| Top : 2007 : 2007_02_23 |
Studies Circumcision reduces HIV riskFri, 23 Feb 2007 08:39:01 GMTBy MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer LONDON - In an "extraordinary development" in the fight against AIDS, a medical journal article published Friday says that conclusive data shows there is no question circumcision reduces men's chances of catching HIV by up to 60 percent. The question now is how to put that fact to work to combat AIDS across Africa. The findings were first announced in December, when initial results from two major trials — in Kenya and Uganda — showed promising links between circumcision and HIV transmission. However, those trials were deemed so definitive that the tests were halted early. The full data from the trials, carried out by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, were published Friday in The Lancet. "This is an extraordinary development," said Dr. Kevin de Cock, director of the World Health Organization's AIDS department. "Circumcision is the most potent intervention in HIV prevention that has been described." Circumcision has long been suspected of reducing men's susceptibility to HIV infection because the cells in the foreskin of the penis are especially vulnerable to the virus. A modeling study last year projected that in the next decade, male circumcision could prevent 2 million AIDS infections and 300,000 deaths. Last year, 2.8 million people in sub-Saharan Africa became infected with HIV, and 2.1 million people died. Experts say the breakthrough's significance is on par with the identification of the virus and the use of lifesaving combination drug therapy. The two U.S. studies confirm similar results from an earlier trial in South Africa. But experts warn that solid evidence is not justification for mass circumcisions, noting that African health systems are already overburdened, and circumcision requires more planning than, for example, an immunization campaign. "It's a tricky one, but it's something we're going to have to move on," said Dr. Catherine Hankins, a scientific adviser at UNAIDS. "Male circumcision is such a sensitive religious and cultural issue that we need to be careful." Several African countries have met with U.N. agencies to explore strategies for increasing circumcision. Together with the United Nations AIDS agency, WHO is convening a meeting in Switzerland in March to evaluate the data and decide the next steps in slowing the AIDS pandemic. In the Kenyan study, 1,391 circumcised men were compared to 1,393 who were not. And in Uganda, 2,474 circumcised men were compared to 2,522 men who were not. Scientists tracked the men for two years and found that those who were circumcised were 51-60 percent less likely to contract HIV. Kidney patients at risk from MRI dyeFri, 23 Feb 2007 00:27:37 GMTBy MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer ATLANTA - Federal health officials are warning doctors that certain types of metallic dye injected for MRI scans have been linked to a rare and dangerous skin disease in kidney patients. More than two dozen dialysis patients in St. Louis over a four-year period contracted the unusual skin ailment, which causes burning and itching that can lead to discoloration and stiffening of the skin. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated a number of the cases last year and found the illnesses were tied to a contrasting agent — basically a metallic dye — used for magnetic resonance imaging tests. The disease occurred in patients with advanced kidney disease who had undergone an MRI or a similar test. "To the general public, it's not a big concern. But to somebody with kidney disease, we want to warn them not to get an MRI with the contrasting agent," said CDC spokeswoman Jennifer Morcone. The dyes in question contain gadolinium, and are used in MRI scans that provide detailed pictures of internal organs and in similar scans that image blood vessels. The contrasting agents have been on the market since 1988. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory following European reports of a rare skin disease in Austrian and Danish kidney patients who were given the agent. The skin disease, called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, is rare, but doctors think it may be under-recognized. A registry at Yale University has recorded about 215 cases to date. Steroid treatments or kidney transplants have helped some patients recover. The researchers noted that patients on peritoneal dialysis were more likely to develop the condition that those than on hemodialysis. CDC officials believe stricken patients weren't able to clear the contrasting agent from their body. No. 1 milk company says no to clonesFri, 23 Feb 2007 07:29:55 GMTBy LIBBY QUAID, AP Food and Farm Writer WASHINGTON - Milk from cloned cows is no longer welcome at the nation's biggest milk company. Although the government has approved meat and milk from cloned animals while it conducts further studies, Dean Foods Co. of Dallas said Thursday that its customers and consumers don't want milk from cloned animals. The $10 billion company owns Land O'Lakes and Horizon Organic, among dozens of other brands. "Numerous surveys have shown that Americans are not interested in buying dairy products that contain milk from cloned cows and Dean Foods is responding to the needs of our consumers," the company said in a statement. Federal scientists say there is virtually no difference between clones and conventional cows, pigs or goats. The Food and Drug Administration gave preliminary approval to meat and milk from cloned animals and could grant final approval by year's end. Smaller companies such as Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Organic Valley previously have said they oppose milk from clones. Milk companies worry that concern over cloning could turn people away from dairy products. So far, public opinion appears mixed. A September poll by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology found that 64 percent of respondents were uncomfortable with animal cloning. A December poll by the University of Maryland found that the same percentage would buy, or consider buying, such food if the government said it was safe. Dean Foods spokeswoman Marguerite Copel said the company respects the FDA, "but we've got a customer and consumer base." The company did not say whether it would use milk from the offspring of cloned animals. Cloning companies say the purpose of cloning is not to put many cloned livestock into the food supply. Instead, the goal is to make a genetic copy of a superior animal and then put its offspring into the food supply. Texas governor defends vaccine orderFri, 23 Feb 2007 01:29:57 GMTBy JOE STINEBAKER and LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON, Associated Press Writers HOUSTON - Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday angrily defended his relationship with Merck & Co. and his executive order requiring that schoolgirls receive the drugmaker's vaccine against the sexually transmitted cervical-cancer virus. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Perry's chief of staff had met with key aides about the vaccine on Oct. 16, the same day Merck's political action committee donated $5,000 to the governor's campaign. Perry, touring cancer centers around the state, said the contributions were just a small share of the $24 million he raised and had no effect on his decision. "When a company comes to me and says we have a cure for cancer, for me not to say, 'Please come into my office and let's hear your story for the people of the state of Texas, for young ladies who are dying of cancer,' would be the height of irresponsibility," the Republican governor said. "Whether or not they contributed to my campaign, I would suggest to you, are some of those weeds that we are trying to cut our way through." Pressed on when he decided to issue the Feb. 2 executive order requiring the vaccination for sixth-grade girls, Perry snapped: "I wish you all would quit splitting hairs, frankly, and get focused on 'Are we going to be working together to find the cure for cancers?' No, I can't tell you when." In issuing the order, the governor made Texas the first state to require the vaccine Gardasil for all schoolgirls. But many lawmakers have complained about his bypassing the Legislature altogether. And the disclosure regarding the campaign contributions could add momentum to an attempt by legislators to repeal Perry's executive order. The executive order has inflamed conservatives, who said it contradicts Texas' abstinence-only sexual education policies and intrudes into families' lives. Some GOP lawmakers said they were uncomfortable with the timing of the contributions. "It's really a question of integrity ... whether or not his decisions were based on the contribution," state Rep. Linda Harper Brown. On Wednesday, before the campaign contributions became known, the state House public health committee voted 6-3 to override Perry's order and sent the bill — co-sponsored by nearly two-thirds of state representatives — to the full House. The House is not expected to take up the measure until mid-March. A repeal has also been introduced in the Senate, with nearly half the chamber signing on. Perry said he has not decided whether to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. "I highly respect the legislative process that we have, and so I would respectfully tell you that we will let it play its way out," he said. "But do you think we would be having the debate today on HPV if I had said, 'Let's pass some legislation?'" Critics have previously questioned Perry's ties to Merck. Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff, now lobbies for the drug company. And the governor accepted a total of $6,000 from Merck during his re-election campaign. Merck has waged a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to get state legislatures to require girls to get the three-dose vaccine to enroll in school. But on Tuesday the pharmaceutical company announced it was suspending the effort because of pressure from parents and medical groups. The Kentucky House on Thurday passed a bill that would require the vaccination for middle school girls unless their parents sign a form opposing it. The state has the nation's second-highest death rate from cervical cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the bill still needs Senate approval. Virginia lawmakers have also passed legislation requiring the vaccine, but the governor has not decided if he will sign it. ___ Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers April Castro in Austin, Texas; Linda A. Johnson in Trenton, N.J.; and Roger Alford in Frankfort, Ky. |