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Lack of good health care curtails academic performance: Study

"Educationally relevant health disparities" are key drivers of the achievement gap, "but they are largely overlooked," said Charles Basch, the Richard March Hoe Professor of Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

25 Mar 2010

Swine flu closely related to 1918 Spanish flu pandemic

In research on the swine flu virus it has been seen that the virus may seem new, but it has old relatives. An influenza virus which was pandemic in 1918 is seen to be very closely related, structurally speaking, to the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. This virus has the dubious distinction of having claimed between 40 million to 100 million lives in the flu wave of 1918.

25 Mar 2010

The Children's Aid Society applauds healthcare reform bill

The following is a statement by Richard R. Buery, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children's Aid Society: "This morning when President Obama signed the historic Affordable Health Care for America Act, he took great strides towards improving the health of all children in the U.S.

24 Mar 2010

Life Technologies' real-time PCR instrument available for IVD use in Europe

Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced that its Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Dx Real-Time PCR Instrument is available as a platform suitable for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) use in Europe. Clinical laboratories from 22 countries and European institutions that develop in vitro molecular diagnostic assays in oncology, genetic disease and infectious disease will now be able to leverage the instrument’s regulatory clearance to develop tests for clinical applications.

24 Mar 2010

Washington State mercury-limit suspension for swine flu vaccine ends

When it comes to some diseases prevention still is better than cure and swine flu is one such disease. The sheer global panic that gripped nations last year is hard to forget. The PanvaxH1N1 vaccine is specifically manufactured to target the influenza (A) H1N1 strain known more popularly as swine flu. Getting the flu shots may be crucial in prevention of spread of the highly contagious disease. Health officials say that the H1N1 strain of flu is still circulating but at low levels.

24 Mar 2010

Walgreens's fiscal 2010 second-quarter sales up 3.1% to $17.0 billion

Walgreens today announced earnings and sales for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010.

23 Mar 2010

iHealthCast.com launched to allow patients consult with doctors from home

Most people want better access to health care for themselves and their family, however a major obstacle in achieving this is the time and hassle involved in seeing a doctor. Many find the whole process discouraging.

23 Mar 2010

Researchers devise simple water test to check for herbicide clomazone

University of California, Davis, scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways -- including drinking-water sources and a globally valuable nature reserve.

23 Mar 2010

First reported Australian swine flu case of 2010 – gearing up with protective measures

Swine flu a form of influenza, became a major health scare assuming pandemic proportions starting in Mexico early last year. There were 37,000 confirmed cases in Australia with 5,000 hospitalizations, 700 admissions in intensive care units and 191 deaths.

23 Mar 2010

Chest x-rays may help identify high-risk H1N1 patients

A new study published in the April issue of Radiology suggests that chest x-rays may play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of H1N1 influenza by predicting which patients are likely to become sicker.

23 Mar 2010

WHO H1N1 vaccine shipments headed to more developing countries

The WHO on Friday announced "it had delivered the first doses of H1N1 [swine flu] vaccine to Cuba, and a dozen countries in Africa would receive millions of doses in coming weeks," Reuters reports.

23 Mar 2010

New understanding of cell in immune system may guide creation of effective flu vaccines: Study

A new understanding of a certain cell in the immune system may help guide scientists in creating better flu vaccines, report researchers from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Immune Disease Institute at Children's Hospital Boston.

23 Mar 2010

Legacy Biotechnologies, Phillips Sales and Marketing reach agreement to distribute Reme-Flu remedy

Nuvilex, Inc., announces today that Legacy Biotechnologies, Inc., its joint venture partner in Reme-Flu™ homeopathic flu remedy, has reached an agreement with Phillips Sales and Marketing to begin the national sales and marketing campaign for retail distribution of Reme-Flu™.

22 Mar 2010

Vical awarded contract to conduct Phase 1 clinical trial of Vaxfectin-formulated DNA vaccine against A/H1N1

Vical Incorporated announced today that the U.S. Navy, through the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., has awarded Vical a contract to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of the company's Vaxfectin®-formulated DNA vaccine against A/H1N1 pandemic influenza (swine flu).

22 Mar 2010

Swine flu risk to pregnant women uncovered in landmark study

A study to be published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) today has found 11 percent of pregnant women admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with 2009 A/H1N1 (swine flu) died, with 12 percent of babies born to them dying from complications. None of the mothers had been immunised against seasonal flu.

22 Mar 2010

Pressure BioSciences announces presentations on advantages of PCT

Pressure BioSciences, Inc. today announced that five presentations on the advantages of pressure cycling technology (PCT) in the preparation, processing, identification, and quantification of proteins were made at last week's annual meeting of US HUPO (Human Proteomics Organization) in Denver, Colorado.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 19 Mar 2010

FDA categorizes Nanosphere's RVNATSP assay on Verigene SP System as "Moderate Complexity"

Nanosphere, Inc., a leader in the development and commercialization of advanced molecular diagnostics systems, received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its respiratory virus panel (RVNATSP) performed on the Verigene SP System has been categorized as "Moderate Complexity" under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA).

19 Mar 2010

Overall mortality rates at Bay Medical Center in Panama City drop 1.3 points

Overall mortality rates from the end of 2007 to the beginning of 2010 at Bay Medical Center in Panama City, Florida have dropped from 3.4 to 2.1. A 1.3-point drop represents a huge reduction for any hospital and translates into lives saved.

19 Mar 2010

H1N1 flu pandemic awareness helps Americans to be better prepared this year: Survey

With almost half of respondents saying they believe a sneeze travels eight feet or more, one might think you would be sick all the time. But a recent national survey of 1,017 U.S. adult men and women (age 18+) conducted by Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., maker of Zicam, found a majority of Americans polled surprisingly saw this cold and flu season as "about the same" (42%) or only "slightly worse" (21%) from last year, despite all the hype this past fall around H1N1.

19 Mar 2010

GSK's 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report published online

In its 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report published online today, GSK reiterated its commitment to running its business responsibly and to making the company more responsive, more flexible and more open to the expectations of society.

19 Mar 2010