Non-Caucasian patients seeking medical care for primary biliary cirrhosis have more severe liver disease compared to Caucasian patients, a new study has found. The reasons for this disparity are not clear, say the authors. These findings are in the September issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The article is also available online at Wiley Interscience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/hepatology).

Primary biliary cirrhosis is an uncommon liver disease that typically afflicts Caucasian women between ages 30 and 60, so there is little data available on how it affects non-Caucasian patients. To shed light on this topic, researchers led by Marion Peters of the University of California in San Francisco set out to examine differences in disease severity among patients of various racial and ethnic groups.

They studied 535 individuals with primary biliar

Opponents of the Montgomery County, Md., sex education curriculum on Tuesday filed an appeal in Montgomery County Circuit Court requesting that the lessons not be taught, the Washington Post reports (de Vise, Washington Post, 9/5). The curriculum, approved first as a pilot program by the Montgomery Board of Education in January, teaches eighth- and 10th-grade students about sexual- and gender-identity issues and includes a condom demonstration video. Only students whose parents have provided written consent can participate in the lessons. The curriculum was tested at six schools in the spring.

The groups Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, Family Leader Network and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays on Feb. 7 filed a petition against implementation of the curriculum with the Maryland State Board of Education. The state education board in June in a closed session approved the curriculum. The state board in a 17-page opinion declined to "second guess the appropriatene

Non-Caucasian patients seeking medical care for primary biliary cirrhosis have more severe liver disease compared to Caucasian patients, a new study has found. The reasons for this disparity are not clear, say the authors. These findings are in the September issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The article is also available online at Wiley Interscience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/hepatology).

Primary biliary cirrhosis is an uncommon liver disease that typically afflicts Caucasian women between ages 30 and 60, so there is little data available on how it affects non-Caucasian patients. To shed light on this topic, researchers led by Marion Peters of the University of California in San Francisco set out to examine differences in disease severity among patients of various racial and ethnic groups.

They studied 535 individuals with primary biliar

Extending opening hours could penalise the most needy patients, the BMA says. Responding to the Health Secretary's statement that he wants GPs to provide extended opening hours, Dr Laurence Buckman, Chairman of the BMA's General Practitioners Committee, says:

"If practices were to operate routine surgeries over extended hours then other NHS services would need to be open too. Laboratories would need to be open to make sure patient samples can be dealt with quickly without having to ask the patient to return for another appointment, for example to give a blood sample. Hospital out-patients and X-Ray tests and other services which work with primary care would have to be available too. GPs do not operate on their own and they would also need their surgeries staffed and supported.

"All this will cost a lot of money, never mind the fact that there may not be enough GPs and other NHS staff to actually provide such a service. The shortage of GPs continues to be a serio

TYSABRI is a treatment approved for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the US and relapsing-remitting MS in the European Union. According to data that have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, after two years, TYSABRI treatment led to a 68% relative reduction (p<0.001) in the annualised relapse rate compared to placebo and reduced the relative risk of disability progression by 54% (p<0.001).3

TYSABRI use has been associated with an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), an opportunistic viral infection of the brain that usually leads to death or severe disability. Other serious adverse events that have occurred in TYSABRI-treated patients included hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis) and infections. Serious opportunistic and other atypical infections have been observed in TYSABRI-treated patients, some of whom were receiving concurrent immunosuppressants in MS trials. Herpes infections were slightly mo

Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) welcome the recent announcement by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) advising the use of TYSABRI® (natalizumab) in people with highly active relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).1

In view of evidence supporting the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of TYSABRI, all NHS Health Boards in Scotland are now obliged to consider the SMC's advice and ensure that TYSABRI is made available to meet patient's clinical needs.

Similar positive guidance on TYSABRI was issued in England by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in August 2007.
<DIV><BR><BR>(PCOs) have had the ability under the new contract to negotiate with GPs to establish Local Enhanced Services (LES) so GPs could provide extra services for local people. Very few PCOs have chosen to use their resources in this way, but some have reached agreement on Saturday or evening openin

The Indian Parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare recently released a report urging the government to provide HIV-positive people who have developed resistance to first-line antiretroviral drugs with access to second-line antiretrovirals, the Statesman reports (Statesman, 9/4).

National AIDS Control Organization Director-General Sujatha Rao in April said the second-line drugs, which can cost 12 times as much as some older drugs, will be provided after NACO meets its goal of providing first-line antiretroviral treatment to 100,000 people in the country. According to Rao, the government in April was providing about 67,000 people with access to first-line drugs, and between 3,000 and 4,000 new people are added to the program monthly. She added that based on these numbers, NACO could meet the 100,000 treatment target by December 2007. Second-line antiretrovirals cost $239 per person monthly, compared with $239 per person annually for first-line medications

The research also indicated that both male and female doctors were prone to search for more psychological explanations for a woman's health problems. Both male and female doctors noted more psychological cues for women patients (1.7 on average) than for men (1.4), which means they could be viewing women stereotypically as being more prone to psychological impacts on their health rather than focusing on their physiological issues.

There is a serious disparity in the early detection of coronary heart disease (CHD) between men and women. Twice as many women as men aged 45-64 have undetected or "silent" myocardial infarctions, suggesting a general diagnosis problem. New research by Warwick Medical School shows that a doctor's gender may hinder early diagnosis of heart disease in women.

The researchers, led by Dr Ann Adams of Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, used data from a large UK/US study to analyse the decision-making processes of 112 primary care doctors (56 from the US and 56 English) split equally male/female. The doctors were shown videotapes of actors portraying patients with CHD. The patient actors, aged 55 years and 75 years, presented case histories that all contained a high number of the most significant symptoms that are universally recognized as being strongly suggestive of CHD. Despite the fact that all the patients gave case histories that should have resulted in a c

(PCOs) have had the ability under the new contract to negotiate with GPs to establish Local Enhanced Services (LES) so GPs could provide extra services for local people. Very few PCOs have chosen to use their resources in this way, but some have reached agreement on Saturday or evening opening with local practices.&amp;lt;BR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;BR&amp;gt;"The BMA's GPs Committee (GPC) is willing to talk to the Secretary of State to discuss all these issues and to see if there is a way forward. It is not helpful for the Department of Health to continue to criticise GPs without explaining to the public the consequences of government proposals. The Government has not approached the BMA for these talks and made no attempt to engage with us on this matter.