| Key Indicators For Quality Colonoscopy Identified
OAK BROOK, Ill., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Defining measurements and identifying quality standards in the delivery of colonoscopic care is a major priority for the nation's leading gastrointestinal endoscopic healthcare association. The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) recently identified objective measures related to colonoscopy. Using these guidelines and measurements, endoscopists can assess and improve their performance when delivering patient care. "Quality Indicators for Colonoscopy" was published as a supplement to the April 2006 issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, as part of a collection of quality indicators documents. "Setting quality standards for colonoscopy is a foremost concern for ASGE. These standards will assist in the fight to prevent colon cancer and for successful diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of digestive health conditions," said Gary W.
Genentech's Gamble
In the 12 years since Arthur D. Levinson took over as CEO of Genentech (DNA), the company has released seven new drugs, including three multibillion-dollar cancer treatments. But Wall Street types are still breathing down Levinson's neck, nagging him to come up with the next big idea. On Dec. 4, the pressure intensified when advisers to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration voted against approving Genentech's colon cancer drug, Avastin, for breast cancer. The company's stock plunged 10%. The need to innovate has led other pharmaceutical CEOs to hire consultants and craft new management strategies in a desperate effort to come up with more blockbusters. This approach irks the 57-year-old ex-biochemist. "I'm sick of the word 'innovation,'" he said earlier this year. As the drug industry grapples with patent expirations and a chronic lack of exciting drugs in the pipeline, Levinson faces a unique challenge—living up to his own track record.
THE WORLD FROM BERLIN
The escalation has reached a new level: now there is a united Ultra front -- one that has never been seen in Italy before -- against the 'enemy state.' And both sides have their own martyrs: hate and fear will always be present when the police and the hooligans face each other." "The state may have managed to make stadiums more secure, but the problem has just shifted to the areas around the stadiums. It is a sign of the deep failure on the part of the state and the football clubs that while the criminal Ultras have not been reined in, the normal fans feel the increasingly tough security measures are pushing them into the same boat. Italy may be the world champion, but it looks like its football could become a ghost sport played in empty stadiums." The conservative daily Die Welt writes: "Italy likes to call itself the bel paese, the beautiful country....
Drug study for brain cancer shows promising results
DETROIT � A clinical study conducted at Henry Ford Hospital on the use of a drug to extend the survival of patients with the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, has yielded results that were significantly better than expected. The randomized Phase II study focused on patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), whose cancer had recurred after first- or second-line therapy. The study revealed that more than a third who were treated with Avastin (bevacizumab) alone, as well as more than half of those treated with Avastin in combination with the chemotherapy drug irinotecan, lived without further progression of the disease for a period of six months. In addition, no new or unexpected adverse effects from the use of Avastin were observed during the study. �This is very encouraging news,� says Tom Mikkelsen, M.D., a neuro-oncologist who is the study�s principal investigator at Henry Ford and co-director of the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center.
Women's Re-entry Center offers transitional program
BANGOR, Maine — The Women's Re-entry Center looks more like a college dorm than a prison block. There are no locks on the doors to most rooms and no bars on the windows. The inmates wear their own clothes rather than the identical garb issued by the Maine Department of Corrections. They cook their own meals and do their own laundry and other chores. The inmates also must participate in job-readiness sessions, empowerment programs and other classes. The 10 women who are the first to live in the center that eventually will house up to 38 agreed they feel "almost human" since moving onto the third floor of a red brick building at the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center on Nov. 13. They also believe the transitional program housed at the former Bangor Mental Health Institute will help them move back into the community and enable them to stay out of jail.
Avastin Shows Encouraging Results In Phase II Study In Patients With ...
Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) announced that both study arms of a randomized, multi center Phase II clinical study of Avastin® (bevacizumab) administered alone or in combination with irinotecan chemotherapy demonstrated encouraging six-month progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate in patients with relapsed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer. As assessed by independent radiological review, 36 percent (31/85) of GBM patients treated with Avastin alone, and 51 percent (42/82) of patients treated with Avastin in combination with chemotherapy, lived without the disease advancing within six months. No new or unexpected safety events related to Avastin have been observed in the study. The data were presented at the 12th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology.
December 2007
One of the great highlights of my time in public service has been meeting thousands of New Yorkers," Spitzer said in a press release. “The Executive Mansion Open House is a great tradition that Silda and I cherish. We look forward to welcoming New Yorkers from across the state and sharing our hopes for the coming year." Members of the public have to register at Spitzer's government Web site to attend the festivities, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Registration ends Dec. 26 at noon. If the number of people who want to attend exceeds the number of available openings (which was not specifically stated in the press release) the administration will select attendees via lottery and inform the lucky winners via e-mail on or around Dec. 28. Given the governor's poll numbers these days, it will be interesting to see how many people show up.
Eric Halvorson's Blog
Jim Shella picked-up some of that from his sources during the election season. I found that sentiment in a survey I conducted among members of the council. Republican councillor Marilyn Pfisterer wondered whether some of the animosity toward candidates could be traced to "a general disillusionment with politics". Republican Bob Lutz said "the anti-incumbent animus is higher than any year" since before the Watergate years of the mid-1970s. Several Democrats said they did not think the property tax issue would be held against them. They worked hard to re-direct voter criticism to state mandates on local government. Both parties counted on service to their constituents to help fight the "throw the bums out" attitude. One incumbent, Scott Keller, said he hoped voters would not count him among "the bums". He lost.
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