Bob Harper Of NBC’s ‘The Biggest Loser’ And Local Diabetes Expert Visit Los Angeles To Help Residents ‘Step Up’ Their Diabetes Management

As part of the major nationwide educational campaign Diabetes & You: Step It Up to Get It Down, life and fitness coach Bob Harper will visit Los Angeles to encourage local residents with type 2 diabetes to better manage their disease. Harper and a panel of diabetes experts convened by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) developed the easy-to-understand and motivational 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control. The 6.5 Steps underscore the importance of reaching the AACE target A1C goal of 6.5% or less for most patients through the cornerstones of effective diabetes management — eating healthy, being physically active, monitoring blood sugar, seeing a doctor or other healthcare professional, and, when appropriate, taking one or more medicines. To encourage area residents to “Step It Up,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has declared the week of October 30, 2006 “Diabetes Control Week” in Los Angeles, dedicated to improving blood sugar control for people with type 2 diabetes.

“Type 2 diabetes affects millions of Americans and is an epidemic,” said Bob Harper. “Through my years of coaching and training, I’ve worked with many people with type 2 diabetes and seen how hard it can be to live with this condition. But I learned that anyone can change their life. It’s all about finding the right tools and motivation. I’m challenging people with type 2 diabetes to step it up and use the 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control. It’s your body — take charge today!”

The Diabetes & You: Step It Up to Get It Down campaign was developed in response to a first-of-its-kind report issued last year by AACE showing that two out of three Americans with type 2 diabetes analyzed in a study were not in control of their blood sugar — failing to meet the AACE-recommended A1C goal of 6.5% or less for most patients. According to the report, in California alone, more than one-third of people with type 2 diabetes who were analyzed in the study were not in control of their blood sugar. The A1C test measures a person’s average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months. The A1C test complements blood sugar monitoring that patients do on their own, which shows a blood sugar level at the time the test is taken.

“Making the decision to take control of the disease is one of the most important things a person with type 2 diabetes can do to properly manage the condition and ultimately reduce the risk of long-term complications associated with the disease,” said Dr. Michael Bush, Past Clinical Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “The 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control provide patients with recommendations that they can realistically incorporate into their daily routine. It’s a great tool to motivate patients to partner with their doctor or other healthcare professional to make better health choices and bring their blood sugar levels under control.”

Approximately 1,769,850 people in California are diagnosed with diabetes, and over 18 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or does not respond properly to its own natural insulin, a condition called insulin resistance. Insulin helps the cells convert blood sugar to energy. When sugar builds up in the blood instead of going into the cells, it can starve the cells of energy and, over time, high blood sugar levels can cause diabetes-related complications, affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.

Free Educational Materials and Sweepstakes

Anyone interested in learning more about better diabetes management can call 1-877-6-5-STEPS or visit http://www.stepitupdiabetes.com. People with type 2 diabetes can also sign up online to enter a free sweepstakes and become eligible to receive great prizes, including one-on-one telephone coaching with Bob Harper and a year-long gym membership.

The 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control

The following abbreviated version of the 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control is the centerpiece of AACE’s newly launched national diabetes educational campaign Diabetes & You: Step It Up to Get It Down, designed to help type 2 diabetes patients better manage their disease.

1. Be honest with yourself. Diabetes can be tough, but it doesn’t have to control you.

2. Think about your reasons for living a healthier life and feeling better. Always keep them in mind.

3. Team up with your doctor or other healthcare professional to make a plan. This plan may include taking one or more medicines. You are in this together with the same goals.

4. Make healthy eating and regular physical activity part of your life.

5. Check your blood sugar as often as your doctor tells you and know your A1C number. A1C is your average blood sugar level for the past 2 to 3 months.

6. No quitting. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never give up!

6.5. The HALF STEP – Getting started is HALF the battle!!!

To view the expanded version of the 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control, visit http://www.stepitupdiabetes.com.

The Diabetes & You: Step It Up to Get It Down Expert Panel

AACE convened a panel of experts for a diabetes summit meeting in New York City to discuss the current state of diabetes management and develop the 6.5 Steps. Members of the expert panel include:

— Bob Harper, life and fitness coach from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”

— Paul S. Jellinger, MD, MACE, Past President, American College of Endocrinology and Past President, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

— Fred A. Williams, Jr., MD, FACP, FACE, National Chair, Public and Media Relations Committee, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

— Mary M. Austin, MA, RD, CDE, Immediate Past President, American Association of Diabetes Educators

About the Campaign Sponsors

AACE is a professional medical organization consisting of over 5,300 practicing clinical endocrinologists devoted to furthering patient care in the field of endocrinology. AACE is committed to transforming the lives of patients by enabling one another to practice leading edge, proactive, ethical and cost effective medicine.

All members of AACE are fully licensed physicians and fully trained in endocrinology. The majority are board certified in internal medicine and subspecialty certified in adult or pediatric endocrinology. AACE members are recognized clinicians and educators, and many are affiliated with medical schools and universities. Members contribute on a regular and continuing basis to the scientific literature on endocrine diseases and conduct medical education programs on this subject.

For more information on AACE, please visit http://www.aace.com or http://www.powerofprevention.com.

GlaxoSmithKline has provided funding and other support to AACE for the Diabetes & You: Step It Up to Get It Down campaign. GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

GlaxoSmithKline
http://www.aace.com

Allergy-free Cats For Sale At $3,950 Each

If you are allergic to cats, would like to have one and have $3,950 spare, this may be your lucky day. Allerca Inc., California, USA, says it has managed to breed the world’s first hypoallergenic cats. People who are allergic to cats and buy one of these will not experience sneezing, red and itchy eyes or asthma – except in very acute cases.

The company says that as soon as the news got out people rushed to place orders and now there is a waiting list.

The company tested thousands of cats, looking for those tiny few that do not have glycoprotein Fel d1. Glycoprotein Fel d1 is what triggers allergic reactions in humans – it can be found in the fur, pelt, saliva, serum, urine, mucous, salivary glands, and hair roots of the cat. On finding a decent number of cats that did not carry glycoprotein Fel d1, the scientists selectively bred them.

The kittens of these selectively chosen cats do not produce human allergic reactions – they are hypoallergenic cats.

The company stressed that their cats are not the result of genetic engineering. About one in 50,000 cats do not carry Glycoprotein Fel d1 – it was a question of finding them and breeding them, there was no genetic modification.

It is estimated that about one third of all humans are allergic to cats. The market for hypoallergenic pets could be huge.

The company says its cats are friendly, playful and affectionate. They have cats in several coat colours and patterns. The coat is “medium-long, with low maintenance and minimal shedding.”

Symptoms of Cat Allergy

Eyes
— eyes become red, itchy and watery, and/or swollen

Nose
— nose may be itchy, runny and congested, the patient may sneeze a lot

Ears
— ears can become itchy and/or plugged (blocked)

Throat
— nasal drip may make its way down to the throat. The throat can feel sore. The patient may often clear his/her throat. He/she may also experience hoarseness.

Skin
— skin can be itchy, with rashes or hives

Lungs
— patient may cough frequently, wheeze, experience tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and often suffer from bronchitis

http://www.allerca.com

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today

Race And Gender Affect Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Participation

A new study finds significant disparities by race and gender in the enrollment of patients into lung cancer clinical trials. Published in the January 15, 2006 issue of CANCER (interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that women and African-Americans were least likely to enroll in treatment trials for lung cancer, and identifies a need to improve educational and outreach efforts to make clinical trials available to a wider range of patients.

While clinical trials are important because they test the efficacy of the next generation of potentially life-saving treatments, only five percent of cancer patients participate in clinical trials. Reports have demonstrated that systemic factors in the healthcare system, such as cost, patient education, and physician biases may explain the low accrual rates. But gender and racial inequalities also are apparent, forcing lawmakers in 1993 to direct the healthcare system to encourage women and minority participation. Not only does lack of participation by minorities and women shut them out of the next generation of potentially life-saving treatment, but it also makes it all the more difficult for clinicians to translate treatment benefits and risks found in a clinical trial to these under-represented patient populations.

To evaluate the enrollment rate and the factors predicting enrollment, Wei Du, Ph.D., and colleagues from Wayne State University reviewed data from 427 lung cancer patients (175 African-Americans and 252 from other races) who were eligible for clinical trials between 1994 and 1998 at one center, the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.

Of this group, 21 percent (91 patients) participated in a lung cancer treatment clinical trial. The researchers found that patients who did not participate were more likely to be African American (45 percent versus 25 percent of enrollees), female (43 percent versus 32 percent of enrollees), and over the age of 70 (24 percent versus 10 percent of enrollees). The researchers say their results should be viewed with caution given that the study looked at enrollment at a single medical center, and did not study other factors that may play a role in clinical trial participation. Those include a lack of trust in the medical establishment, lack of knowledge about clinical trials, and the effect of religious belief or spirituality on the willingness to participate.

Still, they conclude: “New recruitment strategies targeting specific patient subgroups might be helpful in ensuring equal representation of women and minority groups in cancer clinical trials.”

Article: “Predictors of Enrollment in Lung Cancer Clinical Trials,” Wei Du, Shirish M. Gadgeel, Michael S. Simon, CANCER; Published Online: December 12, 2005 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21638); Print Issue Date: January 15, 2006.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
http://www.interscience.wiley.com

Discrimination Contributes To African-American Health Disparities

The experience of racial discrimination may be a key factor in explaining why African Americans have higher rates of obesity and suffer at higher rates from such diseases as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, according to UCLA researchers.

Repeated responses to such discrimination — which include elevated blood pressure and heart rate — can cause enormous stress on a person’s mental and physical health, according to research scheduled to be published in Volume 58 of the Annual Review of Psychology.

Race-based discrimination may help explain why African Americans, despite gains in civil rights and targeted health programs, continue to have the highest rates of diabetes, cardiovascular heart disease, hypertension and stroke as compared to all other racial or ethnic groups in the United States.

“This is not to say that every African American has poor health,” said Vickie Mays, the report’s lead author, a UCLA professor of psychology and health services and director of the Center for Research, Education, Training and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities. “However, African Americans — as a group of people — have not been able to gain as much ground as other ethnic groups. That’s when you need to worry and look at missing factors that can explain these health disparities.”

When a person experiences discrimination, the body develops a cognitive response in which it recognizes the discrimination as something that is bad and should be defended against, Mays said. She said this response occurs for the most part even if the person merely perceives that discrimination is a possibility.

Starting with the brain’s recognition of discrimination, the body sets into motion a series of physiological responses to protect itself from these stressful negative experiences, Mays said. These physiological responses include biochemical reactions, hyper-vigilance and elevated blood pressure and heart rate. With many African Americans, these responses may occur so frequently that they eventually result in the physiological system not working correctly.

According to Mays, the experience of race-based discrimination for some African Americans is akin to the response a person’s body mounts when it experiences significant life-threatening danger, such as fear for a person’s life or of a possible attack. She said that if the body mounts a response to protect itself against a “life-threatening” experience on a regular basis, after awhile it is strained and overworked. Many of the chemicals that come to its rescue can damage systems in the body that are associated with disease and obesity.

According to the report’s authors, there has been much focus on the emotional impact of discrimination. But other critical factors — such as identifying how the brain recognizes and determines what racial discrimination is and how the body responds biochemically — may help researchers understand why African Americans are not benefiting from protections against negative health outcomes in the same manner as whites.

Health disparities in African Americans may even be passed down from one generation to the next. For example, even middle- and upper-class African American women are at a higher risk of delivering pre-term babies as compared to other ethnic minority and white women of the same social class.

“What may be occurring is that despite having a great education and prenatal care, your body may be programmed to deliver early because of the stresses experienced by your mother during her pregnancy,” Mays said. Research suggests that African American women produce a hormone activated in response to stress that is often associated as a time-clock for birth.

“This results in the placenta separating itself a little bit early and, that may be one of the reasons for a preterm delivery,” Mays said.

Another key factor is that African Americans faced with constant discrimination may experience high levels of stress that cause an “allostatic load.” The term refers to the cumulative wear and tear of stress as the body responds to an overload of challenges and demands.

When the stress challenge to the cardiovascular system is prolonged and excessive to the point of allostasis, the immune system is suppressed, blood pressure increases and, over time, atherosclerosis can develop, resulting in coronary vascular disease.

UCLA researchers will conduct further research on the link between race-based discrimination and health problems, including searching for possible solutions and coping methods for individuals.

“As we deal with skyrocketing rates of obesity and rising rates of diabetes in African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority groups, we need to think about the impact of race-based discrimination and how they respond to that stress,” Mays said. “It may not be just a matter of telling a person to eat better or exercise. We may need to take a look at the person’s environment and the race-based discrimination that that person is experiencing.”

###

The report was co-authored by Susan D. Cochran, UCLA professor of epidemiology and statistics, and Namdi W. Barnes, a staff member of the Center for Research, Education, Training and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities.

It was funded by the National Institute of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

More information about Mays’ center is at http://www.minorityhealthdisparities.org/.

California’s largest university, UCLA enrolls approximately 38,000 students per year and offers degrees from the UCLA College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools in dozens of varied disciplines. UCLA consistently ranks among the top five universities and colleges nationwide in total research-and-development spending, receiving more than $820 million a year in competitively awarded federal and state grants and contracts. For every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA, the university generates almost $9 in economic activity, resulting in an annual $6 billion economic impact on the Greater Los Angeles region. The university’s health care network treats 450,000 patients per year. UCLA employs more than 27,000 faculty and staff, has more than 350,000 living alumni and has been home to five Nobel Prize recipients.

Contact: Letisia Marquez
University of California – Los Angeles

Allergic Rhinitis Associated With Decline In Work And School Performance

Allergic rhinitis (AR), more commonly known as “hay fever” can have a profound impact on the daily lives of sufferers beyond its physical effect — including psychological well-being, sleep quality, and ability to learn and process cognitive input, according to a new article scheduled to appear in the on-line issue of Allergy and Asthma Proceedings.

“The Burden of Allergic Rhinitis,” authored by Robert A. Nathan, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, provides an overview of the impact of AR in our society based on findings in the landmark 2006 Allergies in America Survey (AIA) and other noteworthy surveys and studies conducted in the US and Europe. In his article, Dr. Nathan describes the negative cascade of events that adults and children can experience as a result of this condition.

“Nasal congestion profoundly affects quality of life, largely by undermining the restorative power of sleep. Poor-quality sleep leads to daytime drowsiness, fatigue, indecision and significant impairment in learning and cognition,” he writes. “As a result, adults become moody, less efficient, and more likely to experience work-related injury; children are prone to be shy and may also become depressed, anxious or fearful.”

Consequently, presenteeism (decreased productivity at work due to illness) and school absenteeism (habitual absence) escalate.

Lack of Effectiveness of Currently Available Intranasal Sprays

While intranasal corticosteroids are the gold standard for symptom control, patients report problems with effectiveness of currently available options. Only 16 percent of respondents in the AIA survey indicated that intranasal corticosteroids provide relief for all their symptoms, and almost half (48 percent) said they fail to provide 24-hour symptom relief.

“Patients self-adjust their use of over-the-counter and prescription products, but find that currently available options do not always provide the 24-hour relief, and if they do, there are bothersome side effects,” explains Dr. Nathan. Consequently, the author concludes that there is a need for new nasal allergy medications that provide complete 24-hour symptom relief that is sustained over time.

About Allergies in America Survey

The Allergies in America survey is a landmark survey sponsored by ALTANA Pharma US, Inc. and is the largest survey ever conducted in a population of allergic rhinitis sufferers and healthcare practitioners. Analysis of the data from the 2,500 allergy sufferers and 400 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants provides a window into to the behavioral and psychosocial effects of AR.

Asthma & Allergy Associates
http://www.texallergy.com/locations.htm

Lung Cancer Surgery – Study Suggests Racial Disparities Stem From Doctor-Patient Interaction

Even when they have equal access to specialized care, blacks with potentially curable lung cancer are about half as likely as whites to undergo surgery that could save their lives, according to a study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers.

Designed to identify the causes of racial discrepancies in lung cancer treatment in the United States, the research ruled out unequal access to medical care as the sole explanation. It did show that blacks were somewhat less likely to be offered lung cancer surgery, and were slightly more likely to refuse it than were whites. Overall, the study found that blacks who had equal access to care were 45 percent less likely than whites to have lung cancer surgery.

These findings point to a subtle and complex “communications problem” underlying the inequality, said Christopher Lathan, MD, of Dana-Farber and lead author of the report that is published online by the Journal of Clinical Oncology and is scheduled to run in the journal’s Jan. 20 print issue. “Something’s not happening. There was no specific reason that could be found, but there needs to be more attention paid to the doctor-patient interaction.”

The generally poorer health of blacks and other racial minorities is often blamed on social and financial obstacles to obtaining medical care. The new study, however, documents that the lower rate of surgery for black lung cancer patients “is not just about access to care or not being physically able to undergo treatment,” said Craig Earle, MD, of Dana-Farber and the paper’s senior author. “There still seems to be a racial disparity.”

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among blacks Americans, and blacks have the highest lung cancer mortality rate in the United States. It is estimated that 15,500 blacks will die from lung cancer in the United States in 2005 (accounting for nearly a quarter of all cancer deaths), and that more than 19,000 will be diagnosed with the disease, which is approximately 14 percent of all new cancer cases among blacks.

Yet, blacks have been previously found less likely to get surgical treatment. Someone who is diagnosed before the cancer has spread very far – Stage I or II – has up to a 50 percent chance of being alive at five years if surgery is performed. Untreated, the disease is almost always fatal.

The researchers, who also included Bridget Neville, MPH, of Dana-Farber, analyzed cancer registry records and insurance claims of 21,219 Medicare-eligible patients diagnosed with non-metastatic lung cancer between 1991 and 2001. With Medicare, inequalities due to insurance coverage were eliminated. Of these patients, 14,224 had undergone invasive procedures to “stage” the disease by its extent, which is a guide to treatment decisions.

The procedures included bronchoscopy, the insertion of a viewing tube into the lungs, and mediastinoscopy and thoracoscopy, where surgeons make incisions in the chest wall under general anesthesia, through which viewing scopes are placed. Blacks were 25 percent less likely than whites to have staging examinations.

But even after being referred for and undergoing staging, only 36 percent of blacks – but 50 percent of whites – were among the 6,972 who went on to receive surgical treatment. The difference in surgery rates was 45 percent.

“We thought that if all the patients had been staged – which suggests that they had access to the appropriate specialists and implies some level of trust in the medical system – that they would have the same rate of surgery,” said Lathan. “We were quite surprised to find this was not the case.”

The study did not address cultural factors, but Lathan said blacks might be mistrustful of the medical system and less aware of the potential benefits of the invasive surgery. Lathan, who is black and treats lung cancer patients, added that physicians may be less inclined to try and persuade reluctant black patients to strongly consider the surgery, particularly if a patient lacks good social support during recovery.

While urging further study, Lathan advised all patients to “make sure they’re getting all the resources they need, even if it means challenging their physicians a little bit.” For physicians, he added, “it’s really important that we spend as much time thinking about how we communicate with our patients as we do about how to treat them.”

The study was funded by Dana-Farber and by a National Institutes of Health training grant.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.

Bill Schaller
william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu
617-632-5357
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
http://www.dfci.harvard.edu

Red Wine May Offset Effects Of High Calorie Diet

Red wine and red grapes contain a chemical, called resveratrol, that can offset some of the effects of gluttony, say researchers from the National Institute on Aging, Harvard Medical School, USA. Resveratrol does not seem to be able to get rid of the obesity, but it can lower glucose levels, help your liver and improve your heart.

You can read about this study in the journal Nature.

Studies had already indicated that resveratrol slows down the aging process in some non-mammalian animals. In this study, the scientists wanted to see what the effects of resveratrol might be on mammals.

They had lab rats which were fed 60% calories coming from fat. The rats were obese, had insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. The rats were divided into two groups. One group continued to eat 60% of calories from fat, while the other group had the same diet, but with resveratrol added to it.

The rats receiving resveratrol had lower glucose levels, their hearts became healthier, as did their liver tissue. The scientists also noticed that the rats that consumed resveratrol were more nimble on their feet, compared to the other group.

Even though the resveratrol-fed mice did not lose any weight, their health became as good as that of a mouse on a normal diet. Although the non-resveratrol fed mice continued to have a short lifespan, the resveratrol-fed mice lived as long as mice on a normal diet.

The scientists believe resveratrol may activate SIRT1, a gene associated with longevity.

If what happened to the mice could happen to humans, resveratrol could help prevent obese people from developing Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, cancer and some other illnesses, say the researchers.

Comment by Editor of Medical News Today

Obesity is something people try to avoid for two reasons. Vanity, and/or health. If we find an ingredient that takes away the health risk, I wonder what most of us would eventually look like.

Would we continue the vanity drive, and then stuff ourselves after committing to a lifetime partner (try to look good only while you are single)?

How many of us would start feasting regularly as soon as the health risk was gone? I suspect I would – that is why I go to the gym everyday; so that I can burn lots of calories and allow myself a few more treats. Would I stop going to the gym? I really don’t know.

Would I eat more, or chose that steaming chocolate pudding with lashes of cream, rather than the fruit salad? I think I probably would.

“Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet”
Joseph A. Baur, Kevin J. Pearson, Nathan L. Price, Hamish A. Jamieson, Carles Lerin8, Avash Kalra, Vinayakumar V. Prabhu, Joanne S. Allard, Guillermo Lopez-Lluch9, Kaitlyn Lewis, Paul J. Pistell, Suresh Poosala, Kevin G. Becker, Olivier Boss, Dana Gwinn, Mingyi Wang, Sharan Ramaswamy, Kenneth W. Fishbein, Richard G. Spencer, Edward G. Lakatta, David Le Couteur, Reuben J. Shaw, Placido Navas, Pere Puigserver, Donald K. Ingram, Rafael de Cabo and David A. Sinclair
Nature doi:10.1038/nature05354
Click here to view abstract online

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today

Model Homes Offer National IAQ Impact Results

Airborne contaminants in homes can range from allergic agents such as mold to potentially lethal threats such as carbon monoxide. Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a database of U.S. residential housing* to help conduct nationwide analyses of ventilation, air cleaning or moisture control strategies to reduce indoor air pollution.

Most people presume that the indoor air quality (IAQ) measures that rid one house of airborne contaminants should work in a similar house, but when it comes to ranking, on a regional or national scale, potentially expensive residential code or construction changes, housing and health authorities as well as homebuilders want more than conventional wisdom and supposition. They want data, and a lot of it. The new NIST set of more than 200 residential dwellings, representing 80 percent of the United States housing stock, can be combined with a computer simulation technique to determine the impacts of IAQ interventions.

NIST developed its database of model homes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey (AHS) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RSECS). They then selected 209 dwellings as representative of 80 percent of U.S. housing stock. The homes, grouped into four categories–detached, attached, manufactured homes and apartments, were defined by their age, floor area, number of floors, foundation type and existence of a garage.

The engineers then developed floor plans for each house and created a model of each in NIST’s multizone indoor air quality and ventilation assessment computer program, CONTAM. Analysts can use the models to simulate and examine energy, IAQ and human exposure issues in a particular type of dwelling or all the dwellings as a group. Conclusions drawn from simulations with a particular house type should be valid for similar houses on a nationwide or regional level. The current multizone representations of the 209 dwellings created with CONTAM are available at http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/IAQanalysis along with floorplans of the buildings. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sponsored this work.

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*A. Persily, A. Musser and D. Leber. A collection of homes to represent the U.S. housing stock. NISTIR 7330, August 2006.

Contact: John Blair
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Study Finds Racial Disparities In Treatment For Lung Cancer

Black patients with treatable lung cancer are less likely to undergo comprehensive diagnostic procedures and surgery as white patients with the same severity of the disease, regardless of whether they have similar access to specialized medical care, according to a study scheduled to appear on Jan. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the New York Times reports. For the study — led by Christopher Lathan, an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School — researchers examined 21,219 patients older than age 65 with treatable non-small-cell lung cancer. Researchers used data from 11 tumor registries established in a previous nationwide study. According to the new study, about 14,000 participants underwent invasive procedures to determine the form and severity of their cancer, and black participants were 75% as likely as white participants to undergo such procedures. In addition, among participants who underwent such procedures, black participants were more than half as likely as white participants to undergo surgery, the study finds. The results of the study remained consistent when researchers controlled for age, severity of cancer and other diseases. Health coverage and the ability to pay were not factors in the study because Medicare covered costs for all participants.

Reaction
Lathan said of the racial disparities identified in the study, “In our society, it is always hard to rule out racism.” However, he added, “Most doctors want the right thing for folks. The way a physician communicates and what he expects weigh heavily. And we haven’t looked at that. It’s a complex situation. It’s not just conscious or unconscious racism.” According to Lathan, “The major point is that African-American patients are still getting surgery less often than white patients. There is something happening here that is more than access to care.” Researchers also attributed the racial disparities identified in the study to lack of access to care, low-quality primary care and mistrust of the health care system among black participants. John Stewart, an assistant professor of surgery at Wake Forest University who was not involved in the study, said, “An underlying implication of this work is that the well-documented disparity in survival from lung cancer in African-American patients can be directly attributable to inadequacies in diagnosis, staging and therapy” (Bakalar, New York Times, 1/3).

The study is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the study.

“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Abbott Reports Positive Subset Results For XIENCE™ V In Tough-to-treat Diabetic Patients

A subset analysis of diabetic patients in the SPIRIT II Clinical trial of the XIENCE™ V Everolimus Eluting Stent System showed nearly identical rates of in-stent late loss at six months in diabetic patients as those observed in the overall study patient population, according to new results presented today. Abbott also presented new positive nine-month safety data from the SPIRIT II trial, which showed no additional occurrences of MACE (Major Adverse Cardiac Event) or stent thrombosis between six and nine months.

Overall six-month data from SPIRIT II, which demonstrated that the XIENCE V system is statistically superior to Boston Scientific’s TAXUS® Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System as measured by its primary endpoint of in-stent late loss, was presented last month at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona.

Late loss is a measure of the change in the vessel diameter between the time immediately following stent placement and at six months.

“Diabetic patients present many challenges because of their higher rate of restenosis after treatment,” said Prof. Patrick W. Serruys, M.D., of the Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Hospital, Rotterdam, and principal investigator of the SPIRIT II clinical trial. “These subgroup results are highly encouraging for difficult-to-treat patients.”

In-stent late loss in the diabetic subgroup analysis was 0.15 mm for XIENCE V vs. 0.39 mm for TAXUS. This is comparable to the overall six-month SPIRIT II study results, which showed late loss of 0.11 mm for XIENCE V and 0.36 mm for TAXUS.

“We believe these results have the potential to differentiate XIENCE V for physicians with patients whose cases present more challenges for treatment,” added John M. Capek, Ph.D., president, Cardiac Therapies, Abbott Vascular. “These data, in addition to the very positive feedback we’ve received from physicians since the recent launch of XIENCE V in Europe, further substantiate our excitement in bringing this product to our physician customers.”

SPIRIT II Clinical Nine-Month Follow-Up Safety Data

Confirming the six-month clinical data recently reported by Abbott, XIENCE V showed low rates of MACE (2.8 percent) and stent thrombosis (0.5 percent) after nine months. There were no additional occurrences of MACE or stent thrombosis between six and nine months.

Results were presented at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s 18th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in Washington, D.C.

XIENCE V has received a CE mark in Europe and is currently an investigational device in the United States and Japan. The system utilizes everolimus, which has been shown to reduce tissue growth in the coronary vessels following stent implantation, and is based upon the highly deliverable and proven MULTI-LINK VISION® coronary stent platform.

About the SPIRIT Family of Trials

The SPIRIT FIRST study of the XIENCE V Stent System showed positive results through two years with no additional MACE events between one and two years. SPIRIT II is a 300-patient study conducted in Europe and Asia Pacific. SPIRIT III is a large-scale pivotal clinical trial comparing XIENCE V to the TAXUS® Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in the United States and Japan. SPIRIT IV, which is currently enrolling patients, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of XIENCE V for the treatment of coronary artery disease in a more complex patient population in the United States. SPIRIT V is an international clinical trial that will provide additional clinical experience with XIENCE V in approximately 3,000 patients at 100 clinical sites throughout Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America. Twelve-month results from SPIRIT II and additional nine-month results from SPIRIT III will be presented in the first half of 2007.

About Abbott’s Drug-Eluting Stent Program

Abbott’s drug-eluting stent is the XIENCE™ V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, which the company launched in Europe earlier this month. In April 2006, Abbott acquired the vascular intervention and endovascular solutions businesses of Guidant Corporation – the U.S. market leader in metallic stents since the introduction of the company’s first stent system in 1997.

About Abbott Vascular

Abbott Vascular, a division of Abbott, is one of the world’s leading vascular care businesses. Abbott Vascular is uniquely focused on advancing the treatment of vascular disease and improving patient care by combining the latest medical device innovations with world-class pharmaceuticals, investing in research and development, and advancing medicine through training and education. Headquartered in Northern California, Abbott Vascular offers a comprehensive portfolio of vessel closure, endovascular and coronary products that are recognized internationally for their safety, effectiveness and ease of use in treating patients with vascular disease.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott
http://www.abbott.com/