Say hello to Botax, the 5% tax on cosmetic procedures that was a surprise addition to the roughly 2,000 page health care reform bill. The proposed tax, scheduled to take effect January 2010, has been suggested as a way to help fund health care reform. [More]

The United States Senate is about to consider health system reform legislation which contains a 5% tax on cosmetic surgery deemed unnecessary for medical purposes. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) announces it strongly opposes the inclusion of this tax as it is discriminatory and has already failed in other states. [More]

The Associated Press: "The White House and Senate Democrats have turned to a proposal to tax breast implants, tummy tucks, wrinkle-smoothing injections and other procedures as they search for ways to pay for costly health care overhaul plans." The Senate health bill, which was unveiled Wednesday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada "would slap a 5 percent excise tax on elective cosmetic surgeries and procedures to help pay for expanding coverage to the uninsured." [More]

A landmark, 25-year review of cases in which surgeons had to remove the lower portion of the body from the waist down for severe pelvic bone infections shows the therapy can add years and quality of life to survivors, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. [More]

SANUWAVE Health, Inc.,, an emerging medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of non-invasive, biological response activating devices in the regenerative medicine area, reports its achievements and financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009. [More]

With the growing use of dermal fillers, ensuring patient safety and satisfaction has never been more important. Dermatology and plastic surgery nurse practitioners continue to play a vital role in managing, educating and interacting with patients. A 2009 study of dermatology nurse practitioners estimates that the average number of patients nurse practitioners see each year totals six hundred million. [More]

In collaboration with Eira Hospital in Helsinki, Global Health Partner (STO:GHP) has started up obesity treatment operations and the first bariatric surgery procedure has now been performed. Finland has the highest obesity prevalence in the Nordic countries. However, the number of bariatric surgery procedures has so far been very low. “We see Finland as a very exciting market with great potential and are happy to be doing this in collaboration with the well-reputed Eira Hospital,” says Per Båtelson, Global Health Partner’s CEO. [More]

Before news of the November 5, Fort Hood shootings reached the public, oral and maxillofacial surgeons Major Mark E. Ranschaert, DMD and Major Joseph Dylan Bowles, DDS were in Fort Hood's Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center emergency room working to save the lives of the shooter's victims. [More]

Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs. Now it may be possible to identify which patients are more likely to survive by analyzing the activity of hundreds of genes involved in the immune response and gene proliferation, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center. [More]

Since her teens, Jennifer Jablon had watched family members deal with breast cancer during their 40s, 50s, and 60s. She wondered whether it would be her fate too. [More]

A study published this week in PNAS provides a comprehensive comparative functional anatomy study in human and monkey brains which reveals highly similar brain networks preserved across evolution. [More]

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company, announced today that revenues for the third quarter of 2009 increased 5 percent to a quarterly record of $28.2 million compared to $26.8 million for the third quarter of 2008. [More]

Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, proudly announced the release of a brand-new single volume comprehensive book on contemporary aesthetic plastic surgery. [More]

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for the company's Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to conduct a human clinical trial for its BioFoam® Surgical Matrix protein hydrogel technology. [More]

Cynosure, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of a broad array of light-based aesthetic treatment systems, today announced financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009. [More]