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UnitedHealth's profits rise while future gains may be impacted by reform

The Associated Press: "Insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. trumped first-quarter earnings expectations and raised its 2010 profit forecast Tuesday, but a meager stock reaction showed investors haven't forgotten about the recently concluded health care reform push. The Minnetonka, Minn., insurer said it trimmed the percentage of premium revenue it spent on medical bills for its commercial insurance to 79 percent, down from 81 percent in last year's first quarter."

21 Apr 2010

Cochlear implantation improves comprehension and spoken language expression in children under 5

Children under 5 years of age with severe hearing loss who underwent cochlear implantation experienced greater improvement in comprehension and expression in spoken language than would be predicted from their pre-implantation language scores, with younger age at implantation associated with greater improvements, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

Warning on hearing loss from personal music players

For the generation that cannot imagine living without their iPods here is some bad news. Listening to music at high volume can cause grave damage to your hearing. The risk is even higher for those who use earphones that are inserted into the ear canal as this intensifies the volume. There is growing evidence of young people having poorer hearing when they use such devices on a regular basis.

21 Apr 2010

New technique that involves voice analysis to diagnose Parkinson's disease developed

A new technique assisting in early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease has been developed by Prof. Shimon Sapir of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Haifa. This technique involves analysis of voice and articulation. The research was carried out alongside U.S. scientists and with funding from the National Institutes of Health, and results have been published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.

20 Apr 2010

Encorium Group reports 21.4% decrease in fourth-quarter net revenue

Encorium Group, Inc., a full service multinational clinical research organization conducting studies in over 30 countries for many of the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

20 Apr 2010

Researchers discover link between protein structure and hearing process

Rising from the top surface of each of the specialized receptor cells in our inner ears is a bundle of sensory cilia that responds to the movement of sound. As sensitive as they are fragile, these cilia can move to wisps of sound no larger than a molecule-but can shear at sounds that are larger than life.

17 Apr 2010

TruthAboutGardasil.org: Governments need to suspend HPV vaccinations/programs

The global outrage at reports of injustices inflicted on the children of India from unethical trials and experimentation of HPV vaccines in socially disadvantaged groups extends to women and children worldwide subjected to similar violations.

16 Apr 2010

Waxman backs away from challenge to big corporations on health costs

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver writes about the cancellation of an upcoming House Energy and Commerce Hearing and what it might mean: "A new congressional staff report has defused a standoff between Democrats and large corporations over losses the firms anticipate because of the new health overhaul law" (Weaver, 4/14).

16 Apr 2010

IRS official: If an individual fails to show insurance coverage, refund could be withheld

"The Internal Revenue Service won't audit you to make sure you have purchased health insurance under provisions of the new health-care law—but it may withhold your tax refund if you can't demonstrate that you are insured, an IRS official said Thursday," The Wall Street Journal reports. "There are tools we can use. We obviously will be notifying folks [for whom there is no record of health insurance] that we have these questions," Steven T. Miller, IRS deputy commissioner for services and enforcement, said.

16 Apr 2010

Lawmaker cancels hearing on big corporations' tax deductions related to health reform

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., canceled a hearing set for next week that would have probed recent announcements by large firms that they are taking millions of dollars in health law-related write-downs, Kaiser Health News reports.

16 Apr 2010

Sonic Innovations to unveil new 12-channel BTE hearing aid at AudiologyNOW! conference

Sonic Innovations, Inc. will unveil its new 12-channel super power behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid, Endura, at the AudiologyNOW! conference in San Diego, California, April 14 through 17. Endura provides exceptional amplification for those suffering from severe-to-profound hearing loss.

15 Apr 2010

Exclusive licensing practices slows innovation in gene testing market

Exclusive licenses to gene patents, most of which are held by academic institutions and based on taxpayer-funded research, do more to block competition in the gene testing market than to spur the development of new technologies for gauging disease risk, say researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP).

15 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 15, 2010

In today's headlines: The jobless benefits package, including a COBRA subsidy extension and Medicare-doctor pay fix, advances in the Senate. In the House, a committee chairman cancels a hearing on business health care complaints.

15 Apr 2010

Universal screening test for CMV infection is not effective, says study

DNA analysis of dried blood samples routinely collected from newborns did not effectively identify an infection that is a major cause of hearing loss in children, according to a study in the April 14 issue of JAMA.

15 Apr 2010

BRAMS selected to provide DSP tools to investigate brain plasticity in humans

Sonomax Technologies Inc. has been selected by Montr-al's International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research to provide miniaturized, real-time, in-ear, digital signal processing devices to investigate experience-dependent brain plasticity in humans.

15 Apr 2010

Copaxone achieves one million patient years of experience in treatment of RRMS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. announced today that Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate injection), has now achieved one million patient years of experience in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This analysis is based on internal data submitted annually to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

13 Apr 2010

IntriCon to launch Scenic DSP amplifier at AudiologyNOW!

IntriCon Corporation, a designer, developer, manufacturer and distributor of body-worn medical and electronics devices, will unveil its Scenic™ DSP amplifier at AudiologyNOW!, the annual convention of the American Academy of Audiology, being held April 14-17, 2010, at the San Diego Convention Center.

12 Apr 2010

Audiology NOW! 2010 Conference: Panasonic to announce entry into US Hearing Care market

Panasonic will today announce, at the Audiology NOW! 2010 Conference being held in this city, that it will enter the Hearing Care business in the U.S. market. The Conference, which is focused on hearing instruments and technologies to support audiologists and their patients, is the largest gathering of audiologists in the world. The company will make the announcement on site at its booth #2920 in the San Diego Convention Center.

From PHC Europe B.V. 12 Apr 2010

Smokers prepared to "say no" to the raise of cigarette tax

As New York prepares to raise the cigarette tax to $3.75 per pack, smokers are prepared to "say no" as the price of a pack of smokes hits a record price of $8.79.

9 Apr 2010

No link between dyslexia and lack of musical ability

There is no link between a lack of musical ability and dyslexia. Moreover, attempts to treat dyslexia with music therapy are unwarranted, according to scientists in Belgium writing in the current issue of the International Journal of Arts and Technology.

9 Apr 2010