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Psychotherapy Of Depression Changes Biological Parameters?
A group of German investigators demonstrated that the early increase in phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) is related to treatment response and does not depend on pharmacological interventions or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plasma levels. For the first time, cellular biological markers could be associated with response to psychotherapy.
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First Free Heart Testing Tour Of England
A new national campaign aiming to reduce the number of undiagnosed heart conditions will visit 12 destinations in England throughout May and June. The CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 is the first free tour of its kind in England and has been made possible by charity CRY, health and well-being company Philips, through the fundraising efforts of families whose lives have been affected by Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) or Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), and the Gwyneth Forrester Trust. The tour aims to test over 3,000 14-35 year olds hearts to identify heart conditions which could potentially prove fatal if left untreated. To book a free appointment at one of the 12 tour locations simply go to http://www.testmyheart.org
News of the day
Patients And Health Care Providers Seek Improved Quality As Report Shows Extensive Errors
The Washington Post reports on efforts by hospitals to tally their avoidable mistakes and describes "hundreds of incidents of death or serious medical harm disclosed in the past year by hospitals in the Washington region, preventable errors that until recently have not required public reporting. Under laws that took effect last year in Virginia and a few years earlier in the District and Maryland, hospitals must report to health regulators many serious injuries that patients suffer in the course of treatment. The laws are different in each jurisdiction. For example, Virginia"s public records identify the hospitals by name, while Maryland"s and the District"s do not. But they all allow the public to glimpse the breadth of mistakes that health experts dub "never events" (because they should never happen): sponges left inside patients after surgery, operations on the wrong limb, medication errors, falls that lead to needless deaths (as well as other events). At least 20 states require hospitals to report every incidence of hospital-acquired infection. Patients, insurers and regulators are beginning to use this information to prod health-care providers to ensure that such events really never happen."
Cardiovascular

Warning Issued Over Proposed Drug Company Promotion Of Medicines To Public, UK

Drug companies may exploit new rules to promote their products to the public but present it as mere provision of information, according to an editorial published this week in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB). Direct advertising of prescription-only medicines to the public is currently not allowed in the European Union (EU), but this position may be undermined by proposals from the European Commission (EC). The proposals, if agreed, would allow drug companies new opportunities to present the public with information about prescription-only medicine through the internet or yet-to-be-defined "health-related publications." The DTB editorial is concerned about the proposals, which it suggests would permit direct advertising to the public in spite of the EU-wide ban. It is proposed that each EU member state would ensure the companies providing the information were monitored and this could involve self-regulation by the companies. "A key concern about these ideas is the intrinsic difficulty in distinguishing between advertising of prescription-only medicines to the public (which would still be banned) and proactive provision of non-promotional information about such products," says the editorial. The UK medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is currently carrying out a public consultation on this issue - due to finish on August 14 - but supports the principle of allowing the pharmaceutical industry to give patients more information about medicines. DTB, however, cites the negative experience in the US with direct to consumer advertising, where "infringements of rules on information provision have tended to be detected far too late and where there have been difficulties in imposing effective penalties." The editorial concludes: "We believe that acceptance of the EC"s proposals would permit public dissemination of promotional information about prescription-only medicines, masquerading as "information provision"." Given the obvious conflict of interests, DTB concludes, it would be naç¯ve to think that the pharmaceutical industry would provide independent and reliable information to allow people to make informed choices about treatment. "How to misinform patients." DTB 2009; doi 10.1136/dtb.2009.07.0027 Drug And Therapeutics Bulletin


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