Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

AstraZeneca Studies Show Relief Of Nighttime Heartburn And Reduction In GERD-Related Sleep Disturbances
Two studies from AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) show that symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients treated with NEXIUM(R) (esomeprazole magnesium) 20 mg daily experienced greater relief from nighttime heartburn and GERD-related sleep disturbances compared with patients taking placebo over four weeks(1). NEXIUM 20 mg is indicated for the treatment of heartburn and other symptoms associated with GERD. NEXIUM, in a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), demonstrated efficacy in relieving moderate-to-severe nighttime heartburn and GERD-related sleep disturbances in two randomized, placebo-controlled trials(2). These findings were presented in three separate abstracts at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago.

Pitt School Of Medicine's George K. Michalopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Receives 2009 ASIP Rous-Whipple Award
George K. Michalopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Maud L. Menten Professor and chair of pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has received the 2009 American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) Rous-Whipple Award.
News of the day
Pope, Obama To Hold Meeting After G-8 Summit
Pope Benedict XVI has agreed to meet with President Obama at the Vatican on July 10, according to White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, the AP/Boston Globe reports. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesperson, on Wednesday said that the pope will hold an afternoon meeting with the president and first lady Michelle Obama after the conclusion of the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit meeting, a break with a Vatican tradition of holding midday meetings. The AP/Globe reports that the Vatican "clearly sought to accommodate" the president"s schedule, an indication that Benedict is interested in meeting with Obama despite his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.Some U.S. bishops have publicly attacked Obama"s support of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, which has fueled anticipation of a meeting between the president and the pope. Most recently, dozens of bishops denounced the University of Notre Dame"s decision to invite Obama to deliver its commencement address and receive an honorary degree. However, L"Osservatore Romano, the Vatican"s daily newspaper, said that Obama"s speech showed that he is looking for common ground on issues related to abortion. Obama also received a positive review from the newspaper after his first 100 days in office. An editorial in the paper said that Obama had not confirmed the "radical" direction on ethical questions he had discussed as a candidate (Simpson, AP/Boston Globe, 6/24).
Health Insurance

For America's Aged, Surgery At Any Price?

When doctors decide whether or not to go ahead with an expensive surgery, "age is no longer the deciding factor, even for invasive treatment such as open-heart surgery," The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. One question is "whether this never-too-old approach is an example of U.S. medical progress, or an example of why Medicare -- federal health insurance for people over 64 -- is headed for insolvency. The answer, experts say, is both. Which is why the current debate over expanding federal coverage to all uninsured Americans is an ethical and economic minefield. "Forty years ago, it was taken for granted that the elderly were not good candidates for organ transplantation, dialysis, or advanced surgical procedures. That has changed," Daniel Callahan, cofounder of the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute in Garrison, N.Y., wrote recently. "Under the best of circumstances, age should be irrelevant in the Medicare program. But so far, the cost of care has not been considered, and it can hardly remain irrelevant in a program strapped for money."" In the Philadelphia region, "Medicare pays an average of $40,000 to $60,000, depending on the open-heart procedure, but many elderly suffer complications that can inflate the total. The risks of open-heart surgery, while still substantial, have steadily declined," including for the elderly. In a 2003 study, "for octogenarians, mortality ranged from 7 percent to 11 percent, depending on the procedure." The study found that those odds "are two to three times greater than for patients ages 50 to 79." But "complicating this calculus is the issue of quality of life. Even with advances, surgery and its aftermath are traumatic, especially for elderly with chronic conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure." David Callahan, also cofounder of the Hastings Center says, "I believe it"s gotten harder for doctors to find a bright line between living and dying. Physicians feel compelled to offer heroic measures. They say, "Let"s not give up hope."" But "that attitude may be uniquely American" because "in Western countries with government-sponsored health care, both the amount of care and access to it are limited." With Medicare projected to "run out of money in about seven years, "I suspect there will have to be some form of rationing. ò€¦ The question is whether age is the only - or even one of many - factors that should be used," said Olivia Mitchell, "an expert on insurance and risk management at Penn"s Wharton School" (McCullough, 7/6). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009