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Blue Belt's Navio PFS System receives CE Mark approval

Blue Belt Technologies, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing the next generation of "smart" surgical instruments providing precise robotic control for use initially in orthopedic procedures and then for other surgical specialties including neurosurgery, spinal and otolaryngology, announced today that it has received CE Mark for the Navio™ PFS System.

24 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 24, 2012

Today's headlines include reports detailing what becomes of the deficit -- particularly at this time of rising Medicare costs for the aging population -- under the plans being advanced by the GOP presidential candidates.

24 Feb 2012

Biofund, Quintiles to expand clinical development services in Russia

Russian Venture Company Biofund, a Russian-based investment firm, and Quintiles, the world's leading biopharmaceutical services company, today announced a definitive agreement to support expansion of clinical development services within the Russian Federation, the world's ninth most populous country.

24 Feb 2012

New Huntington's drug might operate via previously unknown mechanisms of action

A study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that a new drug for Huntington's disease - pridopidine or dopamine stabiliser ACR16 - might operate via previously unknown mechanisms of action. Researchers have found that at very low concentrations, ACR16 binds to the sigma-1 receptor, a protein in the brain important to neuronal function and survival.

24 Feb 2012

Western Dental Services celebrates expansion into Northern California

Western Dental Services, Inc., celebrates its continuing expansion into Northern California with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, February 28th, at its newest office in Livermore.

24 Feb 2012

Researchers uncover how phytoplankton release powerful toxins into environment

Each year, phytoplankton blooms known as "red tides" kill millions of fish and other marine organisms and blanket vast areas of coastal water around the world. Though the precise causes of red tides remain a mystery, a team of researchers in the United States and Spain has solved one of the main riddles about these ecological disasters by uncovering the specific mechanism that triggers phytoplankton to release their powerful toxins into the environment.

24 Feb 2012

Aerocrine net sales increase 10% to SEK 93.5m for January - December 2011

Aerocrine: January - December 2011. Global Net sales grew by 10% to SEK 93.5m (84.7). Adjusted for currency fluctuations, net sales rose by 18%.

24 Feb 2012

Calorie listings on fast-food chain restaurant menus do not benefit consumers

Calorie listings on fast-food chain restaurant menus might meet federal labeling requirements but don't do a good job of helping consumers trying to make healthy meal choices, a new Columbia University School of Nursing (CUSON) study reports.

24 Feb 2012

Bathtub refinishers may cause work-related death

The deaths of at least 13 workers who were refinishing bathtubs have been linked to a chemical used in products to strip surfaces of paint and other finishes.

24 Feb 2012

FDA clears invendo medical's new C20 colonoscopy system

invendo medical announced today that the company received 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the company's new C20 colonoscopy system including the SC20 single-use colonoscope.

24 Feb 2012

Sandvik reaches agreement with Orchid to sell medical solutions unit

Sandvik has reached an agreement with Orchid Orthopedic Solutions (Orchid), owned by Altor Fund III, to divest Sandvik Medical Solutions, a unit within the Sandvik Venture business area with contract manufacturing of medical implants and instruments for orthopaedic and dental applications.

24 Feb 2012

NSF project aims to develop online HIV prevention tools for African-American women

African-American women make up a disproportionate number of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Researchers from North Carolina State University are trying to change that, leading a National Science Foundation project aimed at developing HIV/AIDS prevention materials that resonate with African-American female college students.

24 Feb 2012

Saving Lives at Birth partnership launches second round grants

"Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development on Wednesday launched its second call for innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the world," a USAID press release states.

24 Feb 2012

Study evaluates how environmental triggers might alter epigenetics of CFS

A University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) researcher is examining how environmental triggers might alter gene function in people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The research could lead to better insights into the disease and eventually to new treatments.

24 Feb 2012

Supreme Court sends Calif. Medicaid case back to lower court

At issue was a federal appeals court ruling allowing patients and health care providers to sue over California's cuts in Medicaid payment rates. The high court sent the case back to the court in San Francisco to consider whether private parties or only the federal government can object to Medicaid reductions.

24 Feb 2012

Study looks at link between family members' behaviours and hoarders

People collect things all the time: books, newspapers, stamps. But when a casual hobby turns into an incessant need to hoard, it becomes a disorder that requires intervention. But how much of hoarders' behaviours are influenced by their loved ones? Ryerson researchers are investigating these relationships in a new study looking at the link between family members' behaviours and individuals who hoard.

24 Feb 2012

Curbing consequences of obesity takes personal responsibility

A recently released OECD report "spells out the toll obesity can take on one's health and on health care costs," Indianapolis Star reporter Barb Berggoetz writes in this Star opinion piece, adding, "Obese people die on average eight to 10 years sooner than people at normal weight."

24 Feb 2012

Dopamine therapy can boost creativity in patients with Parkinson's

Some Parkinson's Disease patients can suddenly become creative when they take dopamine therapy, producing pictures, sculptures, novels and poetry. But their new-found interests can become so overwhelming that they ignore other aspects of their everyday life, such as daily chores and social activities, according to research published in the March issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

24 Feb 2012

Vt., Okla. lawmakers mull creating health insurance exchanges

Lawmakers in Vermont and Oklahoma are the latest to grapple with creating a state health insurance exchange. In Vermont, the governor is defending his proposal for an exchange for small businesses while Oklahoma lawmakers are mulling creating their own so the federal government doesn't do it for them.

24 Feb 2012

Forest Laboratories' Colobreathe dry powder inhaler receives EMA approval

Forest Laboratories, Inc., an international pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer, today announced that it has been granted European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval to market Colobreathe dry powder colistimethate sodium for inhalation for treating cystic fibrosis patients aged 6 years and older with chronic lung infection caused by P. aeruginosa.

24 Feb 2012