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proverbialwisdom
proverbialwisdom's Journal
proverbialwisdom's Journal
June 4, 2016
More: http://www.pehsu.net
Additional disruption in "settled science" (nothing to see here) and the lag in medical education.
http://www.cdc.gov/features/pehsu/
Protecting Kids from Environmental Exposure
Children’s rapid development during the fetal period through early childhood makes them more vulnerable to environmental exposure. Contact the nearest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit to learn how to protect your child from exposure to health hazards in the environment.
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Doctors Uncomfortable Discussing Environmental Health
Taking an environmental history is essential for healthcare providers to understand patients' exposure risks and help reduce them, but most physicians and other healthcare providers are not taught the importance of an exposure history during their medical education. For example, responses to a survey of members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2014 reported that:2
Doctors who don't counsel their patients reported that they did not know enough about environmental exposures and were uncertain about evidence. They were also concerned that patients would be unable to reduce their exposure or that counseling would alarm them.
Another survey in 2015 was sent to pediatric blood and cancer specialists. Most of them indicated that families of children with cancer asked about environmental connections to their children's illnesses, but the doctors were uncomfortable discussing the topic. Over 77% suspected that their cases did have an environmental origin, but their methods of taking environmental histories varied widely.3
The results of both these surveys indicate the need for increased physician education on the relationship between environmental exposures and health effects—in medical school, during residencies, and after beginning practice.
<>
References
1. Trasande L, Liu Y. Reducing The Staggering Costs Of Environmental Disease In Children, Estimated At $76.6 Billion In 2008. Health Affairs, 30, no.5 (2011):863-870
2. Stotland NE, Sutton P, Trowbridge J, Atchley DS, Conry J, et al. (2014) Counseling Patients on Preventing Prenatal Environmental Exposures - A Mixed Methods Study of Obstetricians. PLoS ONE 9(6): e98771. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098771
3. Zachek CM, Miller MD, Hsu C, Schiffman JD, Sallan S, et. al. Children's Cancer and Environmental Exposures: Professional Attitudes and Practices. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2015;37:491–497.
Protecting Kids from Environmental Exposure
Children’s rapid development during the fetal period through early childhood makes them more vulnerable to environmental exposure. Contact the nearest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit to learn how to protect your child from exposure to health hazards in the environment.
<>
Doctors Uncomfortable Discussing Environmental Health
Taking an environmental history is essential for healthcare providers to understand patients' exposure risks and help reduce them, but most physicians and other healthcare providers are not taught the importance of an exposure history during their medical education. For example, responses to a survey of members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2014 reported that:2
* Only 1 in 15 physicians have received training on environmental exposures.
* Half of the respondents rarely take an environmental health history.
* Less than 20% counsel patients about environmental exposures common in pregnant women in the United States.
* However, 78% of respondents did agree that counseling patients about environmental health hazards could prevent exposures.
Doctors who don't counsel their patients reported that they did not know enough about environmental exposures and were uncertain about evidence. They were also concerned that patients would be unable to reduce their exposure or that counseling would alarm them.
Another survey in 2015 was sent to pediatric blood and cancer specialists. Most of them indicated that families of children with cancer asked about environmental connections to their children's illnesses, but the doctors were uncomfortable discussing the topic. Over 77% suspected that their cases did have an environmental origin, but their methods of taking environmental histories varied widely.3
The results of both these surveys indicate the need for increased physician education on the relationship between environmental exposures and health effects—in medical school, during residencies, and after beginning practice.
<>
References
1. Trasande L, Liu Y. Reducing The Staggering Costs Of Environmental Disease In Children, Estimated At $76.6 Billion In 2008. Health Affairs, 30, no.5 (2011):863-870
2. Stotland NE, Sutton P, Trowbridge J, Atchley DS, Conry J, et al. (2014) Counseling Patients on Preventing Prenatal Environmental Exposures - A Mixed Methods Study of Obstetricians. PLoS ONE 9(6): e98771. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098771
3. Zachek CM, Miller MD, Hsu C, Schiffman JD, Sallan S, et. al. Children's Cancer and Environmental Exposures: Professional Attitudes and Practices. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2015;37:491–497.
More: http://www.pehsu.net
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151001100058.htm
June 3, 2016
For clinicians:
More: http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/Global/eu-unit/reports-briefings/2016/BR%20glyphosate%20approval%20-%20FINAL%20%2003032016.pdf
Related: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/health-costs-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-150bn-a-year-europe-says-study
Really?
For the public:
http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/pdfs/foodmatters_readable.pdf
http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/pdfs/toxicmatters_readable.pdf
http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/pdfs/pesticidesmatter_readable.pdf
For clinicians:
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0098771
http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/clinical_resources.html
http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/clinical_practice.html
http://gmwatch.org/news/latest-news/16971-ucsf-presentation-reveals-glyphosate-contamination-in-people-across-america
UCSF presentation reveals glyphosate contamination in people across America
Published: 25 May 2016
UCSF presentation reveals glyphosate contamination in people across America
Published: 25 May 2016
More: http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/Global/eu-unit/reports-briefings/2016/BR%20glyphosate%20approval%20-%20FINAL%20%2003032016.pdf
Related: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/health-costs-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-150bn-a-year-europe-says-study
June 3, 2016
Press Statement by Secretary of State John Kerry on June 4, 2014
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/06/227083.htm
Message on the 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 4, 2014
Today of all days, we remember the courage and commitment of hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters who took to the streets to demand fundamental, universal rights. I’ll never forget turning on the television in my office and seeing a column of tanks halted by a single man armed only with his conscience. In those uncertain days, I was in the presence of 2,000 students in Massachusetts. I shared with them that these events were not the happenings of a weekend, but the happenings of an epoch, of a lifetime, and they demanded a moral and political response.
For all people who seek freedom, Tiananmen Square still stirs our conscience. That is why the United States and the international community commemorate the tragic loss of hundreds of lives and the heavy price paid by those who braved the violence in pursuit of the freedom to express their views. We express our sorrow to the families still grieving the loved ones, the lost, and especially to the Tiananmen Mothers.
We all recognize and appreciate that China has made marked social and economic progress in the past several decades. Continued progress will be defined by openness not just to the world, but to the voices and diverse perspectives of China’s citizens. Open discussion and examination of the events of 1989 and a full public accounting of those killed, detained, or missing would be a sign of strength and healing, not weakness and division. A peaceful, prosperous future is made more promising by healing the wounds of the past. We call on Chinese authorities to release from prison all those still serving sentences in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989, and end the ongoing pattern of harassment, detention, and official retribution against those who participated in the demonstrations, their family members, and those who continue to bravely speak out. We also urge China to release those who were detained in advance of the anniversary of June 4, and to uphold its international commitments to protect fundamental freedoms of all in China. All societies are stronger when every citizen has a say and a stake in their country’s direction.
Message on the 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 4, 2014
Today of all days, we remember the courage and commitment of hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters who took to the streets to demand fundamental, universal rights. I’ll never forget turning on the television in my office and seeing a column of tanks halted by a single man armed only with his conscience. In those uncertain days, I was in the presence of 2,000 students in Massachusetts. I shared with them that these events were not the happenings of a weekend, but the happenings of an epoch, of a lifetime, and they demanded a moral and political response.
For all people who seek freedom, Tiananmen Square still stirs our conscience. That is why the United States and the international community commemorate the tragic loss of hundreds of lives and the heavy price paid by those who braved the violence in pursuit of the freedom to express their views. We express our sorrow to the families still grieving the loved ones, the lost, and especially to the Tiananmen Mothers.
We all recognize and appreciate that China has made marked social and economic progress in the past several decades. Continued progress will be defined by openness not just to the world, but to the voices and diverse perspectives of China’s citizens. Open discussion and examination of the events of 1989 and a full public accounting of those killed, detained, or missing would be a sign of strength and healing, not weakness and division. A peaceful, prosperous future is made more promising by healing the wounds of the past. We call on Chinese authorities to release from prison all those still serving sentences in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989, and end the ongoing pattern of harassment, detention, and official retribution against those who participated in the demonstrations, their family members, and those who continue to bravely speak out. We also urge China to release those who were detained in advance of the anniversary of June 4, and to uphold its international commitments to protect fundamental freedoms of all in China. All societies are stronger when every citizen has a say and a stake in their country’s direction.
June 3, 2016
Antipsychotic prescribing trends in youths with autism and intellectual disability
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-05-antipsychotic-trends-youths-autism-intellectual.html
Antipsychotic prescribing trends in youths with autism and intellectual disability
May 31, 2016
About one in 10 youths treated with an antipsychotic are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability. Conversely, one in six youths diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has been prescribed antipsychotics. These findings are reported in the June 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP). Furthermore, the results suggest that the proportion of adolescents with autism or intellectual disability has increased among youths treated with antipsychotics and that more youths with autism or intellectual disability have received antipsychotics.
Currently, second-generation antipsychotics are the only FDA-approved medications for youth with autism. However, these are approved only for the symptomatic control of irritability and aggression. They do not have an indication for youth with intellectual disability, and they do not seem to affect the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, such as social and communication difficulties, or the core symptoms of intellectual disability, such as problems with understanding and responding appropriately to information from the outside world.
Performing a meta-analysis of 39 studies and over 350,000 youth with mental illness, a group of researchers led by Christoph U. Correll, MD, of Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, examined the frequency and time trends of antipsychotic prescribing in youth with autism spectrum disorders or intellectual disability, mostly drawing on data from large registry-based studies.
<>
Antipsychotic prescribing trends in youths with autism and intellectual disability
May 31, 2016
About one in 10 youths treated with an antipsychotic are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability. Conversely, one in six youths diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has been prescribed antipsychotics. These findings are reported in the June 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP). Furthermore, the results suggest that the proportion of adolescents with autism or intellectual disability has increased among youths treated with antipsychotics and that more youths with autism or intellectual disability have received antipsychotics.
Currently, second-generation antipsychotics are the only FDA-approved medications for youth with autism. However, these are approved only for the symptomatic control of irritability and aggression. They do not have an indication for youth with intellectual disability, and they do not seem to affect the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, such as social and communication difficulties, or the core symptoms of intellectual disability, such as problems with understanding and responding appropriately to information from the outside world.
Performing a meta-analysis of 39 studies and over 350,000 youth with mental illness, a group of researchers led by Christoph U. Correll, MD, of Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, examined the frequency and time trends of antipsychotic prescribing in youth with autism spectrum disorders or intellectual disability, mostly drawing on data from large registry-based studies.
"Although the increased prescribing of antipsychotics in youth with autism spectrum disorders or intellectual disability cannot be judged as appropriate or inappropriate based on database studies, side effects of antipsychotics can be quite problematic, especially in children and adolescents," said Correll. "Therefore, clinicians should perform very careful risk: benefit evaluation before and after starting youth with autism spectrum disorders or intellectual disability on an antipsychotic, always trying to maximize non-pharmacologic interventions as well as pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic treatments for comorbidities, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and sleep disorders."
<>
http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567%2816%2930103-4/abstract
Su Young Park, Chiara Cervesi, Britta Galling, Silvia Molteni, Frozan Walyzada, Stephanie H. Ameis, Tobias Gerhard, Mark Olfson, Christoph U. Correll.
Antipsychotic Use Trends in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability: A Meta-Analysis.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2016; 55 (6): 456 DOI: 1016/j.jaac.2016.03.012
Su Young Park, Chiara Cervesi, Britta Galling, Silvia Molteni, Frozan Walyzada, Stephanie H. Ameis, Tobias Gerhard, Mark Olfson, Christoph U. Correll.
Antipsychotic Use Trends in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability: A Meta-Analysis.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2016; 55 (6): 456 DOI: 1016/j.jaac.2016.03.012
May 28, 2016
Text of President Obama’s Speech in Hiroshima, Japan
Source: New York Times
MAY 27, 2016
The following is a transcript of President Obama’s speech in Hiroshima, Japan, as recorded by The New York Times.
Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed. A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself.
Why do we come to this place, to Hiroshima? We come to ponder a terrible force unleashed in a not-so-distant past. We come to mourn the dead, including over 100,000 Japanese men, women and children, thousands of Koreans, a dozen Americans held prisoner.
Their souls speak to us. They ask us to look inward, to take stock of who we are and what we might become.
It is not the fact of war that sets Hiroshima apart. Artifacts tell us that violent conflict appeared with the very first man. Our early ancestors having learned to make blades from flint and spears from wood used these tools not just for hunting but against their own kind. On every continent, the history of civilization is filled with war, whether driven by scarcity of grain or hunger for gold, compelled by nationalist fervor or religious zeal. Empires have risen and fallen. Peoples have been subjugated and liberated. And at each juncture, innocents have suffered, a countless toll, their names forgotten by time.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/world/asia/text-of-president-obamas-speech-in-hiroshima-japan.html
May 27, 2016
CELL:
LAPTOP:
ALSO RECOMMENDED:
Lke this?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottkramer/2015/08/26/safesleeve-making-your-phone-radiation-free/
...Most importantly, an integrated FCC-certified lab tested radiation-shielding foil not only deflects and absorbs RF, ELF and Thermal radiation to greatly reduce your exposure, but it also blocks RFID signals, so that hackers cannot steal your credit card information by scanning it from afar. And no, the case will not affect phone or battery performance.
...Most importantly, an integrated FCC-certified lab tested radiation-shielding foil not only deflects and absorbs RF, ELF and Thermal radiation to greatly reduce your exposure, but it also blocks RFID signals, so that hackers cannot steal your credit card information by scanning it from afar. And no, the case will not affect phone or battery performance.
CELL:
http://www.safesleevecases.com/pages/frequently-asked-questions
http://www.safesleevecases.com/blogs/news/16597265-shielding-effectiveness-study-results
LAPTOP:
http://www.safesleevecases.com/pages/lab-tested
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0198/9272/files/Final_Report_without_Letter.pdf?13622971196583020425
VIDEO: http://www.safesleevecases.com/pages/laptop-radiation
ALSO RECOMMENDED:
https://twitter.com/DevraLeeDavis
http://ehtrust.org/
https://twitter.com/berkeleyprc
http://www.wsj.com/articles/should-cellphones-have-warning-labels-1463968922
http://ehtrust.org/cell-phones-wireless-childrens-health-symposium-2016-pediatric-societies/
May 24, 2016
When Congress originally passed the IDEA in 1975 mandating special education services in the nation’s public schools, lawmakers committed to footing 40 percent of the bill, leaving states and local officials to pick up the rest.
But that never happened. In fiscal year 2016, the federal government plans to cover just 16 percent of the cost of special education for kids ages 3 to 21, Schumer said, a figure that’s some $17.85 billion shy of the original commitment.
Read more: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/05/23/senator-calls-full-funding-idea/22343/
Senator Calls For Full Funding Of IDEA
Source: by Shaun Heasley | Disability Scoop
May 23, 2016
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is asking leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase
funding for special education services. (Senate Democrats/Flickr)
An influential U.S. senator is urging his colleagues to work toward plugging a special education funding shortfall of more than $17 billion.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is calling for the federal government to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
“For far too long, federal funding for special educational services has fallen short by tens of billions of dollars,” Schumer said. “With millions of children living with autism and other developmental disabilities, it’s time to provide full federal funding towards the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which will help our nation’s children thrive and help countless families breathe easy knowing their kids have the services needed to succeed.”
When Congress originally passed the IDEA in 1975 mandating special education services in the nation’s public schools, lawmakers committed to footing 40 percent of the bill, leaving states and local officials to pick up the rest.
But that never happened. In fiscal year 2016, the federal government plans to cover just 16 percent of the cost of special education for kids ages 3 to 21, Schumer said, a figure that’s some $17.85 billion shy of the original commitment.
Read more: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/05/23/senator-calls-full-funding-idea/22343/
May 23, 2016
Update.
http://saferchemicals.org/2016/05/21/e-near-final-tsca-reform-legislation-a-rundown/https://twitter.com/SaferChemicals/status/734091443405488128
2:40 PM - 21 May 2016
Safer Chemicals
?@SaferChemicals
BREAKING: A rundown on the improvements and remaining issues still needed in #TSCA reform http://ow.ly/TKdP300rujt
2:40 PM - 21 May 2016
Safer Chemicals
?@SaferChemicals
BREAKING: A rundown on the improvements and remaining issues still needed in #TSCA reform http://ow.ly/TKdP300rujt
May 22, 2016
Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine Cover: May 23, 2016 Edition
In this Issue:
Cover trail (How the cover gets made): http://www.pressreader.com/australia/bloomberg-businessweek-asia/textview (Contents: Scroll to view right)
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/bloomberg-business/bioomberg-businessweek-cover-story
Bloomberg Businessweek Cover Blurb: "Big Pharma is here to help you help them make a bunch of money"
Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine Cover: May 23, 2016 Edition
In this Issue:
Big Pharma is here to help you help them make a bunch of money. Engaging business-forward minds across the globe with influential reporting on global business and financial news every week. Take a look for yourself.
MORE: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-19/the-real-reason-big-pharma-wants-to-help-pay-for-your-prescription
Cover trail (How the cover gets made): http://www.pressreader.com/australia/bloomberg-businessweek-asia/textview (Contents: Scroll to view right)
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/bloomberg-business/bioomberg-businessweek-cover-story
May 21, 2016
NJ.COM: Agreement reached on Lautenberg chemical safety bill
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/05/agreement_reached_on_lautenberg_chemical_safety_bi.html
Agreement reached on Lautenberg chemical safety bill
Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on May 20, 2016 at 5:11 PM, updated May 20, 2016 at 5:12 PM
WASHINGTON — Legislation to update a 40-year-old law requiring that chemicals be tested for safety could pass Congress as early as next week as House and Senate lawmakers agreed on a compromise bill.
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act would require the Environmental Protection Agency to test chemicals using "sound and credible science" and impose regulations if they are shown to pose a health risk.
The EPA would set priorities for evaluating chemicals and would not first have to show they pose a potential risk. Manufacturers could ask the EPA to evaluate a particular chemical if they are willing to cover those costs.
The agreed-upon measure combined elements of the Senate legislation approved in December and the House measure that passed that chamber last June.
<>
"As with any compromise, this legislation balances the priorities and interests of multiple stakeholders, while producing an agreement that pragmatic industry, environmental, public health and labor groups can ultimately support," said former Rep. Cal Dooley (D-Calif.), president and chief executive of the Washington-based American Chemistry Council.
Still, Jeff Tittel, president of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said his organization would oppose the Lautenberg bill because it allows the federal government to prevent states from imposing tougher regulations of chemicals. State restrictions enacted on or after April 22 could be pre-empted by federal regulations, though they could apply for waivers.
"That to us is a deal killer," Tittel said. "I don't think the senator would support weakening protections in New Jersey."
Agreement reached on Lautenberg chemical safety bill
Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on May 20, 2016 at 5:11 PM, updated May 20, 2016 at 5:12 PM
WASHINGTON — Legislation to update a 40-year-old law requiring that chemicals be tested for safety could pass Congress as early as next week as House and Senate lawmakers agreed on a compromise bill.
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act would require the Environmental Protection Agency to test chemicals using "sound and credible science" and impose regulations if they are shown to pose a health risk.
The EPA would set priorities for evaluating chemicals and would not first have to show they pose a potential risk. Manufacturers could ask the EPA to evaluate a particular chemical if they are willing to cover those costs.
The agreed-upon measure combined elements of the Senate legislation approved in December and the House measure that passed that chamber last June.
<>
"As with any compromise, this legislation balances the priorities and interests of multiple stakeholders, while producing an agreement that pragmatic industry, environmental, public health and labor groups can ultimately support," said former Rep. Cal Dooley (D-Calif.), president and chief executive of the Washington-based American Chemistry Council.
Still, Jeff Tittel, president of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said his organization would oppose the Lautenberg bill because it allows the federal government to prevent states from imposing tougher regulations of chemicals. State restrictions enacted on or after April 22 could be pre-empted by federal regulations, though they could apply for waivers.
"That to us is a deal killer," Tittel said. "I don't think the senator would support weakening protections in New Jersey."
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