LibWorm Query: drug
LibWorm Query: drug
LibWorm.com provides a librarian RSS filtering service. Data from over 1500 librarian RSS feeds is collected and output via different categories. This feed contains the latest headlines from the user generated query: drug
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10/29/2007 12:47 PM
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Disrupting street-level drug markets
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Disrupting Street-Level Drug Markets (PDF; 369 KB)
Source: U.S. Department of State, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
Our review finds that geographically focused interventions using a range of approaches (including problem-oriented policing, third-party policing, and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design [CPTED]) that typically involve strategic crime-control partnerships with a range of third parties are better than community-wide policing approaches that rely on partnerships to reduce drug and disorder problems across neighborhoods plagued with drug problems. Our review also finds that either type of partnership approach (i.e., geographically focused or community-wide approaches that use partnerships) is likely to be more effective at disrupting drug problems than law enforcement-only approaches (e.g., crackdowns, raids, directed patrols) that target drug hot spots. Unfocused law enforcement-only approaches to dealing with drug problems are a distant last. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/29/2007 12:27 PM
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Hispanic teens and drugs
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Hispanic Teens and Drugs (PDF; 508 KB)
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy
HIGHLIGHTS
Hispanic 8th graders have a higher rate of illicit drug use than their African American and White counterparts.
Hispanic teens use marijuana more than any other drug.
Hispanic youth cite “upsetting their parents” as the main reason not to do drugs.
Hispanic parents place a great focus on education, but drug use is a barrier to educational achievement.
Adoption of American culture and lifestyle (acculturation) increases the risk of drug use by Hispanics. Acculturated Hispanics are nearly 13 times as likely to report using illegal drugs as non-acculturated Hispanics. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/29/2007 12:15 PM
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New from the gao
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New GAO Reports, Correspondence and Testimony (PDFs)
Source: Government Accountability Office
29 October 2007
+ Reports
1. International Trade: An Overview of Use of U.S. Trade Preference Programs by Beneficiaries and U.S. Administrative Reviews
2. End-Stage Renal Disease: Characteristics of Kidney Transplant Recipients, Frequency of Transplant Failures, and Cost to Medicare
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+ Correspondence
1. Prescription Drugs: FDA Guidance and Regulations Related to Data on Elderly Persons in Clinical Drug Trials
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+ Testimony
1. 2010 Census: Population Measures Are Important for Federal Funding Allocations, by Mathew J. Scire, director, strategic issues, before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in Dayton, Ohio (Source: Docuticker)
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10/29/2007 08:43 AM
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New funding announcements: week of october 29, 2007
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The following grant announcements are new this week on the Population Research Institute Funding Announcements web page.
Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24) - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Distinguished Fellows Program - William T. Grant Foundation
ELSI Regular Research Program (R01) - National Cancer Institute (NCI) - National Human Genome Research Institute - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) - National Institute on Aging (NIA) - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) - National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
ELSI Small Grant Research Program (R03) - National Cancer Institute (NCI) - National Human Genome Research Institute - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) - National Institute on Aging (NIA) - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) - National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Healthy Behaviors in Women - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
International Science and Education Competitive Grants Program [deadline extended] - Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research (U54) - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (Source: News from the PRI Library and Data Archive)
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10/29/2007 07:18 AM
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Adapting community call centers for crisis support: a model for home-based care and monitoring
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Adapting Community Call Centers for Crisis Support: A Model for Home-Based Care and Monitoring
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
From press release:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today released Adapting Community Call Centers for Crisis Support: A Model for Home-based Care and Monitoring, a new report that recommends expanding the capabilities of poison control centers, nurse advice lines, drug information centers and health agency hotlines to assist persons at home or in public shelters in the event of public health emergencies such as biological attacks or pandemic influenza.
The report and its four appendices include strategies for using these types of community call centers in the event of aerosol anthrax attacks or the outbreak of pandemic influenza, plague or food contamination.
+ Full Report (PDF; 2.2 MB) (Source: Docuticker)
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10/28/2007 10:00 PM
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Prescription drug coverage presentations
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Tompkins County Public Library to Host Prescription Drug Coverage Presentations Monday, October 29, 2007 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM and Saturday, November 10, 2007 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM in the Borg Warner Meeting Room East.
Are you or a loved one concerned about prescription drug coverage? Are you looking for information about Medicare Part D and prescription assistance programs in Tompkins (Source: TCPL News)
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10/28/2007 10:00 PM
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All things to all people
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Today I was a bit hesitant to post. There's such a good argument going on in the comments to Friday's post (75 responses so far), and I hesitate to slow down a good argument by distracting everyone with another post. Still, I know most of you get this through a feed and never click through to see the comments, and slackers like you need entertainment, too.Besides, one of the comments this morning amused me and I wanted to share it with you:"Frankly, I am a bit tired about all this talk about video games and teens. Just offer video games and be done with it. I think there is another need not previously addressed by libraries. A lot of women have a serious fashion need that simply is not accessible to those with a low to moderate income. I think public libraries should acquire designer shoes and purses to loan for a period of two weeks. Yes, you run the risk of people never returning these items, but aren't your citizens worth the risk. Besides, you can turn delinquent patrons over to a collection agency. This also affords ladies the opportunity to try before you buy. I think it is a win-win situation. Perhaps, libraries should also get in to the business of collecting formal wear. This would be a great marketing strategy to attract teenage girls to the library. There could be YA programs focusing in prom hair and make-up."I read that and slapped my forehead with enlightenment. (I'm not sure that sentence makes sense, but I think you know what I mean.) Why shouldn't public libraries offer fashion accessories to their "customers"? After all, isn't the job of the library to meet all the needs of the public? That's what some of my commenters keep saying. This at least is more practical for people than hosting dance parties. Fashion doesn't have to be frivolous, though that's the best thing about it. ...
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10/28/2007 10:00 PM
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Where's the down side?One of the unintended consequences of the crack down at the border is fewer illegals coming in and a reduction in illegal immigrants being used as "mules" for drug smuggling. But there is an increase in the professional drug runners. So apparently, the guys who we were told just wanted to work, were bringing it in before and now the pros have to do it. More drugs are being (Source: Collecting my Thoughts)
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10/28/2007 10:00 PM
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Presidential determination no. 2008-3 of october 16, 2007
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"Provision of U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Brazil - Memorandum for the Secretary of State [and] the... (Source: beSpacific)
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10/28/2007 12:51 PM
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Opium and afghanistan: reassessing the u.s. narcotics strategy
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Opium and Afghanistan: Reassessing the U.S. Narcotics Strategy (PDF; 508 KB)
Source: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College
Cultivation and production of opium in Afghanistan have skyrocketed since the Taliban were toppled in 2001 such that Afghanistan now supplies 92 percent of the world’s illicit opium. The expanding opium trade is threatening to destabilize the Afghan government and turn the conflict-ridden country back into a safe haven for drug traffickers and terrorists. This paper examines the nature of the opium problem in Afghanistan and analyzes the allied strategy to counter this growing crisis. In analyzing the current counternarcotics strategy, it points out pitfalls including the counterproductive aspects of opium eradication. Finally, changes to the strategy are proposed, which include increasing troop levels and eliminating national restrictions, substantially increasing financial aid, deemphasizing opium eradication, focusing on long-term alternative livelihoods, aggressively pursuing drug kingpins and corrupt government officials, and exploring the possibility of Afghanistan’s entry to the licit opium market. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/27/2007 06:02 AM
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New jersey starts prescription drug web site
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The State of New Jersey has launched a Web site that allows its citizens to compare prices for 150 drugs at pharmacies across the state. You can try it at https://www6.state.nj.us/LPSCA_DRUG/index.jsp .
To search, you’ll need to specify a medication type (the 150 most-prescribed drugs are available), its strength, and a city or zip code. [...] (Source: ResearchBuzz)
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10/26/2007 09:29 AM
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United states: having a baby costs about $7,600
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United States: Having a Baby Costs About $7,600
From the summary:
The cost of having a baby, from the first prenatal visit to the baby’s delivery, averaged roughly $7,600 for an uncomplicated birth, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The total, in 2004 dollars, includes payments for hospital childbirth, prenatal office visits, prescription medicines, and other services.
AHRQ also found that:
• Average spending for prenatal care for women with private insurance and women with Medicaid was about the same—approximately $2,000. However, their inpatient delivery costs differed: $6,520 for the former and $4,577 average for the latter.
• On average, privately insured women paid about 8 percent of their total expenses for pregnancy out of pocket, or about $660 for a privately insured woman with an average level of expenses. In contrast, women on Medicaid paid only about 1 percent out of pocket.
• Only 23 percent of women had some prescription drug expenses associated with their pregnancy and the median amount of these expenses was $640. About three-quarters of all prescription drug expenses during pregnancy were for nutritional products such as prenatal vitamins.
AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, works to enhance the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in the United States. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a highly detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid.
Direct to Full Text Report: Health Care Expenditures for Uncomplicated Pregnancies
13 pages; PDF.
Source: Newswise / Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (Source: Docuticker)
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10/26/2007 08:54 AM
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Oh, those bad, bad monkeys
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Wouldn’t it be great if there was an organization keeping track of all the nasty and evildoing people in the world? And if that Organization took the logical next step and ensured that those people–those Bad Monkeys, if you will–met a rather earlier death than later, due to natural causes?
Such is the world in Matt Ruff’s appropriately named and fantastic new novel Bad Monkeys.
Jane Charlotte herself is what many would consider a bad monkey–a runaway, a woman with some drug abuse issues and other dark secrets in her past, including a whopper about her brother and his disappearnce–who is tapped by an Organization to eradicate truly Bad Monkeys.
But Jane struggles with what it means to be good. Or does she? You’ll simply have to read to the absolute end to find out. (Source: MADreads)
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10/26/2007 08:21 AM
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Report: medicare-administered drug benefit would be more affordable, comprehensive, stable than current private insurance-run drug benefit
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Report: Medicare-Administered Drug Benefit Would be More Affordable, Comprehensive, Stable than Current Private Insurance-Run Drug Benefit
Source: Consumers Union
In “The Best Medicine: A Drug Coverage Option Under Original Medicare,” Consumers Union and the Medicare Rights Center cite numerous independent research studies that find the current Medicare drug benefit available only through private plans is unnecessarily costly, has coverage gaps, is unstable and leaves consumers vulnerable to marketing fraud because of the number of plans offering such divergent benefit packages.
The consumer groups report that a Medicare-administered drug benefit can lower drug prices and reduce the overall cost of the Medicare coverage program by harnessing the purchasing power of the 43 million Americans with Medicare to negotiate prices. It costs private insurers 9.8 percent of the drug benefit’s total cost to administer the program, yet it costs Medicare only 1.7 percent of the total costs to administer hospital and outpatient coverage. Prices for the Veterans Administration’s most commonly prescribed drugs are half as much, or less, than the prices offered through private drug insurance plans.
Consumers Union and the Medicare Rights Center recommend using a national evidence-based formulary for a Medicare-administered drug plan option that would help guide doctors to prescribe in a way that improves health care outcomes, reduces costs and facilitates a fair and efficient drug appeals system. The Veteran Administration’s formulary is broader than the drugs covered under Medicare private drug plans and also covers non-formulary drugs prescribed according to evidence-based guidelines.
+ Full Report (PDF; 386 KB) (Source: Docuticker)
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10/26/2007 07:52 AM
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This week on viewswire: power shift in tehran
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Iran: My way
President Ahmadinejad has put his stamp more firmly on Iran's nuclear policy by shoving aside Ali Larijani. The change could not have come at a worse time for IAEA and EU negotiators seeking to ward off conflict.China: Rising stars
The new politburo line-up might give a mild boost to Hu Jintao's balanced-development agenda, and it has also presented the world with two heirs apparent, only one of whom is Hu's protégé.Mexic War on drugs
New US funding for anti-drug efforts in Mexico is generating criticism, and will likely show few positive results in the short term.Poland: Liberal gain
Civic Platform won the general election, but it will be hampered by coalition politics and a conservative president.Argentina: Cristina's challenges
Cristina Kirchner will win the presidency with ease, and without having laid out a detailed policy platform. But she will not be able to evade the host of challenges that await her.Burkina Fas Anniversary
The 20th anniversary of the murder of President Thomas Sankara has caused problems for his successor, Blaise Compaoré. (Source: Library Blog Collection - Georgia State University Library)
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10/25/2007 11:00 PM
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Dietary supplements labels resource
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The National Library of Medicine has released a new resource focused on dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplements Labels Database http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov includes information from the labels of over 2,000 brands of dietary supplements in the marketplace, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other specialty supplements.
The database is designed to help both the general public and health care providers find information about ingredients in brand-name products, including name, form, active and inactive ingredients, amount of active ingredient/unit, manufacturer/distributor information, suggested dose, label claims, warnings, percentage of daily value, and further label information.
Links to other NLM resources, such as MedlinePlus and PubMed, are provided for additional health information. In addition, links to related Fact Sheets from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM ), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are also available. (Source: BHIC)
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10/25/2007 02:09 PM
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New from the gao
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New GAO Report, Testimonies and Presentations
Source: Government Accountability Office
25 October 2007
+ Report
1. Information Technology: Improvements for Acquisition of Customs Trade Processing System Continue, but Further Efforts Needed to Avoid More Cost and Schedule Shortfalls
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+ Testimonies
1. Drug Control: U.S. Assistance Has Helped Mexican Counternarcotics Efforts, but the Flow of Illicit Drugs into the United States Remains High, by Jess. T. Ford, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
2. Aviation and the Environment: Impact of Aviation Noise on Communities Presents Challenges For Airport Operations and Future Growth of the National Airspace System, by Gerald L. Dillingham, director, physical infrastructure issues, before the Subcommittee on Aviation, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
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+ Presentations By The Comptroller General
1. “Fiscal, Health, and Retirement Challenges,” by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Conference of Consulting Actuaries’ annual conference, in San Antonio, Texas
2. “America’s Fiscal Future and Retirement Security,” by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the American Council of Life Insurers’ CEO Capital Forum, in Washington, D.C.
3. “Saving Our Future Requires Tough Choices Today,” by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, on the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour in Hartford, Connecticut
4. “America’s Fiscal Future,” by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Association for Financial Professionals’ annual conference, in Boston, Massachusetts (Source: Docuticker)
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10/24/2007 11:00 PM
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Recently read and heard....
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I was going to post these last week but then Jane posted her book about caring for the children of Africa and I felt shallow and embarrassed. Anyway, here are my latest, including some young adult literature recommended by Kathy Frampton and Myra Balok:The Old Wine Shades by Martha Grimes. Stop the presses! I read one of my mystery series books out of order. This Richard Jury novel didn't really hold my interest the first time around but I recently finished it off. Not one of my favorites in the series... a woman, her autistic son, and their dog disappear. The dog comes back. The man who relates the story to Jury goes on and on about quantum physics (not my strong point) and a lot of other blather that might be more interesting if I was actually sitting in the pub with Richard Jury myself, knocking back a pint or five. Unsatisfactory.Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block. Have you ever known any of those lovely, fey eccentrics who like to paint flowers on their knees and make clothes out of children's bed sheets, wear tutus to breakfast, and are totally unaffected by the stares of the public? They are pretty rare, but I think every community should have one. Weetzie is one such, meets her soul mate Dirk who turns out to be gay, gets three magical wishes, discovers her true love, has a baby, and finds her dream house. This is a classic in young adult literature, often censored but loved by many, set in the La-La land of Los Angeles.Clockwork by Philip Pullman.Step it up a notch... this is a finely written fairy tale flirting with reality, fantasy, and a little bit of Faust. The imagery is amazing... like the tall mysterious stranger who blows into the inn in a cloud of snow, the description of the sled careening through the night with its dead driver, and the relentless approach of the mechanized murdering knight. The humans and machines are flawed in this tale but love conquers all in the end... this short read is a treat. ...
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10/24/2007 06:34 PM
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Gacked from "ala direct"
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The Librarians, a dark new comedy on Australian TV that delves behind the hard cover of a suburban library, debuts October 31. Frances O’Brien, devout Catholic and panic disorder sufferer, runs a tight ship as head librarian at the Middleton Interactive Learning Centre. Her life unravels when she is forced to employ her ex-best friend, Christine Grimwood—now facing criminal drug charges—as the children’s librarian. As pointed out by director Wayne Hope, the variety of people at a public library makes it ripe for comedy material. The Australian Library and Information Association has launched a blog to serve as a professional forum about the show. Check out the trailer (:56) and interview (4:48). The shows will be downloadable from ABC Television after they are broadcast. (Source: Library Lovers' LiveJournal)
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10/24/2007 06:33 PM
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Medicare part d prescription drug plan (pdp) sponsor internet web sites: content and accessibility
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Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) Sponsor Internet Web Sites: Content and Accessibility (PDF; 266 KB)
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General
From e-mail:
This evaluation found that 33 percent of the 84 PDP sponsor Web sites reviewed did not contain all federally required content. The most commonly omitted information pertained to enrollee disenrollment rights and responsibilities, the potential for PDP contract termination, and information related to the formulary. Using two electronic tools that enable page-level testing of Web-based information and applications, we also found that 85 percent of sponsor Web sites did not meet at least one of the Federal requirements for Web site accessibility. These problems could affect access to content by Medicare beneficiaries. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/24/2007 10:09 AM
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Eiu viewswire political headlines : bush wants $1.4bn for mexico drug war
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Mexico/USA politics: Beefing up the anti-drug warUSA politics: Mistrial in Holy Land terrorism financing caseIraq/Turkey politics: US air strikes on PKK weighedChina politics: 'Fifth generation' of leaders reflects nation's shiftsUSA/Mexico politics: Bush wants $1.4bn for Mexico drug warIraq politics: Iraqis weigh limits on US militaryUSA politics: Bush seeks billions more in military fundingZimbabwe: Key developmentsChina politics: Rising stars (Source: Library Blog Collection - Georgia State University Library)
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10/24/2007 08:36 AM
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New ebook editions and titles
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Available through the Ebooks by Subject or Title page:
From Access Medicine
Current Diagnosis & Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases New Title!
From Books@Ovid
Irwin and Rippe's Intensive Care Medicine, 6th ed.
From NursingConsult
Intravenous Medications: a handbook for nurses and allied health professionals, 24th ed.
Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures, 5th ed.
Saunders Nursing Drug Handbook, 15th ed. (Source: Medicine/Health Sciences)
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10/23/2007 06:07 PM
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"the librarians" finally broadcasts
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The Australian TV series "The Librarians" (mentioned here a couple of times before) has finally gone to broadcast, and the first reviews are rolling in. (Re-summary, since I can't find my own posting: "The six-part series centers on the trials and tribulations of Frances O'Brien, a devout Catholic and head librarian. Her life unravels when she is forced to employ her ex-best friend, Christine Grimwood - now a drug dealer - as the children's librarian. Frances must do all she can to contain her menacing past and concentrate on the biggest event of the library calendar - Book Week.")A long, Dewey-guided interview with the series star, "Having a Lend", is online at The Age;the.effing.librarian asks if we should cheer about this series or not; andThe Sunday Telegraph says the "shocks keep coming from ABC".Given these initial reactions, I really wish I could see the series, but I'll have to rely on the reviews and comments of others about it. Wonder if the next episodes will generate similar reactions?Currently a lovely, sunny 82°. (Source: Random Musings from the Desert)
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10/23/2007 03:52 PM
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New database for dietary supplement information
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The National Library of Medicine has released a new resource focused on dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplements Labels Database (http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov) includes information from the labels of over 2,000 brands of dietary supplements in the marketplace, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other specialty supplements.
The database is designed to help both the general public and health care providers find information about ingredients in brand-name products, including name, form, active and inactive ingredients, amount of active ingredient/unit, manufacturer/distributor information, suggested dose, label claims, warnings, percentage of daily value, and further label information.
Links to other NLM resources, such as MedlinePlus® and PubMed®, are provided for additional health information. In addition, links to related Fact Sheets from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM ), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are also available. [da] (Source: Midcontinental Region News)
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10/23/2007 11:06 AM
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Asis&t 2007: opening science to all: implications of blogs and wikis for social and scholarly scientific communication
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Bora Zivkovic
What are sci/tech bloggers doing?
Fun stuff... Changing policy. Scientists are not humorless automatons. A way for "fun" to appear within scientific literature. Science and art, history of science. Blogging from the field -- talking about field research.
Serious stuff... Snippets of research too "small" to be published, but valuable. Sometimes hypotheses and data -- open notebook science (in a later talk). Blog carnivals -- ad hoc popular journalism. One editor collects posts sent in by others, posts link list in a single place. Editorship rotates among group.
Popular magazine editors; some have blogs. Serious publishers do, too.
Blogs are starting to be locus of open access publishing and review -- reviewers don't comment on quality of paper, per se; rather, on value of information being added -- is it worth publishing? Trackbacks can allow one to see who else in the community is commenting on a paper. Scientists who are bloggers write comments in a few lines: short, blunt. Non-blogging scientists write paragraphs with references; very polite and subtle. A clash of cultures.
Impact of open discussion on research will be immense.
UsefulChem: An Open Notebook Science ProjectJean-Claude Bradley
Jean-Claude coined phrase "Open Notebook Science".
Speaker runs a chem lab at Drexel; manages student researchers. Talk is about how they share their research.
Talk
There is a continuum from closed to open in how science is reported:
Closed research: Model is the traditional lab notebook -- unpublished, fundamentally personal. Failed experiments are never seen by anyone.
Traditional journal article: Mostly open; but you need a subscription to journal. Not as convenient.
Open Access Journal: Available to anyone online. Some journals require authors to pay to be published.
Open Notebook Science: full transparency. Everything that's done is recorded and available. ...
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10/23/2007 09:27 AM
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On a good day...
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...you wake up to read in the morning paper about various countries invading each other, further increases in "off-the-books" deficit/debt spending, drug-resistant infections, federalized spying programs, mortgage market crises, and drastic climate change, but then something catches your eye on page A21. You blink, gulp down some more coffee, and re-read:
"It has the capacity both to inspire respect for other cultures and their histories and stories, but at the same time to establish critical thinking."
And then you realize - Hey, that's what you've been working on for the past six months.
The only drag is that the screenshots appearing in the papers (the Post's print edition had two color shots, and the Herald Tribune has one, too) are in English, so you don't get to see that pretty much every page on the whole site translates into seven different languages.
But aside from that, how great is it to be working in a profession that -- on a good day -- can help to inspire respect for other cultures and to establish critical thinking? (Source: One Big Library. - dchud shelf-readin', taking notes and naming names.)
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10/22/2007 09:16 AM
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New funding announcements: week of october 22, 2007
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The following grant announcements are new this week on the Population Research Institute Funding Announcements web page.
AAA Minority Dissertation Fellowship - American Anthropological Association
Centers Program for Research on HIV/AIDS and Mental Health (P30) - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Continued Development and Maintenance of Software (R01) - National Cancer Institute (NCI) - National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - National Human Genome Research Institute - National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) - National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Geospatial Technology - National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
Integrative Prevention Research for Alcohol Users At-Risk for HIV/AIDS (R21) - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Integrative Prevention Research for Alcohol Users At-Risk for HIV/AIDS (RO1) - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Josehp L. Fisher Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship - Resources for the Future (RFF)
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Fellowship - American Psychological Association (APA) - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Multi-Country Research Fellowship Program - Council of American Overseas Research Centers
National Spatial Data Infrastructure Cooperative Agreement Program - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Research Grants - William T. ...
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10/22/2007 07:29 AM
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The impact of prescribed psychotropics on youth
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The impact of prescribed psychotropics on youth
Source: Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health
Many psychotropics prescribed to children are unlicensed or off-label. This article uses the two most prescribed psychotropics (MPH and SSRIs) to illustrate various concerns about their impact on youth. Many mental illnesses begin in childhood or early adulthood, warranting a treatment of some kind. However, commentators have argued that prescribing is influenced by five myths: (1) children are little adults; (2) children have no reason to develop depression or anxiety; (3) psychiatric disorders are the same across adults and children; (3) children can be prescribed lower doses of the same drug; (5) drugs are preferable to alternative treatments and are more successful. Several lines of evidence suggest that these are incorrect assumptions. We update readers with recent research in relation to these myths, concluding that researchers should clarify child/adult differences for psychotropics, attend to the growth of “cosmetic” use of psychotropics in children and adolescents, and address concerns about the diagnostic validity of mental illness in the current DSM classification system.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 201 KB) (Source: Docuticker)
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10/22/2007 06:57 AM
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Library confidential
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A forthcoming book should give the ALA and library schools a great marketing opportunity. Have you heard of Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks and Gangstas in the Public Library, by Don Borchert? According to the cover, it "puts the shh! in shocking." I read a review here, and boy does it sound exciting. (Note: the review is of Library Confidential, but the American edition seems to be entitled Free for All.) This is going to be such a great marketing opportunity, because after reading this everyone will want to work in a public library. We're always hearing about how librarians provide information and videos and stuff for people and how noble they all are, but we don't usually hear about things like this:"Two drug dealers were convicted after they were discovered to be keeping their drug stash behind the vent in the men's toilets and using the library as a distribution point for methamphetamines. They would come in, read the papers and wait for phone calls on the pay phone from prospective buyers. They would then leave a green rucksack outside full of drugs, go back inside the library to wait and then go back outside to collect it later when the drugs had been swapped for cash."Or this:"The library is also the scene of fights. One full-scale brawl between teenagers was only averted by the arrival of car loads of relatives and friends of the two boys the youths had gathered to fight. Another time, two mums punched lumps out of each other in the car park because their young daughters, who went to the library together everyday, had fallen out."Or this:"On day when a group of young school children arrived at the library for a day of storytelling and puppetry, two drunk men dressed as ballet dancers - one in a wheelchair - were discovered lurking at the front door. The police moved them on. ...
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10/22/2007 05:22 AM
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Visual medical dictionary
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Find yourself a bit overwhelmed when it comes to information about diseases, drugs, or therapies?
Think that a tool showing relationships among medical terms would help out?
The Visual Medical Dictionary takes your search for a medical term, gives you a definition, and provides you with even more terms.
For example, a search on shingles yields two potential results — one for a disease and one for a drug (a vaccine). Placing the mouse over the words in blue (Herpes Zoster, Herpes Zoster Vaccine) produces “pop-ups” with definitions and some additional information.
The right side of the screen gives you a visual tree of medical terms related to the word you specified. Some of these words are too general to be useful (as pain) but some of them are very specific. Each of the new items will also give you a definition and will branch out into its own tree of definitions. This will help one to quickly amass a vocabulary for further research.
Of course, the Visual Medical Dictionary is not a substitute for the subject terms used in databases as CINAHL and PubMed when searching for most relevant biomedical information sources (as articles) on a topic. *
However, it may prove to be useful when “scoping out” a puzzling medical concept.
Please do not hesitate to contact Mulford Reference Assistance if there are any question or for further assistance.
*CINAHL subject heading, PubMed subject heading, and Medline subject heading information is available online. (Source: Mulford Library Blog)
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10/21/2007 11:00 PM
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Sex, drugs and bombs: confessions of a librarian
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Here's a new contender for my favorite headline ever: "Sex, Drugs and Bombs: Confessions Of A Librarian": Places where children are kept calm in storytelling corner, dads can escape the chaos of home to do the Sunday crossword and students can find the silence they need to get on with their studies. Certainly not places where drug dealers hide their stashes and flashers lurk in waiting for their unsuspecting victims. But that's exactly the kind of thing Don Borchert has experienced in his 10 years as a librarian in California.Read more of this story at LISNews.org. (Source: LISNews.org)
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10/20/2007 01:02 PM
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Oa and the lobby industry
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Heather Morrison has another thoughtful piece on open access in her Weblog, suggesting that the publishers' anti-OA consortium PRISM has imploded.
I'm not too sure about this: PRISM is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of lobbying. We can be sure that the publishing industry is lobbying away vigorously, with people, rather than a Website and it's that personal lobbying that makes the difference, rather than what is on public view. My suggestion is that fellow OA advocates in the USA need to lobby just as vigorously, writing to their senators and congressmen/women and generally countering the misinformation that the lobbyists inevitably purvey. We've seen time and again under this US administration that the truth does not necessarily prevail; the key is how much money the industry is prepared to spend to swing the votes of the legislators, whether it is to damage the Alaskan environment by oil drillling, open the virgin forests of the national parks to the logging industry, or run the worst medical care programme in the Western world for the benefit of the drug companies and the mis-named 'health care industry'.
Constant vigilence and persistence in telling the truth about the warped economics of the existing scholarly communication system is the only weapon we have. (Source: Information Research)
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10/19/2007 11:00 PM
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Oa for drug data gleaned from journal literature
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Free Access to Literature Data on Chagas' Disease Offered Online, a press release from Collaborative Drug Discovery, October 17, 2007. Excerpt: Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc. (CDD, Inc.) has captured extensive literature data from six years of recent publications focused on the fight against Chagas' disease. Now for the first time these data are available to researchers free of charge, via the CDD Database. Sources include the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, the Journal of American Chemical Society, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, Acta Topical, and Experimental Parasitology. The data sets captured include 574 compound structures and just over 350 different enzyme, cell, animal, and toxicity based protocols. The data are conveniently organized so scientists can easily mine for hits, sub-structural motifs or keywords and obtain the original literature reference for more detailed analysis.... This project is the first of a series literature data capture projects focused on drug discovery research into neglected infectious diseases. In addition to literature data, community members also provide open access to some of their experimental results either pre- or post-publication.... A significant subset of all the community data -- and a range of other data sets such as Chagas' data -- is available openly to the public at no cost. For this historical set of data either visit [here].... Comment. This is exciting. ...
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10/19/2007 02:19 PM
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California prescription drug database sparks patient privacy debate
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California Prescription Drug Database Sparks Patient Privacy Debate
Law enforcement officials say the database helps identify narcotic prescription drug abuse. Some patient advocates argue that the government tracking discourages doctors from prescribing medication to patients who need it. (via AP/Contra Costa Times)
Source: iHealthBeat (Source: ResourceShelf)
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10/18/2007 11:00 PM
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Drug resistant staph infection
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Drug-Resistant Staph Infections Reported in Schools: A strain of staph aureus (MRSA) that is resistant to the drug methicillin has been reported in a number of high schools in the states of Maryland and Virginia, with health authorities speculating that... (Source: BHIC)
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10/18/2007 06:16 AM
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Crs: the fda’s authority to recall products, september 11, 2007
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"Over the past few months, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fielded increasing numbers of questions regarding recalls of unsafe food imports, including pet food and toothpaste. Addition... (Source: Info To Go: Navigating the Internet)
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10/18/2007 06:02 AM
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Gao: drug control: u.s. assistance has helped mexican counternarcotics efforts, but tons of illicit drugs continue to flow into the united states, august 17, 2007
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"According to the U.S. interagency counternarcotics community, hundreds of tons of illicit drugs flow from Mexico into the United States each year, and seizures in Mexico and along the U.S. borde... (Source: Info To Go: Navigating the Internet)
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10/17/2007 11:00 PM
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Canadian government tables omnibus crime bill
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Today, the federal government tabled Bill C-2 in the House of Commons, the Tackling Violent Crime Act.The Act reintroduces many of the Conservative government's major crime bills that were debated during the last session of Parliament but never adopted.According to the backgrounder prepared by Justice Canada, the Act would, if adopted:impose mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes; create tougher bail rules when a gun is used to commit a crime; increase the age of protection for sexual activity from 14 years to 16 years; crack down on drug- and alcohol-impaired driving; ensure that high-risk and dangerous offenders will have to prove why they should not be deemed a violent offenderNews coverage:Tories dare Liberals to support new crime bill (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation): "The Conservatives introduced their new tough-on-crime legislation in the House of Commons on Thursday, challenging the Liberals to find a reason not to pass it (...) The Conservatives have declared Bill C-2, also known as the Tackling Violent Crime Bill, a matter of confidence. If the bill doesn't pass, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government will fall and an election will be called. The bill contains elements of several previous crime bills that were never made into law during the last session of Parliament. Three of those bills passed in the House of Commons after opposition parties made amendments to them, but the bills then got stalled in the Liberal-dominated Senate." Harper reloads with crime ultimatum (Globe and Mail): "The Prime Minister insisted his government will not accept any amendments to an omnibus crime bill that will revive a series of bills killed when he prorogued Parliament. And Conservative sources said the new omnibus legislation will strip out some amendments that had been passed in the last session – forcing the opposition to accept at least some measures they deemed unacceptable last term (... ...
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10/17/2007 05:05 PM
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Hiv/aids among hispanics — united states, 2001–2005
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HIV/AIDS Among Hispanics — United States, 2001–2005
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (CDC)
These results confirm a previous report of disproportionate rates of HIV diagnosis among Hispanics, who have the second highest rate among all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. During 2001–2004, HIV-diagnosis rates among Hispanics declined by 4.7% and 13.0% among Hispanic males and females, respectively. These decreases among Hispanics might have resulted from decreased incidence of HIV infection (e.g., in response to prevention measures) or a decrease in HIV testing among Hispanics. However, this report indicates that Hispanics are not a homogenous group, and risk factors differ for Hispanic subpopulations.
Nearly half of U.S. Hispanics in whom HIV infection was diagnosed were not born in the United States. Hispanics born in Mexico and elsewhere often migrate to the United States to work as laborers and in service occupations. Migration might contribute to an increase in HIV risk behaviors, perhaps because change in residence can be followed by homelessness, loneliness, isolation, separation from usual sex partners, and financial instability. These factors can be associated with new sex partners, illegal drug use, and inadequate access to health information and health-care services.
During 2001–2005, the primary mode of HIV infection among Hispanic males was male-to-male sexual contact. A recent study of HIV risk behaviors among MSM reported that Hispanic and non-Hispanic black MSM were more likely than non-Hispanic white MSM to report inconsistent condom use during anal sex. However, male-to-male sexual contact is not the most common transmission category for Hispanics for certain places of birth. High-risk heterosexual contact was more common among Hispanics born in Central America and the Dominican Republic than Hispanics born in South America, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States. ...
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10/17/2007 04:06 PM
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Fda provides advice on safe sources of puffer fish
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FDA Provides Advice on Safe Sources of Puffer Fish
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released consumer and industry advisories regarding safe sources of puffer fish. Many puffer fish, also known as fugu, bok, blowfish, globefish, swellfish, balloonfish, or sea squab, contain deadly toxins that affect the central nervous system, if consumed.
Puffer fish can be safely consumed when special care is taken to ensure that the fish caught are free of toxins, or when they are processed to eliminate the toxins.
“Over the past year, several illnesses have been linked to puffer fish improperly processed and illegally imported into the United States,” said Robert Brackett, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “If restaurateurs, retailers, and consumers follow the advice the FDA is providing, puffer fish can be safely enjoyed.”
The only safe sources for imported puffer fish are fish that have been processed and prepared by specially trained and certified fish cutters in the city of Shimonoseki, Japan. Additionally, puffer fish caught in the mid-Atlantic coastal waters of the United States, typically between Virginia and New York, are safe to consume. Puffer fish from all other sources can either naturally contain deadly toxins or become toxic because of environmental factors and therefore are not considered safe.
Symptoms of ingesting the toxins found in puffer fish include tingling around the lips and in the extremities followed by problems speaking, loss of balance, muscle weakness and paralysis, vomiting, and diarrhea. In extreme cases, there may be respiratory paralysis that can lead to death.
+ Consumer Advisory: Only Eat Puffer Fish from Known Safe Sources
+ Industry Advisory on Puffer Fish (Source: Docuticker)
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10/17/2007 07:43 AM
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Cdc estimates 94,000 invasive drug-resistant staph infections occurred in the u.s. in 2005
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CDC estimates 94,000 invasive drug-resistant staph infections occurred in the U.S. in 2005
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Methicillin–resistant staph aureus (MRSA) caused more than 94,000 life–threatening infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in the United States in 2005, most of them associated with health care settings, according to the most thorough study of life–threatening infections caused by these bacteria, experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.
The study in the Oct. 17 edition of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) establishes the first national baseline by which to assess future trends in invasive MRSA infections. MRSA infections can range from mild skin infections to more severe infections of the bloodstream, lungs and at surgical sites.
The study found about 85 percent of all invasive MRSA infections were associated with health care settings, of which two–thirds surfaced in the community among people who were hospitalized, underwent a medical procedure or resided in a long–term care facility within the previous year. In contrast, about 15 percent of reported infections were considered to be community–associated, which means that the infection occurred in people without documented health care risk factors.
The 2005 rates of invasive infection were highest among people 65 years of age or older. Black people were affected at twice the rate of whites, which could be due to higher rates of chronic illness among blacks.
+ Full Report (Journal of the American Medical Association) (Source: Docuticker)
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10/16/2007 02:46 PM
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Judicial watch obtains new fda documents re: abortion pill ru-486
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Judicial Watch Obtains New FDA Documents Re: Abortion Pill RU-486
Source: Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it recently received 175 pages of new documents pertaining to the abortion pill RU-486 that had previously been withheld by the Food and Drug Administration (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Food and Drug Administration, et al. (on remand 00-2973)). According to the documents uncovered by Judicial Watch:
Despite the FDA’s refusal to disclose where the abortion pill is manufactured, these documents confirm that the China-based Hua Lian Pharmaceutical Company manufactured RU-486 at the time of approval. This seems to be the first official document confirming that the abortion drug has been manufactured in China.
The documents indicate that not only did Hua Lian fail its first FDA safety inspection, but that the company was not in compliance with safety requirements at the time the FDA approved the facility for manufacturing on August 15, 2000.
The documents also show the extent to which the pro-abortion lobby was involved in the approval process. For example, one of the trials used by the FDA to justify its decision was conducted by Dr. Suzanne Poppema, President of the National Abortion Federation. Another trial was performed by Dr. Daniel Mishell, a senior scientist for RU-486’s patent holder, the Population Council.
RU-486 must be used in conjunction with another drug (Cytotec) that is not approved as an abortifacient. According to FDA internal communications obtained by Judicial Watch, the agency knowingly participated in the “off label” use of Cytotec and helped the drug’s manufacturer, Searle, craft a letter designed to protect the company from legal liability for the unauthorized use of the drug.
+ Click here (PDF; 6.7 MB) to read the new documents uncovered by Judicial Watch
+ Click here (PDF; 4. ...
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10/16/2007 02:35 PM
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Private medicare drug plans: seniors and taxpayers hurt by high expenses, low rebates
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Private Medicare Drug Plans: Seniors and Taxpayers Hurt by High Expenses, Low Rebates
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
The report has five principal findings:
The Part D insurers have high administrative expenses. The administrative expenses, sales costs, and profits of the private insurers offering Medicare Part D coverage will cost taxpayers and beneficiaries $180 per beneficiary in 2007. Taking into account the costs to the government of monitoring the private insurers, total administrative expenses, sales costs, and profits will reach $4.6 billion in 2007, with the profits of the Part D insurers alone accounting for $1 billion. The administrative expenses, sales costs, and profits of the privatized Part D program are almost six times higher than the administrative expenses of traditional Medicare. These high expenses do not appear to be due to one-time “start-up” costs because the total expenses increased from 2006 to 2007.
The Part D insurers have not negotiated significant drug manufacturer rebates. The rebates negotiated from drug manufacturers by the private Part D insurers will reduce Medicare drug spending by 8.1% in 2007. In contrast, the Medicaid program receives rebates from drug manufacturers that reduce drug spending by 26%, over three times as much. The small size of the Medicare rebates and the transfer of low-income dual-eligible beneficiaries from Medicaid drug coverage to Medicare drug coverage will provide a $2.8 billion windfall to pharmaceutical manufacturers in 2007.
The Part D insurers receive rebates on drug purchases made by beneficiaries in coverage gaps. The Medicare Modernization Act requires that private insurers give Medicare beneficiaries “access to their negotiated prices,” including “all discounts, … rebates, [or] other price concessions. ...
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10/16/2007 01:01 PM
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Women in medicine opening & program thursday, october 18
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Thursday, October 18, 2007, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Begins at Sahai Auditorium room 110A, Medical Education & Research Facility (map), then moves to Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.
Join us as we celebrate the opening of the traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, Changing the Face of Medicine.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chief of Staff and UI College of Pharmacy alumna Susan Winckler, and Professor and Head of the UI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Jennifer Niebyl, M.D. will speak about the changing role of women in health care. Winckler was recognized in 2003 as a UI Distinguished Alumni Winner. Niebyl was honored as a “Local Legend” by the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). (Source: Hardin News)
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10/16/2007 06:18 AM
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Medicare study: premiums for medicare drug plans jumping 8.7% in 2008 (september 2007)
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"Many seniors and the disabled enrolled in the Medicare drug program are likely to pay more next year, with the average premium for all stand-alone drug plans rising 8.7% to $40 a month, accordin... (Source: Info To Go: Navigating the Internet)
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10/15/2007 07:51 PM
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Border counternarcotics strategy
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The Office of National Drug Control Policy and other federal agencies announce the release of the "National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy," This strategy focuses on significantly disrupting the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. It examines intelligence, interdiction, surveillance, investigations and prosecutions, financial crime, and cooperation (JustINFO). (Source: Library Blog Collection - Georgia State University Library)
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10/15/2007 07:36 AM
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New product tests find lead in lipstick
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New Product Tests Find Lead in Lipstick
Source: Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Toys made in China aren’t the only products laced with dangerous heavy metals: lipstick manufactured in the United States and used daily by millions of American women also contains surprisingly high levels of lead, according to new product tests released today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The lead tests were conducted by an independent laboratory over the month of September on red lipsticks bought in Boston, Hartford, Conn., San Francisco and Minneapolis. Top findings include:
More than half of 33 brand-name lipsticks tested (61 percent) contained detectable levels of lead, with levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). None of these lipsticks listed lead as an ingredient.
One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy – a standard established to protect children from directly ingesting lead. Lipstick products, like candy, are directly ingested into the body. Nevertheless, the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick, which fits with the disturbing absence of FDA regulatory oversight and enforcement capacity for the $50 billion personal care products industry.
+ FAQ
+ Full Report (PDF; 276 KB)
Hat top: Al’s Morning Meeting (Source: Docuticker)
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10/14/2007 08:28 AM
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Patient drug information available from pubmed
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"Starting October 12, 2007, some PubMed users will see links to a drug information resource on over two million citations. PubMed's AbstractPlus display format includes links to "Patient Drug Information" from MedMaster; a publication of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and a new monograph on the NCBI Bookshelf" (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog)
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10/11/2007 11:00 PM
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Cms launches medicare prescription drug plan finder
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Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder: The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare. The site includes content areas as... (Source: beSpacific)
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10/11/2007 11:00 PM
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Patient drug information available from pubmed
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NLM Technical Bulleting: "Starting October 12, 2007, some PubMed users will see links to a drug information resource on over... (Source: beSpacific)
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10/11/2007 10:06 PM
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Arrest-related deaths in the united states, 2003-2005
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Arrest-Related Deaths in the United States, 2003-2005
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics
Presents the first findings from the law enforcement collection of the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP), which is the largest resource of information ever collected on arrest-related deaths. The report provides counts of all arrest-related deaths reported by State authorities in over 40 States, over a three-year period (2003-2005), by cause of death and characteristics of the deceased. It also includes all manners of death during an arrest, including homicides (both those by officers and other persons), suicides, alcohol or drug intoxication deaths, accidental injuries, and fatal medical problems. The report presents counts of deaths by cause for each State. Appendix tables provide details on the circumstances surrounding arrest-related deaths including the criminal offenses for which the arrest attempt was made; the use of weapons or other behavior by the arrest subject; and use of weapons and restraint devices by officers involved in the arrest. The report also presents comparative counts of law enforcement homicides from DCRP and counts of justifiable homicides by police, collected by the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports program.
Highlights include the following:
Homicides by law enforcement officers made up 55% (1,095) of all deaths during arrests by State and local agencies. Eleven homicides were committed by other persons present at the scene.
No other cause of death was reported half as often as homicide. Drug and alcohol intoxication accounted for 13% of all deaths, followed by suicides (12%), accidental injuries (7%), and illness or natural causes (6%).
Three-quarters of the law enforcement homicides reported to DCRP involved arrests for a violent crime. Except for suicides (51%), violent offenders were involved in less than 30% of all other causes of death. ...
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10/11/2007 02:45 PM
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Cms’s implementation of safeguards during fiscal year 2006 to prevent and detect fraud and abuse in medicare prescription drug plans
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CMS’s Implementation of Safeguards During Fiscal Year 2006 to Prevent and Detect Fraud and Abuse in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDF; 1.1 MB)
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General
From e-mail:
In this report, OIG found that CMS implemented safeguard activities throughout fiscal year 2006; however, further development or application of these activities is needed. CMS relied largely on complaints to identify potential fraud and abuse; however, not all complaints were investigated timely. Further, limits to legal authority, jurisdiction, and CMS’s ability to monitor enrollees switching plans complicate CMS’s efforts to safeguard Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDP).
To address these concerns, OIG recommends that CMS develop a comprehensive safeguard strategy for Medicare Part D PDPs, ensure that all fraud complaints receive proper attention, and address legal concerns that may impede program integrity efforts.
Although CMS provided comments regarding each recommendation contained in the draft report, it did not indicate concurrence or nonconcurrence, and it is not clear from the comments how CMS will address each recommendation. We continue to believe these recommendations should be addressed. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/10/2007 12:44 PM
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Government’s long-term drug enforcement effort slumps
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Government’s Long-Term Drug Enforcement Effort Slumps
A total of 1,914 federal narcotics/drug prosecutions were filed in June of 2007. This is down by more than a fifth (20.6%) from the previous month, down 3.5% from a year ago and down 24.4% from five years ago. While drugs for many years dominated federal enforcement activities, the prosecution of these offenses is now less prominent.
See Also: Direct to Additional TRAC Monthly Bulletins
Source: TRAC / Syracuse University (Source: Docuticker)
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10/10/2007 07:44 AM
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Still summer
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by Mitchard, JacquelynTracy, Olivia and Holly were best friends in high school. Over the years they kept in touch, so when Olivia's husband dies and she moves back to the U.S. they decide to go on a sailboat cruise. With a two man crew, the three friends plus Tracy's daughter set sail from St. Thomas. But, what was supposed to be a ten day leisurely cruise turns into a twenty-two day nightmare. Through a series of mistakes the women end up on the boat alone, with no food or power and under attack from modern day pirates/drug smugglers. They must use all their wits and strength to survive this horrific situation. Still Summer examines the strength of relationships and love when put to a life or death test.- reviewed by Jessica, Morrison Regional, PLCMC (Source: Reader's Club's Latest)
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10/10/2007 03:47 AM
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Event: cross cultural work - nurturing the skills. the sekforde arms, sekforde street, london ec1. , 9 october 2007
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CILIP in London
CILIP in London Monthly Evening Meeting Title: Cross Cultural Work - nurturing the skills Map: http://digbig.com/3pmfSpeaker: Christine GoodairIt is increasingly important for anyone in a post involving staff management, at whatever level, to be adept at dealing with staff (and users) from different cultural groups. Christine has considerable expertise in this area. She will discuss the impact of a cross-cultural leadership programme, as well as drawing on her own experience of European projects to explore the ups and downs of cross-cultural work within the information and library sector.Christine Goodair has over 20 years' experience working in the information and library sector. She is currently at the International Centre for Drug Policy, St George's, University of London, where she is Programme Co-ordinator for National & International Projects.CILIP in London evening meetings are free and open to all with a professional interest in the topic. Refreshments will be available afterwards.As space is limited, please let us know if you are coming. It would be helpful to tell us how you found out about the event. (Source: CILIP – Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)
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10/09/2007 01:43 PM
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A systematic review of randomised clinical trials of individualised herbal medicine in any indication
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A systematic review of randomised clinical trials of individualised herbal medicine in any indication (PDF; 173 KB)
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal
From press release (Newswise):
There is no good evidence to suggest that individually tailored herbal medicine treatment works well, suggests a study in Postgraduate Medical Journal.
The UK is currently reviewing the law in relation to the regulation of tailored herbal medicinal treatments
Studies promoting the effectiveness of herbal medicines have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years, say the authors. But most clinical research has involved standard preparations or single herbal extracts rather than the individually tailored treatments favoured by herbal medicine practitioners.
This suggests that they have been sponsored by manufacturers, eager to cash in on the growing market for over the counter remedies, say the authors.
The current findings are based on an analysis of the available comparative clinical research (randomised controlled trials) on individually tailored herbal medicine treatments.
The authors trawled published articles and research databases, as well as contacting experts in the field and associated professional bodies.
But only three studies out of more than 1300 were randomised controlled trials of sufficient quality to draw meaningful conclusions.
These studies covered the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and irritable bowel syndrome, and the relief of side effects caused by drug treatment for cancer.
There were no statistical differences between tailored herbal medicine and placebo in either the knee osteoarthritis study or the cancer treatment study, say the authors.
Tailored herbal medicine treatments did seem to work better than inactive (placebo) treatment in irritable bowel syndrome, but they were not as good as standard preparations. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/08/2007 11:00 PM
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New gao reports: ryan white care act, prescription drug pricing, stabilizing and rebuilding iraq
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Ryan White Care Act: Impact of Legislative Funding Proposal on Urban Areas, GAO-08-137R, October 5, 2007 Prescription Drugs: Trends in... (Source: beSpacific)
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10/08/2007 11:00 PM
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Seniors & medical information
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Read an interesting article yesterday from JASIS&T which covered usability for seniors in two domains: first, the article talks about how seniors get information about drugs, and then it talks about how they look for information about drugs within two specific web sites.Given, Ruecker, et al write about an study they did on Inclusive Interface Design for Seniors: Image-browsing for a Health Information Context in the Sept. 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. While seniors are prescribed drugs by their doctors, they rarely call their physicians for drug-related information, even though "seniors are particularly prone to negative drug interactions, hospitalizations, addictions, etc. as a result of improperly identifying their medications" (many recent articles support this).Instead, seniors are more likely to get drug & drug interaction information from their pharmacist, followed by contacting "personal contacts" (friends and family, "especially those working in the health care field." Note that libraries don't show up on this list of trusted information sources.Seniors like using the Internet for find health / drug information, but they are aware of the potential accuracy / bias problems that exist on the Web, including the "difficulties sorting out drug 'ads' from truly informational Web sites."The authors tested a couple of interfaces with a group of 12 seniors to see how different sites met their needs with respect to identifying specific pills. A major problem that seniors have using the Web is physiological: difficulty reading small font, trouble distinguishing colors and even small shapes -- which is especially important when trying to find "their" medication on a Web site. ...
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10/08/2007 07:01 AM
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Office of inspector general: the food and drug administration’s oversight of clinical trials, september 2007
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An Inspector General audit has found that FDA health officials did not know how many clinical trials were being conducted, audited fewer than 1 percent of the testing sites and, on the rare occasions ... (Source: Info To Go: Navigating the Internet)
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10/07/2007 11:00 PM
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Which government groups are blogging?
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Via Library Stuff, the AP lists a number of federal authorities that are using blogs to communicate with citizens. Government bloggers include the Library of Congress, Centers for Disease Control, State Department, Office of National Drug Control Policy, and more. (Source: novalawcity)
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10/06/2007 04:46 PM
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Judicial watch uncovers new fda records detailing deaths in 1,824 adverse reaction reports related to hpv vaccine
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Judicial Watch Uncovers New FDA Records Detailing Deaths in 1,824 Adverse Reaction Reports Related to HPV Vaccine
Source: Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released new documents obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, detailing 1,824 reports of adverse reactions to the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, including as many as eight deaths related to the vaccine. Judicial Watch had previously obtained 1,637 reports relating to Gardasil on May 15, 2007, bringing the known total to 3,461 adverse reactions including eleven deaths since FDA approval.
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From May 10 to September 7, 2007, the 1,824 adverse vaccination reactions reported to the FDA via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) included 347 serious reactions. Of the 77 women who received the vaccine while pregnant, 33 experienced side effects ranging from spontaneous abortion to fetal abnormities. Other serious side effects continue to be reported including, paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures.
+ Gardasil Related Deaths Reported to VAERS as of Sept. 7, 2007 (PDF; 377 KB)
+ Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Serious Reaction Reports as of Sept. 7, 2007 (PDF; 241 KB)
+ VAERS Reports as of Sept. 7, 2007 (PDF; 12.1 MB)
+ Judicial Watch complaint against the FDA (PDF; 112 KB)
+ Learn more about Judicial Watch’s investigation (Source: Docuticker)
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10/06/2007 04:39 PM
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Early school success protects against teen and young adult drug use
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Early school success protects against teen and young adult drug use (PDF; 662 KB)
Source: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
Adolescents who do well in school are less likely to smoke, drink or do drugs. But which comes first: drug use or school failure?
A new book by researchers at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) provides an answer. Patterns of educational success or failure are well established for most adolescents by the time they reach the end of eighth grade, while drug use has only begun to emerge by that time.
When more opportunities for substance use do emerge, students already doing well in school are less likely to engage in such behaviors, whereas those doing poorly are more likely to do so, the researchers say.
Extended press release includes graphs and statistics. (Source: Docuticker)
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10/06/2007 04:05 PM
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Ftc charges marketers of “weight-loss cure” book with misrepresenting book’s contents
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FTC Charges Marketers of “Weight-Loss Cure” Book with Misrepresenting Book’s Contents
Source: Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission has charged the marketers of Kevin Trudeau’s book, “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About,” with misrepresenting the book’s contents in their infomercial. The ad claims that the weight-loss plan outlined in the book is easy to do, can be done at home, and ultimately allows readers to eat whatever they want. However, when consumers purchase the book, the FTC charges, they find it describes a complex, grueling plan that requires severe dieting, daily injections of a prescription drug that consumers cannot easily obtain, and lifelong dietary restrictions. The FTC has already filed similar charges against Trudeau.
The widely disseminated infomercial describes the weight-loss plan set forth in the book, stating that “it’s easy to do, you can do it at home” and that “when you’re done with the protocol, eat whatever you want and you don’t gain the weight back.” According to the FTC, when consumers buy and read the book, they find that it actually describes a complicated system involving daily injections, specialized cleanses and supplements, and severe food restrictions, and includes a “fourth phase” of the protocol that requires dietary restrictions and never ends.
+ Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff, v. Direct Marketing Concepts, Inc., ITV Direct, Inc., Donald W. Barrett, and Robert Maihos, Defendants (PDF; 68 KB)
See also: FTC: Marketer Kevin Trudeau Violated Prior Court Order (Source: Docuticker)
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10/06/2007 11:00 AM
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Technology with altitude
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http://blogs.ala.org/pace.php?title=technology_with_altitude&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 I'm in Denver for the the cleverly named 2007 LITA Forum. This is the first in a while that I have not been giving a talk at, which is nice. I can enjoy Denver, enjoy my colleagues, and begin my new role as "committee recruiter"...one of the first duties that comes along with being Vice President of the division.
So, yes, I am taking time out to talk up LITA a bit. It is one of the best conferences for IT networking that I know of (that's small 'n', lest you think I refer to the days of LAN and WAN administration and actually meeting to talk about it). Long breaks and a diverse crowd of administrators, managers, techies, and newbies make it a great setting. And for those who can't be there, almost every session is covered by an army of volunteer bloggers at the LITA blog.
My favorite session yesterday was from Greg Silvis from Delaware, who opened the floor with "Library 2023: A provoked Discussion on the Future of Libraries." Basically, he lit the fuse and got away to watch the fireworks, while ably guiding the discussion and keeping it civil. It was a frank discussion punctuated with just the right amount of contrariness.
Silvis' posited that in 2023 there are 100,000,000 freely available texts, what does this mean for librarians, scholars, copyright, and even Kinkos? There was a lot of discussion about the library as a place for study (a third place) versus the warehouse of books. And way too much discussion--including by your's truly--about the value of metadata. It got me thinking about the library as place. Short of there being barista and XBox training in library school, I am struggling with the librarian's role in this 2023 library.
Quote of the day from UIUC's Michael Twidale:
"Public libraries are the gateway drug [to freely available content]. ...
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10/05/2007 11:59 PM
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Twitter updates for 2007-10-05
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up early, thanks time change! email, and evite, shower, then breakfast. #
so very tired #
listening to coombs and blackburn discuss tables for displaying the library hours on a web page #
@itsjustkate - no wayz? for realz? #
looking for lunch #
getting ready to go to to the reception at Forum #
talking to hubby on phone, catching up on our day #
from an earlier presentation: Libraries are the gateway drug to breaking copyright. #
Powered by Twitter Tools. (Source: A Wandering Eyre)
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10/05/2007 01:00 PM
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50 movie pack hollywood legends, disc 3
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Monsoon, 1943, b&w, Edgar G. Ulmer (dir.), John Carradine, Gale Sondergaard, Sidney Toler, Frank Fenton, Veda Ann Borg, Rita Quickley, Rick Vallin. Original title: Isle of Forgotten Sins. 1:22 [1:16, same as National Film Museum print]
The sleeve description says “A young couple travel to India to a remote jungle village, to announce their betrothal to the bride’s parents…” and so on, and lists George Nader as the star. If the person preparing the sleeve copy checked IMDB or standard reference works, they no doubt based that on the 1952 flick Monsoon—directed by Rodney Amateau, starring George Nader, Ursula Thiess, Diana Douglas and others.
This is an entirely different movie with an entirely different plot, filmed nine years earlier (with an entirely different title) and not even set in the same country. It’s about greed, gold, diving and weather; it starts in a South Seas gambling hall/brothel and winds up in a similar establishment. In between? Better than you might expect, partly because there really are no heroes among this strong cast. $1.25.
Borderline, 1950, b&w, William A. Seiter (dir.), Fred MacMurray, Claire Trevor, Raymond Burr, José Torvay, Morris Ankrum. 1:28.
Maybe I saw too much of Raymond Burr on TV, but his bad-guy movie roles always strike me as suiting him better—and this one’s no exception. Burr is a drug ringleader (or one rung below leader) in Mexico, MacMurray and Trevor two different American agents sent—by two different agencies—to infiltrate the gang. Naturally, each of them thinks the other one’s part of the gang. Naturally, they fall in love. Naturally, it all works out. It is an odd combination—part comedy, part noir, part “melodrama” as the sleeve says—but, to my mind, t works pretty well. For that matter, MacMurray makes a fine leading man and tough guy. I found it enjoyable and the print’s pretty good. $1.50. ...
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10/05/2007 10:39 AM
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Event: cross cultural work - nurturing the skills. the sekforde arms, sekforde street, london ec1. , 9 october 2007
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CILIP in LondonSpeaker: Christine GoodairIt is increasingly important for anyone in a post involving staff management, at whatever level, to be adept at dealing with staff (and users) from different cultural groups. Christine has considerable expertise in this area. She will discuss the impact of a cross-cultural leadership programme, as well as drawing on her own experience of European projects to explore the ups and downs of cross-cultural work within the information and library sector.Christine Goodair has over 20 years' experience working in the information and library sector. She is currently at the International Centre for Drug Policy, St George's, University of London, where she is Programme Co-ordinator for National & International Projects.CILIP in London evening meetings are free and open to all with a professional interest in the topic. Refreshments will be available afterwards.As space is limited, please let us know if you are coming. It would be helpful to tell us how you found out about the event. (Source: CILIP – Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)
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