Early Intervention in Autism Tested
Researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, are investigating the benefits of early parental intervention with young siblings of children who have autism spectrum disorders, testing whether extra interaction between these babies and young toddlers and their parents can prevent or reduce the delays in social interaction associated with such disorders. The study will test such techniques as coos, lilting speech, eye contact and other interactions delivered by parents. The $11.3 million research project is expected to include 200 6-month-old babies from the Seattle area who have older siblings already diagnosed with autism or another autism spectrum disorder. Parents will receive developmental evaluations along with advice regarding appropriate services, and those families assigned to the intervention group will receive parent training, and, if appropriate, more intensive intervention for their infants.
NIH Invests in Epigenomics
Officials at the National Institutes of Health plan to spend more than $190 million over the next 5 years on epigenomics—a new field of biomedical research. While the field of epigenetics focuses on the processes that regulate how genes are turned on and off, epigenomics takes it a step farther by looking at the changes across many genes. The NIH is accepting grant applications for research on epigenome mapping centers, data analysis in epigenomics, technology development, and discovery of novel epigenetic marks in mammalian cells. The Epigenomics Program is a trans-NIH project that involves several NIH institutes including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Information is available at
http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/epigenomics
FDA Would Expand Promotion
The Food and Drug Administration last month proposed draft guidance that would allow drug and medical device makers to distribute medical or scientific journal articles and reference publications that involve unapproved uses of FDA-approved drugs and medical devices. Drug and device makers had been allowed to disseminate such materials under guidelines set by the FDA, but that authority expired in September 2006. The FDA's new “Good Reprint Practices” draft guidance states that the article or reference should be published by an organization that has an editorial board and fully discloses conflicts of interest. In addition, articles should be peer reviewed, and manufacturers should not distribute special supplements or publications funded by product manufacturers, or articles not supported by credible medical evidence. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, blasted the FDA for its proposal, which he said in a statement “is great news for the drug industry but terrible for the public health.”
Medicare EHR Demo
Small- and medium-size physician practices in a dozen health markets across the country will be eligible to receive Medicare incentive payments for using certified electronic health records under a new demonstration being launched by officials at the Department of Health and Human Services. Financial incentives will be awarded to up to 1,200 practices that use certified EHRs to meet certain quality measures. Physicians who participate in the demonstration would also be eligible to receive bonus payments based on the number of EHR functionalities physicians incorporate into their practices. Over the course of the 5-year project, individual physicians can earn up to $58,000; practices up to $290,000. The HHS will accept applications from officials in those communities where there is interest in participating in the demonstration project through mid-May of this year. HHS officials plan to launch the demonstration this year with four communities, with additional communities beginning the project in 2009. After the communities have been selected, the HHS will work with community officials to recruit physician practices.
Heart-Brain Link Overlooked
African Americans are not likely to be aware that good cardiac health is linked to good brain health, according to a survey conducted by the Alzheimer's Association and the American Heart Association. Sixty-one percent of survey respondents reported that they were concerned about developing heart disease and 40% said they were concerned about Alzheimer's, but only 6% knew there was a link between cardiovascular disease and dementia. African Americans are at greater risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and vascular dementia than are other races. While half of those surveyed knew of their increased cardiovascular risk, only 8% were aware that they were also at increased risk for dementias including Alzheimer's disease. Fewer than 1 in 10 were aware that heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia were all linked to Alzheimer's. The survey was conducted online in January 2008 with a random sample of 1,210 African Americans and 1,004 adults of other races. The sampling error was plus or minus 3.5%.