According to a new report based on a government survey in 2007, in the previous 12 months Americans had spent a total of $33.9 billion out of their own pockets on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

The report was compiled by Dr Richard L. Nahin of the National Institutes of Healths National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and colleagues and was published in the 30 July issue of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Health Statistic Report.

For the purpose of the report, CAM was defined as a diverse group of medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine for instance herbal supplements, chiropractic, acupuncture and meditation.

According to sources cited by a recent National Institutes of Health press release, CAM accounts for around 1.5 per cent of the $2.2 trillion that the US spends on healthcare every year, and around 11.2 per cent of outofpocket expenditures (where people pay for it themselves as opposed to the state or insurance scheme).

For the report, Nahin and colleagues used data from the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Supplement of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is conducted by the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics.

The survey data came from 3,393 completed interviews with sample adults aged 18 years and over.

The authors used a statistical software package called SUDAAN to calculate estimates and standard errors. The package is designed to tackle the sample complexity of surveys like the NHIS so that the results are reprensentative of the US civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 18 years and over.

The results showed that in 2007Adults in the US spent a total of $33.9 billion out of pocket to visit CAM practitioners and buy CAM products, classes and materials.
Nearly twothirds of this total went on selfcare purchases of CAM products, classes and materials ($22.0 billion).
The remaining third ($11.9 billion) was spent on practitioner visits.
Despite the greater amount spent on selfcare therapies, 38.1 million adults made an estimated 354.2 million visits to CAM practitioners.
About three quarters of the total number of CAM practitioner visits and out of pocket expenditure on CAM practitioners was linked to manipulative and bodybased therapies.
44 per cent of the total out of pocket expenditure on CAM (about $14.8 billion) was spent on nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products.To put these figures in to context, £14.8 billion spent on spent on nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural CAM products is about one third of the total out of pocket expenditure spent on prescription medicine. And the $11.9 billion spent on seeing CAM practitioners is about one quarter of the total out of pocket expenditure spent on visiting “conventional” physicians.

Nahin, who is acting director of NCCAMs Division of Extramural Research, told the media that

“These data indicate that the US public makes millions of visits to CAM providers each year and spends billions of dollars for these services, as well as for selfcare forms of CAM.”

“While these expenditures represent just a small fraction of total health care spending in the United States, they constitute a substantial part of outofpocket health care costs,” he added.

While there is no previous exact survey with which comparisons can be made, the authors did discuss how these results compare with a broadly similar survey covering much the same set of CAM therapies that was done about 10 years ago by DM Eisenberg and colleagues and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998.

The greatest contrast between the surveys appears to be that Americans today spend most of their out of pocket total CAM expenditure on selfcare products, classes and materials than on consulting practitioners, whereas 10 years ago it was the other way around

“The present observation that about twothirds of CAM costs were associated with selfcare therapies contrasts with the findings of Eisenberg et al, who reported that the majority of CAM costs resulted from consultations with healthcare professionals offering CAM services,” wrote the authors.

“Costs of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Frequency of Visits to CAM Practitioners United States, 2007.”
Richard L. Nahin, Patricia M. Barnes, Barbara J. Stussman, and Barbara Bloom.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
National Health Statistic Report, Number 18, July 30, 2009 (PDF download).

Additional source NIH/National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Today there are an estimated 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimers disease. Although the majority of Alzheimer cases are individuals age 65 and older, there is still a significant number of individuals under age 65 impacted by this fatal disease that today has no cure. For people under age 65 with Alzheimers disease or a related dementia, their cognitive impairment can quickly reach a point where they can no longer maintain gainful employment. The Alzheimers Association applauds the Social Security Administration (SSA) for holding a hearing today to examine whether these individuals with youngeronset Alzheimers disease or related dementias should be included in its Compassionate Allowances Initiative.

“Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative dementias are progressive and currently there arent any effective treatments to delay onset or progression. These individuals affected are unable to work and eventually they get Social Security disability sometimes after a long, difficult process and many appeals,” says Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimers Association. “Through the Compassionate Allowances process, Social Security can avoid the extra costs to the agency of numerous appeals and families can avoid the financial and emotional toll of going through a long decision process.”

Under the Compassionate Allowances initiative, there is a recognized class of medical conditions and diseases that are severely debilitating or lifethreatening which prevent individuals from being able to work for at least 12 months. Social Securitys proactive efforts to “fast track” certain conditions will help to reduce the backlog of disability claims and, more importantly, ensure those claims that fall under this initiative will be decided within days instead of months or years.

Currently, many people with youngeronset Alzheimers or other dementias face multiple challenges when applying for Social Security Disability benefits (SSDI), including a long decision process and multiple appeals. If the SSA decides to include Alzheimers disease on the list of “Compassionate Allowances” conditions, it would simplify and streamline the SSDI application process and decrease the wait time for benefits. It would also ensure individuals with youngeronset Alzheimers and related dementias would not have to endure the associated unnecessary, emotionally and financially draining effects of having to wait an extended period of time for a disability determination

“The very diagnosis of Alzheimers indicates significant enough cognitive impairment to interfere with daily living activities, including the ability to work,” says Johns.

The Alzheimers Association believes todays Social Security hearing is a significant step in considering individuals with youngeronset Alzheimers and related dementias for the Compassionate Allowance list. It provides an opportunity for individuals with Alzheimers to testify and share their personal experience navigating the Social Security disability process before Social Security officials. The Alzheimers Association remains committed to working with the agency to ensure the needs of individuals with dementia related illnesses continue to be considered and included.

Source

QuatRx Pharmaceuticals Company, a privatelyheld biopharmaceutical company, announced positive topline efficacy results from the first of two patient cohorts in its second pivotal Phase 3 trial of the investigational compound, Ophena(TM) (ospemifene tablets), for the treatment of postmenopausal vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA). The Company has also successfully completed two long term safety extension studies from its first pivotal Phase 3 studies. QuatRx intends to use these results in support of a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2010 seeking approval for Ophena(TM), a new SERM (selective estrogen receptor modulator) for the treatment of the symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy. Ophena(TM) is the only nonestrogen therapy currently in latestage development for the treatment of vaginal symptoms associated with menopause.

“We are delighted with the progress in our Phase 3 program of Ophena(TM), which provides further evidence of the potential of Ophena(TM) as a firstinclass nonestrogen drug for the treatment of vaginal atrophy, a highly prevalent and symptomatic condition” said Robert L. Zerbe, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of QuatRx. “These new efficacy data confirm results seen in our first phase 3 pivotal study and are an important milestone towards our planned NDA submission.”

This second Phase 3 study of Ophena(TM) is a randomized, doubleblind, placebocontrolled trial of 919 patients with vulvovaginal atrophy conducted at 116 sites in the United States. Patients were stratified into two cohorts based on their most bothersome moderate to severe vaginal atrophy symptom either vaginal dryness or dyspareunia (sexual pain). The results announced focus on the cohort of 314 patients from this study identifying vaginal dryness as their most bothersome symptom. The positive efficacy results in this cohort, achieved in all four coprimary endpoints, confirm the results seen in the first pivotal Phase 3 trial of Ophena(TM). The results also demonstrate that Ophena(TM) was welltolerated. A second cohort of the study, consisting of 605 patients with the most bothersome moderate to severe vaginal atrophy symptom of dyspareunia, is fully enrolled and will report out in late summer of this year.

The latest results showed statistically significant changes from baseline to week 12 compared to placebo in four coprimary endpoints the percentages of both parabasal cells and superficial cells in the vaginal maturation index, changes in vaginal pH (all p

Researchers have identified MEK4 as a proinvasion protein and the target for genistein, a dietary compound, in prostate cancer cells, according to a new study published online July 28 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Li Xu, M.D., Ph.D., and Raymond C. Bergan, M.D., of the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues investigated the target for genistein in prostate cancer cells by assessing cell invasion and gene and protein expression of mitogenactivated protein kinase 4 (MEK4) and matrix metalloproteinase2 (MMP2), which is associated with cell invasion.

Overexpression of MEK4 increased MMP2 expression and cell invasion in prostate cancer cells; decreased MEK4 expression had the opposite effect. Computer modeling showed that genistein could bind to the active site of MEK4, and an enzymatic assay showed that genistein inhibited MEK4 kinase activity. The MMP2 transcript level was statistically significantly higher in normal prostate epithelial cells, which are target cells for chemoprevention, from untreated patients with prostate cancer than from genisteintreated patients.

“Thus, we have shown that it is possible to target motilityassociated processes with genistein in patients with prostate cancer, have identified MEK4 as the therapeutic target for genistein in all six prostate cell lines examined, and have provided a possible mechanism to link high dietary consumption of genisteincontaining foods with lower rates of prostate cancer metastasis and mortality,” the authors write.

Source
Steve Graff

In an effort to improve worker health, researchers from Michigan State University and Portland State University have created an innovative training program that calls for supervisors to better support their employees work and family demands.

The scientificbased program is featured in the upcoming August edition of the Journal of Management.

The researchers also have been awarded a $4.1 million federal grant to refine and expand the program. The grant is part of a $30 million initiative of the Work, Family and Health Network jointly funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examining how company policies affect the health and wellbeing of employees and their families.

MSUs Ellen Ernst Kossek, who created the training program with Portland States Leslie Hammer, said the research is timely given the nations current economic crisis.

“Businesses are searching for new ways to manage in a tough economy,” said Kossek, University Distinguished Professor in MSUs School of Labor and Industrial Relations. “Our study shows that just teaching managers to be more supportive can have cost savings for turnover and lower stress, which affects the bottom line.”

Most previous research on supervisory support has focused on general measures of emotional support as opposed to specific behaviors by the boss. The new training program outlines four detailed measures for supervisors Emotional support, which is focused on perceptions that workers are being cared for and their feelings are being considered. This includes talking to workers and being aware of their family and personal life commitments.

Rolemodeling behaviors, in which supervisors, in a mentoring role, provide examples of strategies and behaviors for employees intended to lead to desirable worklife outcomes.

Instrumental support, which is reactive and pertains to supervisor support as he or she responds to employees daytoday needs such as scheduling requests for flexibility.

Creative workfamily management, which is more proactive and strategic than instrumental support and can involve major changes in the time, place and way that work is done. One example involves dealing with workfamily demands in the total work group setting by offering crosstraining within and between departments. Ultimately, the researchers say, todays managers and employers need examples of how they can change supervision and cultures to meet the changing needs and demographics of the work force. The new program helps begin this path by providing specific supervisor behaviors that offer more family supportive interactions with employees.

“Managing in a more supportive way that recognizes how important flexibility is to todays work force is a winwin economic proposition that benefits employers, workers and families,” Kossek said. “Employees no longer leave their family needs at the company doorstep.”

Source
Ellen Kossek

The following summarizes selected womens healthrelated blog entries.

~ “Democratic Bill Could Be a Preview of Obamas Abortion Plan,” Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Reports “God and Country” A recently introduced bill aimed at reducing the need for abortion is “big news because moderate to liberal faithbased advocates are urging the White House to adopt the bill … as the core of its forthcoming common ground plan on abortion and reproductive health,” Gilgoff writes. Some conservative religious groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “have warned the White House” that the bill is a “deal breaker” for them because of its support for comprehensive sex education and contraception, he writes. The White House “has refused to say which way its leaning,” Gilgoff writes, adding the Obama administration could “buck” the groups that support the bill and “get behind” the Pregnant Women Support Act, “which is generally considered more robust on reducing demand for abortions and which leaves out contraceptive funding.” However, he concludes, “that would be a pretty big surprise” (Gilgoff, “God and Country,” U.S. News & World Report, 7/23).

~ “New Report Abortion Providers = American Human Rights Defenders, Now Under Increasing Attack,” Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check A new Center for Reproductive Rights report “calls on both the federal and state governments to address the growing threats against and stigmatization and abuse of abortion providers throughout the United States,” Jacobson writes. The report “focuses on a key obstacle to the realization of womens reproductive rights … and recognizes their work as human rights defenders,” she writes, adding that the U.S. has “historically been a leader both in creating and in encouraging accountability to human rights principles throughout the world.” However, “[a]ccess to reproductive health care generally and abortion care specifically are basic human rights largely ignored within the context of U.S. domestic politics,” Jacobson writes, noting that abortion access in the U.S. “has been increasingly limited due to the range of obstacles created through antichoice advocacy.” The report highlights several “types of rights violations [that] are most pervasive in limiting womens choices and the rights of abortion providers,” including “intimidation and harassment,” “stigma” and “legal restrictions.” The report makes a “series of recommendations for change at the state and local level for changes in policy and in law enforcement practices, as well as for the federal government, medical community and nongovernmental organizations,” Jacobson concludes, adding that the report “makes a special plea for the United Nations Special Rapporteur to document violations of womens human rights in the United States” (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 7/22).

~ “Sixteen Governors Call on Congress To Include Medicaid Family Planning State Option in Health Reform,” Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check “Sixteen governors have written a letter to both Senate and House Leadership expressing strong support for the Medicaid Family Planning State Option,” which is included in President Obamas fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, Jacobson writes. The governors wrote, “Many of our states have created family planning expansion programs, though we have done so with great difficulty,” adding, “Since the early 1990s, 27 states have been granted federal waivers to expand their Medicaid family planning coverage. These demonstration projects have been unqualified successes, providing care to millions of women while saving states [millions] of dollars.” Jacobson continues, “The current Medicaid waiver process, however, puts unnecessary roadblocks in the way of our efforts to maintain and expand coverage for family planning services,” according to the governors. She adds, “Passing this law as part of health care reform would give us the needed flexibility to quickly and efficiently expand coverage for this basic preventive health care under Medicaid,” the letter says (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 7/23).

~ “Hows That Common Ground Going?” Frances Kissling, Salons Broadsheet “After four years of behindthescenes negotiating, prochoice groups turned out in full force” behind Reps. Tim Ryan (DOhio) and Rosa DeLauro (DConn.) on Thursday to announce the latest version of a bill aimed at reducing the need for abortion, Kissling writes. She adds that the “bill is bound to get good media coverage, as it fits nicely with the presidents cant we all get along plea for common ground on abortion.” According to Kissling, “[a]pparently everyone could not get along, and the task of lining up supporters for the bill … was a bruising experience” for the people crafting the measure. “Prolifers were disappointed that contraception was included,” and “[p]rochoicers were concerned the language of the bill sent an abortion is bad message,” she writes, adding, “It was a bitter pill for both sides to swallow, though, so far, no one has choked.” Kissling continues, “Frankly, its the kind of bill that should have been passed 20 years ago what a shame that for women to get what they need, it must be framed in terms of reducing the need for abortion.” She writes, “Whether all this represents common ground is debatable, but it clearly represents renewed public attention on abortion, which is under attack by antichoice members of Congress in the health care reform package,” concluding, “Lets keep talking” (Kissling, “Broadsheet,” Salon, 7/23).

~ “Want Insurance To Cover Your Reproductive Health Care? White House Advisor Tells Grassroots Its Time To Bring It,” Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check “Want your basic reproductive health services covered under health reform? Want to keep the coverage for reproductive health care, contraception and abortion care you already have? Want to ensure that you, your mother, daughter, sister, friends, neighbors and the millions of women in the United States living without health insurance get coverage for primary reproductive health care once Congress gets through serving up sausage for your health benefits?,” Jacobson asks, adding, “Then its time for women to bring it and get back into campaign mode.” Jacobson quotes Tina Tchen director of the White House Office of Public Engagement who addressed the 2009 Planned Parenthood Organizing and Policy Summit last week. According to Jacobson, Tchen “provided participants with a status update on health care reform and reiterated the Obama administrations commitment to womens health” and “reminded the group that they had elected a prochoice president” who has “publicly reaffirmed his support for a womans right to choose.” Jacobson also examines the hurdles that womens rights groups might face in their efforts to get insurers to provide coverage for reproductive health care, as well as the opposition to such efforts. She writes that “despite the evidence, the benefits and the clear public support for women to continue making their own medical decisions with their families and their doctors, and for full coverage of these services, antichoice activists and politicians continue to play the same political shell games with womens health and lives” (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 7/22).

~ “How To Win a Culture War,” Jim Wallis, Gods Politics The “biggest fear of those leading the culture war” against abortion rights is “common ground,” Wallis writes, noting, “Culture wars require a clash of incompatible ideologies; common ground acknowledges differences but finds practical shared goals.” Wallis continues that the “next casualty” in the culture wars “will be meaningful health care reform,” citing the current debate over abortion coverage by private insurance companies. “At this point in the debate, abortion should not become a wedge issue that could doom the chances of any legislation passing,” he writes, adding, “Any final legislation should make clear that no private insurance company will be mandated to pay for an abortion, nor should they be prohibited from paying for an abortion.” Such provisions “would maintain the current status quo and demonstrate how sensible common ground can bring people together,” Wallis writes. He also praises the RyanDeLauro bill, which aims to reduce the need for abortion by preventing unintended pregnancies. The bill “demonstrates how searching for common ground can lead to higher ground, in ways that both sides of the debate can embrace without compromising their core principles,” he writes, adding, “We have a great opportunity to advance our shared values and common goals at a crucial moment in our countrys history.” Wallis concludes that Sojourners “strongly support[s] this good and wise piece of legislation and applaud[s] the creative solutions it offers for real action” (Wallis, Gods Politics, 7/23).

AntiabortionRights Blog

~ “ProLife Leaders Unite To Fight Abortion Mandate in Health Care Reform,” David Brody, The Brody File Focus on the Familys James Dobson and the Family Research Councils Tony Perkins on Thursday led a “big prolife webcast devoted to trying to stop potential abortion coverage in any future health care reform bill,” Brody writes, adding, “Like the White House didnt have enough fires to put out on health care.” While President Obama “may have made some inroads with evangelicals” during the 2008 presidential campaign, “he may very well pay a steep price with religious voters” if abortion coverage is included in “any Obamaled health care plan,” Brody writes. He notes that he is “not talking just conservative evangelicals,” but is including “moderates and especially among Catholic voters.” Brody writes that the bills currently in Congress “do not specifically call for abortion coverage, but they also dont specifically exclude it either,” which “leaves the issue very murky and therefore prolifers are definitely skeptical” (Brody, The Brody File, 7/22).

Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Womens Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Womens Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

The U.S. Department of Energys Brookhaven National Laboratory and Hybridyne Imaging Technologies, Inc., of Toronto, Canada, have won a 2009 R&D 100 Award for developing a compact gamma camera for highresolution imaging of prostate cancer. The camera system, called ProxiScan, is a nuclear medical instrument that can localize cancer tissue in the prostate gland in detail at an early stage, which is important for the successful diagnosis and early treatment of the potentially deadly disease.

R&D Magazine gives R&D 100 Awards annually to the top 100 technological achievements of the year. Typically, these are innovations that transform basic science into useful products. The 2009 awards will be presented on November 12, in Orlando, Florida.

“The Department of Energys national laboratories are incubators of innovation, and Im proud they are being recognized once again for their remarkable work,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The cuttingedge research and development being done in our national labs is vital to maintaining Americas competitive edge, increasing our nations energy security, and protecting our environment. I want to thank this years winners for their work and congratulate them on this award.”

The common way to diagnose prostate cancer the second leading cancer among men, next to lung cancer is through a blood test that measures the levels of a protein produced by the prostate gland called prostatespecific antigen, or PSA. Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer, but with a high number of falsepositive detections. Often, then, men must have an invasive biopsy, normally guided by ultrasound imagery. Other methods for confirming a diagnosis of prostate cancer include conventional nuclear medical imaging techniques, such as positron emission spectroscopy and single photon emission computed tomography.

However, the current imaging methods have limitations. Benign and cancerous tumors cannot easily be distinguished by ultrasound, and fibrous tissues can be mistakenly identified as tumors if patients have had radiation treatment of the prostate previously. Traditional nuclear imaging systems produce lowerresolution images and are less efficient than Brookhavens compact digital camera. Also, the detectors in current systems are too large to be used in transrectal probes.

In contrast, the new cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)based gamma camera is small enough for transrectal prostate cancer diagnosis, after the patient is injected with a tracer radiopharmaceutical. The highresolution CZT detector is the cuttingedge technology that drives the novel system. Using this new technology, the working distance between the imaging system and the prostate gland is minimized, allowing urologists to obtain better images with a smaller amount of injected radioactive tracer, compared to conventional nuclear medical systems.

“This project has been a great opportunity to take gammaray detector technology originally developed for national security and apply it toward important societal goals in the area of cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said Ralph James, a senior physicist at Brookhaven who is the Laboratorys principal coinventor of the technology together with Brookhaven associate scientist Yonggang Cui.

Cui added, “The CZT material combines the best aspects of conventional nuclear imaging detectors while minimizing their weaknesses. Our experience in detector development and electronics design has been critical in delivering this high performance system in a very compact package at a competitive cost.”

Although the CZTbased system was designed to reveal prostate cancer, it can be modified for imaging other cancers, such as cervical, uterine, colorectal and breast cancers. It can also be optimized for surgical use as a probe to guide the removal of cancerous tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

CZT detectors have fostered the development of new instruments for measuring radiation. Numerous medical, industrial, scientific, environmental and homelandsecurity applications exist for this technology, including handheld instruments to reduce the trafficking of nuclear materials and portable field instruments for environmental monitoring and remediation.

The U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development has been the principal sponsor funding the development of CZT detectors, and Hybridyne Imaging Technologies funded the design and engineering of the new compact gamma camera. The inventors have 16 patents on the technology, ranging from detector design and fabrication to imaging. Brookhaven Science Associates, the company that manages Brookhaven Lab, has a patent pending on the advanced CZT detectors.

Source
Diane Greenberg

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (DCalif.) on Wednesday held a private meeting with antiabortionrights Democratic Reps. Mike Doyle (Pa.) and Tim Ryan (Ohio) in an attempt to quell pressure to exclude abortion coverage from the House health reform bill (HR 3200), Roll Call reports. Joined by abortionrights supporter Rep. Diana DeGette (DColo.) Pelosis “point person” on the Energy and Commerce Committee Pelosi attempted to broker areas of agreement on the issue, according to Roll Call. However, antiabortionrights Democrats contend that, beyond Wednesdays meeting, Pelosi has not responded to their concerns by making changes to the House bill (Bendery, Roll Call, 7/22).

The House bill does not mention abortion, but antiabortionrights critics of the measure say it could increase availability of the procedure by requiring health insurance plans to cover services and by providing government funding for subsidized plans, according to the Washington Post. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that decisions on specific benefits like abortion services should be “left to medical experts in the field,” such as a proposed advisory board that would make recommendations on minimum benefits that private insurers must offer. Ryan and a group of centrist Democrats have proposed an amendment that would neither require nor prohibit insurers from covering abortion services, as long as federal funding is not used. Their proposal also says that current state restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion services would remain in effect (Eggen/Stein, Washington Post, 7/23). Currently, private insurers are neither required nor forbidden to cover abortion services. The Hyde Amendment and other federal measures prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except in very limited cases. Some states use their own money to cover the procedure for lowincome women (Stein, Washington Post, 7/23).

Rep. Bart Stupak (DMich), cochair of the ProLife Caucus, said abortionrights supporters in the House “can continue to ignore us if they want, but at their peril.” He added that the bill should maintain current restrictions on federal funding for abortion. Stupak was among a group of Democrats who sent a letter to Pelosi in June threatening to oppose any health reform bill that does not explicitly forbid federal funding from being used for abortion services (Roll Call, 7/22).

The Post reports that the health care reform debate has “reignited” claims from antiabortionrights groups that President Obamas efforts to find common ground on abortionrelated policies are an attempt “to paper over … support for abortion rights with policies that will do little” to reduce the number of abortions.” Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said that Obama “says he wants to reduce abortions” but that “the actual policies that this administration is promoting will result in massive public subsidies for abortion and result in a massive increase in the number of abortions.” Abortionrights opponents plan to hold a rally Thursday against the House health reform bill, and Americans United for Life has demanded a meeting with the president to discuss the issue of abortion coverage in health reform.

Abortionrights groups and Democratic leaders say opponents allegations are exaggerated and an attempt to use the health reform debate to further restrict access to legal abortion services under private insurance plans. Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL ProChoice America, said, “This is the kind of divisiveness that the public has grown very tired of.”

The debate over covering abortion services comes as Ryan and abortionrights supporter Rep. Rosa DeLauro (DConn.) prepare to introduce a bill that aims to reduce the need for abortion by encouraging pregnancy prevention and increasing government support for young women with children. The bill has generated “an unusual array of supporters” including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL ProChoice America and evangelical leaders like Rev. Joel Hunter of Orlando because its cosponsors represent each side of the abortionrights debate, the Post reports (Eggen/Stein, Washington Post, 7/23).

Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Womens Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Womens Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

The New York Daily News profiled Paul Klotman, chair of the Samuel F. Bronfman Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who is “one of the worlds leading experts on the kidney diseases associated with HIV.” In the article, Klotman discussed the clinical details of HIVassociated nephropathy (HIVAN), including treatment, causes and symptoms. According to the Daily News, doctors estimate that two million to four million people of African heritage have HIVAN, including between 4 percent and 12 percent of blacks with HIV in the U.S. The article continues, “In recent years, doctors have made tremendous advances in their understanding of both HIV and its associated kidney disease.” Klotman said, “In thinking about a cure, we know now that we have to clean out the brain and the kidney. Those are things we have to know if we can ever achieve a cure for AIDS” (Charles, 7/22).

This information was reprinted from dailyreports.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily U.S. HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at dailyreports.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

New research indicates that screening children for symptoms of depression, the most common mental health disorder in the United States, can begin a lot earlier than previously thought, as early as the second grade.

A University of Washington study that followed nearly 1,000 children from the second to the eighth grades also found five distinct patterns for the way symptoms of depression develop among adolescents.

“Some children are reporting that they dont have as many friends, feel lonelier and are more anxious than their peers,” said James Mazza, a UW professor of educational psychology and lead author of the study. “They are telling us that they feel different from the typical happy golucky second grader.

“We can start to build a profile of childrens mental health in the second grade. This is important because children who are experiencing depression symptoms early on may be at great risk for mental health concerns during adolescence, based on other research studies. We want to reassure parents that everyone, including children, may feel sad or depressed once in a while, but that doesnt mean they will go on to develop depression. We are trying to understand how depression starts and evolves in childhood so that we can develop interventions to help children,” Mazza said.

The new study relied on annual self reports from the children as well as parental and teacher evaluations collected as part of the Raising Healthy Children study, a larger, longterm investigation looking at the development of healthy and problem behaviors among children at 10 suburban schools in the Pacific Northwest. The depression study used data from 511 boys and 440 girls, and 81 percent of the participants were white.

The study identified five patterns of depression symptoms, but 56 percent of the children showed no or very few symptoms of depression in the second grade.

The five patterns of depression symptoms the researchers found and the percentage of students in each group are Low stables 26 percent. These children showed none or very few signs of depression in the second grade and their rates didnt change over time through the eighth grade.

Low risers 30 percent. Children in this group also had no or few symptoms in the second grade, but the number went up by a small amount in subsequent years.

Mild stables 24 percent. This group had few symptoms and then went up by a small amount in subsequent years.

Moderate changers 11 percent. These children started out with a few more symptoms than the previous group and their number of symptoms rose through elementary school and then dropped in middle school.

Moderate risers 9 percent. This group started off with a similar number of symptoms as the moderate changers, however their symptoms did not decrease in middle school. The study identified different early depression risk factors for boys and girls. For boys, behavior and attention problems predicted membership in the different depression groups. For girls anxiety was an early risk factor. The research also reaffirmed previous findings showing gender differences in underlying depressive symptoms, with girls experiencing more symptoms than boys in the eighth grade

“Our children are our best resource in knowing what they are feeling inside. But it is also important to have multiple perspectives. Collecting assessments from parents, teachers and the child to identify children at early risk for depression is a good method for spotting those who may go on to have later mental health risks,” Mazza said.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the study, which was published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Coauthors are Charles Fleming, Kevin Haggerty and Richard Catalano of the UWs Social Development Research Group, a part of the School of Social Work, and Robert Abbott, of educational psychology.

Source
Joel Schwarz