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Today's opinions and editorials

The tax I proposed — and the one most economists favor — would force employees to treat as income the value of health-care benefits they receive from their employer (Fred Hiatt, 10/27).

28 Oct 2009

Enrollment for Phase 2 clinical study of NKTR-102 completed ahead of schedule

Nektar Therapeutics today announced that it has completed enrollment ahead of schedule in its Phase 2 clinical study of NKTR-102 in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. NKTR-102 is Nektar's investigational proprietary compound currently being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical development in ovarian, breast and colorectal cancers.

28 Oct 2009

73% increase in antiviral prescriptions in the past two weeks: SDI

According to SDI’s Vector One®: National, antiviral prescriptions rose dramatically last week to over 648,000, an increase of more than 73% in the past two weeks. Antiviral prescriptions have climbed each week since the week ending Aug. 21, but the increases in the past two weeks have been significant.

28 Oct 2009

NYPNU serves a 10-day strike notice to Lenox Hill Hospital

The New York Professional Nurses Union (NYPNU) members voted overwhelmingly to strike at Lenox Hill Hospital and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Today, NYPNU has served Gladys George, President/CEO of Lenox Hill Hospital, with a 10-day strike notice and set a strike deadline of Monday, November 9.

28 Oct 2009

Catheter-directed therapy safe and effective for treating acute pulmonary embolism

William Kuo, MD, was the on-call interventional radiologist one Friday night three years ago when he received a call from the intensive care unit at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. He was asked to attend to a 62-year-old woman who had collapsed at home and was rushed to the emergency room with massive blood clots in her lungs.

28 Oct 2009

Rennes University Hospital surgeons undergo training for the SynCardia CardioWest Total Artificial Heart

On Oct. 26 & 27, the surgical team from Rennes University Hospital, led by Dr. Erwan Flecher and Prof. Jean-Philippe Verhoye, completed the first phase of certification training for the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart in Paris. The team trained exclusively with the new Companion Driver System, which received the CE Mark to power the Total Artificial Heart in Europe on Oct. 13.

28 Oct 2009

NRC guide recommends ways to foster science learning among all age groups

A great deal of science learning takes place outside of classrooms -- in museums and after-school programs, for example, and through TV programs, books, and online activities. SURROUNDED BY SCIENCE: LEARNING SCIENCE IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS, new from the National Research Council, recommends ways museum professionals, media specialists, and educators can create experiences that foster science learning for people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.

28 Oct 2009

Research experts to discuss best practices for research and development investments

Research management experts from across federal science agencies will gather in Washington, D.C., Oct. 28-29, to discuss approaches for identifying research priorities, exploring research performance management, and assessing the impact of completed research.

28 Oct 2009

Discovery of AVM can relieve pain due to chronic back pain and neurologic deficits

The discovery of a multi-level arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the thoracic epidural space can now bring relief to potentially thousands of suffers of chronic thoracic pain and progressive myelopothy. Identified as thoracic epidural arteriovenous malformation (T.E.A.M.), this particular AMV primarily affects younger women ages 20 to 40.

27 Oct 2009

CWRU grants licensing agreement to Bioptigen for FDOCT technology

Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center have granted to Bioptigen, of Research Triangle Park, N.C ., an exclusive intellectual property licensing agreement for Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FDOCT), an imaging technology developed from research at the university's Department of Biomedical Engineering.

27 Oct 2009

Interim results from FREEDOM study announced by NxStage Medical

NxStage Medical, Inc., a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today announced the latest interim results from its ongoing FREEDOM study. The FREEDOM data will be presented in posters at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Renal Week 2009, from October 27th to November 1st in San Diego.

27 Oct 2009

Video capsule endoscopy is safe for patients with heart devices

A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that video capsule endoscopy (CE), a procedure that uses wireless technology in diagnosing intestinal disease, is safe for patients with heart devices. Wireless electrical gadgets, such as cell phones, have been shown to interfere with implanted heart devices, including pacemakers and defibrillators. This risk has led medical experts to speculate that capsule endoscopy could similarly cause heart devices to fail.

27 Oct 2009

Patients with diverticulosis have lower incidence of polyps, says new study

A Henry Ford Hospital study questions the need for aggressive screening for colonic polyps in patients with diverticulosis.

27 Oct 2009

Pregabalin reduces abdominal pain and improves sleep in women with adhesions

Pregabalin, FDA-approved for neuropathic pain (pain caused by shingles and peripheral neuropathy), effectively reduced abdominal pain and improved sleep in women with adhesions, according to a Henry Ford study.

27 Oct 2009

Princeton University scientists and researchers team up to explore cancer evolution

Princeton University physical scientists will partner with researchers at four other institutions to explore the driving forces behind the evolution of cancer under a five-year, $15.2 million award from the National Cancer Institute.

27 Oct 2009

Small businesses face higher premiums, push for access to 'exchanges'

"As Congress nears votes on legislation that would overhaul the health care system, many small businesses say they are facing the steepest rise in insurance premiums they have seen in recent years," the New York Times reports.

27 Oct 2009

Unions worry about 'Cadillac' tax on expensive health insurance

"Unions representing thousands of teachers and state and local government workers are bracing for the worst if Congress adopts a proposed 'Cadillac' tax on health insurance," Newsday reports.

27 Oct 2009

President Obama declares H1N1 national emergency

President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 (swine) flu outbreak a national emergency, the Wall Street Journal reports. "The declaration, which Mr. Obama signed Friday, authorizes the administration to waive or modify certain federal requirements involving Medicare, Medicaid and health-privacy rules to speed treatment," the newspaper writes (McKay/Simpson/Whalen, 10/26).

26 Oct 2009

Observer examines calls for reworking health spending focus in Africa

The Observer examines the recent appeal by some health experts for an "overhaul of health spending in Africa," which, they say, focuses on HIV/AIDS and overlooks other deadly diseases, such as diarrhea.

26 Oct 2009

Internet training can improve brain activity in older adults

You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web.

26 Oct 2009