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Changes to flexible spending accounts raise concerns

NPR reports on the upcoming change to flexible spending accounts, when "you'll no longer be able to set aside pretax dollars in that account to use for medicines bought without a doctor's prescription," and looks at the "loophole" that may allow consumers to use FSA dollars on over-the-counter medication if they obtain a prescription for it.

12 Nov 2010

Medical Facilities third quarter revenue increases 4.2% to $51.0 million

Medical Facilities Corporation, today reported its financial results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2010. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars unless indicated otherwise.

12 Nov 2010

Alcohol consumption among young Spaniards linked to night-time violence

Night-time violence among young Spaniards is becoming ever more common, according to a research study carried out by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention. The study shows that 5.2% of young people carry weapons when they go out at night, 11.6% have been attacked or threatened, and 23% have got into a fight at some time.

12 Nov 2010

Female veterans less likely to engage in binge drinking

According to a new spotlight by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), female veterans aged 20-39 are far less likely to engage in binge drinking or the use of substances such as cigarettes and illicit drugs than male veterans of the same age group.

12 Nov 2010

Working of doctor's office

While undergoing an X-ray, Holly Gage, of Bowmansville, Pa., shared details about her medical concerns with the technician and asked questions about the results, only to find out the technician wasn't permitted to answer them.

12 Nov 2010

New MoDEL database to study biology of proteins

After four years of conducting intensive calculations in the supercomputer MareNostrum at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, scientists headed by Modesto Orozco at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have presented the world's largest data base on protein motions. Called MoDEL, this new database holds more than 1,700 proteins and is partially accessible through Internet to researchers worldwide. MoDEL has been developed to study the basic biology of proteins and to accelerate and facilitate the design of new pharmaceutical agents.

12 Nov 2010

New findings shed light on biology of neuropsychiatric diseases

The biggest surprise to me was that we could rescue the autistic phenotype [in the human cells] to something close to normal, said Alysson Muotri of the University of California San Diego.

12 Nov 2010

Researchers study Rett neurons in a Petri dish

A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.

12 Nov 2010

Scientists create functional neurons to study ASD development

Using induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Rett syndrome, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created functional neurons that provide the first human cellular model for studying the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could be used as a tool for drug screening, diagnosis and personalized treatment.

12 Nov 2010

Drug industry roundup: Fosamax trial focuses scrutiny on osteoporosis drugs; What about $4 generics; Recalls undermining confidence

The New York Times: A civil trial against the drugmaker Merck is now underway in Manhattan. A retired investigator for the U.S. army is one of 1,400 people suing the company on the premise that Fosamax, a Merck drug used by millions of women with thinning bones, caused them to develop jawbone ailments.

12 Nov 2010

SLIT immunotherapy effective for long-term remission of bothersome allergy symptoms

Antihistamines and nasal steroids offer good short-term options for people with mild allergy, but allergy immunotherapy, better known as "allergy shots," is a preferred method for achieving long term remission of more bothersome allergy symptoms. Allergists mark the 100th anniversary of immunotherapy and present the latest advances at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) annual scientific meeting in Phoenix, Nov. 11-16.

12 Nov 2010

Ordway, Milestone to develop drug formulation for administration through CompuFlo injection technology

Milestone Scientific Inc., the recognized leader in advanced, computer controlled drug delivery technologies, and Ordway Research Institute, a leading research and drug development organization, have agreed to develop drug formulations for precise targeted delivery of drugs to affected body parts, organs and cancerous tissue through Milestone's patented CompuFlo injection technology.

12 Nov 2010

GPR124 protein controls growth of blood vessels into brains

One protein single-handedly controls the growth of blood vessels into the developing brains of mice embryos, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Understanding how the protein, a cellular receptor, functions could help clinicians battle brain tumors and stroke by choking off or supplementing vital blood-vessel development, and may enhance the delivery of drugs across the blood-brain barrier.

12 Nov 2010

Lancet series focuses on chronic diseases, development

"Just a small percentage of low- and middle-income countries' health care budgets are allocated toward the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases even though such illnesses are expected to account for 69% of global deaths by 2030," according to a paper published Wednesday in the Lancet, as part of a series on chronic disease and development, ModernHealthcare.com reports.

12 Nov 2010

Oligomerix receives SBIR Phase II grant to develop drugs for Alzheimer’s disease

Oligomerix, Inc. today announced the receipt of a two-year Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $1.6M from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH), for a program to discover small molecules and antibodies targeting tau protein oligomers in the development of disease modifying therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2010

Diabetic drug may retard growth of fluid-filled cysts in PKD: Research

Researchers report that a drug commonly used to treat diabetes may also retard the growth of fluid-filled cysts of the most common genetic disorder, polycystic kidney disease.

12 Nov 2010

COMP issues positive opinion for Celsion's ThermoDox Orphan Drug Designation

Celsion Corporation, a leading oncology drug development company, today announced that the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a positive opinion on the application for Orphan Drug Designation for ThermoDox, a proprietary heat-activated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), commonly referred to as primary liver cancer.

12 Nov 2010

NaturalNano's HNT can improve separation of CTCs from blood

NaturalNano, Inc. announced that Andrew Hughes is presenting today research from Cornell University's Department of Biomedical Engineering that reports significant improvement in the ability of medical devices in development to target the separation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood are significantly improved by the use of NaturalNano's Halloysite Nanotubes (HNT) as part of the surface. The devices are designed to remove CTCs from the blood of cancer patients as part of a more personalized approach to cancer treatment.

12 Nov 2010

Comparative effectiveness push tailed by controversy, distrust

Two-third of Americans agree that studies comparing treatments are needed, but even more 75 percent say the government and insurers would use the results of such studies to ration medical care, MarketWatch reports.

12 Nov 2010

Calif. nurses emerge as political force; Iowa official under fire for strict policy on nursing home inspections; new 'homey' facilities for seniors increasing

One of California's most powerful political players these days is a Bay Area-based nurses' union, which helped torpedo Republican Meg Whitman's efforts to become governor and boosted the prospects of the eventual winning candidate, Democrat Jerry Brown.

12 Nov 2010