FDA OKs embryonic stem-cell human trial
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells.
"This marks the beginning of what is potentially a new chapter in medical therapeutics -- one that reaches beyond pills to a new level of healing: the restoration of organ and tissue function achieved by the injection of healthy replacement cells," Thomas Okarma, Geron Corp. president and chief executive officer, said in a release announcing the FDA decision.
Geron, a California bio-technical company, was approved to begin a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
"If safe and effective, the therapy would provide a viable treatment option for thousands of patients who suffer severe spinal cord injuries each year," said Richard Fessler, professor of neurological surgery professor at Northwestern University.
Limits on stem-cell research imposed by the Bush administration have impeded academic and corporate research. President Barack Obama said during the campaign that overturning research limits was a top priority for his administration.
Peter Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, called the human trial the "dawn of basic research being translated into human clinical trials for people living with spinal cord injury."
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, named for the late paralyzed U.S. actor and his wife, is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding research and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis.
Survey: Slow economy a pain for hospitals
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The sour U.S. economy is forcing many hospitals to postpone expansion plans, new equipment purchases and adding to their employment rolls, a survey indicated.
The American Hospital Association survey indicated 45 percent of hospitals postponed new projects and 13 percent have halted expansions already begun because of the economic crunch, USA Today reported Friday.
"For most Americans, today's economic woes are like none they've ever seen, and the same goes for the nation's hospitals," Richard Umbdenstock, association president and chief executive officer, said of the survey of 639 hospitals released Thursday.
The credit crunch also affects hospitals in two other ways, USA Today said. Patient visits were flat or fell in the third quarter of 2008, and hospitals saw an 8 percent increase in unpaid bills, the hospital association found in a November survey.
Economic conditions could mean hospitals have to compete more on price and quality, benefiting patients, said Jim Unland, head of the consulting firm of Health Capital Group. Conditions also may slow hospitals building new wings or buying expensive equipment to complete with nearby medical facilities.
Study: Tree death-global warming tie found
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Death rates among trees have more than doubled in recent decades largely because of global warming, Northern Arizona University research indicates.
The study "offers data to show that there is a problem with tree mortality in the West and that climate is an important element in the problem," Pete Fule, NAU School of Forestry associate professor and research co-author, said in a news release.
The research was published Friday in Science journal
Eleven scientists provided long-term data sets taken from trees across the Pacific Northwest, California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona, Fule said. The research concludes tree death rates more than doubled in recent decades in old forests largely because of regional warming.
"The gist is that we now have these long-term data sets from old trees across much of the western part of the country and one thing those forests have in common is that the trees are dying increasingly fast," Fule said.
To determine when trees died because of climate change, scientists documented climate-related incidents that caused trees to die, such as bark beetle attacks or forest fires. The study analyzed tree measurements dating back to the 1920s. Fule and other researchers updated the data by revisiting trees and providing current measurements and codes for environmental occurrences.
"There is strong empirical evidence that these actions improve the resilience of trees to drought and insect pathogens, and protect them from severe stand-replacing wildfires," Fule said.
Japan launches greenhouse gas probe
TOKYO, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The first greenhouse gas monitoring satellite was launched into space Friday from the space center on the Japanese island of Tanegashima.
Aboard the H2A rocket was Ibuki, the world's first greenhouse-gas monitoring satellite, and seven "baby satellites," The China Post reported.
The development cost for the greenhouse-gas monitoring satellite was $206 million, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.
Space agency officials said they already have selected four other piggybacks for a launch scheduled in 2011.
