Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, speaker of the Zambian National Assembly, recently said that gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS are interlinked and that increased efforts should be made to address the relationship, the Times of Zambia/AllAfrica reports.
Mwanamwambwa was speaking to National Assembly members to commemorate World AIDS Day and the 16 days of advocacy against gender violence (Times of Zambia/AllAfrica, 12/4). The 16 days of advocacy against gender violence were launched Nov. 25 during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Lusaka, Zambia (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/28).
Mwanamwambwa said that social and cultural factors leave women unable to protect themselves from risky sexual behaviors and HIV transmission, adding that laws against gender violence should be strengthened and that access to reproductive health should be increased in an effort to eliminate gender-based violence. He added that businesses should implement HIV/AIDS policies and voluntary counseling and testing programs (Times of Zambia/AllAfrica, 12/4).
United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Elizabeth Mataka at the IDEVAW launch called on women to openly discuss and increase awareness of how gender-based violence is contributing to the spread of HIV among women (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/28).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
воскресенье, 25 декабря 2011 г.
воскресенье, 18 декабря 2011 г.
Genetic Testing Equipment Company Qiagen To Acquire HPV Test Maker Digene For $1.6B
Gaithersburg, Md.-based biotechnology company Digene, which produces a human papillomavirus test, on Sunday announced that it will sell itself to Netherlands-based Qiagen, maker of genetic testing equipment, for about $1.6 billion in cash and stock, the Washington Post reports (Rosenwald, Washington Post, 6/4).
FDA in March 2003 approved Digene's DNA Pap test -- which combines the traditional Pap test with a DNA test for 13 strains of HPV -- as a primary screening tool for cervical cancer for women ages 30 and older. Digene's test is 99% accurate at identifying changes in cervical cells, compared with an 80% accuracy rate for the Pap test (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/26).
Qiagen currently manufactures more than 100 diagnostic tests that are used to search for DNA and protein cues that aid in diagnosing diseases. Qiagen also co-developed and manufactures Digene's Rapid Capture System, which allows labs to run Digene's HPV, chlamydia and gonorrhea tests on one technology platform, the Baltimore Sun reports (Bishop, Baltimore Sun, 6/4).
According to the Post, Digene has been attempting to expand internationally. Digene CEO Daryl Faulkner said that in terms of international expansion, the deal with Qiagen "gets us there faster than doing it alone" (Washington Post, 6/4). He added that the deal allows Digene to grow both domestically and abroad faster. The combined companies will be called Qiagen, and current Qiagen CEO Peer Schatz will remain CEO. Faulkner will co-chair an integration committee, but his role beyond the committee is unclear, Reuters reports.
Both companies "are on a major mission here to help fight, or maybe even eradicate, a disease that kills a woman every two minutes," Schatz said, adding, "The ability to test and amount of testing still has a huge runway to grow" (Flaherty/James, Reuters, 6/3).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
FDA in March 2003 approved Digene's DNA Pap test -- which combines the traditional Pap test with a DNA test for 13 strains of HPV -- as a primary screening tool for cervical cancer for women ages 30 and older. Digene's test is 99% accurate at identifying changes in cervical cells, compared with an 80% accuracy rate for the Pap test (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/26).
Qiagen currently manufactures more than 100 diagnostic tests that are used to search for DNA and protein cues that aid in diagnosing diseases. Qiagen also co-developed and manufactures Digene's Rapid Capture System, which allows labs to run Digene's HPV, chlamydia and gonorrhea tests on one technology platform, the Baltimore Sun reports (Bishop, Baltimore Sun, 6/4).
According to the Post, Digene has been attempting to expand internationally. Digene CEO Daryl Faulkner said that in terms of international expansion, the deal with Qiagen "gets us there faster than doing it alone" (Washington Post, 6/4). He added that the deal allows Digene to grow both domestically and abroad faster. The combined companies will be called Qiagen, and current Qiagen CEO Peer Schatz will remain CEO. Faulkner will co-chair an integration committee, but his role beyond the committee is unclear, Reuters reports.
Both companies "are on a major mission here to help fight, or maybe even eradicate, a disease that kills a woman every two minutes," Schatz said, adding, "The ability to test and amount of testing still has a huge runway to grow" (Flaherty/James, Reuters, 6/3).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
воскресенье, 11 декабря 2011 г.
Washington Post Publishes Several Women's Health-Related Articles
The Washington Post on Tuesday in its health section published several articles related to women's health. Summaries appear below.
"Drinking and Breast Cancer; Studies Show a Link, Though Alcohol Has Benefits, Too": Women who consume alcohol have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a Kaiser Permanente study released last week at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona, Spain, the Post reports. Several other studies also have found modest but statistically significant increased breast cancer risk among women who consume alcohol. However, small amounts of alcohol can reduce women's risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the Post (Squires, Washington Post, 10/2).
"Who Needs a Gynecologist -- and When?": The article examines whether annual gynecological exams and Pap tests should be performed by gynecologists or primary care physicians and at what age girls and women should begin undergoing such exams (Ganguli, Washington Post, 10/2).
"Not Her Mother's Hysterectomy": The article examines supracervical laparoscopic hysterectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that removes the uterus through a one-quarter inch incision near the navel, and traditional abdominal hysterectomy. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, of the 617,000 hysterectomies performed in the U.S. in 2004, 75% were abdominal procedures and 25% were laparoscopic or another minimally invasive procedure (Weiss, Washington Post, 10/2).
"More Info About Hysterectomy": The article lists several Web sites and a book that provide information about hysterectomy (Washington Post, 10/2).
"No One Way To Hold Sway; Women Drive Online Health Traffic, but Use Varies": Women are more likely than men to use the Internet to research specific diseases or medical problems, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey released last year, the Post reports. The survey found that 82% of women who have Internet access conduct health research online, compared with 77% of men (Huget, Washington Post, 10/2).
John George, director of gynecologic endoscopy at Washington Hospital Center, will discuss laparoscopic hysterectomy on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET in a washingtonpost online chat (Washingtonpost, 10/2). Questions can be submitted online before or during the chat. A transcript will be available online after the chat.
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
"Drinking and Breast Cancer; Studies Show a Link, Though Alcohol Has Benefits, Too": Women who consume alcohol have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a Kaiser Permanente study released last week at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona, Spain, the Post reports. Several other studies also have found modest but statistically significant increased breast cancer risk among women who consume alcohol. However, small amounts of alcohol can reduce women's risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the Post (Squires, Washington Post, 10/2).
"Who Needs a Gynecologist -- and When?": The article examines whether annual gynecological exams and Pap tests should be performed by gynecologists or primary care physicians and at what age girls and women should begin undergoing such exams (Ganguli, Washington Post, 10/2).
"Not Her Mother's Hysterectomy": The article examines supracervical laparoscopic hysterectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that removes the uterus through a one-quarter inch incision near the navel, and traditional abdominal hysterectomy. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, of the 617,000 hysterectomies performed in the U.S. in 2004, 75% were abdominal procedures and 25% were laparoscopic or another minimally invasive procedure (Weiss, Washington Post, 10/2).
"More Info About Hysterectomy": The article lists several Web sites and a book that provide information about hysterectomy (Washington Post, 10/2).
"No One Way To Hold Sway; Women Drive Online Health Traffic, but Use Varies": Women are more likely than men to use the Internet to research specific diseases or medical problems, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey released last year, the Post reports. The survey found that 82% of women who have Internet access conduct health research online, compared with 77% of men (Huget, Washington Post, 10/2).
John George, director of gynecologic endoscopy at Washington Hospital Center, will discuss laparoscopic hysterectomy on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET in a washingtonpost online chat (Washingtonpost, 10/2). Questions can be submitted online before or during the chat. A transcript will be available online after the chat.
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
воскресенье, 4 декабря 2011 г.
Bush To Veto Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, Issue Executive Order Encouraging Methods That Do Not Destroy Embryos, Officials Say
President Bush on Wednesday plans to veto a bill (S 5) that would allow federal funding for research using stem cells derived from human embryos originally created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients, Bush administration officials said, the Washington Post reports. The president also plans to issue an executive order that will require HHS in the next three months to develop guidelines for funding research on creating "medically useful" stem cells without destroying embryos, according to officials (Fletcher/Brown, Washington Post, 6/20).
Federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research currently is allowed only for research using embryonic stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9, 2001, under a policy announced by Bush on that date. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 passed the House 247-176 and the Senate 63-34. Several House Republicans who voted against the measure cited new research reported earlier this month by three independent teams of scientists. The teams said they have developed experimental approaches using the skin cells of mice to create embryonic stem cells without creating or destroying embryos (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8).
White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said that Bush will outline a program that could allow research that creates additional "pluripotent" stem cells, the AP/Forbes reports (Riechmann, AP/Forbes, 6/20). Pluripotent stem cells can develop into all types of tissues in the body and have the potential to repair and restore tissue (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/9/06). Two senior Bush administration officials said the president also plans to reconfigure the embryonic stem cell lines currently eligible for federally funded research as the "human pluripotent stem cell registry." According to the New York Times, Bush administration officials said the White House also has been encouraged by recent stem cell research using amniotic fluid and embryos that had been declared "clinically dead."
The administration officials said the president wants NIH to take advantage of recent research that has the potential to "sidestep the ethical controversies" surrounding embryonic stem cell research, the Times reports. According to the Times, the executive order does not include funding and appears to be "largely symbolic" (Stolberg, New York Times, 6/20).
Federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research currently is allowed only for research using embryonic stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9, 2001, under a policy announced by Bush on that date. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 passed the House 247-176 and the Senate 63-34. Several House Republicans who voted against the measure cited new research reported earlier this month by three independent teams of scientists. The teams said they have developed experimental approaches using the skin cells of mice to create embryonic stem cells without creating or destroying embryos (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8).
White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said that Bush will outline a program that could allow research that creates additional "pluripotent" stem cells, the AP/Forbes reports (Riechmann, AP/Forbes, 6/20). Pluripotent stem cells can develop into all types of tissues in the body and have the potential to repair and restore tissue (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/9/06). Two senior Bush administration officials said the president also plans to reconfigure the embryonic stem cell lines currently eligible for federally funded research as the "human pluripotent stem cell registry." According to the New York Times, Bush administration officials said the White House also has been encouraged by recent stem cell research using amniotic fluid and embryos that had been declared "clinically dead."
The administration officials said the president wants NIH to take advantage of recent research that has the potential to "sidestep the ethical controversies" surrounding embryonic stem cell research, the Times reports. According to the Times, the executive order does not include funding and appears to be "largely symbolic" (Stolberg, New York Times, 6/20).
Reaction
Bush administration officials said the order is less a change in policy than a "kick in the pants" to make it clear that federal funding for stem cell research is available for stem cell research, the Post reports. "This disabuses us of this notion that there is this fundamental conflict between science and ethics," Karl Zinsmeister, Bush's head domestic policy adviser, said about the recent research. Fratto said that Bush "supports and encourages stem cell research -- including using embryonic stem cell lines -- as long as it does not involve creating, harming or destroying embryos" (Washington Post, 6/20).
John Gearhart, a stem cell researcher at Johns Hopkins University, said, "It is not an alternative for embryonic stem cell research because some of these alternative procedures still have ethical issues associated with them," adding that no one has figured out when an embryo can be declared clinically dead. White House officials said federal agencies would have to come up with the standards.
Douglas Melton, a stem cell researcher at Harvard University, said that research using skin cells, which has not been replicated in humans, "should be pursued just as actively as we pursue human embryonic stem cell research ... but it doesn't need any special attention from the White House. All we've ever asked is to let human embryonic stem cell research vie for public funding like all other research" (New York Times, 6/20).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
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