Clipmarks | aramah's clips

統合失調症遺伝子の機能は多い

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:40:02 GMT

clipped by: aramah

UCSF scientists studying fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia.

Scientists have known that the mutated form of the human gene – one of three consistently associated with schizophrenia – mildly disrupts the transmission of chemical signals between nerve cells in the brain.

But the new study, which focuses on genes involved in “adaptive plasticity”—the capacity of nerve cells to compensate for a wide range of perturbations and continue to function normally – suggests a role with a more dramatic impact.

Studies ranging from fruit flies to human have shown that if a nerve cell is functionally impaired then the surrounding cells can compensate and restore normal cell-to-cell communication. This type of “adaptive plasticity” stabilizes brain function, but the molecules involved remain largely unknown.

処方箋薬からスイッチOTC医薬品で大幅医療費削減も、患者負担１７倍

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:40:56 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: yakuji.exblog.jp

筑波大学附属病院の処方せんデータから薬剤費削減効果を調べた結果、最大はＨ２ブロッカーで年間薬価ベースで４０３３万円削減できることがわかった。
さらに、筑波大学附属病院本院で処方されている内服・外用薬のうちで、スイッチＯＴＣ薬として承認されていて剤形、用量が適合する２９成分（４８品目）をスイッチＯＴＣ薬に切り替えた場合、総薬剤費は約５３４０万円となった。

筑波大学附属病院での「ガスター」（一般名：ファモチジン）処方の９０％は外来患者向けで、これを単純にこの比率を全国的に当てはめると医療用ガスターだけで年間４００～４５０億円の薬剤費削減が可能になるという。

しかし、そうなると患者負担は増え、ガスター１０㎎の試算では、平均処方量６１錠を患者平均年齢の５７歳に処方したとすると、患者負担は処方薬６２４円から一気に１万４６２円の１７倍の急増してしまう。これでは、弱者である患者はたまったものではない。OTC類似薬の保健削除の問題が話題となってきている昨今、医療費削減もいいが患者負担ということも十分に考えていってもらいたいところである。

ワーファリン服用確認せず、抜歯で出血

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:01:24 GMT

clipped by: aramah
clipper's remarks: 処方した医師から患者への説明・指示、患者から歯科医へインフォーム、歯科医の問診どれもが機能しなかった？

Clip Source: www.mixonline.jp

血液を固まりにくくする抗凝固剤ワーファリンを服用している患者が、抜歯したところ、出血が止まらなくなる事故があった。患者は２度止血のため縫合したうえ、貧血となり輸血を受けた。医療事故情報を収集している日本医療機能評価機構が11月16日に明らかにしたもので、再発防止策として▽歯科医は、患者が抜歯してよい条件にあるかを確認する▽主治医は、患者が歯科に受診する際、必要な患者情報を伝える－－を紹介し、医療機関に注意を呼びかけた。

これは広く共有されるべきケースとして定期的に発行している「医療安全情報」で取り上げられたもの。それによると、ワーファリンを服用していた患者は、歯科に定期的に受診していた。歯科医は、半年前の血液凝固機能検査の結果を見て、抜歯ができる状態と判断したという。

結核医療の現状

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:56:08 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.cabrain.net

結核医療は「曲がり角」

かつて日本の「国民病」といわれ、多数の患者が命を落とした結核。日本では患者数が年々減少しているが、他の先進国と比べると罹患率（人口10万人当たりの新登録結核患者数）は依然として高い。

　結核予防会結核研究所所長の石川信克さんは、結核は「社会にしぶとく残る病気」と指摘し、対策を怠ると再び患者が増える事態にもなりかねないと話す。一方で、今の結核医療の提供体制は必ずしも現状に合ったものではなく、結核医療は今、「曲がり角」にあるという。（萩原宏子）

　日本は今、罹患率が10.0より高い「中まん延国」に当たりますが、10.0以下の「低まん延国」の水準に達するには、あと10年ほどかかるでしょう。しかも、対策を緩めれば患者が逆に増えてしまう事態にもなりかねません。結核は社会にしぶとく残る病気ですから。

医薬品行政第三者監視評価機関ＷＧ初会合

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:04:11 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.cabrain.net

　厚生労働省の「薬害肝炎事件の検証及び再発防止のための医薬品行政のあり方検討委員会」(座長＝寺野彰・独協医科大学長)の下に設置されたワーキンググループ（WG）は11月10日、「医薬品行政を監視・評価する第三者機関」の具体化に向け初会合を開いた。初会合では、第三者機関の独立性の確保、情報収集の効率性、スタッフの任命権限などの観点から、設置場所として内閣府と厚労省のどちらが適切かを中心に議論を行った。次回（12月3日）も設置場所について議論を継続し、年内に意見集約を図る。

　同検討委員会は、今年4月にまとめた第一次提言に、医薬品行政全般および個別の安全対策を監視・評価し、提言・勧告などを行う第三者機関の設置を盛り込んだ。9月30日の会合で具体化に向けWGの設置を決定。その意見を来年3月末までにまとめる最終提言に反映させる。

更新：2009/11/10 21:30　　キャリアブレイン

薬害とドラッグ・ラグの発生源は同じ

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:52:49 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: lohasmedical.jp

　民主党の福田衣里子衆院議員は７日、都内で開かれたシンポジウムの席上で「薬害とドラッグ･ラグは相反するものという主張をする人たちがいて、お互いに敵対するようにされてきたが、どちらも発生源は同じだ」と述べ、それぞれの解消を求める患者運動は共闘できるとの認識を示した。福田氏は、薬害肝炎全国原告団の代表の１人で、薬害肝炎検討会の委員も務めていた。（川口恭）

　この日開かれた『現場からの医療改革推進協議会』の席上で以下のように述べた。

「薬害とドラッグ･ラグは相反するものという主張をする人たちがいる。私たち薬害患者たちが厚生労働省へ行くと『ドラッグ･ラグを訴える人たちがいるから無理』と言われ、一方でドラッグ･ラグ被害を訴える患者たちが行くと『薬害を訴える人たちがいるから慎重にやるんだ』と言われ、お互いを敵対するようなことをされてきたけれど、私たちもバカではない。発生源は同じじゃないかと思う。儲かる薬なら害があっても何年も売り続けるのに、儲からない薬ならどんなに患者が求めても申請すらしない。それが本質」

心血管系既往歴の無い者でアスピリンの常用は好ましくない

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:10:26 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The use of aspirin to ward off heart attacks and strokes in those who do not have obvious cardiovascular disease should be abandoned, researchers say.

It says doctors should review all patients currently taking the drug for prevention of heart disease.

But the DTB said a recent analysis of six controlled trials involving a total of 95,000 patients published in the journal the Lancet does not back up the routine use of aspirin in these patients because of the risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeds and the negligible impact it has on curbing death rates.

治験総括責任医師でも当該データにアクセスできない

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:36:49 GMT

clipped by: aramah
clipper's remarks: 情報隠しで告発が続いている中・・・

Clip Source: www.bmj.com

The former research dean of Sheffield University’s medicalschool was accused of dishonesty at a General Medical Councilhearing on 2 November for allowing a journal to publish a falseclaim that he had seen all the data in a research study of whichhe was the lead author.

Richard Eastell, who heads the bone research unit at SheffieldUniversity, is at the centre of a research ethics case thatsaw the other main investigator, Aubrey Blumsohn, who raisedquestions over the data, take a financial settlement to leavehis job at the university.

Dr Blumsohn says that he and Professor Eastell both asked Procter& Gamble, which was funding the study into its osteoarthritisdrug risedronate (Actonel), for access to the full data butwere refused. The university had been asked to carry out measurementson blood and urine samples that had been taken during clinicaltrials in the . .

Tags: clinial trial data investigator

アルコール依存症と関連する遺伝子多型

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:16:25 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

While many genetic studies have examined alcoholism among adults, identifying genes that are associated with alcohol misuse during youth is equally important, given that genetic and environmental influences on alcoholism vary across development. New findings show an association between a polymorphism of the µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene and alcohol misuse among adolescents.

"But the relative importance of environmental and genetic factors appears to shift considerably over the course of adolescence," Miranda Jr. added, "with genetics playing an important role once teenagers begin to drink. Although family and twin studies can disentangle genetic and environmental influences, they cannot identify the specific genes that confer risk for alcoholism in youth. Our goal was to test if and how the OPRM1 gene, which was previously shown to be associated with alcoholism in adults, is associated with alcohol misuse among adolescents."

カレースパイス、ターメリックの成分に殺がん細胞作用が

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:24:09 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.ucc.ie

Curry Compounds Kill Cancer Cells
28.10.2009
Molecules found in a curry spice have been shown to kill oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, reveals research published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday, October 28th 2009).

Scientists at the Cork Cancer Research Centre, UCC, treated oesophageal cancer cells with curcumin – a chemical found in the curry spice tumeric. They found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves. The results additionally showed that curcumin kills cells by triggering lethal cell death signals.

アルコールによる発がんのメカニズムが明らかに

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:15:07 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Alcohol consumption has long been linked to cancer and its spread, but the underlying mechanism has never been clear. Now, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have identified a cellular pathway that may explain the link.

In a study published in a recent issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, the researchers found that alcohol stimulates what is called the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, in which run-of-the-mill cancer cells morph into a more aggressive form and begin to spread throughout the body.

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is a hot area of research right now, implicated in the process whereby cancer cells become metastatic. A large body of laboratory and clinical research suggests that it plays a key role in making cancer cells aggressive.

高齢男性の子供に精神障害が

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:40:08 GMT

clipped by: aramah
clipper's remarks: 女性の高齢出産について注意されてきたが、高齢男性の子供にもリスクが増す。

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Researchers found that older men were more likely to have the benign tumours, known as spermocytic seminomas, which although harmless on their own, potentially passed on genetic mutations to their sperm, thereby increasing the chances of their offspring have health problems including autism or schizophrenia.

Professor Andrew Wilkie, from Oxford University, who led the study published in the journal Nature Genetics, said clumps of tumour-producing cells form in the testicular tissue which then produced the "germ cells".

Older fathers risk having a child with serious health problems thanks to a rare form of testicular tumour which may cause mutations in the DNA, according to a new study.

米製薬協のロビー活動費が増加している

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:50:09 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.pharmatimes.com

US drugmakers and health insurers spent 30% more on political lobbying in the first nine months of 2009 than they did in the same period last year, new figures show.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) spent almost as much during this January-September period as it did for the whole of last year, according to new reports from the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and Time magazine. In the first six months of this year, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and their trade bodies spent about $609,000 a day to influence legislators, according to Time.

Individual big spenders include Pfizer, whose lobbying spending for January-September this year is $16.3 million, up 83% on the same period of 2008, and Amgen, whose total of $9.1 million was an increase of about 20% on the like, year-earlier period, says the CRP.

ＨＩＶワクチン、有効との前触れであったが

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:11:41 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.bmj.com

Full data from Thai HIV vaccine study show no significant protective effect

Disclosure of the full data from the trial of an HIV vaccinein Thailand shows that although there was a trend towards theprevention of HIV among vaccine recipients this did not reachstatistical significance.

The study sparked controversy in September when the authorsreleased incomplete trial results, in which one type of analysisshowed the vaccine reduced infection rate by a third (BMJ 2009;339:b3963,doi:10.1136/bmj.b3963). Critics said that they should have waiteduntil complete data were available for release.

大麻常用による副作用

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:05:32 GMT

clipped by: aramah

Clip Source: www.thelancet.com

Adverse health effects of non-medical cannabis use

For over two decades, cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, has been the most widely used illicit drug by young people in high-income countries, and has recently become popular on a global scale. Epidemiological research during the past 10 years suggests that regular use of cannabis during adolescence and into adulthood can have adverse effects. Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory studies have established an association between cannabis use and adverse outcomes. We focus on adverse health effects of greatest potential public health interest—that is, those that are most likely to occur and to affect a large number of cannabis users. The most probable adverse effects include a dependence syndrome, increased risk of motor vehicle crashes, impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease, and adverse effects of regular use on adolescent psychosocial development and mental health.