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Employers can play key role in promoting better health: Report

As the U.S. continues to struggle with both cost and quality issues in an evolving health care system, employers can play a key role in promoting better health and more efficient use of resources, The Health Project reported this week.

17 Aug 2010

Neuroscience scientist unveils leverage mirror neuron theory to promote sales

The Buying Brain, Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious, a researcher in Professor Giancomo Rizzolati's neuroscience laboratory at the University of Parma in Italy was enjoying a frozen treat while a monkey sat nearby, connected to equipment that monitored his brainwave activity. Upon seeing the lab assistant enjoying the gelato, neurons in the monkey's own brain instantly fired, matching the activity the primate was observing. In effect, in his own subconscious, that monkey was going through all the motions that the lab assistant was actually performing and enjoying. Thus was launched what Dr. Pradeep explains in "The Empathic Brain" chapter as mirror neuron theory.

17 Aug 2010

'Heart-wrenching' Pakistan floods need more aid from international community, U.N. Secretary-General says

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that the flooding in Pakistan is the worst natural disaster he has seen and called on the international community to expedite the aid effort, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ban traveled to flooded areas of the country and surveyed damage on Sunday (Rodriguez, 8/16).

17 Aug 2010

Natick VNA offers checklist to help patients make informed choice of home health care provider

Home from the hospital already? As stays for hospital patients grow progressively shorter, even for procedures as serious as repairing a brain aneurysm or inserting a pacemaker, patients' need for highly skilled nursing care at home is growing. Indeed, every week, thousands of these patients are referred to home health care services.

17 Aug 2010

Zebrafish-yeast approach for studying copper deficiency, complex multifactorial diseases

Copper deficiency diseases can be devastating. Symptoms can range from crippling neurological degeneration in Menkes disease ,a classic copper deficiency disease to brittle bones, anaemia and defective skin pigmentation in gastric bypass patients. Unfortunately, very little is known about how the body uses this essential nutrient. Knowing that melanocytes (the cells that give rise to hair, skin and eye pigmentation) are dramatically affected by the effects of copper deficiency, Elizabeth Patton from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and other colleagues from UK and US based labs decided to find out how melanocytes metabolise copper.

17 Aug 2010

Key scientific work in Cardio3 BioSciences' C-Cure stem cell heart failure treatment published in JACC

Cardio3 BioSciences, a leading Belgian biotechnology company specialising in regenerative therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, today announces that the key scientific work underlying its lead pharmaceutical product C-Cure(R), a revolutionary stem cell treatment for heart failure, has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). The findings were described as "landmark work" in the accompanying editorial in today's publication.

17 Aug 2010

Psychological stress in middle age increases risk of dementia later in life

Psychological stress in middle age could lead to the development of dementia later in life, especially Alzheimer's disease, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on data from a study which followed women for 35 years, this is the first research in Sweden to indicate a link between stress and dementia.

17 Aug 2010

Cambridge Heart second quarter 2010 total revenue decreases 18%

Cambridge Heart, Inc., today reported results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010. Full financial statements and corresponding commentary can be found in the Company's Form 10-Q, which is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 16, 2010.

17 Aug 2010

Human adult stem cells can regenerate damaged heart tissue: Research

Mayo Clinic investigators, with Belgian collaborators, have demonstrated that rationally "guided" human adult stem cells can effectively heal, repair and regenerate damaged heart tissue. The findings called "landmark work" in an accompanying editorial appear in today's Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Aug 2010

Thickening of neck artery wall increases risk of heart attack, stroke: Study

Researchers for the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studied 5,614 Italians in four villages and found that those who scored high for antagonistic traits on a standard personality test had greater thickening of the neck (carotid) arteries compared to people who were more agreeable. Thickness of neck artery walls is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

17 Aug 2010

Researchers visualize ruptures of atherosclerotic plaques with multi-color CT and gold nanoparticles

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time developed a way to visualize coronary artery plaques vulnerable to rupture using multi-color computed tomography (CT), an innovation that will lead to better and earlier diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. The data are published in the September issue of Radiology.

17 Aug 2010

Study finds abnormal expression of miRNAs can contribute to human diseases

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center have identified an RNA sequence that promotes increased numbers of specific microRNAs (miRNAs), molecules that regulate cell growth, development, and stress response. The discovery helps researchers understand the links between miRNA expression and disease, including heart disease and cancer. The findings are published in the August 13 issue of Molecular Cell.

17 Aug 2010

Australia’s first artificial heart in place

Angelo Tigano, 50 was given only two weeks to live at the start of this month. But last week surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney gave him the country's first artificial heart after a five-hour operation to keep him alive.

16 Aug 2010

Amphetamine abuse associated with increased risk of aortic dissection

Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a tear in the main artery leading from the heart, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

16 Aug 2010

Massachusetts General Hospital implants Levacor Ventricular Assist Device

World Heart Corporation, a developer of mechanical circulatory systems, announced today that the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. has successfully implanted its first Levacor™ Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Mass General is the fifth implanting site nationwide in the Levacor VAD Bridge-to-Transplant (BTT) Study. This is the eleventh implant with the Levacor VAD since the inception of the BTT study.

16 Aug 2010

Align Technology releases Invisalign G3 for greater predictability of tooth movements

Align Technology, Inc. today announced the launch of Invisalign® G3, the most significant collection of new features and innovations in the company's history. Invisalign G3 is engineered to deliver even better clinical results, with new aligner and software features that make it easier to use Invisalign with Class II and Class III patients, new SmartForce™ features designed for increased predictability of certain tooth movements, and simpler, more intuitive software to streamline treatment planning and review.

16 Aug 2010

Smart for Life continues to improve Chocolate Chip Cookie

The trailblazing company whose Smart for Life weight management products featuring the cookie diet component has recently improved its Chocolate Chip Cookie to include the most protein offered in a meal replacement cookie on the market at a whopping 6 grams per serving. The amount of protein found in meal replacements is instrumental in curbing hunger, maintaining muscle mass, and providing energy, not to mention contributing to weight loss.

16 Aug 2010

Nile Therapeutics second quarter 2010 net loss decreases to $1.5 million

Nile Therapeutics, Inc.,a company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for heart failure patients, today announced its second quarter financial results for 2010.

16 Aug 2010

Kaiser Permanente uses integrated care delivery model to aid mothers understand benefits of breastfeeding

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and Kaiser Permanente believes that one of the most important choices a mother can make to promote the health of her family is to choose to breastfeed exclusively. Kaiser Permanente, with more than 90,000 births in 2009, uses its integrated care delivery model to help mothers understand the benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and child and support the mother's infant feeding decision.

16 Aug 2010

Exercise can ease arthritis pain

People with arthritis who exercise have less pain, more energy, improved sleep, and better day-to-day function, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

16 Aug 2010