Life Sciences & Biotechnology Update articles from May 2000

Life Sciences & Biotechnology Update archives from May 2000

ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... School mental health programs are effective for providing services for urban youth; however, evaluation studies are needed that assess outcomes related to therapy participation. This (University of Maryland) project consists of two phases....

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO LOW VACCINATION RATES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (GAO) report to Congress has been prepared in anticipation of the U.S. being asked to fund and provide other support for the renewed international effort to promote childhood immunization. It examines some of the key issues involving...

USEFUL RESOURCES FOR LOCAL GROUPS TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (EPA) resource guide was developed as part of the EPA's Child Health Champion Campaign -- a program designed to empower local citizens and communities to take steps toward protecting their children from environmental health threats. It...

RESOURCE GUIDE FOR ASSISTED LIVING.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... For the purposes of this (University of Southern California) resource guide, assisted living is defined as a housing environment that provides health and personal care assistance in a home-like setting. The level of care available is between...

ETHICAL ISSUES, DILEMMAS, AND DECISION-MAKING REGARDING THE MISTREATMENT OF OLDER PEOPLE.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (University of Hawaii) trainer's manual addresses mistreatment of elders. Ethical practice has taken on a special importance for professionals working with abused, neglected, and exploited elders. The primary objective of this project...

PROMOTING THE HEALTH OF OLDER PERSONS HAVING DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (University of Washington) training project, "Health Promotion for Older Persons with Developmental Disabilities," is designed to improve the health and quality of life of older persons having developmental disabilities. The health...

ELDER RIGHTS AND MINORITY INITIATIVES: DESCRIPTIONS OF STATE LEGISLATION.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (National Association of State Units on Aging) report addresses elder rights and minority issues, which are at the forefront of state agencies on aging agendas. The traditional Title VII programs of the Older American Act (ombudsman;...

EFFECTS OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE ON THE DEMAND FOR MEDICAID.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Using administrative data from the California Longitudinal Database of Cases, this (University of California) study investigates the effects of local labor market conditions, and the availability of employer-sponsored health insurance, on:...

DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL RESOURCE AND POLICY CENTER ON RURAL LONG-TERM CARE.
May 1, 2000... The major outcome of this (Administration on Aging) project is the development of a National Resource and Policy Center on Rural Long-Term Care. The Center functions as a resource point for rural health and long-term care information and rural...

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND HOME MODIFICATION.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (American Society on Aging) report details an initiative designed to create systems change in how assistive technology and home accessibility services are delivered. The objectives are intended to increase national awareness of proven,...

HEALTH CARE INFORMATION: USE OF SELF-CARE INFORMATION AND ITS EFFECTS AND OUTCOMES.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Researchers, providers, and policymakers often justify the provision of health information to consumers on moral, legal, clinical, and economic grounds. However, in reality we know very little about the use and effects of self-care...

COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR VALUING HEALTH RISKS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The resources necessary to eliminate even a small portion of the hazards to life and health do not exist, and policymakers must choose which hazard-control programs to fund. The most efficient use of resources is best gauged by comparing the...

REVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL LOW-DOSE HIGH- RESOLUTION FLAT PANEL MAMMOGRAPHY DETECTOR.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (Xicon Technologies Inc.) report addresses the Field Emission X-ray Sensor (FEXIS), which is a novel flat panel combination of the X-ray photoconductor thallium bromide and a field emitter array readout. The primary objective of the...

PET-FDG IMAGING IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER TREATED WITH HIGH-DOSE CHEMOTHERAPY AND STEM CELL SUPPORT, TO PREDICT EARLY THERAPEUTIC FAILURE.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (University of Pennsylvania) study assesses the effectiveness of positron emission tomography (PET), with fluorodeoxyglucose, in patients with metastatic breast cancer undergoing high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue. It includes...

ENHANCED 3-D COLOR AMPLITUDE-IMAGING OF BREASTS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (Jefferson University) project is an add-on study to an already funded NIH project aimed at increasing the sensitivity and specificity of breast ultrasound by combining injection of an ultrasound contrast agent with 3-D reconstruction of...

USING DIFFUSING LIGHT WAVES FOR BREAST IMAGING.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The goal of this (University of Pennsylvania) proposed work is to improve the breast tumor diagnostic capabilities of optical spectroscopy and imaging, based on diffusing near-infrared light. New theoretical methodologies will be introduced...

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BREAST CANCER: THE ROLE OF CHANGES IN THE EXPRESSION OF CYCLINS AND RETINOBLASTOMA PROTEINS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... These (University of Colorado) studies, together with work carried out in other laboratories, indicates that defects in the Rb-Cyclin D 1-p16 cell cycle regulatory system are present in the vast majority of breast cancer cells. Previous work...

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE INTERSTITIAL MATRIX OF MAMMARY TUMORS: MRS AND MRI STUDIES.(use of magnetic resonance to study tumors)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The interstitial matrix creates a barrier to therapeutic agent delivery. To overcome this barrier, we must study the matrix characteristics and the effect of manipulations and therapy. This (Massachusetts General Hospital) publication...

COMPUTER-AIDED DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER.(report describes using artificial neural network for diagnosis)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (Duke University Medical Center) report describes an artificial neural network (ANN) approach to computer-aided diagnosis of breast cancer from mammographic findings. An ANN has been developed to provide support for the clinical decision...

THYROID-HORMONE-INDUCED OSTEOPOROSIS MECHANISM.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The goal of this (Northwestern University) research is to determine the cause of osteoporosis resulting from excessive thyroid hormone. The question is complex, due to the fact that thyroid-hormone is also critical for bone growth. Based...

CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN: COMPARISON OF ACUPUNCTURE, THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE, AND SELF-CARE EDUCATION.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound) document reports a study of 262 adults with persistent back pain, who are randomly allocated to self-care education, acupuncture, or massage. At the end of the 10-week treatment period, the...

IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL CARDIAC SENSITIZERS.(catecholamine research)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Cardiac sensitization is the sensitization of the heart to circulating catecholamines after exposure to an exogenous chemical, such that sudden alarm or exercise may precipitate a cardiac arrest. The purpose of this (Naval Health Research...

USING POPULATION PHARMACOKINETICS IN THE DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (FDA) guidance document makes recommendations on the use of population pharmacokinetics in the drug development process, to help identify differences in drug safety and efficacy among population subgroups. It summarizes scientific and...

DEATH RATES BY RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN: SUMMARY OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH ON THE QUALITY OF DATA AND RELIABILITY.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (National Center for Health Statistics) report provides a summary of current knowledge and research on the quality and reliability of death rates by race and Hispanic origin in official mortality statistics of the U.S. It also provides a...

THE NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY ON DRUG ABUSE.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This (Research Triangle Institute) report presents the first results from the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The survey is...

FUNCTIONAL STUDIES ON COMPONENTS OF THE SECRETORY PATHWAY OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIA.(report available)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... This translation from Finland (Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus) presents functional studies on components of the secretory pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisia. Sso genes are isolated as multicopy suppressors of sec1-1, a mutation in a...