaths attributed to its blood thinner, the healthcare company has what attorneys call exposure. Of course, this should not come as a surprise in this litigous world. Still, the contaminated ingredient was introduced in China, where a Baxter supplier co-owns a plant. How much liability, then, does Baxter really face? We spoke with Eric Turkewitz, a personal injury attorney in New York and blogger, who has previously dueled with drugmakers, although he says he does not presently have any Heparin cases. This is an excerpt… - Pharmalot

* ►March 26, 2008 - Dig Deep: Those Free Samples May Cost You - Pharmalot

►March 26, 2008 - Mandatory Coverage of HPV Vaccine Moves to Senate - Iowa Independent

►March 26, 2008 - Area plant may increase vaccine output - Standard Speaker - "A firm in the Poconos intends to double its ability to produce flu shots by next season when the federal government probably will recommend that children 6 months to 18 years old receive vaccinations. Sanofi Pasteur hopes to have federal approval to use a new vaccination facility at its campus in Swiftwater by the end of this year or early next year, said Ellyn Schindler, the company’s community relations manager."

* ►March 26, 2008 - 4 culling workers under watch for bird flu infection - Sify News

* ►March 26, 2008 - British TV crew 'spread deadly flu to remote Peruvian tribe' - The Telegraph, UK

►March 26, 2008 - Flu Vaccine Trial - media release - Tasmanian Government - "Trial coordinator Dr Maree O’Sullivan said information from the study would be used in future decisions about how and when flu vaccines are given. 'This trial is unusual in that we’re asking fit and healthy people to be a part of it,' Dr O’Sullivan said."

►March 26, 2008 - Partnership Brings DoD Flu Shots to Pacific Islands - Army News Service, United States Army

►March 26, 2008 - UN issues bird flu warning - Bird flu is no longer dominating the headlines. But that doesn't mean we've beaten it into submission. (includes audio) - Minnesota Public Radio

►March 26, 2008 - Researchers Says Ducks, Rice Paddies Key to Spread of Avian Flu - Voice of America

►March 26, 2008 - Study finds key factors behind bird flu outbreaks - Reuters UK

►March 26, 2008 - Chickens Vanish as Bird Flu Concerns Plague Egypt - Chickens used to roam every dusty street in every village across Egypt, and many of its city alleys too. - FOX News

►March 26, 2008 - Two cases of measles in Cadillac students confirmed - Cadillac News

►March 26, 2008 - Campaign to protect 63 million children against measles in Pakistan - UNICEF

►March 26, 2008 - Measles vaccine advised - NewsOK.com

►March 26, 2008 - More Mumps Cases Reported at UVa (includes video) - WCAV www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv

* ►March 26, 2008 - Child Vaccination Campaign Against Poliomyelitis Begins in Cuba - Mathaba.net - "The vaccine (two drops) should not be administered to children experiencing fever or are vomiting or have diarrhea. Likewise, those who are allergic to any of the vaccine’s components or suffer from immune-deficiency diseases will be exempt from the program."

►March 26, 2008 - Polio Victim Remembers Salk's Breakthrough - Turnto10.com

►March 26, 2008 - Coroner: Tasered man died of meningitis - KGET TV 17

►March 26, 2008 - Gene therapy breakthrough is 'tip of iceberg' - The Telegraph, UK

►March 26, 2008 - Cangene's anti-hepatitis B product granted orphan-drug exclusive approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - press release - Cangene Corporation via CNW Group

►March 26, 2008 - Hepatitis C is first target for new therapy - New Scientist

►March 26, 2008 - Senior Lookout: Hepatitis C becoming more common in elder population - Gloucester Daily Times - "A new therapeutic DNA vaccine known as ChronVac-C is now in clinical trials, and there is evidence of its ability to invoke the desired immune response against Hepatitis C."

►March 26, 2008 - Hepatitis C cases expected to soar in a decade - Newsday

►March 26, 2008 - Dozens flock to health dept. for hepatitis A shots - KTVB - "BOISE - After news of possible exposure to hepatitis A at a popular downtown restaurant – many of the people who could have been exposed went for vaccinations at the Central District Health Department."

* ►March 26, 2008 - Hundreds of Riverside patients may have been exposed to hepatitis - Daily Press - "More than 300 former patients have been called into Riverside Regional Medical Center for blood tests after staff there discovered that a nurse suspected of infecting patients with hepatitis in Texas and stealing their painkillers during surgery,worked at the Newport News hospital for almost six months last year. The nurse/anaesthetist, retired Army captain Jon Dale Jones, 45, was arrested this month in Miami on federal charges of assaulting three of 15 patients and possession of a controlled substance by fraud, during surgeries at an El Paso military hospital in 2004."

►March 26, 2008 - Exhaust filth blamed for pneumonia - Londonderry Today

* ►March 26, 2008 - “UK Farmers Upbeat about GM Crops” Debunked - Government Funding Industry to Market GM Crops. - Institute of Science in Society

►March 26, 2008 - Can a vegan diet relieve rheumatoid arthritis? - Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be able to reduce their symptoms by switching to a vegan and gluten-free diet, according to media reports. - Healthcare Republic

►March 26, 2008 - Fat City? 10 Million Pounds Gained in 2 Years (requires registration) - New York Times Blog - "About 173,500 adult New Yorkers became obese and more than 73,000 received new diagnoses of diabetes from 2002 to 2004, according to a new study by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene."

►March 26, 2008 - Your Opinion: Food allergies a crisis - letter - The Patriot Ledger

►March 26, 2008 - Honduras Fights U.S. Ban on Its Cantaloupes (requires registration) - The Lede Blog via The New York Times

►March 26, 2008 - Cheerleader’s death highlights rare surgical risk - High school senior dies after undergoing cosmetic breast surgery - TODAY via MSNBC

►March 26, 2008 - If FDA is 'Broken,' Why is Congress Focused on Adding Tobacco Regulation to the Agency Rather Than Ensuring the Safety of Food, Drug and Medical Devices in the United States? - press release - Reynolds American Inc. via PRNewswire-FirstCall

►March 26, 2008 - Minnesota braces for arrival of deadly fish virus - Fort Mills Times

►March 26, 2008 - Bird Flu Hits Staple of Egypt's Streets - AP

►March 26, 2008 - FDA’s Woodcock: ‘We Must Learn From Henry Ford’ - Pharmalot

►March 26, 2008 - Are We Living In ‘The Age Of Depression?’ - Pharmalot

►March 26, 2008 - Pfizer, Glaxo Raise Prices as Drug Growth Declines (Update4) - Bloomberg

►March 26, 2008 - New Strategy Backs Combined Efforts at Fighting TB and HIV - Voice of America

►March 26, 2008 - Suit alleges HRT therapy caused breast cancer - The Southeast Texas Record

►March 26, 2008 - Marie Curie researcher investigates role of innate immune system in Multiple Sclerosis - Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham via Cordis News

►March 26, 2008 - ArQule Announces Receipt of Milestone Payment from Wyeth - ArQule via Business Wire

►March 25, 2008 - Docs Will Get Drug Safety Alerts… By E-mail - Pharmalot

►March 25, 2008 - Timing of flu shots is very important - Crescent-News

►March 25, 2008 - Somalia declared free of polio - Reuters via www.tvnz.co.nz

►March 25, 2008 - Pharma looks to outside talent - The Financial Times

►March 25, 2008 - HRT 'might ward off Alzheimer's' - Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may protect post-menopausal women against memory loss and Alzheimer's disease. - BBC

►March 25, 2008 - FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use “Blue Steel” and “Hero” Products - FDA

* ►March 25, 2008 - Unintentional overdoses common in children - The Journal of Pediatrics via Reuters Health via Yahoo! - "Using national surveillance data from 63 U.S. hospitals, Budnitz and colleagues estimate that 158,520 patients aged 18 years and younger visited emergency departments for adverse reactions to prescription and non-prescription medications, vaccines, vitamins, dietary supplements, and complementary and alternative therapies from 2004 to 2005."

* ►March 25, 2008 - HHS Public Vaccine Safety Meeting in DC April 11 - Adventures in Autism

* ►March 25, 2008 - Pamela Felice on Actually Having a Vaccine Debate - Adventures in Autism

* ►March 25, 2008 - New drugs approved for EU Market - unethical trials - Alliance for Human Research Protection - "The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the Wemos Foundation present new evidence that 'unfair' drugs, medicines which have been unethically tested in low-income and middle-income countries, are being given approval for use on the European market."

►March 25, 2008 - Crider offers free HPV vaccines - Disease responsible for more than 70 percent of cervical cancer cases - St. Charles Journals

►March 25, 2008 - Breastfed babies not iron-deficient at 6 months - International Breastfeeding Journal via Reuters

* ►March 25, 2008 - Lead found in vinyl diaper bags, changing pads - Illinois attorney general seeking recall - Chicago Daily Herald

►March 24, 2008 - Acetaminophen is Fifth Leading Cause of Overdose Deaths - Studies show acetaminophen, when taken in large doses, can kill - MyFox Twin Cities

* ►March 21, 2008 - The Wakefield Witch-Hunt - comments - Spectator.co.uk - "Somewhat 35 years ago, when I worked in Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, a leading Russian center for vaccines development and immunology research, a tragedy happened: our measles vaccine caused an epidemics of encephalitis among vaccinated. Our senior immunologist and virologist, prof. Svet-Moldavsky, was sent to investigate. It turned out that at producing facility they slightly modified protocol, using overgrown rats instead of very young, as was required. Live virus vaccines are made nowdays essentially as in days of Pasteur, by multiple passage on animals brains. So these vaccines can induce antibody production not only to virus antigenes, but to components of brain tissue as well. While antigene composition of human and animals tissues is different, some overlapping exists, so autoimmune response against brain tissue of vaccinated children is possible. This happened in this case. The story never leaked into press, of course, due to Soviet era secrecy, but everybody in Institute knew it. Measles lethality drastically plummeted in last few decades, from several procents to one case in thousand infected. Most of it was due to concurrent bacterial infection pneumonia, which now effectively treated by antibiotics; these 1/1000 deaths are also caused not by virus itself, but autoimmune reaction on this virus targeting brain tissue. But there are sound reasons to fear that attenuated vaccine virus can induce analogic reactions. Many parents reported onset of autism symptoms immediately (several hours after) vaccination. Too early for viremia, but timing is exact for autoimmune reaction."

* ►March 19, 2008 - PM announces additional funding for free MedicAlert bracelets for children - Prime Minister of Canada - "Speaking to an audience of parents, teachers and children at Cleardale Public School in London, Prime Minister Harper noted that an estimated one in 10 Canadian children have severe allergies, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and other conditions that can be life-threatening if emergencies are not treated properly and promptly."

►March 19, 2008 - A flu pandemic not terror is our biggest threat, says Brown - Daily Mail, UK

►March 18, 2008 - Frequent Flier - Letting His Lapel Spread the Word About His Cause (requires registration) - The New York Times - "I’m constantly on the road and it always amazes me how the pin acts as an icebreaker and gives people a chance to talk about autism. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the security line, sitting on the plane or trying to check in to my hotel, some one, some place, is affected by the disorder."

►March 18, 2008 - Missed Tuberculosis Cases in China, India Spur Global Spread - Bloomberg

►March 18, 2008 - 2 more children die from influenza in severe year for Mass. (requires registration) - Boston Globe

►March 18, 2008 - New Cervical Screening Framework Needed When HPV Vaccine Takes Effect, Says Cancer Council Report - Medical News Today

* ►March 18, 2008 - HPV bill is very worrisome - letter - Barre Montpelier Times Argus - "Parents, be aware of a bill currently in the Vermont Legislature (H256). This bill will require all girls entering grade six to be vaccinated against sexually transmitted strains of HPV (human papillomavirus) which could lead to cervical cancer."

►March 18, 2008 - Vaccination Could Treat Hypertension - Lancet via Medical News Today

►March 18, 2008 - FDA not what it used to be - letter (requires registration) - Boston Globe

* ►March 10, 2008 - Brazilians Destroy GM Crops - InfoWars - "Around 300 women rural residents in Brazil burst into a property owned by the US company Monsanto and destroyed a plant nursery and crops containing genetically modified corn, their organization said."

►March 9, 2008 - Engineered Protein Shows Potential As A Strep Vaccine - University of California - San Diego via ScienceDaily

* ►March 7, 2008 - Autism to Alzheimer's - A fever of the mind no more - The Epoch Times - "How Could a Fever Help a Child Suffering From Autism? With heavy metals planted at the exact nodes in the brain where the damage occurred, the fever would heat up the metal particles, and they in turn would bridge the interrupted break points in the neural network."

►March 7, 2008 - Allergic response tied to lipid molecules in cell membrane - Penn State via PhysOrg.com

►March 6, 2008 - Pinpoint accuracy: DNA vaccines that home in on DCs are more potent - Journal of Clinical Investigation via www.eurekalert.org

►March 6, 2008 - Vaccines: part of the health care solution - guest opinion - Aspen Times

* ►March 2008 - Absence of urinary opioid peptides in children with Autism - journal article (Archives of Diseases in Childhood)

* ►March 2008 - Social Contacts and Mixing Patterns Relevant to the Spread of Infectious Diseases (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

* ►March 2008 - Circadian Remodeling of Neuronal Circuits Involved in Rhythmic Behavior (full text) - journal article (PLoS Biology)

►March 2008 - Observational Research, Randomised Trials, and Two Views of Medical Science (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - Could an Open-Source Clinical Trial Data-Management System Be What We Have All Been Looking For? (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - Inferring HIV Transmission Dynamics from Phylogenetic Sequence Relationships (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - Further Evidence that Exclusive Breast-Feeding Reduces Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Compared With Mixed Feeding (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - It's the Network, Stupid: Why Everything in Medicine Is Connected (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - Multidisciplinary Prospective Study of Mother-to-Child Chikungunya Virus Infections on the Island of La Réunion (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - Exploring the Developmental Overnutrition Hypothesis Using Parental–Offspring Associations and FTO as an Instrumental Variable (full text) - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►March 2008 - Exploring the Developmental Overnutrition Hypothesis Using Parental–Offspring Associations and FTO as an Instrumental Variable (full text) - journal article (PLoS Biology)

►March 2008 - Science Applied to the Greatest Needs - Having failed the developing world, are we now getting it right? - The Scientist

►March 2008 - Touching Babies Every Day - Lead in Diaper Bags (pdf) - Center for Environmental Health via Daily Herald

* ►March 2008 - India still on top of the world polio map - Despite launching the largest ever mass immunisation campaign against polio in February 2003, targeting 165 million children, the battle against polio has not been won. To understand the causes of the repeated occurrence, we need to understand the profile of the wild polio virus - Infochange India

 * ►State of the Evidence 2008: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment - The Breast Cancer Fund

* ►Wednesday, April 2 - On World Autism Day, the controversy over vaccines! Do they contribute to autism, or is there a greater risk going without? Actress and mother of an autistic child, Jenny McCarthy, debates the issue with medical professionals. - Larry King Live via CNN

* ►Autism: The Musical (video) - HBO

* ►Autism awareness - Fairfax Times - "The Fauquier Autism Resource Group will sponsor 'Defeat Autism Now! Approach and Related Therapies Presentations' from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2008. Fauquier Hospital will host the presentations in Sycamore Rooms A and B., Warrenton, VA"

* ►PharmaLiveSearch.com – the only pharmaceutical-industry specific search engine - PharmaLive