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Link Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Diabetic Retinopathy
The eyes may be the window into the soul, but they may also contain important medical information. According to new research presented at the American Thoracic Society"s 105th International Conference in San Diego on May 19, patients with diabetes who have retinopathy should also be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
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House, Senate Committees Release Draft Health Care Reform Proposals
Democratic leaders in the House and Senate on Tuesday released draft versions of health care reform legislation in their respective chambers that outline several initiatives, including a public health insurance option that has been the focus of debate between Democratic leaders who favor it and Republicans and moderate Democrats who oppose the provision, The Hill reports (Soraghan, The Hill, 6/9). According to the New York Times, the draft bills represent an emerging consensus between the Senate and House on how to move forward with health reform (Pear, New York Times, 6/10).The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee"s 615-page draft health care bill would expand eligibility for Medicaid and allow families with incomes up to 500% of the federal poverty level to qualify for subsidies to purchase insurance. In addition, the bill includes an individual mandate requiring U.S. residents to purchase insurance, reforms for the insurance market, suspension of coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions and the establishment of a health insurance exchange where U.S. residents can compare and buy coverage (Budoff Brown, Politico, 6/9). Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), the second-ranking Democrat on the HELP Committee, will lead mark-up sessions scheduled to begin June 16 while Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) undergoes treatment for brain cancer (The Hill, 6/9). At a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, the leaders of the three House committees charged with crafting health reform legislation outlined a bill with similar provisions to the one being written in the Senate (New York Times, 6/10). The bill -- which is being drafted by the chairs of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor committees -- calls for a public plan, an individual mandate, a mandate for employers to help pay for coverage and the creation of a health insurance exchange. Under the House bill, families with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level would qualify for subsidies for insurance. The House bill also would expand Medicaid by determining eligibility entirely on income, according to a House aide. Currently, many Medicaid applicants must meet other criteria, such as being a parent, in addition to having a low income, to qualify. The House is expected to release a formal version of the bill next week.Both draft bills released on Tuesday did not include details on how the proposals would be financed. According to the Wall Street Journal the omission gives lawmakers time to better assess the costs involved and promote health reform to the public (Bendavid/Adamy, Wall Street Journal, 6/10).
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Oncothyreon Announces Initiation Of Phase 3 Trial Of Stimuvax In Breast Cancer
Oncothyreon Inc. (Nasdaq: ONTY) (TSX:ONY) (the "Company") announced that Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, has initiated a global Phase 3 trial of Stimuvax(R) (BLP25 liposome vaccine, L-BLP25) in patients with hormone receptor-positive, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. Stimuvax is an investigational therapeutic cancer vaccine being developed by Merck KGaA under a license agreement with Oncothyreon.
Diagnostics

Hot Dogs Should Carry Cancer Warning Labels Says US Non Profit Group

A US non-profit organization filed a lawsuit on Wednesday asking a New Jersey county court to force food companies to put labels warning of cancer risks on any hot dogs they sell in New Jersey. Described by the Los Angeles Times (LAT) as a vegan advocacy group, Cancer Project, wants food companies like Oscar Mayer and Hebrew National, big names in the hot dog world, to put labels on their hot dogs warning that eating this product and other processed meats "increases the risk of cancer". President of the Cancer Project, Neal Barnard, who is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University medical school in Washington, DC, told LAT that: "Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer." "Companies that sell hot dogs are well aware of the danger, and their customers deserve the same information," he added. The lawsuit, which according to the LAT is seeking class action status, is brought against ConAgra Foods Inc (owners of Hebrew National), Kraft Foods Inc (owners of Oscar Meyer), Sara Lee Corp, Nathan"s Famous Inc, and Marathon Enterprises Inc. 62 per cent of Americans eat some kind of processed pork, says Cancer Project, adding that in 2006, 1.5 billion pounds of hot dogs were consumed in the US, at an average of 32 pounds a year per person. The group refers to a report from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund where scientists say there is no safe amount of processed meat that can be eaten, and that just one 50-gram serving of bacon, sausage, deli meats or other processed meats, every day increases a person"s chance of getting colorectal cancer by 21 per cent on average. Processed and cured meats contain nitrites which are added to help preserve the meat. When ingested, these break down into nitrosamines and other chemicals that are thought to be cancer-causing. Every year, about 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and about 50,000 Americans are expected to die of the disease in 2009. However, there are mixed views about the research evidence, with some scientists saying it could be the fat content of the food (most processed meats also tend to have high fat) that is linked to cancer. For instance a Harvard study that pooled data from several studies found no link between red and processed meat and cancer but it did find there was a lower risk of cancer when fish and chicken consumption was higher. There has been a strong reaction from the food industry and other nutritionists have also been skeptical. Sydney Lindner, a spokeswoman from Kraft told the press: "These proposals are unfounded. Hot dogs have been enjoyed by consumers for more than 100 years." One nutrionist interviewed by the LAT said that people should be more worried about the food that is usually eaten with the hot dog, such as fat-laden potato, sugary drinks and desserts and macaroni salads. Others say that while people should be careful about how much meat they eat, the occasional hot dog is not going to do them any harm. And even if it may be true that eating too much of a certain food like processed meat increases a person"s risk of cancer, putting labels on everything will just lead to "warning fatigue". The lawsuit follows a campaign earlier this month when Cancer Project sponsored a provocative highway billboard near Busch Stadium in St. Louis on the day that thousands of baseball fans flocked to watch President Obama throw the opening pitch to the 2009 All-Star Game. The 48-foot wide digital billboard, located on I-70, one mile west of Lindbergh Boulevard, showed a picture of hot dogs jammed in a cigarette pack carrying the label "Unlucky Strikes" and the text: "Warning: Hot Dogs Can Strike You Out -- For Good." Cancer Project says on its website that they want Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to put "dietary disaster" warning labels on hot dogs served at Major League Baseball stadiums because, in their words, "processed meats have been convincingly linked to colorectal cancer". Cancer Project describes itself as a group of physicians, researchers, and nutritionists who wish to "educate the public about the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival". The organization is affiliated to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and is based in Washington, DC. s: Los Angeles Times, The Cancer Project. Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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