Learning, Arts, and the Brain: The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition

Reports findings from multiple neuroscientific studies on the impact of arts training on the enhancement of other cognitive capacities, such as reading acquisition, sequence learning, geometrical reasoning, and memory

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's Tropical Disease Research Program: A 25-Year Retrospective Review 1976-1999

Documents and details the foundation's commitment to the program from its inception, and provides an analysis of its successes until the completion of the program in 1999

Detailed Bathymetry of Selected Areas of the Inner continental Shelf of the Virginian Sea: Southeastern Virginia, Virginia Beach, and Wachapreague, Virginia

The increased need for information involving the physical processes affecting the inner continental shelf has led to these detailed compilations of the nearshore bathymetric data of the Virginian coastline. For example, the growth of population has increased the usage of our beaches for recreation. Contrived short-term and the apparent long-term shortages of fuel, so recently impressed upon the public, have initiated an intensive study of the adjacent continental shelf area for possible future sites of offshore drilling rigs, power plants and port facilities. Among the basic oceanographic information required in all such studies is detailed depth information. To help meet these needs we have prepared these detailed bathymetric maps containing significantly more information than has previously been compiled and made available from this region of the Atlantic shelf

A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ORPHAN DRUGS

Medical drugs of limited commercial interest (Orphan Drugs) represent a public policy dilemma. Debate centers on whether, how, by whom, and at whose expense orphan drugs should be made available to those who need them. Market and regulatory factors shape the pharmaceutical industry, and an increasingly adversarial tension has arisen between the pharmaceutical industry and its regulator, FDA. Recently, pressures have joined from many sources to effect a more satisfactory policy on orphan drugs than now exists. In this context, the present investigation was conducted in three concurrent phases: (1) semi-structured interviews of representative individuals, 37 in all, from the range of stakeholder groups, including FDA, federal research agencies, several levels of industry, the legislative branch, and university researchers in order to determine underlying values, assumptions and attitudes; (2) an informational and attitudinal survey conducted through questionnaires devised collaboratively with the legislative staff of the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment (Waxman Committee); and (3) an action research approach as unpaid consultant to the PMA Commission on Drugs for Rare Diseases and also to the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment. Through the interview process, it was found that agreement exists on ends (wide availability of orphan drugs), but not on the means. Opinions gathered by interview corroborated the major findings obtained by questionnaire, namely that orphan drugs have profiles of specific characteristics (patentability, development difficulties, availability of other drugs for the same use, for example) which have predictiveness as to whether the drug will obtain industry sponsorship, and if so, whether it will reach the market. This information has been imparted to the stakeholders involved in the planning process to help focus the issues. The action research phase has emphasized interactive communication between stakeholder groups and reference to the larger system (problems in development of all medical drugs) for the purpose of facilitating dissolution, both legislatively and by other means, of the problems surrounding orphan drugs

A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ORPHAN DRUGS

Medical drugs of limited commercial interest (Orphan Drugs) represent a public policy dilemma. Debate centers on whether, how, by whom, and at whose expense orphan drugs should be made available to those who need them. Market and regulatory factors shape the pharmaceutical industry, and an increasingly adversarial tension has arisen between the pharmaceutical industry and its regulator, FDA. Recently, pressures have joined from many sources to effect a more satisfactory policy on orphan drugs than now exists. In this context, the present investigation was conducted in three concurrent phases: (1) semi-structured interviews of representative individuals, 37 in all, from the range of stakeholder groups, including FDA, federal research agencies, several levels of industry, the legislative branch, and university researchers in order to determine underlying values, assumptions and attitudes; (2) an informational and attitudinal survey conducted through questionnaires devised collaboratively with the legislative staff of the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment (Waxman Committee); and (3) an action research approach as unpaid consultant to the PMA Commission on Drugs for Rare Diseases and also to the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment. Through the interview process, it was found that agreement exists on ends (wide availability of orphan drugs), but not on the means. Opinions gathered by interview corroborated the major findings obtained by questionnaire, namely that orphan drugs have profiles of specific characteristics (patentability, development difficulties, availability of other drugs for the same use, for example) which have predictiveness as to whether the drug will obtain industry sponsorship, and if so, whether it will reach the market. This information has been imparted to the stakeholders involved in the planning process to help focus the issues. The action research phase has emphasized interactive communication between stakeholder groups and reference to the larger system (problems in development of all medical drugs) for the purpose of facilitating dissolution, both legislatively and by other means, of the problems surrounding orphan drugs

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sive Shuttle Walk level attainment (p = 0.005) and total distance covered (p = 0.015). Angina frequency and severity remained unchanged in both groups, with the control demonstrating worsening SF-36 pain scale (63.43 8 22.28 vs. 55.46 8 23.98, p = 0.025). Cardiac rehabilitation participants showed improved Health Anxiety Questionnaire reassurance (1.71 8 1.72 vs. 1.14 8 1.23, p = 0.026) and York Beliefs anginal threat perception (12.42 8 4.58 vs. 14.35 8 4.73, p = 0.05) after cardiac rehabilitation. Physical measures were broadly unaffected. Conclusions: Cardiac rehabilitation can be prescribed to improve physical ability without affecting angina frequency or severity among patients with refractory angina