The US National Institutes of Health control vast amount of funding dollars in the US. Selecting who and what to fund is a major task and leads to innovative thinking and approaches to challenging health problems. As the recent Ebola epidemic has highlighted, the NIH hasn't stayed ahead of the game. The post highlights that the NIH should be compelled to revaluate its funding deternination. Today's post is share from the nytimes.com/
WASHINGTON — Every year the National Institutes of Health receives almost $30 billion in federal funds to invest in biomedical research. The bulk of that money goes to researchers who are in many cases esteemed in their fields — but also, in many cases, beyond the age when most scientists make their most important contributions to their fields.
A study for the National Bureau of Economic Research from 2005 examined the age at which over 2,000 Nobel Prize winners and other notable scientists in the 20th century came up with the idea that led to their breakthrough. Most were between 35 and 39. Yet the median age of first-time recipients of R01 grants, the most common and sought-after form of N.I.H. funding, is 42, while the median age of all recipients is 52. More people over 65 are funded with research grants than those under age 35.
As a physician who conducted N.I.H.-funded research before entering politics, I saw firsthand how the most innovative thinking frequently came from younger scientists. The N.I.H. is likewise aware of the disparity; its director, Francis S. Collins, has spoken out about the folly of not investing in young scientists, and his organization has taken some small steps to target younger researchers. As a result, the average age of first-time grant recipients has stopped rising.
However, the problem still exists, and the N.I.H. does not have a serious plan to fix it.
Friday, October 3, 2014
NTSB: Truck showed no signs of trying to avoid North Texas softball team's bus
| Investigators in the Oklahoma crash that killed four women’s softball players from North Central Texas College said Sunday that the truck showed no signs of braking or maneuvering out of the way before it slammed into the team’s bus. National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Sunday that the truck drove through the median for 820 feet on a shallow angle before colliding with the bus. It did not brake or appear to take any action to avoid the crash. They found no apparent problems with the truck’s brakes. The 18-wheeler veered across the Interstate 35 median near Davis and crashed into the team’s bus late Friday. The team’s head coach Van Hedrick was driving 15 players back from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., when they were hit by about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said. Three women died at the scene, and one died at an area hospital. All were from Texas. The NTSB is assisting Oklahoma Highway Patrol in the investigation. They obtained search warrants for the truck and bus. The investigation will include toxicology reports of both drivers and could take months. Investigators will turn over the results to the local district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges. The Highway Patrol identified those who died as Meagan Richardson, 19, of Wylie; Brooke Deckard, 20, of Blue Ridge in Collin County; Jaiden Pelton, 20, of Telephone in Fannin County; and Katelynn... |
Ford Recalls 850,000 Vehicles Over Air-Bag Issue
 Ford Fusion sedans were recalled. Associated Press Ford Motor Co. recalled about 850,000 vehicles, including two of its most popular models, on Friday amid concerns that an electrical glitch could cause the vehicles' air bags to malfunction during an accident. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker recalled 2013 and 2014 model year Fusion sedans, Escape crossovers, C-Max hybrids and Lincoln MKZ luxury cars sold in North America, Canada and Mexico. A short circuit in the vehicles' restraint control module could disable front and side curtain air bags in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury, Ford said. The short will illuminate a vehicle's air bag warning light. Ford said it is unaware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the defect. This is the second time in the past two days a U.S. auto maker has issued an air-bag related recall. On Thursday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV recalled about 350,000 vehicles around the world to repair a faulty ignition switch that in some cases could cut power to the vehicle's air bags, steering and engine. For Ford, the latest recall throws a harsh spotlight on its Ford Escape crossover. The vehicle has been recalled 12 times over the past two years for a variety of issues ranging from carpet padding that may depress the accelerator pedal to coolant system leaks that may cause the engine to overheat. "Vehicle launches are complex and each one has its own issues," a Ford spokeswoman said. "We work through them and while... |
Huntington Beach Schools Suspend Asbestos Removal Effort In Response To Complaints
 HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — School officials in Huntington Beach have halted an asbestos abatement project after hearing complaints from parents and a vocal school board member. KNX 1070’s Mike Landa reports the modernization program at 11 schools in the Ocean View School District (OVSD) includes a district-wide effort to remove asbestos from the campuseSchool board member John Briscoe filed an official complaint with CAL/OSHA for possible asbestos handling violations citing what he calls evidence of ceiling tiles being “disturbed, moved, removed and even missing” during the modernization effort, which includes restroom renovations, fire alarm upgrades, and roofing work. According to the school district’s website, OVSD began the multi-million-dollar project in July on all of its campuses: Circle View, College View, Golden View, Hope View, Lake View, Mesa View, Oak View, Spring View, Star View, Sun View, and Vista View. A notice posted on the OVSD website states the following: “As of September 17, 2014 Asbestos Abatement has been put on hold at ALL sites until further notice.” The notice also states the district has inspected each... [Click here to see the rest of this post] |
Workers Balk at Task Of Ebola Cleanup in Dallas
 Adequate safety is a major concern for health care workers treating infectious diseases. Today's post is shared from nytimes.com/ DALLAS — More than six months after an outbreak of Ebola began its rampage through West Africa, local and federal health officials have displayed an uneven and flawed response to the first case diagnosed in the United States. In the latest indication, state and local authorities confirmed Thursday that a week after a Liberian man fell ill with Ebola in Dallas, and four days after he was placed in isolation at a hospital here, the apartment where he was staying with four other people had not been sanitized and the sheets and dirty towels he used while sick remained in the home. County officials visited the apartment without protection Wednesday night. The officials said it had been difficult to find a contractor willing to enter the apartment to clean it and remove bedding and clothes, which they said had been bagged in plastic. They said they now had hired a firm that would do the work soon. The Texas health commissioner, Dr. David Lakey, told reporters during an afternoon news conference that officials had encountered “a little bit of hesitancy” in seeking a firm to clean the apartment. The delay came amid reports that as many as 100 people could have had contact with the victim, Thomas E. Duncan. And it came a day after the hospital acknowledged it had misdiagnosed him when he first visited. When Mr. Duncan, 42, was first... |
Trenton NJ council approves sleeping employee’s $19K workers’ comp claim
 Still frame from a video showing a Trenton city employee asleep in a running backhoe.Still frame from a video showing a Trenton city employee asleep in a running backhoe. Today's post is shared from http://washingtonexaminer.com/ TRENTON......City officials did not even question publicly the workers’ comp claim of an employee caught sleeping on camera while on the job. Charles Nottingham, a Trenton Water Works employee caught earlier this year snoozing in a video posted to YouTube while operating a backhoe, received the unanimous blessing of council to receive a workers’ comp settlement of $19,000. “The complaint arose from allegations made by the plaintiff of work related injuries as it purportedly relates to his employment,” the resolution states, adding it is in the best interest of the city to settle the 2012 case. Advertisement The video posted in March, which has since been removed, showed Nottingham sound asleep in a running backhoe with his hands clasped over his stomach at a work site. After the video surfaced, city officials stated they were investigating the matter. Citing it is a personnel matter, Michael Walker, a spokesman for the mayor’s office, declined comment this week about the workers’ comp claim. Nottingham is still an employee with Trenton Water Works. He earned a salary of $57,213 last year, according to online records. His claim is not the first from that department to garner attention. In January,... |
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Maine Rolls Back Health Coverage Even As Many States Expand It
Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from www.kaiserhealthnews.org
NORTHPORT, Maine – By the time Laura Tasheiko discovered the lump in her left breast, it was larger than a grape. Tasheiko, 61, an artist who makes a living selling oil paintings of Maine’s snowy woods, lighthouses and rocky coastline, was terrified: She had no health insurance and little cash to spare. Laura Tasheiko, 61, sits in her home in Northport, Maine (Photo by Joel Page for USA TODAY). But that was nearly six years ago, and the state Medicaid program was generous then. Tasheiko was eligible because of her modest income, and MaineCare, as it is called, paid for all of her treatment, including the surgery, an $18,000 drug to treat nerve damage that made it impossible to hold a paintbrush, physical therapy and continuing checkups. But while much of America saw an expansion of coverage this year, low-income Maine residents like Tasheiko lost benefits. On Jan. 1, just as the Affordable Care Act was being rolled out nationwide, MaineCare terminated her coverage, leaving her and thousands of others without insurance. Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to shrink Medicaid instead of expanding it was a radical departure from a decade-long effort to cover more people in this small rural state of farmers, lobstermen, craftsmen and other seasonal workers, which at least until recently, boasted one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the nation. Maine was the only state in New England, and... |
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