Mercury-free sphygmomanometer
Elemental mercury is considered an environmental and health hazard, and has brought on death and disability to quite a number of children and adults all over the world. Mercury readily vaporizes at room temperature. The Bureau of Working Condition sets the limit to mercury exposure to 0.1 mg per cubic meter (about the size of 10 executive tables) for eight hours.
A location where exposure to mercury may occur is the clinic or hospital, which routinely uses mercury-filled manometers. A typical manometer has as much as 150 grams of mercury inside it. If broken these mercurial manometers would require a room with a minimum size that can fit 1,500 executive tables. And if exposed, a person is at risk of damaging his or her nerves, eyes, and reproductive system, among others.
Recognizing this risk, the Department of Health (DOH) sent a memo in February last year to all regional and hospital directors. The memo detailed the guidelines on the proper handling og elemental-mercury spills at home, in school, or in medical facilities.
By July, Health secretary Francisco Duque III, issued Department Personnel Order no. 2007-2192, with orders the creation of a committee that shall take charge of the phaseout of mercury in "all Philippine health-care facilities and institutions."
Following these developments, alternatives to mercury-filled sphygmomanometers are being explored actively. A direct, acceptable alternative is the A&D UM101 mercury-free sphygmomanometer. Instead of mercury, this device has an LCD as a bar. It still requires the medical professional to listen for the Korotkoff sound to determine a patient's systolic and diastolic blood-pressure levels.
The A&D UM101 mercury-free sphygmomanometer is clinically validated by the European Society of Hypertension. It automatically yields pulse rate. It minimizes human errors related to poor recall, rounding off, and non-eye-level reading, as it allows the user to mark where the systolic and diastolic sounds occurr. It allows for multiangle reading.
It is now widely used in Japan, United States, and Europe. It is ISO-certified, CE-marked, and USFDA-Registered. In the Philippines, leading hospitals and doctors now use the A&D UM101 mercury-free sphygmomanometer. It comes in three models-desktop, wall-mounted, and floor-standing.
The A&D UM101 Mercury Free Sphygmomanometer is exclusively imported by Wellness PRO (wellnessproinc.com) from A&D Company Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. Additional information may be requested from Wellness PRO via phone (+63-2-636-3580, 63-2-637-0473, or 63-2-637-0930), fax (+63-2-636-7542), or e-mail
(wellnessproinc@gmail.com).
Pfizer posts US$2.9B Q4 profit
NEW YORK
Pfizer unveiled better-than-expected quarterly profits, and top executives said a new lineup of drugs was performing well. The drug giant reported 2007 fourth-quarter net profit of US$2.9 billion, down from US$9.4 billion for the same period of 2006. Pfizer's 2006 fourth-quarter profit was boosted, however, by the sale of its consumer health-care business. Quarterly revenue increased four percent to US$13.1 billion.
"We are executing against a broad plan to position Pfizer to deliver long-term value. Our new products, Lyrica, Chantix, and Sutent, are performing well," Pfizer chief executive Jeff Kindler said. Lyrica treats nerve pain caused by diabetes or shingles, Chantix is a prescription medicine that helps people quit smoking and Sutent was approved to treat two types of cancer.
The quarterly profit translated into adjusted diluted earnings per share of 52 cents compared with 43 cents a year earlier. Most analysts had only expected Pfizer to reap 47 cents per share.
Executives said they were continuing to focus on cost cutting while seeking to boost productivity. Pfizer cut 11,000 jobs in 2007 and shrank its manufacturing footprint amid other streamlining efforts. It remained on track to achieve a cost reduction of at least US$1.5 billion this year.
For the full year 2007, Pfizer recorded net profit of US$8.3 billion, marking a 57-percent moderation in earnings from US$19.3 billion for 2006.
AFP
GSK, MMV join hands v. malaria
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the not-for-profit group Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announced a new collaboration to identify novel drugs for the treatment of malaria. Research will focus on macrolide antibiotics, based on azithromycin, which may have promise as an antimalarial treatment. Under the new agreement, MMV will provide funding for research to be performed at GSK.
Macrolide antibiotics are a well-established class of antimicrobial agents that have a significant role in the treatment of infectious diseases. The macrolide azithromycin is known to have antibacterial activity, but it has also shown some activity against malaria. The research collaboration between GSK and MMV will investigate the potential of azithromycin-based drugs to treat drug-resistant malaria.
"Existing antimalarial treatments have been an important component of public health and have saved millions of lives. Despite this success, we now face the challenge of resistance to these widely used medicines, including potential resistance to artemisinin combination therapies (ACT)," said Dr. Timothy Wells, MMV chief scientific officer. "This collaboration with GSK capitalizes on the company's research excellence and helps meet MMV's objective of developing antimalarials that will retain their usefulness longer and enable us to help vulnerable populations at risk from malaria."
"Our agreement with MMV is part of our ongoing commitment to fighting diseases with the biggest impact on the developing world," said Dr. Patrick Vallance, GSK senior vice president for drug discovery. "We recognize that innovative alliances are an important part of meeting the challenge of treating people affected by malaria, which is why we have been actively collaborating with MMV since 2000."
Under the agreement, MMV will provide funding to advance the development of azithromycin-based treatments that may address resistance and side effects associated with existing antimalarial drugs. Research activities will be performed in one or more GSK facilities worldwide under the joint oversight of MMV and GSK. The goal of the collaborative program is to obtain compounds with activity against P. falciparum, no antibacterial activity, good oral bioavailability and efficacy, and acceptable safety properties to ultimately select drug candidates for development.
Malaria is among the world's worst communicable diseases, causing over a million deaths each year and imposing a high economic burden on countries where the disease is endemic. An estimated 500 million clinical cases of malaria occur every year. Malaria is a major killer disease in Africa and a primary cause of death and poverty-undermining development in some of the poorest countries in the world. Though the majority of the cases and approximately 90 percent of the malaria deaths are found in sub-Saharan Africa, incidence is growing in Asia and Latin America.
St. Luke's launches OCT book
St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) added another first to its growing list of pioneering moves with the launch of a book on optical coherence tomography (OCT) to serve as a guide for practicing ophthalmologists and students on the use of the technology.
Title A Handbook on Optical Coherence Tomography, the 220-page reference book was written by ophthalmologists belonging to the St. Luke's International Eye Center headed by Dr. Noel Chua. It was edited by noted ophthalmologists Pearl Tamesis-Villalon, Romulo Aguilar, Joseph Anthony Tumbocon, and Peter Paul Ronque.
Chua said the book was conceived as one of the products of the St. Luke's International Eye Institute in celebration of its 20th anniversary and as a means to share the center's knowledge and experience with the rest of the Philippine medical community. He said the book was inspired in part by the work of the late Dr. Romeo Espiritu, a professor in ophthalmology and former head of the St. Luke's vitreo-retina section.
Dr. Joven Cuanang, SLMC medical director, said the hospital hopes the book will become an essential guide for students and practitioners of ophthalmology, not only in the Philippines but also in Asia.
"The goal of this book is to provide a quick reference for the busy eye doctor," the editors said in their preface, noting that OCT's advent opened a new dimension in the diagnosis of certain eye conditions by allowing detailed noninvasive examination of the posterior segment.
In the past, the diagnosis of internal conditions had been limited to clinical examination, supplemented by perimetry, ocular ultrasonography, and fundus angiography. "OCT approximates an actual histologic examination of the retina and the optic nerve," the editors said.
The book features actual cases diagnosed with OCT which were selected from the thousands examined at the St. Luke's Medical Center International Eye Institute. It has two main sections-retina and glaucoma. The book has 18 chapters that explain in detail the principles and operation of OCT and its applications in the diagnosis and management of such conditions as diabetic retinopathy, vascular disorders, macular edema, central serous chorioretinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, high myopia, macular hole, epiretinal membrane and vitreo-macular-traction syndrome, retinal detachment, congenital X-linked retinoschisis, retinal dystrophies, inflammatory disorders, and glaucoma.
MEDICAL OBSERVER served as editorial and publishing consultants for the book.
Abbott's vitamins for kids, men
Many parents and guardians find it challenging to ensure that their kids are not only eating well but also getting enough nutrition. They come up with the most elaborate ways to get their kids to eat properly-eat less junk food, go easy on processed meat, and pile on the leafy greens.
But even the most elaborate plans fail, so each parent must also have a backup. One of the many possible backup plans is the use of multivitamin supplements.
In January Abbott Laboratories launched Vidaylin Gummies, which are made using garden vegetables such as spinach, carrot, tomato, beetroot, and artichoke. These vegetables present in Vidaylin Gummies offer vitamins A, C, E, and K; the B vitamins; and the minerals iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, manganese, calcium, and zinc, among many others. These vegetables are also known sources of dietary fiber and substances such as lycopene (tomatoes), as well as omega-3 fatty acids (spinach).
"The purpose of Vidaylin is to augment and complement food intake of children," says Dr. Margarita Lota, Abbott's medical adviser for vitamins. "It will contain vitamin C and the five garden vegetables. Aside from that, it really tastes so good."
Abbott also takes into consideration the health needs of men. Abbott also recently launched Surbex, a multivitamin supplement that contains the essential vitamins and minerals that complement the fast-paced, active lifestyle of Filipino men.
But what sets Surbex apart from dime-a-dozen vitamin-and-mineral supplements is the comparatively high levels of zinc in it. Said Lota: "The zinc content is quite high, just enough for men charge up to be able to perform."
Zinc is particularly important to men, since it plays a role in protecting their prostate. Zinc is needed in the manufacture of testosterone; decreased levels of it may lead to low sperm count, loss of libido, and emotional problems. It is also a vital component in many enzyme reactions, aside from helping maintain the healthy functioning of the body. Zinc is known to enhance the effect of vitamin A for good eyesight. It is needed for cell division to keep the skin, bones, hair, and nails healthy. It also has an antioxidant effect, which reduces the damage of free radicals and helps fight ageing. Most importantly, zinc strengthens resistance to infection as it aids in revitalizing the thymus gland for T-cell production.
Mabelle Aban
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