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MCSA Tool for colonoscopy trainees to assess cognitive and motor skills

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, have developed a new skills assessment tool for colonoscopy trainees.

15 Dec 2010

Targeting mutant BRAF can kill cancer cells, but cannot finish off melanoma

This past summer saw a revolution in melanoma therapy. Patients whose melanoma lesions contain a mutation in the BRAF gene were successfully treated with a BRAF-specific inhibitor, PLX4032. Reports of the drug trial described shrinking tumors and improved health. Yet seven months after therapy began the tumors returned and resumed growing. Now, scientists at The Wistar Institute explain why: the tumor learns to signal around the blocked gene by adjusting its molecular wiring.

15 Dec 2010

Anoles key to medically applicable regeneration?

Anolis lizards first entered Arizona State University biologist Kenro Kusumi's life in 1980 when, as a member of a junior curator program, he recorded in his field notebook that he had found an Anolis egg on a field trip. Kusumi still has those notes, along with other memorabilia that document the influence that both his early life and more recent experiences have had on his current pursuits in developmental biology.

15 Dec 2010

Scientists perform metagenomic analysis of bacterial immune system for personalized oral health care

The human body is home to a complex ecosystem of microbes increasingly recognized as having a critical role in both health and disease.

14 Dec 2010

North Castle completes sale of Atkins

North Castle Partners, a leading investor in small-cap consumer companies focused on health, wellness and active living, announced today that the firm and its co-investors have completed the sale of Atkins Nutritional Holdings, Inc..

10 Dec 2010

Central Logic rebrands event series to Patient Flow Summit

Central Logic, the healthcare industry's leading provider of innovative patient flow software and consultative expertise, today announced it is expanding its flagship industry summit from a single annual gathering held each summer in its hometown of Salt Lake City to a semi-annual pair of conferences staged each spring and fall closer to both coasts.

9 Dec 2010

Researchers develop statistical model to predict severity of seasonal influenza

Researchers have developed a statistical model for projecting how many people will get sick from seasonal influenza based on analyses of flu viruses circulating that season. The research, conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, appears today in the open-access publication PLoS Currents: Influenza.

9 Dec 2010

Researchers to address HRQOL issues for pediatric patients with IBD at annual conference

The management of children with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis has evolved significantly over the past decade. With a surge of pediatric research in the field, quality of life has become an important focus of study, as indicated by the number of related abstracts that will be presented at the 2010 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's Clinical & Research Conference beginning tomorrow in Hollywood, Florida.

9 Dec 2010

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researcher awarded 2011 Gani Medal for Human Genetics

Major advances in our understanding of human evolution have seen Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researcher Dr Alicia Oshlack awarded the 2011 Gani Medal for Human Genetics by the Australian Academy of Science.

9 Dec 2010

Issues in health delivery: Hospital-spread infections; Finger-prick blood tests for diabetes; Medicare spent millions on unnecessary stents

News outlets report on a variety of issues and developments related to quality of care and health delivery systems.

8 Dec 2010

Blocking quorum sensing would prevent bacteria from turning pathogenic

Bacteria are among the simplest organisms in nature, but many of them can still talk to each other, using a chemical "language" that is critical to the process of infection. Sending and receiving chemical signals allows bacteria to mind their own business when they are scarce and vulnerable, and then mount an attack after they become numerous enough to overwhelm the host's immune system.

7 Dec 2010

Researchers decipher mechanism responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth

The Groningen professors Bauke Dijkstra and Lubbert Dijkhuizen have deciphered the structure and functional mechanism of the glucansucrase enzyme that is responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth. This knowledge will stimulate the identification of substances that inhibit the enzyme. Just add that substance to toothpaste, or even sweets, and caries will be a thing of the past. The results of the research have been published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

4 Dec 2010

NetDimensions releases Enterprise Knowledge Platform version 6.3

NetDimensions, a global provider of performance, knowledge and Learning Management Systems (LMS), announced today the release of version 6.3 of the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP), the company's award-winning learning management system.

3 Dec 2010

Covidien's iDrive powered stapling system granted FDA 510(k) clearance

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products and recognized innovator in surgical stapling applications, today announced 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the iDrive™ powered stapling system. This reusable stapling platform is battery-powered, enabling one-handed push-button operation of all primary controls and a reduction in the required firing force when compared to traditional endomechanical surgical staplers.

2 Dec 2010

Inserting plant's clock gene could replace circardian clock defect in humans

A gene that controls part of the 'tick tock' in a plant's circadian clock has been identified by UC Davis researchers. And not only is the plant gene very similar to one in humans, but the human gene can work in plant cells and vice versa.

2 Dec 2010

Endo acquires Qualitest Pharmaceuticals

Endo Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ENDP) announced today the completion of its acquisition of Qualitest Pharmaceuticals. Endo announced Sept. 28 that it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, a leading, privately held generics company in the U.S., for approximately $1.2 billion in cash.

2 Dec 2010

World AIDS day opinions

In a Washington Post opinion piece, former President George W. Bush reflects on his administration's commitment to fight HIV/AIDS around the world. "In all of these efforts, my concern was results.

1 Dec 2010

Study reveals major findings of National Cancer Registry of Spain for Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours

The National Cancer Registry of Spain for Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours (RGETNE) is the first initiative of its type in southern Europe and focuses its efforts on profiling the incidence of gastroenteropancreatic tumours, improving diagnosis and treatment efficacy, and determining the clinical profile of patients across Spain.

1 Dec 2010

Odors in womb sensitize fetus to smells, alters brain development

A major new study shows that a pregnant mother's diet not only sensitizes the fetus to those smells and flavors, but physically changes the brain directly impacting what the infant eats and drinks in the future.

1 Dec 2010

AHRQ selects Outcome to develop new Registry of Patient Registries database

Outcome Sciences, Inc. (OUTCOME), the leading provider of patient registries, studies, and technologies for evaluating real-world outcomes, today announced that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded Outcome a task order to design and develop a new Registry of Patient Registries (RoPR) database.

1 Dec 2010