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New discovery can develop diagnostic test to identify gene mutation in AML

Decoding the DNA of a woman who died of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to a gene that they found to be commonly altered in many patients who died quickly of the disease.

11 Nov 2010

Health insurance open season questions? Here are some answers

With open season in full gear for many workers, Kaiser Health News columnist Michelle Andrews, who writes weekly on health insurance issues, answered questions submitted online by readers of The Washington Post Tuesday.

11 Nov 2010

Supported by emerging markets, General Electric healthcare raises growth projection to 10% per year

General Electric's healthcare division raised its projection for profit growth to 10 percent a year as emerging markets such as China spend more on medical equipment. GE Healthcare President John Dineen said his operation is positioned to benefit from big trends driving global health-care markets, including efforts aimed at lowering costs and improving quality.

11 Nov 2010

Study suggests mid-life cholesterol level may not linked to later development of Alzheimer's disease

Contrary to earlier research, a new, long-term study suggests that cholesterol level in mid-life may not be linked to later development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the November 10, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the results suggest that large decreases in cholesterol levels in old age could be a better predictor of developing the memory-robbing disease.

11 Nov 2010

Health law or no, most businesses likely to keep offering insurance

Kaiser Health News' Amita Parashar reports: "One of the most fundamental ideas in the new health law is that employers should offer health insurance to their workers, or else they would have to pay a penalty, beginning in 2014.

11 Nov 2010

Depression associated with molecular-level disturbance in body's 24-hour clock

Depression appears to be associated with a molecular-level disturbance in the body's 24-hour clock, new research suggests.

11 Nov 2010

Sen. Mcconnell to file amicus brief in support of health law challenge

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to file an amicus brief supporting a federal lawsuit challenging the health care overhaul championed by President Barack Obama, and he invited Republican Senators on Tuesday to join him.

11 Nov 2010

BCBS of Michigan alleged to have crushed pilot physical therapy program it saw as competition

USA Today: "As health care costs soared nationally, a small Michigan firm gave Ford Motor Co. a proposal to cut its physical therapy costs. The automaker signed up for an in-state pilot program, which was so successful Ford expanded it last year to cover about 390,000 employees, retirees and their families nationwide." But court "records allege Blue Cross used its position as the state's dominant insurer to try to crush TheraMatrix as it worked to also sign up Chrysler and General Motors.

11 Nov 2010

Study on zebrafish showcases neural basis of essential survival skill

A tiny, translucent juvenile zebrafish, on the hunt for even littler prey, has offered up a big insight into how a specific circuit of nerve cells functions in the brain. The technique used to illuminate this circuitry, and the fish model itself, provide one of the first insights into the way individual sets of neurons control a specific behavior.

11 Nov 2010

SRU Biosystems announces launch of annual Label-free Technology Award

SRU Biosystems, a leader in label-free technologies, announced today the launch of its annual Label-free Technology Award. This year the company will award its newest label-free BIND SCANNER to an academic or non-profit laboratory to support innovative scientific and drug discovery research.

11 Nov 2010

Study: Big employers unlikely to drop insurance under health law

News outlets report on the employer health insurance market.

11 Nov 2010

Guardian examines former Pres. Bush's reflection on PEPFAR in new memoir

The Guardian examines the reflections of former President George W. Bush on the $15bn President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) which distributed antiretroviral drugs to keep people with HIV alive, as the president describes in his recently released memoir, Decision Points.

11 Nov 2010

Amyris, Firmenich enter joint development agreement

Amyris, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration and joint development agreement with Firmenich, the largest privately-owned fragrance and flavor company, based in Geneva, Switzerland. This is the first agreement for Amyris in the fragrance and flavor industry and provides an opportunity to add higher-value ingredients to our expanding product portfolio.

11 Nov 2010

Spinal Column: New blog on spinal disorders

Clinicians seeking insight into the latest research on spinal disorders and its impact on their everyday clinical practice will find it in "The Spinal Column," a new weekly blog found on the Spine website. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

11 Nov 2010

SuperGen discontinues clinical development of SGI-1776 PIM kinase drug candidate

SuperGen, Inc. today announced that it has discontinued clinical development of its phase 1 PIM kinase drug candidate, SGI-1776, while continuing development of the PIM inhibitor program.

11 Nov 2010

Pres. Obama discusses U.S.-Indonesia partnership that includes improving health, science

During a stop in Indonesia on Tuesday as part of his 10-day Asia-Pacific tour, President Barack Obama together with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced a U.S.-Indonesia partnership that will encompass a variety of key issues such as science, technology, health and trade.

11 Nov 2010

Micromet to offer shares of common stock

Micromet, Inc. announced today that it intends, subject to market and other conditions, to offer shares of its common stock pursuant to an underwriting agreement with Piper Jaffray & Co. Piper Jaffray is acting as sole underwriter for this offering.

10 Nov 2010

Infant foods must be protected against fumonisin toxin

An international team of scientists calls for protecting complementary food for infants in developing countries - especially those where corn is a staple food - against fumonisin, a toxin produced by fungi. Until now, physicians thought the growth retardation of children in those regions was to be blamed on the poor nutritional value of the complementary maize porridge they receive when breast milk is no longer sufficient. But toxins indeed are involved, the scientists report in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

10 Nov 2010

GOP lawmakers push health law investigation, Democrats consider revisions and legacy

GOP lawmakers are considering using their new posts in powerful House committees to go after President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, and they're focusing on questions uppermost in the minds of consumers.

10 Nov 2010

Computer helps doctors make cost-saving decisions

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement will make a system that helps doctors make more informed decisions available Minnesota doctors next year. The system has apparently eliminated about $28 million a year in unnecessary tests in a trial program in which it was made available to about 2,000 Minnesota doctors.

10 Nov 2010