Most testing for the U.S. drug industry's late-stage human trials is now done at sites outside the country, where results often can be obtained cheaper and faster, according to a study.
The study found that 13,521 of 24,206 sites being used in November 2007 for studies sponsored by the 20 largest U.S. drug makers were international, and that the number of countries conducting testing has doubled over the past 10 years. The study was published in Wednesday's New England Journal of Medicine.
The findings add to concerns about the ethical treatment of participants and the integrity of the research data produced in developing countries. Experts also say patients in developing countries may be taken advantage of because they are poorer and less familiar with the research process.
Inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis cause fatigue because white blood cells -- monocytes -- infiltrate the brain, Canadian researchers said.
Senior author Dr. Mark Swain of the University of Calgary and colleagues found that in mice with inflamed livers monocytes infiltrated the brain. These findings support previous research demonstrating the presence of immune cells in the brain following organ inflammation, challenging the long-held belief that the blood-brain barrier prevents immune cells from accessing the brain.
Premature birth occurs to more than half a million babies in the United States each year, often for reasons not yet understood. The earlier in pregnancy a baby is born, the more health problems it is likely to have. Babies who are born extremely preterm, prior to 28 weeks gestation, are at high risk for breathing problems, brain damage, and digestive problems in the first few days of life, but they are also at risk for a wide range of lifelong health challenges in the form of cerebral palsy, hearing and vision loss, and learning and developmental delays. There is also mounting evidence that babies born more than three months early face a much higher risk of developing autism compared to babies born full-term.
Another study has confirmed the link between abortion and subsequent premature births when a woman is pregnant again. Previous studies have substantiated the link and now new research involving more than one million births show abortion is responsible for elevating pre-term birth risk.
Dr. Manfred Voigt led the new study, published in the German medical magazine Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol late last year.
Social networking sites may be harmful to your health, an expert claims.
Dr. Aric Sigman says Web sites - such as Facebook and Myspace - are meant to easily connect people, strengthening and broadening social networks, but have had an adverse affect because they reduce levels of face-to-face contact.
Evidence suggests that the biological effects of minimal face-to-face social interaction could alter the way genes work, upset immune response, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance, reported the BBC News.
Dr. Sigman warns that this could increase the risk of serious health problems: cancer, strokes, heart disease, and dementia.
Comment: An
opposing viewpoint points out that correlation does not imply causation, and that the increased use of social networks may actually be a positive trend that helps people counteract the effects of their disconnected and busy lifestyles.
Would you like a stroke with your burger? People who live in neighbourhoods with numerous fast food outlets are more likely to suffer a stroke than those in neighbourhoods with fewer such outlets, according to a new study of one Texas city.
This doesn't necessarily mean that their burgers, French fries and fried chicken cause stroke, says Lewis Morgenstern, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who presented the study at the International Stroke Conference in San Diego, California. Rather, fast food could be an indicator for other factors that lead to poor health, such as lack of exercise or poor air quality.
Morgenstern's team recorded all 1,247 strokes that occurred in Nueces County, Texas between 2000 and mid-2003. The region is home to Corpus Christi, a city home to 280,000 people and 264 fast food restaurants. His team split the city into 64 neighbourhoods with roughly the same population, based on census data.
Some individuals are born heroes, scientists believe.
Research shows that the stress hormone cortisol can make the difference between being a hero or a coward.
Those who rise to the challenge do not experience the cortisol rush of those who fall to pieces when the going gets tough.
Researcher Deane Aikins said the findings could explain the cool head of Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who averted disaster by landing his plane on New York's Hudson River last month.
Comment: The results show that some are born heroes? On the contrary, the results could point to the existence of a sub-species within the human race that remains cool under stressful situations because it does not experience emotions:
psychopaths.
Republican senator Chuck Grassley has made it his mission to shake up the cosy relationship between doctors, researchers and the pharmaceutical industry. Now he is introducing legislation to force drugs companies to disclose the payments they make to doctors. He tells Jim Giles why he has chosen to be a troublemaker
Does it really matter that some academics and doctors "forget" to declare their income from drug companies?
The public relies on the advice of doctors and has a right to know about financial relationships between those doctors and the companies that make the pharmaceuticals they prescribe. The same goes for leading researchers, as they influence the practice of medicine. If the payments are transparent, I believe that people who have close connections with a company will be a little more cautious about the extent to which they push one drug over another. US taxpayers should also know as they spend billions of dollars on prescription drugs and devices through Medicare and Medicaid.
Last year, you made claims about a psychiatrist using grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test a drug. You alleged he had not properly disclosed the stock he held in the company that owned the drug - claims which he has denied and which his employer has cleared him of. Can you tell me about that?
I am not able to comment on the specifics of any cases. But I can say that my discovery of undisclosed financial relationships between drug companies and researchers has put pressure on the NIH. It's a trustee of $24 billion in federal grants each year. It needs to make sure that those receiving its grants manage conflicts of interest.
Increasingly,
we have become a nation of mindless eaters. Some federal scientists have been watching us, and particularly where we eat. Their observations, described in a
report issued last week, suggest that a substantial share of calorie consumption occurs as a "secondary" activity. Like snacking, or dining when our mind is focused on something else - usually watching TV or driving.
One tip to avoid overeating: Pay attention to what you consume. Listen to the body. When it's hungry, eat slowly (because satiety cues take a while to develop and register). And when the body says it's had enough, accept that. Put down the fork. Drop the cookie you were about to bite. Pitch out what remains in your beverage glass or soft-drink can.
While reading a novel, as the author describes the main character washing dishes or cooking dinner, we will often create a mental image of someone in the kitchen performing these tasks. Sometimes we may even imagine ourselves as the dishwasher or top chef in these scenarios. Why do we imagine these scenes differently - when do we view the action from an outsider's perspective and when do we place ourselves in the main character's shoes?
Psychologist Tad T. Brunye from the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) and Tufts University, along with Tali Ditman, Caroline R. Mahoney and Holly A. Taylor from Tufts University and Jason S. Augustyn from the US Army NSRDEC, investigated how pronouns can influence the way we imagine events being described.
Comment: An opposing viewpoint points out that correlation does not imply causation, and that the increased use of social networks may actually be a positive trend that helps people counteract the effects of their disconnected and busy lifestyles.