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They CAN’T go there
March 2009
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) gave notice of proposed rule-making on employment provisions of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).
GINA prohibits discrimination by health insurers and employers based on people's genetic information.
It prohibits intentional acquisition of genetic data about applicants/employees, and imposes strict confidentiality requirements.
EEOC opened a 60-day public comment period on Feb. 25 on proposed rule-making.
NEW YORK - Reuters Health noted people with moderate to severe gum disease may have an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that among nearly 9,300 U.S. adults followed for 17 years, those who began the study with gum disease were more likely to develop diabetes later. Men and women with moderate gum disease had twice the risk of diabetes as those with healthy gums, while substantial tooth loss was linked to a 70% higher risk. The findings in Diabetes Care don’t prove gum disease causes diabetes in some people, but the study is the first to show such a temporal tie of the two conditions. The tie of diabetes and gum disease is well-known, but it has been assumed gum disease is solely a consequence of diabetes. "The pertinent finding was our observation that periodontal disease can precede the onset of overt type 2 diabetes," lead researcher Dr. Ryan T. Demmer, of Columbia University, told Reuters Health.
ROCKVILLE, MD - The Obama administration has asked the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and consumer organizations representing people with disabilities to help identify persons with a disability that have gone to work or been rehired due to the economic recovery plan. For example, a company hiring due to money they get, or plan to get. If you, or someone you know, fits this description, email elarson@spinalcord.org with a short summary and contact data for the person being hired.
SEATTLE - Smoking marijuana boosts testicular cancer risk, scientist told MedPage Today. In a study, men with testicular cancer were 70% more likely to be marijuana users versus healthy controls, said Dr. Stephen Schwartz, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and his team. The risk was really elevated in men who used "weed" before they were 18 or used it frequently, the group posted online at Cancer. Much of the higher risk is tied to mixed histology tumors, incidence of which typically peaks 20-35 and covers about 40% of all testicular cancer cases, they found. Although little is known about long-term health effects of marijuana, Dr. Schwartz stated, "Our study provides some evidence that testicular cancer could be one adverse event. In the absence of more certain information, a decision to smoke marijuana recreationally means one is taking a chance on one's future health."
WASHINGTON - President Obama’s signature on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides the National Institute of Mental Health with $350 million to support basic and clinical grants, supplements to existing grants, and grants funded through a new two-year NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science. The program will support studies that address scientific and health research gaps that rapidly generate outcomes. This is a chance to jumpstart initiatives in the NIMH Strategic Plan and help the U.S. recovery by providing jobs and support for U.S. scientists.
WINSTON-SALEM NC - HealthDay News reports cold remedy Vicks VapoRub may cause airway inflammation that can cut breathing in infants and toddlers. Doctors at Wake Forest University began their study after treating an18-month-old girl with severe respiratory distress after the salve had been put directly under her nose to relieve cold symptoms. "The company is really clear that you don't put it in the nose, and you never use it in kids under two," said lead scientist Dr. Bruce K. Rubin, professor and vice chair/research in the Dept. of Pediatrics. "Sure enough, when we stopped the medicine, the child got much better very quickly." That led him to seek similar cases. "We encountered a few others that appeared to develop problems after using Vicks VapoRub. He said VapoRub can make some adults feel better without making them better. "For kids, because it can induce some inflammation, even a little bit, that might be enough to tip over a child to having problems," he said. Findings were in the journal Chest.
AURORA, CO - Vacations at the shore led to a 5% rise in nevi ("moles") among seven-year-old children, states a paper in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Number of nevi is the major risk factor for malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Those rates have risen dramatically in recent decades; more than 62,000 Americans are diagnosed with it each year and more than 8,000 die. The study was done among Colorado children, but lead author Dr. Lori Crane, chair of the Dept. of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, said findings are applicable globally. "Parents of young children need to be cautious about taking kids on vacations that are going to be sun-intensive, where people are outside for whole days at a time in skin-exposing swimsuits," said Dr. Crane. She said parents often believe sunscreen is a cure-all. "We recommend parents keep the kids involved in indoor activities 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to decrease risk, or if they’re to be outside, that they wear shirts with sleeves," she said.
CHAPEL HILL.NC - HealthDay News noted research shows some parents of autistic children seem to be "socially aloof," yielding more data some Autism aspects are hereditary. "This manifests as a tendency not to prefer interactions with others, not to enjoy 'small talk' for the social experience, and to have few close friendships involving sharing and mutual support. This characteristic is really a variation of the normal range of social behavior and not (tied to) any functional impairment," Dr. Joe Piven, director of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities and co-author of a paper in Current Biology. After observing 42 parents of children with Autism, researchers concluded some parents saw facial expressions differently, more like their autistic children. "We found some parents who have a child with Autism process face information in a subtly, but clearly different way from other parents,"
DALLAS - The University of Texas’ M. D. Anderson Cancer Center revealed about cervical cancer that for many women their annual test isn’t something to cheer, but potentially can make a huge difference in the lives of women everywhere. The test finds cell changes, which may cause cervical cancer. If the changes are found/treated early, cervical cancer may be avoided. Dr. Andrea Milbourne, associate professor in Anderson’s Dept. of Gynecologic Oncology, notes six facts women should know about this test: Increased sexual activity = more need for the test; the human papilloma virus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer by changing normal cells in the cervix, and the vaccine is a supplement, not a replacement for the test; women should prepare for a test; a woman is never too old to get her test; a women can afford a test (1-800-4-Cancer), and before the test, cervical cancer was a leading cause of death in U.S. women.
IOWA CITY, IA - The Disability Law & Policy e-newsletter from the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University noted this: To help the blind experience something fun, scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology created software that can use color and shape, such as that of a fish, to create music. The software tracks the fish's movement using its speed and depth in the tank to vary the music in pitch and tempo. The scientists hope zoos and aquariums across the U.S. will use the invention and have spoken to the Tennessee Aquarium. They hope to bring the technology to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The Los Angeles Times noted an experimental cancer drug shrank prostate tumors dramatically and more than doubled survival in 70-80% of patients with aggressive cancers, British researchers reported. Although the study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology covered only 21 patients, the drug is being tested in more than 250 men with what appears to be similar results, experts said. "There’s a general sense in the prostate cancer community this agent is extremely promising and is very likely to have an important role in the management of prostate cancer patients," said Dr. Howard Sandler, a radiation oncologist at the University of Michigan, a spokesman for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Experts see the drug, abiraterone, to be widely available by 2011.
PHILADELPHIA - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers identified two new techniques to detect progression of Alzheimer’s disease earlier. By catching it before symptoms appear, physicians can prescribe treatments to slow down disease progression. In one study, scientists identified abnormal structural changes in the brains of seemingly normal elderly that indicated mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s. In a second study, they detected changes in cells that may help predict the transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s. The studies were presented at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Dr. Christos Davatzikos, professor of radiology at Penn’s School of Medicine, Dr. Susan Resnick, of the National Institute on Aging, and colleagues found brain deterioration in elderly adults classified as cognitively normal. They used a highly accurate measurement tool, based on MRI images from the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, to look at the MRI images of normal elderly and identify any remarkable structural changes.
IOWA CITY, IA - The Disability Law & Policy e-newsletter from the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University disclosed that in Whales, a driver denied a woman using a wheelchair entry to a bus. The driver feared the electric wheelchair battery could explode. Although a company policy permits riders to bring aboard any wheelchair fitting safely into the designated space, the driver excluded Elaine Powell and her 13-year-old son. Ms. Powell has used a wheelchair following a stroke nine years ago, and has attempted to work with organizations to improve accessibility. She intends to pursue a legal remedy for discrimination. The company notes spending for accessibility is ahead of government mandated schedule and is investigating the incident.
LONDON - Epileptics appear to have a much higher risk of drowning versus non- epileptics, states a study in the journal Neurology. Previous studies showed a higher risk most likely due to seizures; this study shows how high the risk may be. For the study, researchers compiled data from 50 studies of epileptics worldwide and followed participants for more than 200,000 patient-years. They looked at population data and national registries to check how many drowning deaths occur: 88 epileptics died by drowning; 4.7 deaths by drowning would have been expected if rates in the general population applied. The study found epileptics had a 15-19 times higher risk of drowning versus the general population. That risk was highest for epileptics and a learning disability, those in institutional care, and those with brain surgery but who weren’t all free of seizures. "It’s important that epileptics and their caregivers take steps to prevent these tragedies," said study author Dr. Ley Sander, of the University College London Institute of Neurology. "People with active epilepsy should shower instead of bathe, take medication regularly to control seizures, and should have direct supervision when swimming," he said.
BOSTON - A drug therapy appears to reduce lung function loss in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 42 countries shows. Toward a Revolution in COPD Health (TORCH) studied the effects of combined salmetero and fluticasone propiniate, either alone or combined, on mortality, exacerbations, health-related quality of life, and rate of decline in lung function as measure by forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in patients with COPD. The results were in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Pharmacotherapy with salmeterol plus fluticasone propionate, or the components, reduces the rate of decline on FEV1 in patients with moderate to severe COPD, slowing disease progression," wrote Dr. Bartolome R. Celli, lead author of the study and professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. "To date, smoking cessation is the only intervention that has been shown conclusively to alter the rate of decline in FEV1," said Dr. Celli.
CHICAGO - COSMOS magazine and the journal Science disclosed gestures by parents as they speak may help to explain wealth-linked disparities in a child's later verbal abilities, notes a University of Chicago study. Gestures appear to boost the use of gestures in their children, and these differences can be seen at 14 months, says Susan Goldin-Meadow, a psychologist at the university. "Gesturing may change children's minds [and the ways they learn] by encouraging them to move their hands in meaningful ways," said Goldin-Meadow, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's meeting. According to her team, parents of higher socioeconomic status tend to use more gestures as they speak to babies and toddlers, possibly leading to better communication skills as their kids develop. The study suggests gestures may encourage learning by helping kids attach names to objects. "If a child points at something and mom says, 'That's a glass,' it's creating a learning environment," said Goldin-Meadow. "Gestures are different from vocabulary because you can use what's at hand when you don't have that word."
DAVIS, CA - New Scientist magazine noted prosthetic limbs design has taken huge strides - sometimes literally. Modern prosthetics use "mechatronic" elements borrowed from robotics to ensure they’re almost fully functional replacements for missing body parts. Sometimes, they’re controlled directly by the wearers' brains. Internal prosthetics, like those used to reconstruct injured faces, have yet to include such advanced features, and tend to be awkward and unrealistic. Surgeons Craig Senders and Travis Tollefson, of the University of California, plan to change that by using artificial polymer muscles to reanimate facial features of those suffering severe paralysis. "The face is an area where natural appearing active prosthetics would be particularly welcome," they wrote in a patent application. They believe their approach provides a solution, and report having tested it successfully on cadavers. The most detailed example in the patent forms describes how the artificial muscles could help people regain control over partially or fully paralyzed eyelids, after suffering spinal injuries or nervous disorders like Bell's palsy.
NEW YORK - Reuters Health noted people with moderate to severe gum disease may have an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that among nearly 9,300 U.S. adults followed for 17 years, those who began the study with gum disease were more likely to develop diabetes later. Men and women with moderate gum disease had twice the risk of diabetes as those with healthy gums, while substantial tooth loss was linked to a 70% higher risk. The findings in Diabetes Care don’t prove gum disease causes diabetes in some people, but the study is the first to show such a temporal tie of the two conditions. The tie of diabetes and gum disease is well-known, but it has been assumed gum disease is solely a consequence of diabetes. "The pertinent finding was our observation that periodontal disease can precede the onset of overt type 2 diabetes," lead researcher Dr. Ryan T. Demmer, of Columbia University, told Reuters Health.
ROCKVILLE, MD - The Obama administration has asked the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and consumer organizations representing people with disabilities to help identify persons with a disability that have gone to work or been rehired due to the economic recovery plan. For example, a company hiring due to money they get, or plan to get. If you, or someone you know, fits this description, email elarson@spinalcord.org with a short summary and contact data for the person being hired.
SEATTLE - Smoking marijuana boosts testicular cancer risk, scientist told MedPage Today. In a study, men with testicular cancer were 70% more likely to be marijuana users versus healthy controls, said Dr. Stephen Schwartz, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and his team. The risk was really elevated in men who used "weed" before they were 18 or used it frequently, the group posted online at Cancer. Much of the higher risk is tied to mixed histology tumors, incidence of which typically peaks 20-35 and covers about 40% of all testicular cancer cases, they found. Although little is known about long-term health effects of marijuana, Dr. Schwartz stated, "Our study provides some evidence that testicular cancer could be one adverse event. In the absence of more certain information, a decision to smoke marijuana recreationally means one is taking a chance on one's future health."
WASHINGTON - President Obama’s signature on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides the National Institute of Mental Health with $350 million to support basic and clinical grants, supplements to existing grants, and grants funded through a new two-year NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science. The program will support studies that address scientific and health research gaps that rapidly generate outcomes. This is a chance to jumpstart initiatives in the NIMH Strategic Plan and help the U.S. recovery by providing jobs and support for U.S. scientists.
WINSTON-SALEM NC - HealthDay News reports cold remedy Vicks VapoRub may cause airway inflammation that can cut breathing in infants and toddlers. Doctors at Wake Forest University began their study after treating an18-month-old girl with severe respiratory distress after the salve had been put directly under her nose to relieve cold symptoms. "The company is really clear that you don't put it in the nose, and you never use it in kids under two," said lead scientist Dr. Bruce K. Rubin, professor and vice chair/research in the Dept. of Pediatrics. "Sure enough, when we stopped the medicine, the child got much better very quickly." That led him to seek similar cases. "We encountered a few others that appeared to develop problems after using Vicks VapoRub. He said VapoRub can make some adults feel better without making them better. "For kids, because it can induce some inflammation, even a little bit, that might be enough to tip over a child to having problems," he said. Findings were in the journal Chest.
AURORA, CO - Vacations at the shore led to a 5% rise in nevi ("moles") among seven-year-old children, states a paper in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Number of nevi is the major risk factor for malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Those rates have risen dramatically in recent decades; more than 62,000 Americans are diagnosed with it each year and more than 8,000 die. The study was done among Colorado children, but lead author Dr. Lori Crane, chair of the Dept. of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, said findings are applicable globally. "Parents of young children need to be cautious about taking kids on vacations that are going to be sun-intensive, where people are outside for whole days at a time in skin-exposing swimsuits," said Dr. Crane. She said parents often believe sunscreen is a cure-all. "We recommend parents keep the kids involved in indoor activities 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to decrease risk, or if they’re to be outside, that they wear shirts with sleeves," she said.
CHAPEL HILL.NC - HealthDay News noted research shows some parents of autistic children seem to be "socially aloof," yielding more data some Autism aspects are hereditary. "This manifests as a tendency not to prefer interactions with others, not to enjoy 'small talk' for the social experience, and to have few close friendships involving sharing and mutual support. This characteristic is really a variation of the normal range of social behavior and not (tied to) any functional impairment," Dr. Joe Piven, director of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities and co-author of a paper in Current Biology. After observing 42 parents of children with Autism, researchers concluded some parents saw facial expressions differently, more like their autistic children. "We found some parents who have a child with Autism process face information in a subtly, but clearly different way from other parents,"
DALLAS - The University of Texas’ M. D. Anderson Cancer Center revealed about cervical cancer that for many women their annual test isn’t something to cheer, but potentially can make a huge difference in the lives of women everywhere. The test finds cell changes, which may cause cervical cancer. If the changes are found/treated early, cervical cancer may be avoided. Dr. Andrea Milbourne, associate professor in Anderson’s Dept. of Gynecologic Oncology, notes six facts women should know about this test: Increased sexual activity = more need for the test; the human papilloma virus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer by changing normal cells in the cervix, and the vaccine is a supplement, not a replacement for the test; women should prepare for a test; a woman is never too old to get her test; a women can afford a test (1-800-4-Cancer), and before the test, cervical cancer was a leading cause of death in U.S. women.
IOWA CITY, IA - The Disability Law & Policy e-newsletter from the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University noted this: To help the blind experience something fun, scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology created software that can use color and shape, such as that of a fish, to create music. The software tracks the fish's movement using its speed and depth in the tank to vary the music in pitch and tempo. The scientists hope zoos and aquariums across the U.S. will use the invention and have spoken to the Tennessee Aquarium. They hope to bring the technology to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The Los Angeles Times noted an experimental cancer drug shrank prostate tumors dramatically and more than doubled survival in 70-80% of patients with aggressive cancers, British researchers reported. Although the study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology covered only 21 patients, the drug is being tested in more than 250 men with what appears to be similar results, experts said. "There’s a general sense in the prostate cancer community this agent is extremely promising and is very likely to have an important role in the management of prostate cancer patients," said Dr. Howard Sandler, a radiation oncologist at the University of Michigan, a spokesman for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Experts see the drug, abiraterone, to be widely available by 2011.
PHILADELPHIA - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers identified two new techniques to detect progression of Alzheimer’s disease earlier. By catching it before symptoms appear, physicians can prescribe treatments to slow down disease progression. In one study, scientists identified abnormal structural changes in the brains of seemingly normal elderly that indicated mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s. In a second study, they detected changes in cells that may help predict the transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s. The studies were presented at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Dr. Christos Davatzikos, professor of radiology at Penn’s School of Medicine, Dr. Susan Resnick, of the National Institute on Aging, and colleagues found brain deterioration in elderly adults classified as cognitively normal. They used a highly accurate measurement tool, based on MRI images from the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, to look at the MRI images of normal elderly and identify any remarkable structural changes.
IOWA CITY, IA - The Disability Law & Policy e-newsletter from the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University disclosed that in Whales, a driver denied a woman using a wheelchair entry to a bus. The driver feared the electric wheelchair battery could explode. Although a company policy permits riders to bring aboard any wheelchair fitting safely into the designated space, the driver excluded Elaine Powell and her 13-year-old son. Ms. Powell has used a wheelchair following a stroke nine years ago, and has attempted to work with organizations to improve accessibility. She intends to pursue a legal remedy for discrimination. The company notes spending for accessibility is ahead of government mandated schedule and is investigating the incident.
LONDON - Epileptics appear to have a much higher risk of drowning versus non- epileptics, states a study in the journal Neurology. Previous studies showed a higher risk most likely due to seizures; this study shows how high the risk may be. For the study, researchers compiled data from 50 studies of epileptics worldwide and followed participants for more than 200,000 patient-years. They looked at population data and national registries to check how many drowning deaths occur: 88 epileptics died by drowning; 4.7 deaths by drowning would have been expected if rates in the general population applied. The study found epileptics had a 15-19 times higher risk of drowning versus the general population. That risk was highest for epileptics and a learning disability, those in institutional care, and those with brain surgery but who weren’t all free of seizures. "It’s important that epileptics and their caregivers take steps to prevent these tragedies," said study author Dr. Ley Sander, of the University College London Institute of Neurology. "People with active epilepsy should shower instead of bathe, take medication regularly to control seizures, and should have direct supervision when swimming," he said.
BOSTON - A drug therapy appears to reduce lung function loss in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 42 countries shows. Toward a Revolution in COPD Health (TORCH) studied the effects of combined salmetero and fluticasone propiniate, either alone or combined, on mortality, exacerbations, health-related quality of life, and rate of decline in lung function as measure by forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in patients with COPD. The results were in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Pharmacotherapy with salmeterol plus fluticasone propionate, or the components, reduces the rate of decline on FEV1 in patients with moderate to severe COPD, slowing disease progression," wrote Dr. Bartolome R. Celli, lead author of the study and professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. "To date, smoking cessation is the only intervention that has been shown conclusively to alter the rate of decline in FEV1," said Dr. Celli.
CHICAGO - COSMOS magazine and the journal Science disclosed gestures by parents as they speak may help to explain wealth-linked disparities in a child's later verbal abilities, notes a University of Chicago study. Gestures appear to boost the use of gestures in their children, and these differences can be seen at 14 months, says Susan Goldin-Meadow, a psychologist at the university. "Gesturing may change children's minds [and the ways they learn] by encouraging them to move their hands in meaningful ways," said Goldin-Meadow, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's meeting. According to her team, parents of higher socioeconomic status tend to use more gestures as they speak to babies and toddlers, possibly leading to better communication skills as their kids develop. The study suggests gestures may encourage learning by helping kids attach names to objects. "If a child points at something and mom says, 'That's a glass,' it's creating a learning environment," said Goldin-Meadow. "Gestures are different from vocabulary because you can use what's at hand when you don't have that word."
DAVIS, CA - New Scientist magazine noted prosthetic limbs design has taken huge strides - sometimes literally. Modern prosthetics use "mechatronic" elements borrowed from robotics to ensure they’re almost fully functional replacements for missing body parts. Sometimes, they’re controlled directly by the wearers' brains. Internal prosthetics, like those used to reconstruct injured faces, have yet to include such advanced features, and tend to be awkward and unrealistic. Surgeons Craig Senders and Travis Tollefson, of the University of California, plan to change that by using artificial polymer muscles to reanimate facial features of those suffering severe paralysis. "The face is an area where natural appearing active prosthetics would be particularly welcome," they wrote in a patent application. They believe their approach provides a solution, and report having tested it successfully on cadavers. The most detailed example in the patent forms describes how the artificial muscles could help people regain control over partially or fully paralyzed eyelids, after suffering spinal injuries or nervous disorders like Bell's palsy.