The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. —George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
I recently returned to work from a week of fly fishing for bass (Yes, I tie my own flies.) and water sports with my family in Maine.

WASHINGTON, DC—Preventing servicemembers from bleeding to death on the battlefield is a top priority for military researchers, according to Col Dallas Hack, director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program at the US Army Medical and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick.

WASHINGTON, DC—Civilian and military experts gathered to discuss the use of virtual world technology to address psychological health for servicemembers, veterans, and their families at a conference held by the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2) in August.

WASHINGTON, DC—The 40-year decline in tobacco use in the US has stalled, according to CDC. A new CDC report states that the number of adult smokers dropped between 2000 and 2005, but smoking has remained at about 20% to 21% since 2005.

WASHINGTON, DC—Continued increases—as much as 15%—were made in nationwide coverage for vaccines specifically recommended for pre-teens, according to CDC estimates released in August.

WASHINGTON, DC—Seventy-five percent of babies born in the United States in 2007 started life breastfeeding, meeting the nation’s Healthy People 2010 goal, according to CDC.

Assessment of Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine for Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy in Malawi

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy for reducing malaria-associated morbidity in pregnant women in Malawi.

WASHINGTON, DC—MHS plans to honor female physicians for the second straight year with its “Building Stronger Female Physician Leaders in the MHS” award. The award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to medicine and/or who have served as exemplary role models for other female physicians.

HYATTSVILLE, MD—Even though the Medical Device User Fee Act is not scheduled to expire until September 2012, FDA is already beginning the process of soliciting comments on how the act has worked to date, and how it might be improved.

BETHESDA, MD—To help advance research on how genes affect responses to medicines, NIH is spending $15 million over five years to expand the Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base (PharmGKB).