NEW YORK?? Officials from both sides of a dispute that has slowed work at a Sept. 11 museum that is to tell the stories of the dead and provide a final resting place for unidentified human remains say they're close to an agreement to resume construction.
"We're down to a few things, a very small amount of money where we disagree," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, speaking of the disagreement between the foundation that controls the memorial and museum and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the World Trade Center site. Bloomberg is chairman of the foundation.
Later in the day, Port Authority Chairman Patrick Foye testified at a New York state senate hearing that "a significant number of the issues have been resolved." He said both sides met last week and added: "We all look forward to a resolution of those issues in short order."
Construction of the museum, originally scheduled to open on the 11th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, largely ground to a halt after subcontractors at the site stopped getting paid late last year. The Port Authority claimed the Sept. 11 memorial foundation owed it $300 million for infrastructure and revised project costs, while the foundation argued the Port Authority owed it money because of project delays.
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Story: 9/11 families upset over Ground Zero museum delays
Family members of those killed in the 2001 attacks have been upset over the delays at the ground zero museum, and some have voiced concern that the construction could be sliding back into dysfunction. Powerful political forces have long been at work at the 16-acre site: The Port Authority is jointly controlled by the governors of New York and New Jersey, while Bloomberg has been chairman of the foundation for several years.
Related: PhotoBlog: Newseum exhibit marks 10th anniversary of Sept. 11
Bloomberg offered no specifics on a completion date or on the amount of money still in question.
"As long as we're going in the right direction and doing it together, this memorial and museum is going to get done," he said.
The comments follow a day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said "a tremendous amount of money" had been wasted at the site and that toll increases would not be used to pay for the project.
But Foye, whose agency operates area transit hubs, bridges and tunnels, said that the question of toll increases was irrelevant.
"No bridge and tunnel tolls are allocated to the site," he said. "Funding for the World Trade Center comes from third-party sources including federal grants and insurance proceeds and Port Authority resources."
Associated Press writer Michael Gormley in Albany contributed to this report.
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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Treatment with anti-TNFs reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritisPublic release date: 7-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Candice Debleu eularpressoffice@cohnwolfe.com 44-789-438-6425 European League Against Rheumatism
For every additional 6 months of treatment CV risk reduces further
Berlin, Germany, June 7 2012: Results from a retrospective analysis of contemporary data presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, predict, based on estimates from a multivariate regression model, that the cumulative use of anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs (anti-TNFs) for one, two, or three years is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular events by 24%, 42% and 56% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) respectively, compared to not using anti-TNF therapies (adjusting for background use of methotrexate or other disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs [DMARDs]).
The model, based on 109,462 patients demonstrated that each additional six months of treatment with anti-TNFs significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction [MI], stroke/transient ischemic attack, unstable angina, or heart failure) (Hazard Ratio [HR]=0.87, p=0.005). Breaking this benefit down further, the same model shows that the risk of MI was also significantly reduced (HR=0.80, p=0.013).
Focusing on some subgroups of patients, each additional six months of anti-TNF therapy significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular events in RA patients aged ?50 years (HR =0.86, p=0.007) as well as in those without prior treatment with methotrexate (HR=0.85, p=0.022).
"RA and heart disease have a common origin and the systemic inflammation involved in RA is thought to also promote cardiovascular disease and even cardiovascular death. Studies have shown that within the first ten years of being diagnosed with RA, the risk of a heart attack almost doubles," said Dr. Michael Nurmohamed, VU University Medical Centre & Jan van Breemen Research Institute, Reade, The Netherlands and lead study author. "As anti-TNFs are now the treatment of choice for patients who are unstable on methotrexate, the decreased cardiovascular risk observed in the study is an added bonus to an already successful class of drugs."
The study using U.S. health plan claims identified 109,462 patients with ?2 rheumatoid arthritis diagnoses and ?1 filled prescription of anti-TNF therapy, methotrexate therapy, or other non-biologic DMARD. Patients were assessed from index fill date to first inpatient cardiovascular event diagnosis or to the end of health plan enrolment or to six months after discontinuation of their index drug, whichever came first. This included a total of 105,920 patient years of follow up, including 48,621 patient years of exposure to anti-TNFs, 35,480 patient years of exposure to methotrexate, and 52,994 patient years of exposure to other non-biologic DMARDs. A total of 1,743 patients (1.6%) had a cardiovascular event after their index prescription.
Abstract Number: OP0002
###
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For further information on this study, or to request an interview with the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR congress Press Office in Hall 6 on the 3rd floor of the Congress Centre during EULAR 2012 or on:
Email: eularpressoffice@cohnwolfe.com
Candice Debleu:
Onsite tel: +44 7894 386 425
About EULAR
The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the organisation which represents the patient, health professional and scientific societies of rheumatology of all the European nations
In line with The European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), EULAR defines rheumatology as including rheumatic diseases of the connective tissue, locomotor and musculoskeletal systems
EULAR aims to promote, stimulate and support the research, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of rheumatic diseases. With 45 scientific member societies, 36 PARE organisations and 10 health professionals associations, EULAR underscores the importance of combating rheumatic diseases not only by medical means, but also through a wider context of care for rheumatic patients and a thorough understanding of their social and other needs
Diseases of the bone and joints such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis cause disability in 4-5% of the adult population and are predicted to rise as people live longer
EULAR 2012 is set to be the biggest rheumatology event in Europe with over 15,000 scientists, physicians, allied health professionals, and related audiences in attendance from over 115 countries. Over the course of the congress, more than 275 oral and 1400 poster abstract presentations will be featured, with 1,010 invited speaker lectures taking place in 190 sessions
To find out more about the activities of EULAR, visit: www.eular.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Treatment with anti-TNFs reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritisPublic release date: 7-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Candice Debleu eularpressoffice@cohnwolfe.com 44-789-438-6425 European League Against Rheumatism
For every additional 6 months of treatment CV risk reduces further
Berlin, Germany, June 7 2012: Results from a retrospective analysis of contemporary data presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, predict, based on estimates from a multivariate regression model, that the cumulative use of anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs (anti-TNFs) for one, two, or three years is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular events by 24%, 42% and 56% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) respectively, compared to not using anti-TNF therapies (adjusting for background use of methotrexate or other disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs [DMARDs]).
The model, based on 109,462 patients demonstrated that each additional six months of treatment with anti-TNFs significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction [MI], stroke/transient ischemic attack, unstable angina, or heart failure) (Hazard Ratio [HR]=0.87, p=0.005). Breaking this benefit down further, the same model shows that the risk of MI was also significantly reduced (HR=0.80, p=0.013).
Focusing on some subgroups of patients, each additional six months of anti-TNF therapy significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular events in RA patients aged ?50 years (HR =0.86, p=0.007) as well as in those without prior treatment with methotrexate (HR=0.85, p=0.022).
"RA and heart disease have a common origin and the systemic inflammation involved in RA is thought to also promote cardiovascular disease and even cardiovascular death. Studies have shown that within the first ten years of being diagnosed with RA, the risk of a heart attack almost doubles," said Dr. Michael Nurmohamed, VU University Medical Centre & Jan van Breemen Research Institute, Reade, The Netherlands and lead study author. "As anti-TNFs are now the treatment of choice for patients who are unstable on methotrexate, the decreased cardiovascular risk observed in the study is an added bonus to an already successful class of drugs."
The study using U.S. health plan claims identified 109,462 patients with ?2 rheumatoid arthritis diagnoses and ?1 filled prescription of anti-TNF therapy, methotrexate therapy, or other non-biologic DMARD. Patients were assessed from index fill date to first inpatient cardiovascular event diagnosis or to the end of health plan enrolment or to six months after discontinuation of their index drug, whichever came first. This included a total of 105,920 patient years of follow up, including 48,621 patient years of exposure to anti-TNFs, 35,480 patient years of exposure to methotrexate, and 52,994 patient years of exposure to other non-biologic DMARDs. A total of 1,743 patients (1.6%) had a cardiovascular event after their index prescription.
Abstract Number: OP0002
###
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For further information on this study, or to request an interview with the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR congress Press Office in Hall 6 on the 3rd floor of the Congress Centre during EULAR 2012 or on:
Email: eularpressoffice@cohnwolfe.com
Candice Debleu:
Onsite tel: +44 7894 386 425
About EULAR
The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the organisation which represents the patient, health professional and scientific societies of rheumatology of all the European nations
In line with The European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), EULAR defines rheumatology as including rheumatic diseases of the connective tissue, locomotor and musculoskeletal systems
EULAR aims to promote, stimulate and support the research, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of rheumatic diseases. With 45 scientific member societies, 36 PARE organisations and 10 health professionals associations, EULAR underscores the importance of combating rheumatic diseases not only by medical means, but also through a wider context of care for rheumatic patients and a thorough understanding of their social and other needs
Diseases of the bone and joints such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis cause disability in 4-5% of the adult population and are predicted to rise as people live longer
EULAR 2012 is set to be the biggest rheumatology event in Europe with over 15,000 scientists, physicians, allied health professionals, and related audiences in attendance from over 115 countries. Over the course of the congress, more than 275 oral and 1400 poster abstract presentations will be featured, with 1,010 invited speaker lectures taking place in 190 sessions
To find out more about the activities of EULAR, visit: www.eular.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 7-Jun-2012
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