August 2, 2007 (Insidermedicine)

From Toronto,

The Ontario Government has said yes to Gardisil. The province will plan to  offer the  vaccine which  targets HPV-  and prevents  against cervical cancerto  grade 8  girls. The  Society of  Obstetricians  and Gynaecologists of Canada,  applauded the  move, given  that 400  women
will likely die from cervical cancer this year in Canada.

From New York,
A man in a  6-year near  vegetative state  can once  again  talk. Researchers, using electrodes  to stimulate the  thalamus deep  within the brain,  have  dramatically improved  the  man's quality  of  life. Before the treatment he  couldnt swallow, talk  and rarely opened  his eyes, he can now speak, recognize others and brush his hair.

From Maryland,
122 women became pregnant last year while on Accutane- the  potent drug for  severe  acne. This  is  despite committing  to  the  iPLEDGE program that counsels woman not to become pregnant while on or 30 days after taking the drug. Accutane can cause miscarriages, heart  defects and cognitive deficit in babies born to mothers on the drug.

And finally from Ottawa,
The Canadian Medical Association concerned about long wait  times, believes that  patients should  be  able to  access private  care  for services that are now covered by the public system. This could  result in a system in which Canadian doctors  see both  private and  public patients.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.