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Scientists Find Faster, Cheaper Way To Identify Cancer Causing Genes
Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have found a new way to study how genes function in living organisms, and their approach could substantially cut the time and costs that drug makers spend in searching for potential targets for new cancer therapies.
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Vatican's Approach To Obama On Abortion Rights Contrasts With That Of U.S. Bishops
National Partnership for Women & FamiliesDuring his visit to the Vatican on Friday, President Obama is likely to receive a warmer welcome from Pope Benedict XVI than he has from some U.S. Roman Catholic bishops, experts on the church say, the New York Times reports. The meeting will occur after the conclusion of the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in Italy and three days after the pope released an encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," updating the church"s social teaching on the global economy.Early in Obama"s administration, U.S. Catholic bishops "set an adversarial tone" over Obama"s views on abortion rights, contraception and embryonic stem cell research, the Times reports. Although the pope also disagrees with Obama on those issues, he and Obama both recognize an opportunity to come together on international issues like climate change, poverty, nuclear nonproliferation and immigration reform, according to the Times. In a session with reporters from Catholic publications last week, Obama said the church has "always been a powerful moral compass" on questions of social justice. He also said that U.S. bishops "have a profound influence" and that he would take his critics" opinions seriously.The Vatican has often taken a much softer approach than the U.S. bishops in its reactions to Obama"s abortion-rights policies, according to the Times. The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a letter issued after the election that "aggressive pro-abortion policies" would "be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion." In contrast, the Vatican sent Obama a telegram of congratulations immediately after his election, which experts say is "a highly unusual gesture" because the Vatican usually waits until inauguration, the Times reports.More recently, several U.S. bishops denounced the University of Notre Dame for inviting Obama to give the spring commencement address and receive an honorary degree. The Vatican"s newspaper ran a "markedly positive" article about Obama"s speech in reaction to the controversy, according to the Times. Some Vatican officials have also expressed support for Obama"s "common ground" approach to reducing the need for abortion, whereas some U.S. bishops and antiabortion-rights leaders have reacted with "suspicion and disdain," the Times reports (Goodstein, New York Times, 7/10).According to John Allen, a Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, cultural differences between U.S. and European Catholic views on abortion rights help explain their contrasting approaches to the issue. Allen said that abortion is usually "the defining social and political issue" in the U.S., and that "everything else, in a way, takes second place." In Europe "that has never been the case," and "even the most conservative Catholics in Europe ... don"t evaluate political leaders exclusively through the basis of their positions on abortion and other so-called life issues," Allen said (Poggioli, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/10).The Vatican and the U.S. bishops also have different approaches to working with governments, according to the Rev. Drew Christensen, editor-in-chief of the national Jesuit weekly magazine America. Christensen, who formerly worked for the church in international relations, said that some Obama critics "think you have to be at war, and the pope is saying, there"s a different way to proceed here and it"s very essential to the church"s approach, in that what you want is consensus." Christensen added that the pope is "trying to engage America"s capacity for good in the world at a time when it"s really critical" (New York Times, 7/10).
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Cerebrospinal Fluid Shows Alzheimer's Disease Deterioration Much Earlier
It is possible to determine which patients run a high risk of developing Alzheimer"s disease and the dementia associated with it, even in patients with minimal memory impairment. This has been shown by recent research at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Family Doctors Condemn Cuts To Funding, Northern Ireland

Commenting on the publication of the results of a national patient access survey today (Tuesday, 30 June 2009) local general practitioners expressed anger that a survey which shows how well general practice is delivering care to patients has resulted in the expected loss of up to ÷£2 million of funding for local GP services. For example, one practice in Northern Ireland with a list size of over 9,000 has lost all of its funding for patient access. Despite providing both 48 hour access and offering the option for patients to book ahead, the perception of just 3% of its patients has resulted in a loss of approximately ÷£15,000 in funding for services. BMA Northern Ireland said that although it was pleased that the majority of patients are satisfied with the care they receive at their surgery (94%), it warned that the headline figures hide a gross unfairness, with surgeries losing funding based on perceptions of patients. Dr Brian Dunn, Chairman of the BMA"s Northern Ireland General Practitioners Committee, said: "GPs have always welcomed patient feedback to enable us to improve the services we offer and to continue to deliver high standards of patient care. "However, despite our repeated warnings that this survey is fundamentally flawed, the previous, more meaningful, practice-based survey was scrapped and this new survey brought in, with the results having devastating effects on some practices. "A balanced approach to making advanced or emergency appointments is offered by all practices; yet the opinion of patients over perceived access has resulted in cuts to GP service funding". Dr Dunn continued, "If there is evidence to show genuine concerns over access to family doctor services, then we need to know about it, and practices need be supported to improve access, rather than having their funding cut which will make things even more difficult. Some practices will have to choose between making staff redundant or keeping services". The BMA believes that the disparity between funding in primary and secondary care has been highlighted by this survey approach. Dr Brian Patterson, Portglenone GP and chairman of the BMA"s NI Council said, "This bizarre situation, whereby funding has been cut instead of being allocated to GP practices which need to improve access, is in direct contrast to what has happened in our hospitals. Poor access to hospital care resulted in vast sums of public money being used to address the situation and reduce waiting times, but in general practice perceived poor access has resulted in res being taken away". Dr Patterson concluded, "This is another example of the need for the Northern Ireland Minister for Health, the DHSSPS, to work with the profession to develop policies that are practical and importantly, that deliver real improvements to patients." British Medical Association Northern Ireland 16 Cromac Place Cromac Wood, Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 2JB


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