懷孕 放輕鬆 好運(孕)來 !! Maternal anxiety during pregnancy associated with atopic eczema !!!

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Eczema in Babies Due to Stress in Pregnancy  June 15, 2012, GENEVA and ZURICH, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Latest allergy research presented at world's leading Congress on Allergy and Immunology in Geneva (EAACI Congress 2012) 47% of atopic eczema in babies occur due to stress during pregnancyUp to 40% of Europeans suffer from hay fever Top 3 European allergens: grass, birch, olivePollen differs by "nationality": 4-5 fold differences in pollen potency between European countries

Asthma and rhinitis stress Public Health in Europe Ground-breaking research results about stress during pregnancy and changes in pollen potency across Europe will be presented - among other novel research - at the world's leading congress on allergy and immunology - the EAACI Congress 2012 - that will open tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland.  Maternal anxiety during pregnancy is a risk factor for the onset of infantile atopic eczema at the age of 6-8 months. Researchers at the National Center for Child Health and Development, Allergy Division in Tokyo, Japan, have come to this conclusion after analysing data from 896 pairs of mothers and children (474 boys and 422 girls) that will be presented for the first time at the EAACI Congress 2012." 18.75% of mothers were classified into the highest anxiety group, 62.39% of mothers showed moderate anxiety and 18.86% of mothers were categorised into the lowest anxiety group", explains Dr. Mana Hamaguchi, Clinical Psychologist at the National Center for Child Health and Development. The average prevalence of atopic eczema was 46.76%. The tests showed that children of mothers with higher anxiety scores were more likely to be affected by eczema. The conclusion is that mothers suffering from anxiety during pregnancy have a higher risk of their children developing eczema at the age of 6-8 months.

Pollen potency shows 4-5 fold differences between European countries on average The results of the Health Impacts of Airborne Allergen Information Network (HIALINE project) will also be presented at the EAACI Congress 2012. Researchers from across Europe have investigated the allergic potential of pollens from the three main triggers of hay fever in Europe: birch, grass and olive."At all locations in Europe we found a significant correlation between amount of allergen in the air and pollen counts. However, the allergenicity, the aggressiveness in popular terms, of the pollens varies greatly across Europe, by day, year and location", explains Prof. Dr. Jeroen Buters, Toxicologist and Molecular Biologist from the University of Munich and member of the EAACI Aerobiology & Pollution Interest Group.When comparing locations, grass pollen showed the largest variability across Europe with France having the highest yearly average grass pollen potency, 7-fold higher than Portugal. For birch pollen the yearly average pollen potency was comparable between locations, but still varied more than 2-fold. Olive pollen from two locations 400km apart varied 4-fold in their allergen release potency. In Portugal there were occasions when pollen from Spain released much more allergens than the "local" pollen. So Spanish pollen was responsible for triggering allergic reactions in Portugal.

Atmospheric transport may lead to allergies in previously unaffected regions The conclusion: Allergic reactions like hay fever do not simply depend on pollen, but on the amount of allergens these pollen carry, and that varies more than 10-fold between days, locations, and years. Atmospheric transport of high potency pollen to locations that normally have a lower allergen exposure can lead to sudden increases in the number of people suffering from allergies. Changes in atmospheric transport or climate in general may result in patients being affected by allergies where they were previously unaffected.

Asthma and rhinitis stress Public Health in Europe Asthma and rhinitis are the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Up to one in three children suffer from these conditions and up to 15% of these have severe disease; direct and indirect costs may reach over EUR100 billion yearly. Measures to prevent or stop the progression of these allergic diseases will have a major impact on the quality of life of Europeans and on Public Health. As there is a strong need to promote allergic diseases as health priorities in the EU and beyond, representatives from different organisations, including Elisabetta Gardini, member of the European Parliament, will discuss the next steps in fighting chronic respiratory diseases. This discussion will take place during the live streamed symposium "EU Health Priorities: Political and Research Agenda" (monday 10:45 - 12).

EAACI President Prof. Cezmi Akdis: "We need to contain the allergy epidemic "For these matters, EAACI calls for more research support to fight chronic respiratory diseases. Prof. Cezmi Akdis, President of EAACI, calls for action: "If the allergy epidemic is to be contained or reversed, systematic and persistent research efforts are needed. It is very important to understand the mechanisms of the disease but real-life disease surveillance through registries can provide crucial information for its management. Novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and immunotherapy should be brought to the bedside through large clinical trials."Prof. Akdis also draws attention to research for the development of novel ways of prevention, "because every year 2 million new people develop some kind of allergic disease in Europe", he added.

EAACI Launches Patient Organisation Committee in Geneva  The Academy is embracing the work of patient support organisations from all over the world. More than 25 country representatives from across Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand are involved in this initiative. The Patient Organisation Committee will work within the EAACI platform with opinion leaders to develop better management, education, access to care, and increased safety and quality of life for individuals with allergy and their carers. The development of global minimum standards of care will assist individuals with allergy worldwide.

About EAACI, The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, is a non-profit organisation active in the field of allergic and immunologic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema, occupational allergy, food and drug allergy and anaphylaxis. EAACI was founded in 1956 in Florence and has become the largest medical association in Europe in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. It includes over 7,400 members from 121 countries, as well as 42 National Allergy Societies.

廣藥於渤海 佈局 健康產業基地 !

 鉅亨網新聞中心　(來源：財匯資訊，摘自：經濟參考報)　2012-06-15近日，廣藥集團與河北恒祥醫藥集團有限公司簽訂了環渤海地區大南藥健康產業基地項目合作框架協議，雙方計劃在未來四年，持續開展大南藥種植、生產、流通等的全方位合作。據悉，環渤海地區大南藥健康產業基地項目選址河北邢臺市，項目總投資100億元，建設起止年限為2012年到2015年。產業基地將覆蓋京、津、冀、魯、遼等環渤海省市，輻射內蒙古、山西、吉林等省區。 產業基地建設涉及農業、工業、商業。根據框架協議，廣藥集團與河北恒祥醫藥集團計劃建設年銷售額超過30億元的醫藥商業物流基地、年產值超過10億元的醫藥工業生產基地、年產值超過10億元的大健康產品生產基地以及年產值超過5億元的環渤海區域道地藥材的種植加工基地。銀河證券醫藥行業分析師楊挺認為，廣藥集團的品牌和品種資源都很豐富，其“大南藥”發展戰略本身也有做大、做強嶺南醫藥產業的含義，加上近期王老吉大健康產業的緊急部署，這些因素都要求廣藥集團盤活產業鏈各環節要素、做好配套準備、加緊新品上市，同時加快華北乃至全國的終端布局。

兩岸機構在無錫共建時尚產業人才 !

兩岸機構在無錫共建時尚產業人才培訓中心 2012年05月30日新華社南京５月３０日電（記者張展鵬）記者３０日從江蘇省無錫市臺辦獲悉，“南洋全球頂尖時尚產業人才培訓中心”已在該市掛牌成立，該中心由台灣“全球頂尖國際認證有限公司”與無錫南洋職業技術學院共同創辦。台灣“全球頂尖國際認證有限公司”是獲得英國美容工會認可的培訓機構，其教師資源包括來自台灣“中國文化大學”、日本資生堂等多家權威機構的博士、講師，以及時尚產業領域的頂尖人才。按照計劃，該培訓中心成立後，將全面引進國際以及台灣地區各類時尚藝術人才技能培訓體系，包括人體整體造型藝術（粧容、美甲、髮型造型等）、飾品、服裝搭配藝術、美容用品選用等，面向社會招收時尚產業各層次人員並開展技術培訓，還有經營管理人才高端培訓等。

首家外資獨資醫院: 上海禾新醫院

首家臺資獨資醫院開業 鉅亨網新聞中心　(來源：財匯資訊)　2012-06-16 6月26日，第一家外資獨資醫院——上海禾新醫院將開門迎客。在政策允許港澳臺資本可以獨家興辦醫院之后，這家臺資背景的醫院成為國內醫療領域第一個吃螃蟹者，打破了外資最多只能控股70%的紅線。而在其身后，更多的外資集團正謀劃在國內醫療市場落子布局。

禾新醫院的試探  據禾新醫院估算，在上海及周邊地區的台灣投資者已經超過50萬人，其中在上海購房的超過8萬戶，這些是醫院的主要客戶群。“具體的消息我們現在還不能發布，要等26日我們正式開業才能接受采訪。”上海禾新醫院公關部總監馬小姐回復媒體的提問。盡管禾新醫院拒絕對媒體正面回應，但是接近禾新醫院的人士勾勒出了這家醫院大概的情況：這家來自台灣的醫療集團將投資2億元左右，醫院擁有大概100張病床。至於該醫院的定位，馬小姐如此回應：“我們定位比較高端，主要是台灣來大陸工作的人士，醫院沒有進入國家醫保，做醫保客戶業務的打算。”據禾新醫院方面的估算，在上海及周邊地區的台灣投資者已經超過50萬人，其中在上海購房的超過8萬戶，這些是醫院的主要客戶群。據了解，禾新醫院投資方是台灣的聯新國際醫療集團（以下簡稱聯新），是一家1991年在台灣成立的私營醫療集團，以連鎖經營的方式運營，其在臺的旗艦醫院——壢新醫院成立於1995年。在進入大陸市場方面，聯新表現得很果斷：2000年7月，聯新在上海成立大陸業務總部，對大陸的一些醫院進行服務和管理上的輔導。目前，這家企業的員工，包括台灣和大陸的員工在內，超過5000名。據知情人士介紹，禾新醫院的前身是辰新醫院。2003年1月，聯新在上海與電力部門合資開辦上海辰新醫院，租用三層樓，主要客戶是在滬的台灣人士。隨著電力部門整改，醫院需要重新選址，於是聯新將合資改為獨資，以禾新醫院的名義向主管部門提出申請。2011年7月，禾新醫院正式獲得衛生部批準。聯新集團網站顯示，該集團在台灣有7家連鎖醫院，在大陸除了經營禾新醫院外，還經營上海聯新國際健康樂活廣場。有資料顯示，聯新集團年營業額近11.55億元人民幣。“在台灣，聯新最大一家醫院不過700張病床，其他都在100張以下，”一位台灣醫療界人士評論，“其規模在台灣醫療圈里排不上名，台灣有19家三級醫院，哪一家的病床數量都超過聯新最大的醫院。”這位人士介紹，台灣最大的幾家醫療集團除了臺塑長庚集團外，還有慈濟、“中國醫藥(600056)大學”附設醫院以及彰化基督教醫院等，這些醫療集團目前還沒有到大陸開辦獨資醫院的表示，禾新醫院只能算是臺資醫療集團在開辦獨資醫院方面對大陸的試探。關於醫生來源，禾新會聘用少量臺籍有執照的醫生，大部分醫生會在大陸聘用。“聘用臺籍醫生成本很高，醫院為其開出的月薪大約在15萬元人民幣，”一位業內人士說。

外資在醫療領域再顯投資熱情 2011年12月底，衛生部和商務部聯合出臺的兩個暫行辦法被看做是國內醫療市場對外資獨資逐步放開的先兆。禾新醫院成為第一家在華外資獨資醫院，顯示了臺資進入大陸醫療市場的熱情，而臺資的這種熱情并非孤立。新加坡最大醫療集團百匯集團也計劃在上海建立一家外資醫院，由於中國政策尚不允許港澳臺以外的資本開設獨資醫院，百匯將建立一所合資醫院，病床數500張。該集團中國與北亞地區醫院業務部總裁陳美蘭表示，百匯雖然在中國參與醫院管理咨詢并托管了一些醫院，但是，這些業務并不能讓百匯通過直接投資獲得收益。“我們在新加坡最大的一家醫院投資了100億元人民幣，而在上海投資的這家醫院，金額在10億元以上，希望能在2014年運營。”陳美蘭介紹，百匯在國內有8家全科診所，其中7家在上海，一家在成都，雇傭包括70名外籍醫生在內的400多名員工。6月6日，一家中美合資的醫療機構——德西門診在上海試營業，而其母公司——德達醫療意在上海建立中美合資的德達醫院，為此已經獲得了衛生部和商務部的審批。“整個醫院投資總額超過10億元人民幣，在外資醫療機構中，這是除港澳臺資本以外最大的投資。”德達醫院院長劉常平介紹，醫院將於2014年營運，主要關注於心血管專科醫療服務，價格比普通國內醫療服務價格高30%到50%。“舉個例子吧，在國內生孩子，從醫療到住院、出院，醫療費用高低不等，大城市的費用大約需要5000到6000元，而貴的在10000元以上。”劉常平對比，如果換了外資醫療機構，價格可能是此價格的5到10倍，比如美資和睦家醫院專做產科，費用在5萬元到6萬元之間。“從價格上來說，我們高30%到50%應該是白領人士能接受的。”新一輪醫改給外資引入醫療領域提供了新的機會。2010年12月，國務院下發了《關於進一步鼓勵和引導社會資本舉辦醫療機構的意見〔2010〕國辦發58號文》，其中規定，境外資本舉辦醫療機構由目前的限制類調整為允許類，逐步取消對境外資本舉辦醫療機構的股比限制，對外商獨資醫療機構先行試點、逐步放開；最終在程序審批上也要簡化，中外合資、合作醫療機構的設立審批權限由國家下放到省一級，外商獨資醫療機構的設立由衛生部和商務部審批。不僅如此，去年12月底，衛生部和商務部又聯合出臺《香港和澳門服務提供者在內地設立獨資醫院管理暫行辦法》和《台灣服務提供者在大陸設立獨資醫院管理暫行辦法》，允許港澳投資者在上海市、福建省、廣東省、海南省和重慶市開辦獨資醫院，台灣投資者者在上海市、江蘇省、福建省、廣東省和海南省開辦獨資醫院。雖然開辦獨資醫院的投資方并沒有擴大到港澳臺以外，但是這兩個暫行辦法仍然被業內人士看做是國內醫療市場對外資獨資逐步放開的先兆。

相關報導　醫療政策仍制約外資進入 無論是禾新醫院、德達醫院，還是準備進入的百匯，都明確表示他們不考慮進入醫保，似乎顯示醫保對外資醫院并不重要。“這要看醫院規模，如果你專做高端，只在500張病床以下，可以不考慮引進醫保帶來的低端客戶。”醫療行業專家、曾在台灣長庚醫院任職并為大陸醫療界做過多年培訓的傅天明剖析，“但是如果你想在中國市場做大規模，病床數達到1000張以上，就必須進入醫保，因為醫保客戶雖然不產生什么利潤，但是量大，可以拉平企業運營成本。”在各股資本中，臺資在大陸醫療界投入最大。目前廈門的長庚醫院、南京的明基醫院、長沙的旺旺醫院等，都是臺資醫院，病床數都在1000張以上，也都無一例外地進入了醫保。“由於沒有明確規定達到標準就必須授予醫保醫院資格，批準的權力交給了地方主管部門，這就給灰色運作帶來了機會，”一位行業人士介紹，“實際運作中，不找人，不打點，你就不可能拿到這個資格。”這位人士進一步解釋，國內對醫保醫院資格的審議是“個案審議”，或者叫“CASE BY CASE”，并沒有規定達到一定標準就必須授予，這就為地方權力尋租制造了空間，也讓很多外資投資者無奈之中“躲著走”，只能選擇做高端業務，不敢選擇擴大規模，社會醫療資本的力量始終無法擴大，最終造成公立醫療機構一家獨大，醫療資源在市場中無法實現有效分配。“實際上，讓外資獨資辦醫療是中國必須要走的路，這是簽訂WTO時就明確的規定，我們因為存在各種擔心一直拖延到現在也沒有放開。”劉常平表示，他除了擔任德達醫院的院長以外，還有一個身份是北京朝陽區非公立醫療機構協會名譽會長。對於醫療人才難以流動這個一直困擾外資醫院和民營醫院的問題，劉常平感慨更多。“據說在推醫師多點執業，希望借此解決醫療優質人才在市場上的正常流動，其實很難做到。”他解釋，在上海政策規定，公立醫院醫生在不影響本單位工作的前提下，可以考慮開展多點執業，這就把決定醫生多點執業的權利交給了各醫院院長，而醫院院長為了自己的利益，怎么可能讓醫生尤其是好醫生去競爭對手那里工作？有消息稱，在上海的幾萬名醫生中，真正獲得多點執業的醫生尚不到100人。“這100人，還基本上是沒有人要的"刺頭"，是醫院不歡迎的人，真正優質的醫生，可以說少之又少。”劉常平介紹。有這樣一個例子，上海某醫院一位70多歲、已經退休的主任，想到一家外資醫院工作，但是因為醫生執照在原來的公立醫院，於是他找到這家醫院的院長希望蓋個章。這位院長的態度是：你如果想走可以，但是今后就不再跟醫院有任何關係了。這個答復讓這位老醫生打了退堂鼓，只好作罷。“種種制約，都成了外資進入乃至民營醫院發展的絆腳石，如果沒有民營醫療力量的壯大和競爭，這個市場怎么會有高質量的服務？怎么會有價廉物美的醫療產品？台灣私營醫療所占的市場份額超過70%，世界上發達國家私營醫療機構都非常活躍和強大，只有我們不是如此，”一位醫療行業資深人士說，“而實際上，我們醫療市場的種種弊端和此息息相關。在創造合理的環境吸引國外大型醫療集團進入，建立一個合理競爭的醫療市場上，我們還有很長的路要走。”

亞東、祥雲簽MOU 攜手培育醫療精英

 此新聞見報日：2012/6/17 記者林普天╱新北市報導亞東技術學院與大陸北京祥雲醫療集團昨日正式簽署人才培育與學術交流合作協定（MOU），雙方將以兩岸校院攜手、共育醫護精英為目標，攜手培養高階護理暨醫務管理人才，提昇醫療照護與管理品質。　近年來，兩岸醫學領域的交流與合作不斷擴大和加深。亞東技術學院表示，該校與大陸北京祥雲醫療集團人才培育與學術交流合作協定（MOU）的簽訂，更將兩岸醫學交流的深度和廣度推進一大步。雙方將充分整合自身的優勢醫療資源，將本次合作定位為兩岸醫學交流的範本：依託亞東技術學院護理系、醫管系、管理暨醫護學群及亞東紀念醫院的優勢醫療資源和學術資源，雙方將展開人才培育和學術交流領域的深度合作，著眼於培育具備兩岸思維和國際化視野的醫護精英人才及高階醫務管理人才。　校方指出，雙方將採取實習參訪、就業媒合、觀摩競技、學術研討、高階人才培育、產學合作等形式，加強和促進兩岸醫療專業人才技能與知識的交流，促進兩岸醫療服務品質的提昇。

運動產業 ! 祺驊

祺驊Q2業績成長有望 2012-06-14 【時報-台北電】 祺驊 (1593)董事長徐鉦鑑表示，全球健康意識抬頭，「適度運動」的觀念已成為醫療方式的一環，該公司在全方位搶攻健身器材和醫療器材下，預計未來營運可持續成長動能，第2季業績可望呈現淡季不淡。以健身器材關鍵零組件為營運主軸的祺驊 (1593) ，昨日以27元掛牌上櫃，盤中時即使抽籤戶賣壓出籠，但該股仍堅守掛牌價之上，盤中最高來到31.9元，漲幅逾18.14％。由於該公司目前訂單滿手，法人預期下半年成長動能強勁中，終場股價以31.1元收盤，表現不弱。該公司去年營收收6.21億元，年增率12.62％，毛利率21.20％，每股稅後盈餘1.88元，股東會已通過配息1.8元，並訂定除息交易日為7月3日。祺驊執行副總經理李穎哲表示，該公司第一季因提列匯損超過400萬元及研發成本高漲影響，導致獲利僅300多萬元，但第二季隨著台幣回貶，匯損大幅降低，加上接單快速回溫，5、6月訂單量都超過5000萬元，第二季營收將相當有機會創下歷年來新高，可望進一步推升毛利達25％，提高獲利動能。(新聞來源：工商時報─記者杜蕙蓉／台北報導)

Mutations in JAK3 gene identified in subtype of lymphoma provide potential drug target

June 15, 2012 in Cancer A substantial proportion of NK/T-cell lymphomas harbor Janus Kinase 3 gene mutations. Patients with these lymphomas might benefit from treatment with a Janus Kinase inhibitor according to a study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "Very little was known about the genetic and molecular defects causing NK/T-cell lymphoma before we started this work," said Bin Tean Teh, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Cancer Center Singapore-Van Andel Research Institute Translational Research Laboratory at the NCCS, and professor at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore. "There is no effective treatment and this type of cancer carries an extremely poor prognosis. "It is tremendously rewarding to have identified genetic mutations that appear to have an important role in driving the cancer in a considerable fraction of cases. Moreover, we are excited that there is a drug already in phase III trials for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that targets the mutant protein. We are in the process of planning a clinical trial to study whether this drug benefits NK/T-cell lymphoma patients," said Teh. NK/T-cell lymphoma is a very aggressive form of lymphoma. It is particularly prevalent in Asia. "Many years ago, I and a colleague came to the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Mich.," said Teh. "My colleague unfortunately developed NK/T-cell lymphoma and passed away. It was the only case of this cancer ever diagnosed in Grand Rapids. As this illustrates, it is a relatively rare subtype of lymphoma in the United States, but it is responsible for the deaths of a large number of people in Asia, in particular in China and Korea. It accounts for almost half of all T-cell lymphomas in some parts of Asia. "The passing of my colleague, whom I was very close to, was the reason that I started studying NK/T-cell lymphoma. It has been a complicated puzzle, but I feel that we have pieced together enough that we will have an impact on a large number of patients with this disease." To identify genetic mutations that might have a functional consequence, Teh and his colleagues sequenced all the genes in NK/T-cell lymphoma cells from four patients. In addition to mutations in genes known to be associated with cancer, they detected mutations in the Janus Kinase 3 (JAK3) gene in the cancer cells from half of the patients. The researchers conducted follow-up sequencing of NK/T-cell lymphoma cells from an additional 65 patients and identified JAK3 mutations in 23 of those patients. The mutations enabled NK/T-cell lymphoma cell lines to grow in culture in the absence of the normally essential growth factor IL-2. This meant that the mutations caused dysregulated activation of JAK3, and suggested that JAK3 might be a good drug target. Consistent with this idea, a JAK inhibitor that is currently being assessed in phase III clinical trials as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis killed cultured NK/T-cell lymphoma cell lines by a process known as apoptosis. "We are currently putting together a proposal to test JAK inhibitors as a treatment for NK/T-cell lymphoma with JAK3 mutations," said Teh. "I am hopeful that we might have found a molecular target for the treatment of a least some patients with this otherwise fatal disease." Provided by American Association for Cancer Research 

18 Million U.S. Cancer Survivors Expected by 2022

Report Most survivable cancers are those diagnosed and treated early, experts say Thursday, June 14, 2012 Health Statistics THURSDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- There are now more than 13 million cancer survivors living in the United States and that number is expected to reach 18 million in just 10 years, a new report predicts.This dramatic increase will be driven, in large part, by a combination of earlier diagnosis and better treatment of some of the most common cancers, according to the report from the American Cancer Society and the U.S. National Cancer Institute."We are focusing on the number of people who are now alive who have experienced cancer at some time in the past, and their transition from treatment to recovery and the balance of their life," said report co-author Elizabeth Ward, national vice president of intramural research at the American Cancer Society.More people are surviving cancer because the number of people diagnosed with cancer is rising and because the size of this population, particularly older cancer survivors, is growing, she said. In addition, survival for some of the most common cancers is increasing.But, cancer survivors do have potential problems, including issues with quality of life and the need for both physical and psychological follow-up care, Ward said."Cancer survival can affect one's life long-term," she said. Cancer survivors shouldn't feel abandoned after treatment has stopped.People may have psychological concerns including fear of the cancer's return. "These patients are not alone. There are lots of public and private support services available," Ward said.The report was published June 14 in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.According to the research, although the rate of cancers is decreasing, the number of survivors is increasing as the population ages and grows.Among men, the most common survivable cancers are prostate (43 percent), colon cancer (9 percent) and melanoma (7 percent). Among women they are breast (41 percent), uterine (8 percent) and colon cancer (8 percent). These percentages are expected to be the roughly the same in 2022, the report noted.

Other findings include:About 45 percent of cancer survivors are aged 70 or older. Only 5 percent of cancer survivors are under 40. The average age at cancer diagnosis is 66. There are more than 58,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the United States. More than 12,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer this year. 64 percent of cancer survivors were diagnosed five or more years ago. 15 percent of cancer survivors were diagnosed 20 years ago or more. Dr. Anthony D'Amico, chief of radiation oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, said he is concerned that the data reflect patients who were treated needlessly and are included in these numbers."It is good news that survival appears to be increasing in some of the common cancers," he said. "This likely reflects improved treatment, screening and perhaps some overdiagnosis."Overdiagnoses and overtreatment are most common in prostate and breast cancer, he said. "In many cases, these people would be alive if they hadn't been treated," he said.SOURCES: Elizabeth Ward, Ph.D., national vice president of intramural research, American Cancer Society; Anthony D'Amico, M.D., Ph.D., chief, radiation oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; June 14, 2012, CA: A Cancer Journal for CliniciansHealthDay 

Genetic markers hope for new brain tumor treatments

 June 15, 2012 in Cancer Researchers at The University of Nottingham have identified three sets of genetic markers that could potentially pave the way for new diagnostic tools for a deadly type of brain tumour that mainly targets children. The study, published in the latest edition of Lancet Oncology, was led by Professor Richard Grundy at the University's Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre and Dr Suzanne Miller, a post doctoral research fellow in the Centre. It focuses on a rare and aggressive cancer called Central Nervous System primitive neuro-ectodermal brain tumours. Patients with CNS PNET have a very poor prognosis and current treatments, including high dose chemotherapy and cranio-spinal radiotherapy are relatively unsuccessful and have severe lifelong side-effects. This is particularly the case in very young children. Despite the need for new and more effective treatments, little research has been done to examine the underlying causes of CNS PNET, partly due to their rarity. The Nottingham study aimed to identify molecular markers as a first step to improving the treatments and therapies available to fight the cancer. The Nottingham team collaborated with researchers at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, Canada, to perform an International study collecting 142 CNS PNET samples from 20 institutions in nine countries. Professor Richard Grundy said: "Following our earlier research we realised that an international effort was needed to bring sufficient numbers of cases together to make the breakthrough we needed to better understand this disease or indeed diseases identified in our study. The next step is to translate this knowledge into improving treatments." By studying the genetics of the tumours, they discovered that instead of one cancer, the tumours have three sub-types featuring distinct genetic abnormalities and leading to different outcomes for patients. They found that each group had its own genetic signature through subtle differences in the way they expressed two genetic markers, LIN28 and OLIG2. When compared with clinical factors including age, survival and metastases (the spread of the tumours through the body), they discovered that group 1 tumours (primitive neural) were found most often in the youngest patients and had the poorest survival rates. Patients with group 3 tumours had the highest incidence of metastases at diagnosis. Ultimately, the research has identified the two genetic markers LIN28 and OLIG2 as a promising basis for more effective tools for diagnosing and predicting outcomes for young patients with these types of brain tumours. The research was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Brainchild/Sick Kids Foundation and the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust. Chief Executive of Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, Sarah Lindsell, said: "As the UK's leading brain tumour charity, and the largest dedicated funder of brain tumour research, we are delighted that our investment has led to such significant success. It is great to see that understanding of these tumours is improving – this is desperately needed given the poor outcomes for children with this tumour. Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust is proud to have been instrumental in this work." Journal reference: Lancet Oncology

Many college students can't track down credible emergency contraception information online

 June 15, 2012 in Health They seem to live their personal lives online, but when there is a glitch in the sex lives of college students, and emergency contraception is needed, many struggle to navigate the Web and find the information they need, according to a Northwestern University study. The study was recently published online in the journal Policy & Internet. The majority of the 210 first-year college students who participated in the study were unable to use websites and Internet search engines to identify the most efficient way to acquire emergency contraception pills (ECPs) in a time of need, said Eszter Hargittai, lead author of the study and associate professor of communication studies at Northwestern. "These results suggest that despite their highly wired lifestyles, many young adults do not have the necessary skills to navigate the vast amounts of information available online with expertise," Hargittai said. "We shouldn't assume that every college student who walks into the classroom already has expert digital domain knowledge and web searching skills." In fall 2007 and winter 2008, as part of a larger research project, study participants from both a suburban and an urban college in the Midwest, were asked to perform a dozen information-seeking tasks on a network-connected computer while being observed by a researcher. In one task, on which data from this study are based, students were given the following hypothetical scenario about ECPs and asked to search out answers online: "You are at home in the middle of summer. A friend calls you frantically on a Friday at midnight. The condom broke while she was with her boyfriend. What can she do to prevent pregnancy? Remember, neither of you is on campus. She lives in South Bend, Indiana." The majority of the participants used a search engine (most often Google) to navigate to websites for information. Here are some of the websites they visited:31 percent visited Planned Parenthood's national or local website 10 percent pulled up morningafterpill.org, a site by the American Life League 8 percent went to Princeton University's Office of Population Research website 6 percent visited Wikipedia during their search 4 percent looked at the Plan B emergency contraception pill manufacture's website 4 percent went to a topic-related site such as WebMD Through their web searching methods, two-thirds of the students were able to conclude that their friend should seek an ECP, according to the study. But, fewer than half, 40 percent, were able to give the ideal response: that the friend should purchase ECPs over the counter at a pharmacy. "Students who did not seem to have prior knowledge of emergency contraception often used a variant of the search term 'prevent pregnancy' and did not do a very good job at locating information about emergency contraception," Hargittai said. "Those who already knew the answer or had some knowledge came up with the search terms 'the morning after pill' or the drug 'Plan B' and did a better job of finding information." When looking through search engine results to assess site credibility, many students relied heavily on domain names ending with dot-org, which are not sanctioned any more than are dot-com sites, Hargittai said. Some answers, each one provided by different respondents, included: "wait it out," "wash genitals," "adoption," "RU-486," "ascorbic acid," visiting a gynecologist in the incorrect locale, taking a pregnancy test, and purchasing another condom. Three percent of the students were unable to come to any conclusion on the question. The researchers purposely placed the hypothetical situation in South Bend, Indiana, because that city doesn't have a Planned Parenthood clinic. They also made the time of day midnight to make it more difficult to obtain immediate information in any way other than online, Hargittai said. The study was conducted within 14 months after the Federal Drug Administration's ruling that allowed ECPs to be available for purchase at pharmacies, without a prescription. From 1999 until January 1, 2007, ECP use required a prescription from a doctor. The research shows that important changes to health-related regulations might not propagate quickly among young people, Hargittai said. "Young adults are much more likely than older adults to turn to the Internet as a resource when seeking health information," she said. "We need to incorporate into college curricula certain aspects of digital media usage, such as efficient searching and also credibility assessment of sources that people consult, to help young adults navigate the Internet with better expertise." 

抗癌药物研发 缺失的“中国创造”

 发布时间：2012/6/15 12:56:00 来源：药品资讯网信息中心 在人类历史中,恶性肿瘤曾肆意吞噬着人们的生命。时至今日,随着肿瘤研究的不断发展,人们对肿瘤的认识越来越深刻,防治手段也逐渐增多。针对肿瘤,目前已有手术治疗、放射治疗、药物治疗三大治疗手段,其中接受药物治疗的患者人数最多。

沃土难耕良苗据统计,全球的新药研发工作中,至少有40%~45%的精力是投入到抗肿瘤药物研发上的。中国工程院院士、中国科学院上海药物研究所所长丁健表示,抗癌药物是在所有药物发展中进度最快的一种。在生物谷盘点的“2011年最畅销的十种抗癌药物”中,前十名畅销抗癌药物全部来自国外。谈及目前国内的抗癌药物在国内和国际市场上所占比例的问题,丁健的回答却让记者吃惊不小。“目前在国际抗癌药市场上,完全没有国产抗癌药物的身影。”丁健告诉记者,随着社会的不断发展,老年人口越来越多,肿瘤的发生率近年正飞速增长。每年全世界有1000多万新发肿瘤病人,国内则有200多万。而最新的统计数据显示,全球2010年医院抗肿瘤药物处方金额达到560亿美元,中国达到500亿元人民币,占全球市场的13%~14%。“全世界抗肿瘤药物的增长速率是6%~7%,中国从2006年至今连续5年都有超过20%的增幅,中国的抗肿瘤药物市场发展潜力是十分巨大的。”丁健说。在5年前,国内的抗癌药物市场还是以国产抗癌药物为主的,而中国抗癌药物市场这片蕴涵如此巨大市场前景的沃土,近年正不断吸引着越来越多的跨国药企进入中国。丁健介绍,做药物有一个“三高一低”的周期,即高时间消耗,往往一种新药研发需要10年甚至更久的时间;高投资,目前国际上成功研发一种新药所需的研发资金达到13亿~15亿美元,同时伴随着高风险。“做好新药的研发难度甚至高于登月,因为登月已经是很成熟的技术,而新药研发则需要通过无数次的试验来完成。就好比摘苹果一样,较低树枝上的苹果很容易被摘光,而树顶的难摘到,随着市场上药品的增多,新药研发将越来越难。”丁健举例说明。由于中国抗癌药物以仿制药为主,难以形成对进口抗癌新药的竞争力。丁健表示,外资企业进入中国,对国内抗癌药物市场形成了不小的冲击。夹缝中探寻生存路虽然市场份额被数度挤占,但是拥有自己国家的抗癌药依然是必须的。丁健认为,21世纪是生命科学的世纪,最终目的是使人们的寿命延长、质量提高。“所以说医药是阳光产业,不管再怎么难都要坚持;而且,做好了甚至可以抵御经济危机带来的影响。”由于行业的整体发展速度较缓,“中国创造”并没能在国际抗癌药领域中获得自己的一席之地,化学药物更有97%是仿制而来。“作为在国际医药市场排名第三的医药大国,没有自己的产品,只能受制于人。”丁健表示。丁健认为,中国人用的抗癌药物和国际上还存在很大差别。由于中国是发展中国家,一种情况是城市中疾病发展趋势和发达国家基本一致;在较为落后的偏远地区,疾病发展甚至接近非洲国家。在恶性肿瘤领域这种情况也有体现,如城市中常见肿瘤多为乳腺癌、大肠癌等,但是在农村,甚至还存在城市中已几乎绝迹的子宫颈癌,这完全是因为卫生因素造成的。有数据显示,抗肿瘤药物的用药水平,城市和发达国家持平,贫穷落后区域依然在使用二三十年前的老药,并且以副作用较大的细胞毒性药物为主。虽然细胞毒性药物也在逐步降低副作用,但在国外已经不再是多数患者的首选。取而代之的分子靶向药物迅速占到使用人群的45%左右。而在国内,由于价格低廉,80%以上的患者依然在使用细胞毒性药物,落后地区甚至出现使用40年前药品的情况。近10年中国抗癌药物发展势头迅猛,作为以仿制药为主的发展中国家,也在逐步提高对仿制药的要求。从纯粹的仿制逐渐衍生出“Me too”和“Me Better”的理念,在被仿制药的基础上,作出改进。丁健介绍,目前一些研发单位已经开始做完全的新药研发,但是距离投放市场仍有3~5年的时间。“目前我们的水平已经和国际同步,但是国内整体研发水平和国际水平还存在20年的差距。”丁健说。

合纵连横,共踏前路“目前国内药企多数规模偏小,研发实力偏弱。”丁健说,国外药企销售收入的20%左右都能投入到新药研发上,国内则平均不到2%。企业自主创新能力亟待提高,满足国家对企业成为技术创新主体的期望。同时丁健也告诉记者,国内药企研发资金投入不足,也与药品定价太低有关。一味调控压制药品价格,让医药企业利润微乎其微,就没有办法拿出高额经费投入创新。新药的审评速度过慢,也是让研发人员头疼的问题之一。“和国外同期开展的研发项目,现在对方已经上市,而我们才刚开始临床试验。”丁健说,这是由于目前审评人数与国外差距过大造成的。国外企业大举进入中国,不仅因为中国市场规模宏大,丰富的人力资源及廉价的早期成果也形成了诱因。目前国内每年有大量归国留学生,国外企业开出的高薪对其更具诱惑力。同时,就连医生也普遍更愿意采用国外药企的产品进行临床试验。此外,不少国外企业还成立了众多下属公司,进入各大学及地方科研单位廉价收购早期成果。丁健认为,这已经对国内的资源、人才、成果形成了“掠夺”。谈到应对方法,丁健却表示国内目前没有任何办法和外国药企抗衡。唯一的出路是药企和科研机构联合,以及药企之间兼并扩大规模。“以目前国内药企的规模来看,耗资十几亿美元做新药不可能。”“再过五到十年,中国的抗癌药一定能走向世界。”尽管前路困难重重,丁健对国产抗癌药的未来充满希望。

美癌協：開藥應考量成本效益

路透社 – 2012年6月15日星期五 （路透紐約15日電）在過去，癌症專家考量那種藥物能提供給病患最佳治療時，價格並不在考慮範圍內；如今醫師也開始重新思考這項立場。 鑑於新的癌症用藥成本飆漲、保險計畫刪減補助，加上新研究發現有些例子使用較廉價的學名藥，藥效和昂貴的原廠藥一樣有效、甚至更好，讓部分頂尖的腫瘤學家重新將藥物成本納入考量。 美國癌症學會（American Cancer Society）首席醫療官員布拉里（Otis Brawley）說：「醫師開始了解到成本確實重要，特別是當較低成本卻能同樣獲得高品質時。」 布拉里說：「我認為這是藥物的轉型，這是件好事。」 舉例來說，用來截斷腫瘤供血的治癌藥物「癌思停」（Avastin），每月藥費高達8000美元；攝護腺癌治療性疫苗Provenge，1個療程價格為9萬3000美元。美國藥品給付管理公司快捷藥方公司（ExpressScripts）表示，美國花在腫瘤藥物及其核可費用，預計未來幾年將增加超過20%，2020年將達到1730億美元。 不過藥廠堅稱原廠藥儘管售價較高，卻能因減少輔助藥物的需求、以及甚至讓病患不用住院而節省成本。中央社（翻譯）

MU in-home sensors monitor changes in aging adults’ health

Published on June 15, 2012Many adults wish to maintain their independence as they age, but health problems often require them to live in assisted-care facilities where they can be observed by medical professionals. Now, technologies developed by University of Missouri researchers could help aging adults stay in their own homes longer while still being monitored by health care providers.Marjorie Skubic, a professor of electrical and computer engineering in the MU College of Engineering, and Marilyn Rantz, a Curator's Professor of Nursing in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, have used motion-sensing technology to monitor changes in residents' health for several years at TigerPlace, an eldercare facility in Columbia. Now, they have received a grant from the National Science Foundation to expand their work to a facility in Cedar Falls, Iowa.Fiber networking in Columbia and Cedar Falls will provide the infrastructure necessary for health care providers in Missouri to remotely monitor the health of elderly residents in Iowa. High-speed video conferencing capabilities will allow communication between staff and residents at the two locations."Using what we're already doing at TigerPlace and deploying it at the facility in Cedar Falls will allow us to further test the concept of remote health care," Rantz said. "Monitoring individuals with in-home sensors allows us to unobtrusively monitor their health changes based on their individual activity patterns and baseline health conditions."

銀髮族腦神經病變 易引發憂鬱症自殺

華人健康網／記者張世傑／台北報導-2012年06月14日高齡長者精神照護需要大家關心！一位83歲老翁1年前，精神狀況出現異常，不喜歡和別人互動，宣稱會看到一些人影，最後甚至絕食自殺，經家人緊急送醫，才發現老翁因失智引起憂鬱症。醫師指出，腦神經病變，主要是因為大腦細胞的壞死，使得病人記憶力、判斷力變得不好，病人也會演變出多疑、覺得別人會害他等精神疾患出現。唯有早期發現與治療，才能免於自殺夢魘。高齡長者精神照護需要大家關心，唐嘉宏醫師強調，憂鬱症嚴重危害銀髮族的健康，也是老人族群自殺的最主要原因。衛生署台南醫院精神科醫師唐嘉宏指出，隨著人口高齡化，未來患有阿茲海默症的人數，將和癌症病患人數一樣多。進入已開發社會的台灣，伴隨人口結構老化現象而來的，將是腦部及神經相關疾病，醫療需求倍增的隱憂。尤其老年人憂鬱症病發時，多不會表達心情不好，反而表現出煩躁、容易生氣、抱怨身體不舒服等，家人多卻認為憂鬱是老化的正常現象，老人只是在鬧情緒，不是一種病，很少勸長輩看醫生，老人也因到精神科會被看笑話，拒絕就醫。而老人憂鬱症有許多病發可能原因，包括意識起伏、身體疾病、腦部病變、失智症等。在門診中有一案例，一名名75歲老婦人半年前突然變得固執、食慾差，凡事往壞的方面想，家人明明有工作，卻堅稱大家都失業，沒錢吃飯，家裡要被查封，最後也不進食，被家人緊急送醫，才發現老婦人疑因局部腦梗塞，引發憂鬱症，治療後恢復進食。唐嘉宏強調，憂鬱症嚴重危害銀髮族的健康，也是老人族群自殺的最主要原因，尤其是85歲以上的自殺成功率更高。研究發現，憂鬱並不是正常老化的現象。健康、可自理生活的銀髮族，重度憂鬱症的發生率甚至比一般人低。罹患重大疾病特別是癌症、心肌梗塞，或神經性疾患，如中風、巴金森氏症等，其罹患憂鬱症的機率會大為增加。近年來影像學進步，微小病變都能診斷出來，治療老人憂鬱症除抗憂鬱藥物外，還能對症下藥，同時治療大腦血管性病變。總之，早期發現與篩檢腦神經病變，可減少銀髮族憂鬱與自殺高風險的出現。

兩岸電子商務 法規認證挑戰大

 2012-06-12 17:17 新聞速報 【中央社】　飛翔駱駝公司執行長葉奇鑫今天表示，兩岸電子商務的法規不同，包括兩岸金流管制、商品的認證標準不一，都成為兩岸電子商務發展挑戰。財團法人商業發展研究院今天舉辦「兩岸現代商業服務業合作發展會議」，邀請葉奇鑫、藍新科技公司執行副總經理劉雲輝、資訊工業策進會產業推動與服務處處長柯?堂及中國大陸京東商城首席行銷官藍燁，以「電子商務虛實整合討論，金流、資訊流整合應用」為題進行專題討論。葉奇鑫會後受訪表示，兩岸電子商務的問題不在資訊流，在於金流及物流，台灣網站要能收支付費及使用銀聯卡付款，中國大陸網站要能收台灣的信用卡，都需要相關法規的開放與合作。物流方面，葉奇鑫說，兩岸貨品過海關的檢驗有許多困難，不論是3C產品還是化妝品都需要雙方認證，「就算台灣產品通過國家標準檢索系統（CNS），在中國大陸還是不被接受，因為沒有通過大陸的認證」。葉奇鑫指出，「兩岸企業彼此對接其實很快，但雙方政府法令開放較難，法規才是慢的」。他認為改動法規對台灣絕對有利，因為中國大陸市場規模很大，粗估消費力約為台灣的50倍。葉奇鑫說，「其實中國大陸的消費者在食品、用品上，會寧願多花一點錢從台灣買，就算是一樣品牌的面膜，也會買台灣的，就怕買到假貨」，因為農產品無法外銷日本，3C產品又比台灣便宜，目前中國大陸利用電子商務購買台灣的物品以保養品、食品為主。柯?堂在專題討論中表示，台灣電子商務進入中國大陸以直接跨境銷售或透過網拍銷售及平台橋接銷售可行性較高。柯?堂指出，兩岸網路金融應有多元合作的機會，如金融卡與銀聯卡的標準統一，台灣也需要可運作且合理的第三方支付法令。在兩岸產品流通過程中，柯?堂說，如果能有合適的機制，讓兩岸產品交互認證將能加速產品檢驗時程，有助台灣優良產品快速且大量的進入中國大陸，並期盼兩岸電子商務能彼此合作進入其他國際市場。

激素类避孕药增加血栓性卒中和心肌梗死风险

 发布时间：2012/6/15 16:47:00 来源：爱唯医学 《新英格兰医学杂志》6月14日发表的一项大型丹麦队列研究显示，使用含有少量或极少量雌二醇的口服避孕药的女性，发生血栓性卒中和心肌梗死(MI)的相对风险是不使用者的1~2倍，不过绝对风险仍然非常低(N. Engl. J. Med. 2012;366:2257-66)。 在这项研究中，哥本哈根大学的Øjvind Lidegaard博士及其同事在1,626,158名15~49岁(1995年时)丹麦女性中探讨了新型激素类避孕药与血栓性卒中和MI之间的关系。在截至2009年的15年随访期间，观察到3,311起初次血栓性卒中和1,725起初次MI。卒中和MI的病死率分别为1.0%和10.8%。 使用低剂量口服避孕药(30~40 mcg雌二醇)女性的动脉血栓形成风险是不使用者的1.3~2.3倍，使用极低剂量口服避孕药(20 mcg雌二醇)女性的风险是不使用者的0.9~1.7倍。根据口服避孕药所含的不同类型孕激素进行分析，得出的风险结果无明显改变。随着年龄的增加，动脉血栓形成风险的增加更加明显。在基线年龄45~49岁的最大年龄组中观察到的血栓性卒中风险和MI风险分别是最年轻组(15~19岁)的20倍和100倍。 该研究还对其他激素类避孕产品进行了评价，结果发现仅含有孕激素的避孕产品(如释放左炔诺孕酮的宫内节育器和皮下埋植剂)并不显著增加血栓性卒中和MI风险。 相比之下，避孕贴剂使用者的相对血栓性卒中风险是未使用者的3.15倍，阴道环使用者的该风险是未使用者的2.49倍。由于避孕贴剂亚组和阴道环亚组的MI数量过少，因此无法可靠估计MI风险。研究者估计，10,000例女性使用20 mg去氧孕烯炔雌醇1年，将发生2例动脉血栓形成，6.8例静脉血栓形成。尽管在年轻女性中，静脉血栓形成的发生率是动脉血栓形成的3~4倍，但出现动脉血栓形成的患者的死亡率更高，而且即使存活，预后通常也较差。因此，在开具激素类避孕药时，应考虑这些风险。 在随刊述评中，亚利桑那州立大学生物医学信息部的Diana B. Petitti博士指出，尽管该研究显示激素类避孕药可增加卒中风险，但这种风险在可接受范围内，有充分证据表明其足够安全(N. Engl. J. Med. 2012;366:2316-7)。 该研究获丹麦心脏协会支持。研究者与拜耳等多家公司存在联系。Petitti博士声明无经济利益冲突。

mHealth Alliance works to improve tuberculosis care

June 12, 2012 | By Sara Jackson The mHealth Alliance and Stop TB Partnership are teaming up to prevent Tuberculosis and improve care for those already suffering from the condition, according to a report released this week. The report, The Role of mHealth in the Fight Against Tuberculosis, points to a host of ways to use mobile devices and software, including to: Help patients adhere to medication regimens: The report points to a variety of projects that already show that text messages, or other reminders such as automatic call-backs on patients' personal phones can be used to communicate effectively with patients.The report recommends providing patients with mobile credits or other rewards and incentives to encourage adherence. Health insurance fraud results in enormous losses every year - up to $260 billion, by some estimates. And while technology advances have made it easier for payers to protect their bottom line - these advances are also aiding criminals. Learn more. Sign up for our FREE newsletter for more news like this sent to your inbox! A new study coming soon from the University of British Columbia, which we reported on a few months ago, may provide some grist for this particular mill. Researchers there are testing whether SMS/text messaging can help TB patients stick with their drug regimens.Use mobile GPS locator systems to monitor TB diagnoses and treatment: GPS tracking would help track where patients are being diagnosed and treated, making disease surveillance far faster and less complicated, the researchers say.Diagnose TB in the field: The report points to apps such as CellScope, which allows clinical workers in the field to take pictures of sputum smear slides with their phones' cameras and send the images to experts for diagnosis.Educate patients and families about TB: Smartphones SMS-enabled cell phones are perfect vehicles for disseminating prevention, treatment, symptom and other information to at-risk populations--far more effectively than current systems, the report says.The two groups plan to kick-start their partnership by creating working groups to bring together players in the TB care/prevention arena with developers, providers and others in the mHealth market, the report explains."We ... need to link TB projects and those being conducted in the wider mHealth community by involving TB implementers in working groups and networks, so that experience flows both ways," researchers say.