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Advocates Say Rise In Inquires About Adoption, Abortion Linked To Recession
Several large adoption agencies are reporting an increase in the number of women with unintended pregnancies who are considering adoption, a trend that some advocates say is tied to the recession, USA Today reports. Scott Mars of American Adoptions said that he has observed a 10% to 12% increase in the past year in the number of women asking about adoption and a 7% to 10% increase in actual placements. Mars said that the economy has led women to "take a second look at adoption." Adam Pertman of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a research group, said, "Finances are one of the major reasons women feel compelled to place their children for adoption." According to USA Today, more women also are considering delaying pregnancy or inquiring about abortion because of financial factors. A recent Gallup poll found that the economy has prompted one in 10 married women to delay pregnancy. Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers, said that calls to the group"s hotline have increased nearly threefold since 2008 and that many of the calls have come from women who have experienced job loss in their families.According to Joan Jaeger of the Chicago-area adoption agency The Cradle, about 30% more women are asking about placing a child for adoption than in 2008. She noted that many of the women inquiring about adoption are in their 20s and have at least one child. Joseph Sica of Adoption by Shepherd Care said he has seen a "dramatic increase in girls calling us from the hospital" who are interested in placing a child for adoption. Sica said that many of these women expect to receive assistance in raising their infants but inquire about adoption after they give birth and find that little help is available. He said that in 2008 his agency facilitated 14 such adoptions, an increase from 11 in 2007 and four in 2006. However, Chuck Johnson -- chief operating officer of the advocacy group the National Council for Adoption -- said that the percentage of women who place a child for adoption remains low overall, which he attributed to access to legal abortion and greater societal acceptance of single parenthood. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that before abortion became legal in 1973, one in five never-married white women and one in 10 never-married women overall placed a child for adoption after giving birth. Since then, that rate has "plummeted," USA Today reports. A 2002 survey, the most recent available, found that only 1% of such women placed a child for adoption (Koch, USA Today, 5/19).
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Fanconi Anemia: Genetically Corrected Blood Cells Obtained From Patients' Skin Cells
Collaboration research carried out by the teams of Jordi Surrallés, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB); Juan Carlos IzpisÃôa-Belmonte and Angel Raya, Centre for Regenerative Medicine of Barcelona (CMRB); and Juan Antonio Bueren, Centre for Energetic, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT), has resulted in the generation of blood cells from skin cells of patients with a genetic disease known as Fanconi anemia. The process is based on gene therapy and cell reprogramming techniques in which cells similar to embryonic stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be generated. The research article was published in this week"s digital version of Nature.
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Abbott And AstraZeneca Extend Relationship To Include Co-promotion Of TRILIPIX(R) (fenofibric Acid)
Abbott and AstraZeneca announced today that they have entered into an agreement for AstraZeneca to co-promote Abbott"s TRILIPIX® (fenofibric acid), a medication for use alone or in combination with a statin to treat certain lipid disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will obtain the non-exclusive right to co-promote TRILIPIX alongside Abbott in the United States, excluding Puerto Rico. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.
Nutrition

SLU Explores Best Ways To Use Standard TB Vaccine

In a study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, Saint Louis University"s Center for Vaccine Development is investigating whether the standard vaccine used in foreign countries against tuberculosis offers better protection as a shot, drink or combination of both. "The fight against tuberculosis is important because a third of the world is thought to be infected and there are significant problems with drug-resistant TB organisms," said Daniel Hoft, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator and director of the division of immunobiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. The "standard" tuberculosis vaccine, bacillus Calmette-Guç©rin (BCG), is given to infants in foreign countries, and is not currently recommended for use in the U.S. "Experts believe it provides some protection against TB disease, particularly in children where severe manifestations of TB are averted," Hoft said. "However, despite widespread use of BCG, TB remains a major cause of death worldwide. The main purpose of this study is to find out if BCG can be used in a more effective way. "We hope to learn whether a BCG vaccine drink or a combination of a drink and an injection could increase immune responses against tuberculosis lung infection and affect the progression of the disease as it spreads throughout the body." The study also will look at whether it is better to give one or two doses of the BCG vaccine. A total of 70 healthy volunteers who are 18 to 40 years old are needed for the research. The study will last about two years and requires up to 21 scheduled visits. Each visit takes between 30 minutes and three hours, depending upon the procedures being performed. Study participants will be compensated for their time and travel after each completed visit. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that strikes developing nations hardest. Each year, nearly 8 million new cases of TB develop, and 2 million persons die from the infectious disease. Saint Louis University Medical Center


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