The international conference of National Human Rights Institutes in Amman, Jordan, focusing on protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls, was an extraordinary opportunity for human rights commissions around the world to publicly declare and commit to advancing the rights of, not some, but all women and girls. Sadly it was a missed opportunity.
Representatives from nearly 70 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas gathered in Amman, Jordan, November 5 to 7, for a conference to discuss the role of these institutions to protect and promote the rights of women and girls. Civil society activists from about 100 non-governmental organizations around the world also gathered for a "parallel" forum, organized by the Amman Center for Human Rights, to discuss best practices for women's rights NGOs to engage with National Human Rights Institutions. I participated in both.
Champions of NRHIs call them "gatekeepers for the advancement of human rights in their countries" and "cornerstones of human rights protections systems." But many activists, including those representing lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) people have been dissatisfied and are critical of their NHRIs.
When asked about best practices for engaging the institutions on the rights of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, Siniora Randa Siniora, member of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC), which is the accrediting body of NHRIs said, "This is too sensitive an issue for many countries" and she did not think the NHRIs could tackle such sensitive issues. Siniora's refusal to acknowledge that the rights of LBT women are worthy of attention perpetuates an ongoing negative message.
Some others concurred. The chair of the Malaysian NHRI, for example, on the issue of including sexual orientation and gender identity said: "Some issues we can't take up, not at this time. We have to move slowly. Not all countries are ready to take up certain sensitive issues. Some governments just won't agree to it." In fact, the Asia Pacific Forum (APF), a consortium of 18 NHRIs in the region, dithered about including sexual orientation and gender identity in its regional Program of Action for NHRIs. To minimize contention, the APF dropped sexual orientation and couched gender identity as the conventionally defined "gender equality."
Lesbians, bisexual women and transgender women often experience double and triple the jeopardy that heterosexual women face. They experience violence and discrimination as women and as people with nonconforming sexual orientation and gender identity -- from their families, religious groups, employers, police, and general public.
Lesbians are also at risk for "corrective rape" -- violence " justified" by perpetrators who claim to be correcting their sexual orientation via rape. They often face forced marriage, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination in all sectors, including as migrant workers, poor women, rural women, displaced women, homeless women, and elderly women. Youth defying the stereotypes of femininity and masculinity experience bullying and violent discipline in school and at home, leading to depression and even suicide in many instances. Some are forced out of school and lose an education. Older lesbians who have taken care of aging parents face isolation in old age when parents die and they become homeless without the right to inherit property as unmarried daughters, without legal protections for same-sex partnerships, and often become more marginalized and vulnerable as they age.
LBT women's concerns may not always be visible to National Human Rights Institutions; they may not always be visible to women's rights organizations -- or those who work for equality in health care or education. But this invisibility does not indicate absence of human rights violations. What it does indicate is that the National Human Rights Institutions need to understand how LBT women are silenced, and that the State is complicit in this silencing. Ignoring or diminishing concerns for LBT women is not a solution but an added burden to an already insufferable situation.
On March 4 to 15, 2013, the Commission on the Status of Women will convene for its 57th Session at United Nations Headquarters in NYC. They, like any gathering which seeks to champion the status, condition and rights of women and girls, must give focus to lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and give full welcome to the diversity of women. Will they do better than the NHRI convening? Hopefully they will.
For a fuller discussion of the conference and its outcomes, see The Rights of Women and Girls Must Include Lesbian Bisexual and Trans, also by Grace Poore at www.IGLHRC.org
Download the Amman Declaration and the NGO Forum Statement adopted at the National Human Rights Institutes Conference from the IGLHRC website.
Grace Poore, can be reached by email at gpoore@iglhrc.org
You've decided that it's finally time to buy a new home but just because you've made up your mind, doesn't mean you're ready. It's important to have an idea of what you should be doing as you count down to homeownership. To give yourself adequate time to search, start a financial file at least 6-months before you intend to make an offer. Gather up your 1099's and your last 3 year's tax returns, 3 recent paystubs, and a list of your liabilities and assets. Lenders are going to ask for these documents when it's time to get pre-approved for a loan. At the same time, you should be getting an idea of what kind of loan you're after. Bone up on the difference between 15 and 30 year loans and the cost of homeownership beyond the principle and interest every month. It's also a good time to talk to a lender about what you're closing costs and down payment will look like. This is also a crucial time to avoid dings to your credit score.
Holden Lewis, Mortgage editor, Bankrate.com: "There might be a cut off of say, 740 credit score, and you might go from 742 to 739. And that can make a big difference in fees you pay. How much of a difference? You know, it might amount to say, $10 a month or? 30. But over the course of 30 years that could really add up to thousands of dollars."
At five-months, it's time to put together your "wish list". Very specifically write down the qualities that you must have in your new home. This will help in the weeks to come.
When you have 4 months left, it's time to narrow your search. Start directly comparing properties for their price and features on that wish list. If your wish list is proving to be a little too long for your price range, figure out what features you can sacrifice.
When you're in the final three months, it's time to hire an agent and finalize your financing. Ask your agent to put you on an automated list, that way, when a property becomes available that meets your needs, it's send directly to your e-mail.
The last month is a crucial time so make sure everything up to this point is in order.
Holden Lewis: 'In that last month before you're going to make an offer on a house, just take another look at your finances. Do a double check. Find out if there is anything incorrect on your credit report. Find out your credit score and make sure your credit score is what you thought it was. And just make sure you have all of those financial records in order and right there at the ready to give to a mortgage lender."
Finally, it's time to make an offer. Make sure your offer includes details like the fact that you've already obtained financing and how soon you'll be ready to close. It's been a long road, but you're finally ready for closing day. For more home-buying tips, including what you should do to prepare for closing day, visit Bankrate.com. I'm Lucas Wysocki.
Meet Grace! This sweet girl has been nursed back to health by the Tunica Humane Society after being found near-death in a field. She lost a leg, but not her spirit! Watch the video to learn more about Grace and her truly amazing recovery. Then call the THS for more information on how to adopt her!
Tunica Humane Society: 662-363-1625 or 662-519-1700 http://www.tunicahumanesociety.com
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Monday turned to law enforcement leaders in three communities with mass shootings for help in getting Congress to pass tough new gun legislation.
At a White House meeting, Obama said that no group is more important in the gun debate and he said he recognizes the issue "elicits a lot of passion all across the country." But Obama also said he believes Congress will respond to appeals from police.
"Hopefully if law enforcement officials who are dealing with this stuff every single day can come to some basic consensus in terms of steps that we need to take," he said, "Congress is going to be paying attention to them, and we'll be able to make progress."
The president's meeting comes as he tries to build support for gun control legislation that will be difficult to get through Congress. He urged Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, limit high capacity magazines and require universal background checks.
Obama met in the Roosevelt Room with the heads of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Major County Sheriffs Association, members of his Cabinet and chiefs that responded to the worst shootings of 2012. That includes Aurora, Colo., where 12 were killed in July; Oak Creek, Wis., where six died in a Sikh temple assault: and Newtown, Conn., scene of the most recent mass tragedy that left 20 first-graders dead.
Obama also said that Washington needs to take mental health issues and school safety more seriously and should help law enforcement agencies hire more police, make sure they get the training they need and give rural forces the resources they need to deal with emergencies.
"Many of them also recognize that it's not only the high profile mass shootings that are of concern here," the president said. "It's also what happens on a day in day out basis in places like Chicago or Philadelphia where young people are victims of gun violence every single day."
Mark Salling arrives at the 19th Annual SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 27.
Mark Salling shared a serious moment right in the middle of the Screen Actors Guild Awards arrivals with E! News Sunday night.
The "Glee" star, who with his castmates is nominated for best performance by an ensemble in a TV comedy, maintained his innocence when asked by E! correspondent Ross Matthews if he had anything to say about a certain story made headlines recently -- namely, that he was sued by a woman who's accusing him of sexual battery.?
Why wasn't Argo's PGA Awards win an upset??
"You hear about fraudulent lawsuits all the time," Salling said. "Until it happens to you, you really don't grasp what it does, not to just you, but to your family, and you want the legal process to happen as fast as possible, but just ... It takes time. I just want the chance to defend myself -- and I will, vigorously."?
"It's the first time for me," he added, when Matthews asked what it's like to all of a sudden be called upon to defend himself in that manner. "You kind of have to learn as you go, but like with anything else, you have to stay positive and count on the people that actually do know you and love you, and that you love, as well.?
See more stars on the 2013 SAG Awards red carpet?
"Friends, family -- and Ross Matthews!" Salling smiled. "You just have to stay positive, and I personally have a relationship with Jesus Christ and I count on that myself. And my parents are awesome, too."?
Click here to read an original op-ed from the TED speaker who inspired this post and watch the TEDTalk below.
Despite growing up in Pakistan, I knew who Marty McFly was. He was my nerdy hero in Back to the Future. For me, Michael J. Fox represented all that was cool and exciting about science and invention. Years later, when I discovered Michael's battles with Parkinson's, I was devastated. I did not know much about Parkinson's except that it had also affected the hero of my parents and my elder siblings, Muhammad Ali. As I read more I realized that it is something that we do not fully understand, something elusive, unclear and messy. I had always wished that someone would come up with a solution that is befitting of Marty's character, something cool, simple and brilliantly imaginative. Max Little's solution, as he discusses in the TEDTalk, will hopefully take us back to the future without the burden of Parkinson's.
Parkinson's disease just does not affect Michael, Muhammad Ali and our favorite celebrities and heroes. It affects people all around us, all over the world. Over 6.5 million men and women worldwide are affected in countries rich and poor. In poor countries, the burden of mental health diseases is particularly profound and painful. The problems of diagnosis and management are already much worse than the developed world, but fatalism, stigma and taboo around mental disorders make these diseases even more difficult for the patients, families and caregivers. There is a dire and an urgent need for simple, robust and easy to manage solutions to diagnose, manage and cure Parkinson's. We desperately need a solution that is cheap and uses the resource available to all, not just to those who are privileged and live in rich countries.
What Max is trying to accomplish for Parkinson's is exciting for me on so many levels. First, he is working on a problem that is truly global and not just a problem of a select few. Second, he is addressing a messy and complex problem, that comes with not only biological complexity but also social stigma and societal challenges for the patient and the caregivers. But for me, the best part is that he is using a solution that is simple, easily accessible and cheap. There is no question that mobile phones have transformed the way we live, but it is the ability to use the same phone call for the global good, that is the most inspirational part. Using a simple phone call to help not just yourself but others with similar difficulties in countries you have never heard of is not only a highly creative solution, it is also the right way to think about global mental health. It is a powerful reminder that we are all in it together. The approach is also inspirational for all those who see difficult health problems in their homes and villages, want to do something about them, but get discouraged by the lack of material resources. For me, Max provides them an inspiration to think big, to combine the most common of tools with the most precious of resources, creativity and imagination. I hope that this mobile phone based approach will not only aid in the discovery of Parkinson's biomarkers but some day, a Max Little in Boston or a nurse in Bhutan, an engineer in Bolivia or an ordinary citizen in Botswana will use ingenuity, creativity and imagination to come up with a comprehensive cure of this and many other diseases.
Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TEDWeekends will highlight some of today's most intriguing ideas and allow them to develop in real time through your voice! Tweet #TEDWeekends to share your perspective or email tedweekends@huf?ngtonpost.com to learn about future weekend's ideas to contribute as a writer.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has begun to reshape his Cabinet at the start of his second term, elevating several longtime advisers to key positions.
More changes are still to come, as officials step down after long tenures through stressful periods at top jobs.
Obama has faced criticism for his choices, in part because of past policy decisions and statements some have made, but also because he has so far named four white men to a Cabinet once lauded for its diversity.
Following is a list of nominations thus far along with some Cabinet members who the White House has confirmed are staying on, and some important positions that are vacant or may soon become vacant.
NOMINATIONS
* State - John Kerry, the unsuccessful 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been nominated to replace Hillary Clinton.
* Treasury - Jack Lew, Obama's chief of staff and a two-time White House budget director, would take the top economic job at a time when the White House faces another round of tough negotiations on deficit issues with Congress. He would replace Timothy Geithner.
* Defense - Chuck Hagel is a former Republican senator and a decorated war veteran who fought in Vietnam. Hagel faces a tough confirmation battle because of past controversial comments about Israel and gays. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is retiring.
* CIA director - John Brennan was Obama's counterterrorism adviser and has worked for the CIA as officer, analyst and administrator. He would replace David Petraeus, who resigned in November over an extramarital affair.
* Chief of Staff - Obama tapped longtime foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough for the job.
STAYING PUT, FOR NOW
* Justice - Attorney General Eric Holder, who is part of an Obama task force looking at how to reduce gun violence, will stay on. There had been widespread speculation he would not serve more than four years, a rare long term for an attorney general.
* Homeland Security - Secretary Janet Napolitano had been expected to take over the Justice file if Holder left. Now that the White House has said Holder will stay, Napolitano is expected to remain in her current job.
* Agriculture - Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has spearheaded talks with Congress about cuts to farm subsidies, will stay on for Obama's second term.
* Health and Human Services - Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will remain in her job.
* Veterans Affairs - Secretary Eric Shinseki, a former U.S. Army chief of staff, will stay on.
* Education - Secretary Arne Duncan will stay in his job.
COMMERCE - VACANT
Secretary John Bryson resigned in June for health reasons. Rebecca Blank, an economist, has been acting secretary since then.
Possible replacements:
- U.S. Export-Import Bank President Fred Hochberg
- Elizabeth Littlefield, president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Xerox Chief Executive Ursula Burns
- Steve Case - co-founder of America Online, is part of Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, an advisory group of corporate executives, labor leaders and academics.
- Daniel Doctoroff - chief executive of the financial news service Bloomberg and a former deputy mayor of New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, founder of the eponymous company.
- Jeff Zients - acting director of Obama's budget office and a former management consultant who could play a role should the president seek to reorganize the Commerce Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative into a consolidated, business-oriented government agency.
LABOR - VACANT
Secretary Hilda Solis, the first Latina to head a major U.S. federal agency, announced plans to resign. It is not clear who is in the running to replace her.
ENERGY - COULD SOON BE VACANT
Speculation is rampant that Steven Chu will soon resign after a tumultuous time at the helm of the Energy Department. Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, took the fall for the administration over a failed loan to solar-panel maker Solyndra, which Republicans trumpeted as a symbol of government waste and mismanagement.
Possible replacements:
- Christine Gregoire - a former Washington state governor, Gregoire has been mentioned as a potential candidate for three energy-related positions in Obama's Cabinet: the Environmental Protection Agency, Interior and Energy.
- Byron Dorgan - former North Dakota senator who was a member of the Senate Energy Committee and focuses on energy issues at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
- Bill Ritter - former Colorado governor who helped reform regulations on oil and gas in his state, and now advocates for responsible oil and gas drilling from a post at Colorado State University.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY - VACANT
Lisa Jackson, a chemical engineer and the first black administrator of the agency, announced last month she planned to leave. Jackson battled Republican lawmakers and industry groups who accused the agency of overreaching as it cracked down on carbon emissions and mercury pollution.
Possible replacements:
- Christine Gregoire - (See Energy section above)
- Bob Perciasepe - Jackson's deputy and the EPA's acting administrator has already been through the Senate confirmation process, which could be difficult for any new candidate because of Republican anger over EPA rules.
- Gina McCarthy - the assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation is well-known on Capitol Hill, and once worked for 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney when he was Massachusetts governor.
- Mary Nichols - chairman of the California Air Resources Board, who is overseeing a state-run, cap-and-trade system for climate-changing greenhouse gases.
- Kathleen McGinty - former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET - VACANT
The top job at the OMB has been vacant for a year since Jack Lew moved into the chief of staff role.
Candidates:
- Sylvia Matthews Burwell - runs the Wal-Mart Foundation, is considered a top contender for the job. Burwell worked in the Clinton administration and would bring gender diversity to the Cabinet and Obama's economic team.
- Jeff Zients - deputy budget director since 2009, could officially take the top job.
- Douglas Elmendorf - an economist who has been director of the Congressional Budget Office since 2009. Elmendorf has worked at the Federal Reserve, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Treasury Department.
UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE - COULD SOON BE VACANT
USTR Ronald Kirk has said he plans to leave. He could be offered another Cabinet-level post such as Commerce secretary, but there is speculation that he will opt for a private-sector job or seek state-wide office in his home state of Texas.
Possible replacements:
- U.S. Export-Import Bank President Fred Hochberg
- Commerce Under Secretary for International Affairs Francisco Sanchez
- Demetrios Marantis - deputy U.S. trade representative for Asia and Africa and former chief international trade counsel for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.
- Michael Punke - U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization, who worked for Baucus from 1991 to 1992 as international trade counsel before joining the Clinton White House as director for international economic affairs.
- Lael Brainard - Treasury undersecretary for international affairs. She has been heavily involved in trade and currency talks with China and broader economic discussions with the Group of 20 leading developed and developing countries.
- Michael Froman - now chief White House international economic affairs adviser, who attended Harvard Law School with Obama, had been considered a likely successor to Kirk. But a source familiar with his thinking said he was more likely to remain in his current role.
(Reporting By Jeff Mason, Mark Felsenthal, Roberta Rampton, Doug Palmer, Margaret Chadbourn, Deborah Charles, David Ingram, Ayesha Rascoe and Timothy Gardner. Editing by Christopher Wilson and Philip Barbara)
City schools should ditch textbooks and replace them with tablets, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn proposed Tuesday. ?Technology has changed what we need to teach, and it?s also changed how we need to teach,? the mayoral contender said in outlining a $300 million education agenda that she would implement as mayor. Quinn said the $100 million spent on textbooks every year by the school system would be enough to buy tablets for every student. She acknowledged that to stay within budget, administrators would have to find open-source texts and interactive programs for free online.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 12:34 am and is filed under Educational Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
NEW YORK -- With Valentine's Day less than three weeks away, it's time to start planning what you want to buy your loved ones. Whether it's chocolates, flowers or something else special, a big expression of love doesn't have to come with a big price tag.
In 2012, the average person celebrating Valentine's Day shelled out $126.03, up 8.5 percent over 2011, according to the National Retail Federation's poll of shoppers conducted by research company BIGinsight. That was the highest level of spending in the survey's 10-year history.
If you're shelling out that kind of money, it makes sense to get the most for it.
"You can make your money go a lot further. You just have to be creative," says Lindsay Sakraida, features editor at deal aggregator Dealnews.com.
Here are some tips for Cupid on a budget:
Shop now Now is the time to buy winter clearance items like luxurious cashmere sweaters, or leather accessories like gloves at up to 80 percent off, Sakraida says. The winter merchandise will be gone if you wait much longer.
You can also scoop up holiday candy in the clearance bins, remove the big Christmas bow and redecorate the box with big red hearts instead.
Buying now applies to jewelry, too. According to research done by dealnews.com, prices usually tick up for jewelry in the first two weeks of February from January levels.
If you can't buy now, you can try to offset those price hikes by looking for a coupon from sites like ice.com, Limoges Jewelry and Netaya.com. So start looking now for coupons that can take an extra 15 percent to 30 percent off. Most of the coupons came out in the last week of January a year ago, according to Dealnews.com's research.
Search for special financing Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, will offer for the first time a financing deal for six, 12 or 18 months on a jewelry purchase made in the store with a Wal-Mart credit card, Feb. 1 through Dec. 31. Kay Jewelers is also offering special financing.
Use your smartphone to compare prices Sites like thefind.com, a search engine that allows shoppers to get the best prices for over 320 million products from more than 500,000 stores.
Thefind.com is now offering a new price match feature, which will let you know which stores are matching their rivals. Thefind's app lets you scan bar codes in stores and will provide a list of retailers that carry the item, prices, and whether it is eligible for a price match at a specific retailer.
If you want to send flowers, scrutinize the delivery costs, says Fiona Dias, chief strategy officer at ShopRunner, a subscription online shopping service. Some sites can charge anywhere from $15 to $25.
A romantic dinner However, there may be no need to fight holiday crowds at a restaurant. Jodi Furman, author of a blog called Livefabuless.com, says it can be just as romantic to gather some gourmet food from places like Whole Foods Market and prepare a meal at home.
"It's all about making something personal and special," she said.?
The debate on same-sex marriage lacks context because its promoters have failed to take into account the equal rights already established in New Zealand law for same-sex couples.
Everyone remembers the passing of the Civil Unions Act in late 2004 because of the publicity it generated. The Civil Unions Act was followed by a companion Relationships (Statutory References) Act in early 2005 ? the Relationships Act. It was passed by Parliament without fanfare and little publicity. It has therefore been missing from this debate because its purpose and legal effects are largely unknown to New Zealanders. Yet it is of crucial importance.
So what did the Relationships Act do? It amended more then 150 acts of Parliament to add, after every reference to ?marriage?, the words ?civil union and de facto? so there would be a complete and perfect legal equality between marriage, civil unions and heterosexual or homosexual de facto relationships. It means all couples, in any of these relationships, have the same rights under New Zealand law, with the possible exception of the adoption law.
This is a valid argument?against?same sex marriage. It is not one I agree with but it is a better argument than Colin Craig?s views that people choose to be gay.
Gordon Copeland is a former MP who was in Parliament in 2004-2005 when the Civil Unions and Relationships (Statutory References) Acts were passed. He opposed both.
This is what amuses me. You vote?against?bills to give same sex couples any legal recognition at all, and then use the fact you were defeated as an argument for why the law is now great and no further changes are needed.
It?s a bit like voting against women getting the vote, and then once you lose that vote arguing women don?t need to be able to stand for Parliament also because they have the vote, and that is what matters.
Tags: Gordon Copeland, same sex marriage
This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 7:00 am and is filed under NZ Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Contact: Ed Kang kanges@niehs.nih.gov 919-541-1993 NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Maternal inflammation during early pregnancy may be related to an increased risk of autism in children, according to new findings supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found this in children of mothers with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a well-established marker of systemic inflammation.
The risk of autism among children in the study was increased by 43 percent among mothers with CRP levels in the top 20th percentile, and by 80 percent for maternal CRP in the top 10th percentile. The findings appear in the journal Molecular Psychiatry and add to mounting evidence that an overactive immune response can alter the development of the central nervous system in the fetus.
"Elevated CRP is a signal that the body is undergoing a response to inflammation from, for example, a viral or bacterial infection," said lead scientist on the study, Alan Brown, M.D., professor of clinical psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Mailman School of Public Health. "The higher the level of CRP in the mother, the greater the risk of autism in the child."
Brown cautioned that the results should be viewed in perspective since the prevalence of inflammation during pregnancy is substantially higher than the prevalence of autism.
"The vast majority of mothers with increased CRP levels will not give birth to children with autism," Brown said. "We don't know enough yet to suggest routine testing of pregnant mothers for CRP for this reason alone; however, exercising precautionary measures to prevent infections during pregnancy may be of considerable value."
"The brain develops rapidly throughout pregnancy," said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of NIEHS, which funds a broad portfolio of autism and neurodevelopmental-related research. "This has important implications for understanding how the environment and our genes interact to cause autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders."
The study capitalized on a unique national birth cohort known as the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC), which contains an archive of samples collected from pregnant women in Finland, where a component of whole blood, referred to as serum, is systematically collected during the early part of pregnancy. The FMC consists of 1.6 million specimens from about 810,000 women, archived in a single, centralized biorepository. Finland also maintains diagnoses of virtually all childhood autism cases from national registries of both hospital admissions and outpatient treatment.
From this large national sample, the researchers analyzed CRP in archived maternal serum corresponding to 677 childhood autism cases and an equal number of matched controls. The findings were not explained by maternal age, paternal age, gender, previous births, socioeconomic status, preterm birth, or birth weight. The work was conducted in collaboration with investigators in Finland, including the University of Turku and the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Oulu and Helsinki.
"Studying autism can be challenging, because symptoms may not be apparent in children until certain brain functions, such as language, come on line," said Cindy Lawler, Ph.D., head of the NIEHS Cellular, Organ, and Systems Pathobiology Branch and program lead for the Institute's extramural portfolio of autism research. "This study is remarkable, because it uses biomarker data to give us a glimpse back to a critical time in early pregnancy."
This work is expected to stimulate further research on autism, which is complex and challenging to identify causes. Future studies may help define how infections, other inflammatory insults, and the body's immune response interact with genes to elevate the risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Preventative approaches addressing environmental causes of autism may also benefit from additional research.
###
The study was funded primarily by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from NIEHS, with additional support from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Reference: Brown AS, Sourander A, Hinkka-Yli-Salomki S, McKeague IW, Sundvall J, Surcel HM. 2013. Elevated maternal C-reactive protein and autism in a national birth cohort. Molecular Psychiatry; doi:10.1038/mp.2012.197.
NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of NIH. For more information on environmental health topics, visit http://www.niehs.nih.gov. Subscribe to one or more of the NIEHS news lists to stay current on NIEHS news, press releases, grant opportunities, training, events, and publications.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
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Contact: Ed Kang kanges@niehs.nih.gov 919-541-1993 NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Maternal inflammation during early pregnancy may be related to an increased risk of autism in children, according to new findings supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found this in children of mothers with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a well-established marker of systemic inflammation.
The risk of autism among children in the study was increased by 43 percent among mothers with CRP levels in the top 20th percentile, and by 80 percent for maternal CRP in the top 10th percentile. The findings appear in the journal Molecular Psychiatry and add to mounting evidence that an overactive immune response can alter the development of the central nervous system in the fetus.
"Elevated CRP is a signal that the body is undergoing a response to inflammation from, for example, a viral or bacterial infection," said lead scientist on the study, Alan Brown, M.D., professor of clinical psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Mailman School of Public Health. "The higher the level of CRP in the mother, the greater the risk of autism in the child."
Brown cautioned that the results should be viewed in perspective since the prevalence of inflammation during pregnancy is substantially higher than the prevalence of autism.
"The vast majority of mothers with increased CRP levels will not give birth to children with autism," Brown said. "We don't know enough yet to suggest routine testing of pregnant mothers for CRP for this reason alone; however, exercising precautionary measures to prevent infections during pregnancy may be of considerable value."
"The brain develops rapidly throughout pregnancy," said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of NIEHS, which funds a broad portfolio of autism and neurodevelopmental-related research. "This has important implications for understanding how the environment and our genes interact to cause autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders."
The study capitalized on a unique national birth cohort known as the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC), which contains an archive of samples collected from pregnant women in Finland, where a component of whole blood, referred to as serum, is systematically collected during the early part of pregnancy. The FMC consists of 1.6 million specimens from about 810,000 women, archived in a single, centralized biorepository. Finland also maintains diagnoses of virtually all childhood autism cases from national registries of both hospital admissions and outpatient treatment.
From this large national sample, the researchers analyzed CRP in archived maternal serum corresponding to 677 childhood autism cases and an equal number of matched controls. The findings were not explained by maternal age, paternal age, gender, previous births, socioeconomic status, preterm birth, or birth weight. The work was conducted in collaboration with investigators in Finland, including the University of Turku and the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Oulu and Helsinki.
"Studying autism can be challenging, because symptoms may not be apparent in children until certain brain functions, such as language, come on line," said Cindy Lawler, Ph.D., head of the NIEHS Cellular, Organ, and Systems Pathobiology Branch and program lead for the Institute's extramural portfolio of autism research. "This study is remarkable, because it uses biomarker data to give us a glimpse back to a critical time in early pregnancy."
This work is expected to stimulate further research on autism, which is complex and challenging to identify causes. Future studies may help define how infections, other inflammatory insults, and the body's immune response interact with genes to elevate the risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Preventative approaches addressing environmental causes of autism may also benefit from additional research.
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The study was funded primarily by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from NIEHS, with additional support from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Reference: Brown AS, Sourander A, Hinkka-Yli-Salomki S, McKeague IW, Sundvall J, Surcel HM. 2013. Elevated maternal C-reactive protein and autism in a national birth cohort. Molecular Psychiatry; doi:10.1038/mp.2012.197.
NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of NIH. For more information on environmental health topics, visit http://www.niehs.nih.gov. Subscribe to one or more of the NIEHS news lists to stay current on NIEHS news, press releases, grant opportunities, training, events, and publications.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea's top governing body warned Thursday that the regime will conduct its third nuclear test in defiance of U.N. punishment, and made clear that its long-range rockets are designed to carry not only satellites but also warheads aimed at striking the United States.
The National Defense Commission, headed by the country's young leader, Kim Jong Un, denounced Tuesday's U.N. Security Council resolution condemning North Korea's long-range rocket launch in December as a banned missile activity and expanding sanctions against the regime. The commission reaffirmed in its declaration that the launch was a peaceful bid to send a satellite into space, but also clearly indicated the country's rocket launches have a military purpose: to strike and attack the United States.
While experts say North Korea doesn't have the capability to hit the U.S. with its missiles, recent tests and rhetoric indicate the country is feverishly working toward that goal.
The commission pledged to keep launching satellites and rockets and to conduct a nuclear test as part of a "new phase" of combat with the United States, which it blames for leading the U.N. bid to punish Pyongyang. It said a nuclear test was part of "upcoming" action but did not say exactly when or where it would take place.
"We do not hide that a variety of satellites and long-range rockets which will be launched by the DPRK one after another and a nuclear test of higher level which will be carried out by it in the upcoming all-out action, a new phase of the anti-U.S. struggle that has lasted century after century, will target against the U.S., the sworn enemy of the Korean people," the commission said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"Settling accounts with the U.S. needs to be done with force, not with words, as it regards jungle law as the rule of its survival," the commission said.
It was a rare declaration by the powerful commission once led by late leader Kim Jong Il and now commanded by his son. The statement made clear Kim Jong Un's commitment to continue developing the country's nuclear and missile programs in defiance of the Security Council, even at risk of further international isolation.
North Korea's allusion to a "higher level" nuclear test most likely refers to a device made from highly enriched uranium, which is easier to miniaturize than the plutonium bombs it tested in 2006 and 2009, said Cheong Seong-chang, an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. Experts say the North Koreans must conduct further tests of its atomic devices and master the technique for making them smaller before they can be mounted as nuclear warheads onto long-range missiles.
Shortly before the commission issued its declaration, U.S. envoy on North Korea Glyn Davies urged Pyongyang not to explode an atomic device.
"Whether North Korea tests or not, it's up to North Korea. We hope they don't do it. We call on them not to do it," he told reporters in Seoul after meeting with South Korean officials. "It will be a mistake and a missed opportunity if they were to do it."
Davies was in Seoul on a trip that includes stops in China and Japan for talks on how to move forward on North Korea relations.
White House spokesman Jay Carney on Thursday said North Korea's aggressive stance is unnecessary and warned against any further testing.
"North Korea's statement is needlessly provocative and a test would be a significant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Further provocation would only increase Pyongyang's isolation, and its continued focus on its nuclear and missile program is doing nothing to help the North Korean people."
He said the recent U.N. resolution is a "strong message of the international community's opposition to North Korean provocations and these tightened sanctions will impede the growth of weapons of mass destruction programs in North Korea and the United States will be taking additional steps in that regard."
Carney did not elaborate on what those steps might be.
South Korea's top official on relations with the North said Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development is a "cataclysm for the Korean people," and poses a fundamental threat to regional and world peace. "The North Korean behavior is very disappointing," Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said in a lecture in Seoul, according to his office.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, a special envoy for South Korea's President-elect Park Geun-hye warned Pyongyang against conducting a third nuclear test.
"President-elect Park makes it clear that North Korea's nuclear ambitions and further provocations against the South will not be tolerated," said special envoy Rhee In-je, speaking to The Associated Press and other selected media in Davos. "In particular, she strongly urges North Korea to refrain from further worsening the situation by conducting a third nuclear test."
Rhee said South Korea wants to leave the window open for constructive dialogue with the North and will continue offering medical and food aid to the communist state. He said Park has proposed a "Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula."
"It is a gradual process based on mutual trust and respect, which can begin with keeping promises," he said.
North Korea claims the right to build nuclear weapons as a defense against the United States, its Korean War foe.
The bitter three-year war ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953, and left the Korean Peninsula divided by the world's most heavily fortified demilitarized zone. The U.S. leads the U.N. Command that governs the truce and stations more than 28,000 troops in ally South Korea, a presence that North Korea cites as a key reason for its drive to build nuclear weapons.
For years, North Korea's neighbors had been negotiating with Pyongyang on providing aid in return for disarmament. North Korea walked away from those talks in 2009 and on Wednesday reiterated that disarmament talks were out of the question.
North Korea is estimated to have stored up enough weaponized plutonium for four to eight bombs, according to scientist Siegfried Hecker, who visited the North's Nyongbyon nuclear complex in 2010.
In 2009, Pyongyang declared that it would begin enriching uranium, which would give North Korea a second way to make atomic weapons.
North Korea carried out underground nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, both times just weeks after being punished with U.N. sanctions for launching long-range rockets.
In October, an unidentified spokesman at the National Defense Commission claimed that the U.S. mainland was within missile range. And at a military parade last April, North Korea showed off what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Satellite photos taken last month at a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, in far northeast North Korea, showed continued activity that suggested a state of readiness even in winter, according to analysis by 38 North, a North Korea website affiliated with the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.
Another nuclear test would bring North Korea a step closer to being able to launch a long-range missile tipped with a nuclear warhead, said Daniel Pinkston, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
"Their behavior indicates they want to acquire those capabilities," he said. "The ultimate goal is to have a robust nuclear deterrent."
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Associated Press writers Jean H. Lee and Sam Kim in Seoul and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report . Follow AP's Korea bureau chief at www.twitter.com/newsjean.
Posted 21st January 2013 in Articles | Register to comment
Sally Bull and Andy Turner
Complete True Life
When planning a medical communications strategy, Sally Bull and Andy Turner discuss the importance of including real-world evidence-based research in order to support value demonstration in the development of pharmaceutical products.
Real-world observational patient studies are becoming a necessity to support value demonstration in the development of pharmaceutical products, both to validate early marketing insights and to support evidence-based health economic arguments as part of the reimbursement process.
We believe that real-world observational patient studies need to be embraced within medical communications planning to provide clear and relevant messages to all key stakeholders ? health-care professionals, patients, payers and governments.
The role of medical communications
A medical communications agency will work closely with a pharmaceutical brand team to ensure all the relevant data that supports the product reaches the target audiences in a clear and consistent way, using a wide range of media. This includes, but is not exclusive to, journal articles, congress posters, learning resources, scientific slide kits, animations, materials for sales representatives, and media materials to support PR. Digital communication tools, such as social media initiatives, are also employed in communicating the brand story, and are becoming an increasingly important resource in the brand teams? communication tool kit.
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?There is now, however, an increasing requirement from stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of medicines when used in routine clinical practice??
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The core principle of medical communications is to use these different channels to educate and inform a wide variety of stakeholders about the risks and benefits of new therapies. This has historically been supported by the use of clinical data from Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) which provides evidence on efficacy and safety for healthcare interventions.
The rise of real-world studies
There is now, however, an increasing requirement from stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of medicines when used in routine clinical practice by conducting real-world observational patient studies.
By conducting a real-world study, additional information is made available to understand patient populations, patient sub-groups, health resource use, cost effectiveness / utility arguments and patient reported outcomes. This all needs to be clearly packaged and communicated in alignment with the clinical data to support the best chances for successful reimbursement.
The patient as a key stakeholder
An increasingly important element of this communication is now centring on the patient as a key stakeholder.
Understanding the patient journey in relation to the management of a condition over time is a central requirement. Key questions that can be asked in a real-world observational study to help support this are:
? What type of treatment does the patient receive?
? What influence does the patient have over treatment decisions?
? Which health care professionals has the patient seen on the journey and at which stage?
? How long has a diagnosis taken?
? How long after the diagnosis was a medication prescribed?
? What switching patterns occur and at what decision points are these switches taking place?
Real-world studies provide an opportunity to hear the patient voice by recording information from the physician on presenting patients and then matching it with data collected directly from the patient.
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?Real-world studies provide an opportunity to hear the patient voice??
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Data collected directly from the patient can incorporate validated Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) measures to gain a robust understanding of specific areas relating to their condition, including Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), severity, symptoms, and functionality.
Understanding routine clinical practice for insights and evidence
Real-world studies open a ?true-to-life? window on what is happening in routine clinical practice and can add to the weight of evidence already provided by the clinical trial programme. This evidence can be gathered either to validate early insights work in the development of establishing brand value or to provide evidence based health outcomes / economic arguments to support the reimbursement process.
Real-world insights
Data from real-world studies can assist in validating hypothesis that have been developed from early insights work to demonstrate what value a new product will need to exhibit in order to maximise the opportunity for market access.
Medical communications companies that can offer a deeper understanding of how to incorporate real-world insights to identify the most appropriate channels for targeting value demonstration, which will ultimately provide enhanced communications for their target audience.
The communication of messages associated with a specific sub- group of the patient population, where the unmet need matches the value proposition for the brand, will have greater success than generating generic messages to the total population.
Real-world evidence
Identification of evidence gaps via real-studies rather than the clinical trial programme can provide additional opportunities for medical communications.
There is an increasing need, particularly from payers, to provide additional publishable real-world evidence which can be included as part of the reimbursement submission.
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?There is an increasing need, particularly from payers, to provide additional publishable real-world evidence??
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Evidence that demonstrates the burden of illness within a defined real-world patient population can then be associated with the value of reducing the burden with the selected intervention. By showing this in real clinical practice, the drug is more likely to gain a favourable reimbursement decision.
An understanding of how to utilise real-world studies to support these evidence gaps again provides additional opportunities for enhanced medical communications.
The message is clear; real-world studies are a vital tool in medical communications, and will become increasingly important in the near future as the information they provide is sought by physicians, patients, and payers within the healthcare system.
As part of the medical communications planning process, serious consideration should be made to understand the relevance and need for real-world insights and evidence based research to add value and validity to your recommendations.
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About the authors:
Sally Bull is Research and Operations Manager at Complete True Life.
You can contact her at: sally.bull@completetruelife.com
Andy Turner is Head of Complete True Life.
You can contact him at: andy.turner@completetruelife.com
How can payers provide pharma with publishable real-world evidence?
Mental Attitude: Neuroticism and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many people experience traumatic events (such as the death of a loved one, witnessing violence, or physical assault) but only a small amount develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A decade long study of 1,000 random residents in southeastern Michigan found those who scored higher on a neuroticism scale (chronic anxiety, depression, and/or a tendency to overreact to everyday challenges and disappointments) were more likely to suffer from PTSD following a traumatic event. Psychological Medicine, November 2012
Health Alert: High Fructose Corn Syrup and Type-2 Diabetes. Researchers found a 20% higher proportion of the population has diabetes in countries with high use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), like the United States, compared to countries that do not, like the United Kingdom. The United States has the highest consumption of HFCS at 55 lbs (~25 kg) per year per person. The United Kingdom consumes 1.1 lbs (~.5 kg) per year per person. Global Public Health, November 2012
Diet: Food Advertising. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. Food companies spend $10 billion a year marketing in the United States, and 98% of that is on foods high in fat, sugar, or sodium. Journal of Pediatrics, November 2012 Exercise: Walk Much? The more moderate physical activity (like brisk walking) you do, the better. Compared to doing nothing at all, seventy five minutes of vigorous walking per week was linked to living an extra 1.8 years. Walking briskly for 450 minutes or more per week was found to provide most people with a 4.5-year longer lifespan. The longer people spent each week being moderately active, the greater their longevity. Heart, November 2012
Chiropractic: Keep Your Disks Healthy. In normal healthy disks, the nerves (sinuvertebral) only sense pain on the periphery or outer regions of the disk. In grossly degenerated disks, nerves may penetrate into the center (nucleus) of the disk and be more vulnerable to degeneration and/or inflammation. Lancet, 1997
Wellness/Prevention: Cell Phone Addiction. Cell phone and instant messaging addictions are driven by materialism and impulsiveness and can be compared to consumption pathologies like compulsive buying and credit card misuse. Cell phones may be used as part of the conspicuous consumption ritual and may also act as a pacifier for the impulsive tendencies of the user. Impulsiveness plays an important role in both behavioral and substance addictions. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, November 2012
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Barbara Walters was hospitalized yesterday after taking a nasty spill that left her with a serious cut on her forward. It may not sound that serious but wait tell you see just how the famous journalist hurt herself. US Weekly is reporting that Walters is recovering nicely at the hospital from a fall she suffered at the home of?the British Ambassador’s residence. While at his home on Saturday night she fell on a stair and even though she cut her head, she appears to be doing just fine.?ABC News senior vice president, Jeffrey W. Schneider, released the below statement regarding the condition of Barbara. “Out of an abundance of caution, she went to the hospital to have her cut tended to, have a full examination and remains there for observation.?Barbara is alert (and telling everyone what to do), which we all take as a very positive sign.” 83-year old Barbara is spending the weekend in Washington D.C. to cover all the?Inauguration events. However it is being reported that because of her injury it looks like she will not be contributing to any of ABC’s reports tomorrow. Despite that fact that the fall she sustained was not serious, she is still [...]
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Chrome users with something to hide have heretofore been required to sign in to Google to keep their omnibox searches hidden from prying eyes -- but today's Chrome 25 beta update changes that. Now all searches are automatically encrypted, whether you're signed in or not. It's certainly not the first browser to implement such a security feature -- Firefox 14 switched to HTTPS for all searches last year -- but it's a welcome change all the same. With web voice recognition and security whitelists on the docket as well, the latest version of Chrome is setting up to be quite the must-have, especially for those who want to keep their Justin Bieber search results to themselves.
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