Thursday, June 12, 2003
Medscape Money & Medicine Journal Scan: May 2003 Selections from
The New England Journal of Medicine, British Medical Journal, Journal of Healthcare Information Management, JAMA and
Managed Healthcare Executive. [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Seroquel: effective and well tolerated treatment for bipolar disorder Shire Health International item - "Important new data presented today at the fifth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder (ICBD) confirms that Seroquel (quetiapine) monotherapy is as effective as current treatments for bipolar disorder and offers improved tolerability benefits.Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that affects approximately 3-4% of the adult population and is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. More than half of those with bipolar disorder stop taking their medication at some point during their illness, subjecting themselves to a high risk of relapse and an increased risk of suicide. This lack of compliance is strongly associated with the occurrence of side effects, therefore, a well tolerated and effective treatment is pivotal to the successful treatment of this condition."
Stigma Continues in Hollywood Article in
Psychiatric Times - "Stereotypical portrayals of people with mental illness are as old as Hollywood itself. What are some of the clinical implications of the continued stigmatization of the mentally ill in television and film?"
Content Model Could Enhance Online Access to Medical Journals Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has created a standard content model that could improve the online archiving and publishing of journal articles, according to a statement from the NIH group released on Tuesday." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Teenagers 'failed' by the NHS BBC story - "A report by seven medical colleges and the Royal College of Nursing said the health service does not meet adolescents' needs. There are just 13 dedicated wards for teenage care across the NHS, and 16 others with limited facilities, it said. Teenagers are also worried about their contact with the NHS remaining confidential, that doctors might not respect their views and that they may have to stay in a children's or elderly ward if they had to go into hospital."
University of Alabama - Birmingham heads $21M study of schizophrenia Birmingham Business Journal story - "The University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading a five-year, $21 million national research effort looking for a genetic link to schizophrenia in blacks. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Project Among African Americans to Explore Risks for Schizophrenia study is the most comprehensive study of schizophrenia in African Americans ever conducted, according to UAB officials. Researchers will focus on the genetic underpinnings of the condition." See also the web site of the
Project Among African Americans to Explore Risks for Schizophrenia.
Scientists close in on understanding learning and memory Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions press release at
EurekAlert - "For decades, scientists have proposed that learning occurs and memories are stored when connections among nerve cells are weakened or strengthened, but there's been no direct way to prove it. Now, a Johns Hopkins study using mouse cells reveals what seems to be the very last step that occurs as nerve cells temporarily weaken their connections. In the June 13 issue of Science, the Hopkins team also reports that blocking this step prevents connections from weakening without affecting anything else, making it possible -- finally -- to see if weakening connections really do contribute to learning and memory."
Human service advocates size up cuts (Washington) Story in the
King County Journal - "Health and human services lost ground in the Legislature's 2003-05 budget, but advocates say it could have been worse," according to a human services lobbyist with the Fremont Public Association who has been a working on human-services issues for many years.
Mental health system faulted Story in the
Syracuse Post-Standard - "A top adviser to President Bush said Wednesday the U.S. mental health system is a "shambles" in desperate need of an overhaul. Michael F. Hogan, chairman of a presidential commission looking at ways to fix the system, said people who need mental health services face a bewildering array of fragmented programs that are difficult to get."
