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Philanthropist awards Mayo Clinic $100 million to establish Proton Beam Therapy Program

Mayo Clinic today announced long-time patient and philanthropist Richard O. Jacobson has given a $100 million gift to help establish the multi-site Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Program. This is the largest outright gift in the clinic's history, as well as the largest gift Mr. Jacobson has made to any single institution.

3 Feb 2011

Rare new disease identified – calcium accumulates in blood vessels

A new rare disease has been identified. Louise Benge’s started having difficulty in walking when she was 25. She developed hardening and pain over her calves and hands. She worsened over the next 20 years. Her family physician in Mount Vernon, Ky., was at a loss, as were a vascular specialist, a hand specialist and a kidney specialist. Her two sisters and two brothers had the problem too, but no doctor could understand why.

3 Feb 2011

Neurons activated by learning show extensive expansion of structure

When a laboratory rat learns how to reach for and grab a food pellet - a pretty complex and unnatural act for a rodent - the acquired knowledge significantly alters the structure of the specific brain cells involved, which sprout a whopping 22 percent more dendritic spines connecting them to other motor neurons.

3 Feb 2011

Surrogate questions imaging can answer about cancer

A Professor who is investigating how modern body imaging techniques can be adapted to answer new questions - such as the anti-cancer properties of fish oils and green tea, or establishing cause of death in forensic investigation - is to give a free public lecture at the University of Leicester.

3 Feb 2011

MEDNAX fourth quarter net income increases to $53.8 million

MEDNAX, Inc., the national medical group specializing in neonatal, maternal-fetal, pediatric cardiology, other pediatric subspecialty and anesthesia physician services today reported earnings per share of $1.12 for the three months ended December 31, 2010, that were driven by the Company's successful acquisition efforts throughout the year.

3 Feb 2011

Chances of surviving cardiac arrests high in large public venues having AEDs

A study of more than 14,000 men and women whose hearts stopped suddenly suggests that the chances of survival are very high if such cardiac arrests are witnessed in large public venues, including airports, sports arenas or malls. The reasons, researchers say, are that almost four out of five such cases appear to be due to a survivable type of heart rhythm disruption and that big places with lots of people are more likely to have an automated external defibrillator, or AED device, handy, along with those who can apply it as well as CPR.

3 Feb 2011

Physicians should contribute some efforts to improve patient safety, outcomes

Efforts to keep hospital patients safe and continually improve the overall results of health care can't work unless medical centers figure out a way to get physicians more involved in the process.

3 Feb 2011

PBOI to leverage revenue cycle management services from NextGen Practice Solutions

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced that Palm Beach Orthopaedic Institute will leverage revenue cycle management services from NextGen Practice Solutions to optimize its collections and drive business growth.

3 Feb 2011

New England Journal publishes fidaxomicin Phase 3 trial results against CDI

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, announced The New England Journal of Medicine has published results from the North American Phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Company's novel antibiotic fidaxomicin as a treatment for patients with Clostridium difficile infection.

3 Feb 2011

Generic drugs to treat hypertension, heart failure could help NHS save £200 million

Using a generic drug to treat hypertension and heart failure, instead of branded medicines from the same class, could save the UK National Health Service (NHS) at least £200 million in 2011 without any real reduction in clinical benefits.

3 Feb 2011

Researchers develop hard X-ray laser to determine structure of biomolecules

Unraveling the molecular basis of life is an age-old quest of humanity. A breakthrough towards this goal was reported in a pair of studies published Feb. 3 in the scientific journal Nature, detailing a new method developed to determine structures of biomolecules based on diffraction from protein nanocrystals that are so small that they are not even visible under the microscope.

3 Feb 2011

Intermittent use of preventive malaria drugs in children found to help prevent malaria transmission, studies say

Three studies published on Tuesday in PLoS Medicine show that "intermittent use of preventive antimalarial drugs can be beneficial in curbing the spread of the disease in children," Agence France-Presse reports (2/1).

3 Feb 2011

UT Southwestern leads national effort to find effective treatments for drug addiction

UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatry researchers are leading the Texas arm of a national network that conducts clinical trials aimed at finding effective treatments for drug addiction.

3 Feb 2011

Economist Conferences to holding 17th annual The Pharma Summit 2011 in London

Economist Conferences is holding its 17th annual The Pharma Summit 2011 in London on Thursday February 10 2011. The theme this year is 'Reinventing Pharma for a new generation' and will bring together over 150 senior executives from across the Pharma sector, including some of the industry's most influential names.

3 Feb 2011

Fidaxomicin demonstrates 45% reduction in recurrences vs. existing treatment for C. difficile infection

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant and growing problem in hospitals and other health care facilities, but no new drugs to treat the condition have been developed in several decades. However, a large-scale, phase 3 trial conducted by Canadian and U.S. researchers shows that the new antibiotic Fidaxomicin is superior to existing treatments, demonstrating a 45 percent reduction in recurrences vs. the existing licensed treatment.

3 Feb 2011

Lead exposure can lead to high blood pressure in pregnant women: Study

Even minute amounts of lead may take a toll on pregnant women, according to a study published by Lynn Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Dean of George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services in D.C., and colleagues, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

3 Feb 2011

Merck announces publication of GARDASIL pivotal Phase III study data in NEJM

Merck announced today that data from the pivotal Phase III study with GARDASIL in males were published in the February 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 Feb 2011

Cervical cancer screening rates are quite low among older, poorer South Asians

Immigrant women in Ontario are not screened for cervical cancer as often as native-born Canadians, with the lowest rates being among older, poorer South Asians, new research shows.

3 Feb 2011

HealthCore, AstraZeneca collaborate to conduct real-world studies on disease states, treatment

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP and HealthCore, the health outcomes research subsidiary of WellPoint, today announced a collaborative agreement to conduct real-world studies designed to determine how to most effectively and economically treat disease.

3 Feb 2011

New study highlights black box warning inconsistencies on drug's label

A new study highlights inconsistencies in black box warnings - medication-related safety warnings on a drug's label - and argues for a more transparent and systematic approach to ensure these warnings are consistent across all drugs within a same category, and any additions to warnings, on the back of a drug withdrawal for example, are done within a reasonable and uniform time period.

3 Feb 2011