WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley today urged a key federal agency not to dilute a long-awaited transparency rule that would help disclose financial ties between medical researchers who receive billions of dollars in federal funding and the pharmaceutical industry.

"The public's business ought to be public," Grassley said.  "Transparency is a backstop against research that's compromised by doctors' self-interest, to the detriment of consumers.  Backsliding on transparency would undermine the good work done in recent years to shine a light on these financial relationships."

Grassley wrote to the Office of Management and Budget in response to a media report that the agency is proposing to weaken transparency rules proposed in May 2010 by the Department of Health and Human Services.  According to the article, the Office of Management and Budget is removing the requirement in the proposed rule for a publicly available website that would publish the outside financial interests of researchers funded by taxpayers. 

The Department of Health and Human Services includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the primary means of federal funding of medical research at universities and large medical centers.  The President's proposed budget for the National Institutes of Health for 2012 is $32 billion, with about 83 percent dedicated for research around the country.

In 2007, Grassley began looking into whether universities have disclosed their professors' outside financial interests and found several cases indicating that more transparency might be helpful, including:

--The chair of the Psychiatry Department at Emory University failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from a pharmaceutical company while researching that same company's drugs with an NIH grant.  The Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General is now investigating the matter.

--The chair of the Psychiatry Department at Stanford University received an NIH grant to study a drug while partially owning a company that was seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of said drug.  He was later removed from the grant.

--Three psychiatrists at Harvard University failed to report almost a million dollars each in outside income while heading up several NIH grants.  Harvard released a report on the matter, and a briefing has been scheduled with Grassley's office.

Also, the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that the NIH doesn't adequately monitor its outside grants for conflicts of interest.

A law enacted last year through Grassley and Sen. Herb Kohl will require public disclosure of drug company and medical device manufacturer payments to doctors, starting in March 2013. 

The rule proposed for NIH grants would require the research institutions to determine potential conflicts of interest grant by grant, such as whether the doctor owns shares in a company that could cause bias in his or her federally funded research.  The details would have to be posted online for public access. The Office of Management and Budget is proposing to eliminate the online requirement, according to a media article. 

"If the online requirement is gone, it will be much harder for the public to see and use this information," Grassley said. "Without public scrutiny, we'd lose a valuable layer of oversight."

The text of Grassley's letter is available here.

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SAVANNAH, GA. (08/04/2011)(readMedia)-- Grace Allison of Walcott, IA (52773), recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Allison earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sequential Art.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees to prepare talented students for professional careers. As the most comprehensive art and design university in the world, SCAD offers more than 40 majors and more than 50 minors at distinctive locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning.

SCAD has more than 20,000 alumni and offers an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body, consisting of more than 10,000 students, comes from all 50 United States and nearly 100 countries worldwide. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of more than 700 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These professors emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment. SCAD's innovative curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources and has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including 3D World, American Institute of Architects, BusinessWeek, DesignIntelligence, U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times. For more information, visit scad.edu.

On the web: http://readabout.me/achievements/Grace-Allison-of-Walcott-Graduates-from-the-Savannah-College-of-Art-and-Design/2910822.

Eat healthy on the move.
• Bring your own meal for the flight or car ride.  Homemade sandwiches and fresh fruit are a great option.  Not only will you be able to control what you eat, but you will also save time and money.
• Pick up prepackaged fruit and vegetables at the grocery store.  You can also buy peanut butter in a tube or small container to pair with fruit or granola bars.

Eat out without overdoing it.
• Do your research.  Check out your destination online and look at restaurant menus before the trip.  This will give you an opportunity to find places that serve healthy options.
• Practice eating small portions.  Bring half the meal home or share an entrée with a friend.  Consider choosing two appetizers instead of one entrée.

Watch portions sizes, but don't deprive yourself.
• Use the half-plate rule.  Make fruits and vegetables 50 percent of what you eat at every meal.
• Don't skip your favorite dessert or fried foods.  Eat smaller portions of these foods - just make it a treat, not a regular occurrence. 
• Don't cut out meals.  This may lead to eating too much later in the day.

Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS meeting free of charge. To find a local chapter, view www.tops.org or call (800) 932-8677.

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September 24 & 25 event to feature 19th century architecture

Originally built as a combination bakery, market, and boarding house, farmers who came to   Galena   from a distance to sell their wares could stay upstairs in the Italianate-style Farmers' Home Hotel. Built in 1867 for   Casper   and Balzar Vogel, descendants of the bakers' family occupied the site until 1978, just more than 111 years. The building evolved as an antique shop, and then a restaurant, as a series of owners remodeled the interior spaces. The current owners purchased the Spring Street property in 2001 and opened an inn with nine guest rooms and spacious common areas. Historic architecture, vintage décor, lush gardens and patios, and its close proximity to downtown make this guest house a perennial favorite.

Frank and Betsy Jane Smith built a charming two-story house on   Wight Street   in 1856. Frank was co-owner of the Fuller and Smith Company, wholesale grocers and agents for the Anchor Steamship Line. The two-over-two windows, small second story horizontal windows, and narrow sidelights with multi-paned lights above the centered front door are typical of the late 1850s. The next owner, in 1877, was prominent local dentist, Dr. Franklin Stryker. A native of Prince Edward County, Ontario, he was one of eleven children. After teaching, then training as a dentist, Stryker moved to   Galena   in 1865. He worked the first year for Dr. J. Brown, taking over his dental practice in 1866 and marrying Dr. Brown's daughter, Jennie, soon after. The couple raised four children in the home. After changing hands a number of times, the home was purchased by the current owners in 2009. Saffron-colored built-in cabinets surround the great room fireplace; original honey-hued pine flooring and open spaces make this a cozy home, with a wonderful garden area in the rear.

Built in 1878 at a cost of $16,000, the Old County Jailhouse is  Second Empire  architecture three stories high with a Mansard roof. The top floor had six "airy apartments provided for evil-doers" according to the August 25, 1879 Galena Daily Gazette. The first and second floors were a residence for the Sheriff and his family. As a security feature, the flooring and ceiling of the prisoner area were built of iron beams and brick arches, then covered with two-inch plank, then a heavy iron plate riveted solid. Now exposed as the second floor ceiling, the soaring brick arches provide a delightful industrial feel to the master suite and bedroom areas. Sold by the County in the 1970s, the Old Jail sat empty and deteriorating until 2000 when new owners stabilized the structure and completely rebuilt its distinctive roof, showcased during the 2003 Tour. In 2006 the current owner moved his eclectic collection in and eventually plans to create two condos on the upper floors.

An enchanting miner's cottage nestled into the private hillside behind the Old Jailhouse was built in 1846 by Frederick Schwatka, a Galena Market Master. Originally a two story brick dwelling 30' x 16', the cottage was listed for sale in the January 11, 1853 Weekly Northwestern Gazette: "5 rooms and a kitchen - a first rate Cistern, holding between 70 and 80 barrels of water - a Cow Stable, Shed, and other conveniences. The whole is enclosed with a good substantial fence." Apparently the fence was not substantial enough, as just 10 months later Schwatka advertised a $5 reward for the return of his stray three-year-old red heifer. Purchased in 2008 by the current owners and enjoying its Home Tour debut, the secluded cottage with exposed stone walls is decorated in an artistic, whimsical style.

James Crowley arrived in   Galena   in 1850, wed Mary Allwell and built a house in the mid-1850s at   403 Jackson St  .. Mr. Crowley, a Civil War veteran of the 45th   Illinois  , served as East Galena Township Assessor for 30+ years. The property originally faced   Fourth Street  , no longer used, which ran directly in front of the U.S. Grant Home, just above Crowley House. The Crowleys raised eight children in the original 1,000 sq. ft. 1850s structure that features first floor 24-inch thick stone walls, a warm fireplace and wide plank floors. A kitchen and bedroom were added in 1896.   Crowley   descendants owned the home for 90 years until 1946. The house was last on Tour in 1978, after a renovation which added an office, side porch and garage. The current owners, who purchased it in 1989, made a final addition including a dining room, windowed garden room and exercise room in 2006. The property is eclectic in style, combining the original Federal structure with several additions that blend nicely into a pleasing whole.

A free shuttle service will operate between all tour homes and ticket locations. Tour guides, many in period attire, will provide historic narrative at each home. Free admission to the   Galena   History   Museum   is included with the home tour ticket and will include the new Ghosts of the Grants hologram presentation. During the home tour, the museum will be featuring a new nationally-acclaimed temporary exhibit entitled "Ulysses S. Grant: Soldier," showcasing the military years of   Galena  's favorite son.

The 44th Annual Tour of Historic Galena Homes is sponsored by the   Galena   - Jo Daviess County Historical Society. Tickets are $15, $13 in advance (before September 15); children under 10 are free with an adult. Tickets and maps are available during the tour weekend at the   Old   Train   Depot   Visitor  Information   Center   at   101 Bouthillier St.  , the DeSoto House Hotel at   230 S. Main St.  , the history museum at   211 S. Bench St  , the Gateway to History at  403 S. Main St.   and at any home on the tour. Advance tickets (non-refundable) are available at the   Galena   History   Museum  , or phone 815-777-9129 to purchase by credit card.

For further event information, contact the Historical Society at 815-777-9129 or visit www.galenahistorymuseum.org. Additional area offerings and visitor information may be found at the Galena/Jo Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.galena.org or by calling 877-464-2536. While in town, visit the CVB's  Old   Train   Depot Visitor Information Center at 101 Bouthillier St. (corner of Park Avenue) for on-site assistance and countywide information.

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