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Abstinence-Only Sex Education Debate Has High Financial Stakes, Washington Times Opinion Piece Says
By proposing to reduce funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, "the Obama administration has reignited America"s sex education debate," Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein writes in an opinion piece. She says that the "usual answers" she receives from abstinence-only opponents when she asks about their criticism of the programs is that abstinence-only education "doesn"t work, it leaves kids ignorant about how to use birth control, it doesn"t serve gay kids, and (off the record) it"s just a return to the bad old days when unenlightened, sex-hating harpies ran sex education." According to Wetzstein, some proponents of abstinence-only programs believe that another factor -- which is "never mentioned" in the sex education debate -- "is how sexually active youth are part of the market for certain commercial sex- and disease-related products, and abstinent behavior reduces that market share."Wetzstein reports that she recently spoke with Pam Mullarkey, founder of Project SOS, who is "furious" that Presdient Obama"s budget proposal would reduce funding for abstinence-only programs and increase money for teen pregnancy prevention. Mullarkey claims that abstinence-only opponents "have spent so much money trying to destroy abstinence education" because "it directly costs them big bucks" if teens abstain. Wetzstein writes that she has "dim hopes for the survival of abstinence education as we"ve know it," concluding, "But should Congress decide to "follow the money," as Mrs. Mullarkey suggests, who knows what might turn up" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/19).
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NeuroLogica Corporation Receives Chinese FDA & CQC Approval To Provide Its CereTom Portable CT Scanner Throughout China
NeuroLogica Corporation, a provider of pioneering portable imaging equipment in CT and SPECT, announced its expansion into the Chinese medical device market with the approval of the company"s life saving CereTom portable CT Scanner by the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company also announced that it will establish a business liaison office in Beijing.
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Side Discrepancy Errors In Radiology Reports Rare But Often Clinically Significant
Side discrepancy errors in radiology reports do occur and it is important that radiologists, referring physicians and patients communicate well to help prevent errors in clinical management, according to a study performed at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. "Side discrepancy errors refer to instances when the side of the lesion is incorrectly noted in one or more sections of the radiology report," said Minal Jagtiani Sangwaiya, MD, lead author of the study.
Diagnostics

Patient Has Speedy Recovery From New Heart Valve Procedure

For years, George Forschler knew the mitral valve in his heart was failing and would eventually need repair or replacement. Concerned about the risks associated with open heart surgery the traditional way to access a mitral valve he did his best to postpone the inevitable. Forschler, a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General who now heads a consulting firm, kept his heart healthy by exercising at the gym and doing weekend chores on his farm near here. During a recent family trip, Forschler developed a virus which made him feel weak. The weakness quickly progressed and prevented him from doing simple things, like standing while shaving. Then, he passed out at home and was rushed by ambulance to his community hospital. After three days of testing and no diagnosis, he was transferred to the University of Virginia Health System, where doctors determined that his faulty mitral valve was a key factor in his illness. Because UVA is one of several dozen U.S. medical centers researching the use of a new, minimally-invasive mitral valve repair procedure, Forschler did not have to undergo open heart surgery. "I walked into the hospital on Thursday, had my heart valve repaired and walked back out to my car two days later," he says. "Feeling well enough to go home so quickly seemed unbelievable to me." Forschler suffered from mitral regurgitation (MR), or leaky heart valve, a serious condition that affects an estimated four million Americans and necessitates 500,000 replacement surgeries a year. The mitral valve regulates the flow of blood in a one-way direction from the left atrium (the upper heart chamber that collects blood from the lungs) to the left ventricle (the lower heart chamber that pumps blood to the rest of the body). When a mitral valve leaks, it doesn"t close thoroughly and allows some blood to seep back into the left atrium. To compensate for this backflow, the left ventricle must work harder and harder to keep enough blood circulating through the body. Besides weakness, patients with mitral regurgitation often experience breathlessness, fatigue and swelling in their ankles and feet due to accumulation of fluid in these areas. Left untreated, MR can cause atrial fibrillation, stroke, heart muscle dysfunction, symptoms of congestive heart failure and an increased risk of sudden death. Unfortunately, no medications specifically treat or cure this condition. During Forschler"s procedure, UVA interventional cardiologist Scott Lim, M.D., made a small incision in his leg to insert a flexible tube called a catheter. After threading the catheter up to Forschler"s heart, Lim then placed a tiny device, a MitraClip, on his leaking valve. Lim used two clips to get Forschler"s mitral valve to close completely. Performed a month ago, the procedure was a success. Foschler says, "I now feel like an eight on a scale of one to ten. Once Dr. Lim lets me lift more than 10 pounds, I"m planning to get back to the gym and start feeling like a ten." The mitral valve clips were inserted while Forschler was under general anesthesia and his heart continued to beat normally. By contrast, open-heart surgery would have involved a chest incision and the use of a heart-lung machine so his heart could be stopped while the valve was being repaired. During randomized clinical trials known as EVEREST I and EVEREST II, MitraClip"s safety and efficacy were compared to open heart surgery and the device was successfully used on several hundred patients. The clip is now awaiting FDA approval. In the interim, regulators have allowed its manufacturer to establish a non-randomized continued access registry so doctors at UVA and other participating centers can perform MitraClip repairs on a limited number of patients. Called the REALISM Study, this phase of MitraClip evaluation is open to both high-risk and non-high risk patients and will follow their progress for five years after their procedure. "UVA was noted as one of the more successful centers for enrollment in the EVEREST II trial, the landmark study that evaluated the MitraClip, and we are very pleased to be participating in this phase of evaluation," notes Lim, who is serving as UVA"s primary investigator. "Because this approach is a lot less invasive than open heart surgery, patients like General Forschler are healing dramatically faster with fewer complications." In addition to Lim, UVA"s co-investigators for the REALISM Study are cardiologist John Dent, M.D. and thoracic surgeon Irving Kron, M.D. 1. Information about REALISM study at the University of Virginia Health System Contact: Linda Bailes, RN (Study coordinator), (434) 982-1058 2. List of sites participating in the REALISM study 3. Cardiology medical animation - Deployment of Mitral Valve Clip University of Virginia Health System


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