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APIC Launches Online Infection Prevention Course
The first of six online courses to educate healthcare professionals on preventing the transmission of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is being launched by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause 99,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
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Washington Post Examines Focus On Abortions Later In Pregnancy After Tiller Murder
The Washington Post on Friday examined the renewed attention on abortion procedures performed later in pregnancy following Kansas provider George Tiller"s shooting death on Sunday. Tiller was one of the few physicians in the U.S. who performed late abortions. The Post reports that these abortions make up a small portion of the 1.2 million abortions performed each year -- more than 88% of abortions are performed in the first trimester and less than 1% are performed after 21 weeks" gestation. Data published in 2001 from 15 states and New York City show that as many as 2,400 abortions after 24 weeks" gestation were performed in the U.S. that year, according to Stanley Henshaw, a senior fellow at the Guttmacher Institute. He added that most of those abortions likely were performed in the 25th or 26th week.Henshaw said that little is known about the circumstances surrounding third trimester abortion procedures and that "information just isn"t available." The government does not collect detailed data regarding the number of such procedures, who is performing them and under what circumstances. In addition, abortion providers who perform the procedure later in pregnancy supply very little published information, the Post reports. According to the Post, most abortion providers will not perform the procedure after 22 or 24 weeks" gestation because of legal and other concerns, social stigma, or inadequate training and lack of experience. A 2001 survey of 1,819 abortion providers indicated that 18 clinics and 12 hospitals performed abortions at 26 weeks" gestation. However, the Post reports that the number of providers offering abortions later in pregnancy likely has declined in correlation with the decreasing number of overall providers. Henshaw said the number of providers offering the procedure later in pregnancy also likely has declined.Abortion-rights supporters say that third-trimester abortions are performed only when medically necessary, such as when a fatal abnormality is detected in the fetus or a life-threatening complication in the woman is discovered. Other circumstances include cases when the woman suffers serious emotional issues or is undergoing cancer treatment, the Post reports. Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said that women who experience such pregnancies have "no good choice" and "nee[d] to terminate their pregnancies to protect their own health." Tiller "provided both the emotional and physical care for women in that situation," she said (Stein, Washington Post, 6/5).Los Angeles Times Profiles Abortion Provider Hern The Los Angeles Times on Friday profiled Warren Hern, a Colorado-based abortion provider who performs the procedure later in pregnancy and was a close friend of Tiller"s. Hern has provided abortions since 1973 when the Supreme Court legalized the procedure with Roe v. Wade. He said he "felt doing abortions was the most important thing I could do with my life." Hern opened the Boulder Abortion Clinic in 1975, and in the 1980s authored and self-published a textbook, Abortion Practice. He said that he eventually began to focus on abortion procedures later in pregnancy, which currently make up the majority of his practice. Such abortions usually are performed because of medical complications in the woman or abnormalities in the fetus. Patients at Hern"s clinic receive counseling to explain the procedure and to ensure the woman wants it, although he said many women have already made their decision with their own physician. Hern said that although Tiller"s death has been an emotional situation, his clinic is "pretty busy taking care of people who said they couldn"t find anyone else" to perform abortions later in pregnancy (Correll, Los Angeles Times, 6/5).Bond Set for Tiller Shooting Suspect Sedgwick County, Kan., District Judge Warren Wilbert on Thursday set a $5 million bond for Scott Roeder, the man charged with shooting and killing Tiller, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. A preliminary hearing for Roeder is scheduled for June 16. If convicted, Roeder face
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Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery Article Describes Design Of Glycomimetic Compounds And Newly "Druggable" Disease Targets
GlycoMimetics, Inc. announced the publication of an article in Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery describing how novel small molecule compounds that mimic carbohydrates can be successfully designed and optimized to treat cancer, inflammatory disorders and other diseases.
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Bayer Presents Positive Phase II Data With Florbetaben Potential To Visualize Beta-Amyloid Plaques In Patients With Alzheimer's Disease

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, has presented positive data on a global Phase II study with the novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer florbetaben (BAY 94-9172) at the International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD) in Vienna, Austria. This study showed that patients with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer÷´s disease could be differentiated from age-matched healthy volunteers (HVs) on the basis of florbetaben uptake pattern in the brain. Until now, the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer÷´s disease (AD) with current methods such as cognitive tests is still limited. Currently, a definite diagnosis of Alzheimer÷´s disease is only possible post mortem. The results of this study showed PET images with a high specificity of over 90 percent: More than 90 percent of the HVs had a negative florbetaben scan (i.e. no tracer uptake) in the relevant brain regions. The results also show a sensitivity of approximately 80 percent indicated by the clinical diagnosis, meaning that about 80 percent of the clinically suspected Alzheimer patients had positive florbetaben scans indicating the presence of beta-Amyloid plaques. This is in line with the results of studies comparing the clinical diagnosis with the definite post mortem histopathological diagnosis. "The data underline the potential of florbetaben as an important visual adjunct to existing clinical parameters in the diagnosis of dementia," said Kemal Malik, MD, member of the Board of Management and Head of Global Development at Bayer Schering Pharma AG. "There is a high medical need for an easy, non-invasive imaging technique that supports an early and precise diagnosis of dementia and especially of Alzheimer"s disease, allowing for optimized care and treatment options." With the development of florbetaben, Bayer Schering Pharma wants to contribute to diagnose AD in the future more precisely and at an earlier time during the course of the disease. In the blinded read of the images a high interreader agreement rate between three independent readers was observed. This indicates that the scans with the beta-Amyloid targeted PET tracer florbetaben are easy to visually assess and that this assessment is highly reproducible. Additional Phase II and pivotal Phase III global studies are under preparation to validate the potential shown by florbetaben in this Phase II setting. Start of the Phase III program is planned for end of 2009. About the Phase II Study This global Phase II, open-label, non randomized, multi-center study aims to evaluate the efficacy of florbetaben PET in vivo imaging in the detection/exclusion of cerebral beta-Amyloid plaques in patients with mild-to-moderate, probable AD (older than 55 years of age) compared with age-matched healthy volunteers. A total of 18 study centers in four countries (Australia, Germany, USA, and Switzerland) screened 213 individuals of whom 150 individuals were imaged with florbetaben receiving a single intravenous injection of the tracer. Reliable, high-quality images were obtained across multiple centers and camera types over a long time span. A 20-minute scan in this study provided optimal image quality. The florbetaben uptake pattern was visually assessed for all time points by three independent, nuclear medicine physicians blinded to the clinical diagnosis and all other clinical data. The co-primary efficacy variables were the sensitivity and specificity of the independent, blinded visual assessment of the images. As a secondary endpoint, the standard uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were also calculated using the cerebellar cortex as a reference region. The clinical diagnosis of AD served as the standard of truth, and was performed by the referring clinicians and based on internationally accepted and validated clinical criteria. The HVs were also carefully examined to include only those with a total lack of cognitive impairment. In addition, safety parameters were evaluated and various technical parameters assessed to define the optimal imaging procedure for further development (e.g. optimal imaging time points). About Florbetaben (18 F) Florbetaben is an inlicensed 18F-labeled PET tracer that specifically binds to beta-Amyloid plaques. These plaques consist of proteins that accumulate in the brain and are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer"s disease. As the aggregation of the beta-Amyloid protein in the brain is also a key target for new therapeutic treatments under development, florbetaben might also be able to support the development of these new treatment approaches. About Alzheimer"s Disease Alzheimer"s disease (AD) is a devastating neuro-degenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia. Most cases of Alzheimer"s disease affect people over the age of 60. It is a progressive disease that can lead to premature death. In 2006, estimates suggested that more than 26 million people worldwide were suffering from Alzheimer"s disease. By 2050, this number could reach more than 100 million. At present there is no cure for Alzheimer"s disease, but treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of people living with Alzheimer"s. Bayer HealthCare


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