Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Personal Loss Changes Business as Usual Washington Post profile of Senator Gordon Smith (R - Oregon), whose mobilization of moderate Republicans added millions of dollars for Medicaid to the budget bill passed by Congress in April, and on how the suicide of his 21-year old son has led mim to "the conviction that he must do everything he can to prevent others from falling prey to mental illness."  
  

Increasing Premiums and Cost Sharing in Medicaid and SCHIP: Recent State Experiences Issue paper (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the Kaiser Family Foundation - "Over the past few years, a number of states have implemented new or increased existing out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries in their Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public coverage programs. This brief reviews the key findings from this recent activity, including the impact on enrollment in public coverage programs, access to care, and providers."  
  

Children inherit psychopathic antisocial behavior Story at Psychiatric Matters - "Antisocial behavior in children with high psychopathic tendencies, such as a lack of remorse or understanding for the feelings of others, appears to be largely inherited, say investigators. In contrast, antisocial behavior in children who do not show psychopathic traits tends to be determined by environmental factors. The findings point to the need for intervention strategies for antisocial behavior to be employed early, in the pre-school years, Essi Viding, from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK, and colleagues report in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry."  
  

ACTing up Article in the June APA Monitor - "The violence prevention campaign Adults and Children Together (ACT) Against Violence will launch its third national media campaign this month, with new radio, billboard and newspaper ads that educate parents about the negative effects of everyday aggression. The ACT consortium includes APA, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Ad Council and the MetLife Foundation, among others. Its goal is to help parents and other adults who care for young children to be positive role models and teach children nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts and handle anger. The group sponsors ad campaigns and community training programs."  
  

Breaking a cycle of maltreatment Article in the June APA Monitor on the Miami Safe Start Initiative - "an offering of innovative intervention programs under the court's umbrella that provide parent-support services, including transportation, GED classes and job placement services. The program also provides developmental screenings for all of its infants and toddlers and the first court-based Early Head Start program in the country. The program's centerpiece is an intensive 25-week one-on-one therapy program between mothers and their babies in which therapists help the mothers understand and relate to their children."  
  

Medical editors: One-sided drug reviews hard to swallow USA Today story - "Drug companies' marketing efforts may sometimes be more subtle than pens emblazoned with their product's name or full-page ads in leading medical journals. Some journal editors say they regularly receive submissions that appear to be written by the drugmakers' marketing machines, not the scientists whose names appear as authors. Such a practice would violate the guidelines of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, the prescription drug industry's trade group, on the communication of clinical trial results..."  
  

Despite Vow, Drug Makers Still Withhold Data Front page New York Times article - " When the drug industry came under fire last summer for failing to disclose poor results from studies of antidepressants, major drug makers promised to provide more information about their research on new medicines. But nearly a year later, crucial facts about many clinical trials remain hidden, scientists independent of the companies say. Within the drug industry, companies are sharply divided about how much information to reveal, both about new studies and completed studies for drugs already being sold. The split is unusual in the industry, where companies generally take similar stands on regulatory issues." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].