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Scientists discover molecular mechanism behind MS relapses

Scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism that could help explain how multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases can be exacerbated by the onset of an infection.

18 Feb 2012

BCBSF Foundation announces winners of 2012 Sapphire Award

Today, during the Sapphire Award Presentation, eight honorees were recognized for positively impacting the health of their fellow Floridians. The Sapphire Award is presented annually by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.

18 Feb 2012

CentraState chooses Cognizant to develop ICD-10 transition strategy

Cognizant, a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, today announced that it has been selected by CentraState Healthcare System, a leading not-for-profit community health organization, to develop a strategy for transitioning to ICD-10.

18 Feb 2012

TRANSFUSION publishes positive results from CryoStor collaborative research

BioLife Solutions, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of proprietary clinical grade hypothermic storage and cryopreservation freeze media for cells and tissues, today announced that TRANSFUSION, the foremost publication in the world for new information regarding transfusion medicine, has published a peer-reviewed journal article reporting positive results of collaborative research on CryoStor, BioLife's serum-free, protein-free cryopreservation freeze media.

18 Feb 2012

RelayHealth, CommunityHealth IT collaborate to develop a HIE

After three years of preparing small practices and safety net hospitals in rural Florida to participate in a regional health information exchange (HIE), the not-for-profit CommunityHealth IT has partnered with RelayHealth to enable the transfer of health information among providers and to empower patients and businesses with patient engagement tools.

18 Feb 2012

Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical, Pfizer sign framework agreement

Pfizer Inc. and Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical, a leading pharmaceutical company in China, today signed a framework agreement, advancing their previously announced memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialize off-patent pharmaceutical products in China and global markets.

18 Feb 2012

GOP lawmakers defend proposed overhaul of Medicare

Sens. Richard Burr and Tom Coburn are proposing a plan to raise Medicare's eligibility age and premiums and require the program to compete with private insurers. Rep. Paul Ryan, in the meantime, is "excited" to defend his own plan.

18 Feb 2012

Par Pharmaceutical acquires Edict

Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. announced today that it has completed the acquisition of privately-held Edict Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, an India-based developer and manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals.

18 Feb 2012

Administration touts health care tax credits for small businesses

White House officials on Thursday highlighted a budget proposal to spend $14 billion over a decade to expand a health care tax credit for small businesses, a move they say would benefit about 4 million workers this year.

18 Feb 2012

New, under-recognized, much more potent variant of common bacterium

University at Buffalo researchers are expressing concern about a new, under-recognized, much more potent variant of a common bacterium that has surfaced in the U.S.

18 Feb 2012

Chemed declares 163rd consecutive quarterly dividend

Chemed Corporation announced today that the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 16 cents per share on the Company's capital stock, payable on March 19, 2012, to shareholders of record as of February 27, 2012.

18 Feb 2012

NASA awards Endeavor Fellowship to Arizona teacher

Sandra Trevino, a teacher at Buena High School, Sierra Vista, Arizona, has been awarded an Endeavor Fellowship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's Endeavor Science Teaching Certificate Project provides live, online training for educators working to earn a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) certificate from Teachers College, Columbia University, N.Y.

18 Feb 2012

Two-day WHO meeting on bird flu to release statement as soon as possible, WHO official says

Researchers of H5N1 bird flu virus "are set to wrap up a two-day meeting on the issue Friday with international experts at the World Health Organization in Geneva" with the aim of settling controversy over the work of two research teams that created genetically altered viral strains that are easily transmissible among ferrets, a laboratory model for humans, the Associated Press reports (Mason, 2/17).

18 Feb 2012

Scientists produce mathematical model of calcium activity within atrial heart cell

What we perceive as the beating of our heart is actually the co-ordinated action of more than a billion muscle cells. Most of the time, only the muscle cells from the larger heart chambers contract and relax. But when the heart needs to work harder it relies on back-up from the atrial muscle cells deep within the smaller chambers (atria) of the heart.

18 Feb 2012

Ventas 2011 normalized FFO increases 71.1% to $777.0 million

Ventas, Inc. said today that normalized Funds From Operations for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased approximately 71.1 percent to $777.0 million, from $454.0 million for the comparable 2010 period.

18 Feb 2012

Women with heart problems at higher cancer risk after Omega-3 and vitamin B supplementation

However, women with a previous history of cardiovascular pathologies seem to have a higher cancer risk after five years of supplementation. The research is published in detail in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

18 Feb 2012

Votes expected today on 'doc fix' compromise bill

The legislation, which also extends a payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits, is a rare sign of bipartisanship within the 112th Congress, though not everyone is happy with the deal.

18 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Patient satisfaction, community health centers as medical homes, analyzing controversial Medicare coverage

Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni compiles a selection of recently-released health policy studies and briefs.

18 Feb 2012

FSMB initiatives to raise awareness about opioid prescribing

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) announced today several initiatives aimed at addressing the rise of opioid abuse and related deaths in the United States, while safeguarding legitimate access to medications for patients with pain.

18 Feb 2012

Video gaming can improve vision in individuals with cataracts

How we perceive the world tells us a lot about how the brain processes sensory information. At this week's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, McMaster University psychologist Daphne Maurer will report on how vision develops in individuals born with cataracts in both eyes. Although such persons have their vision "corrected" by surgery and contact lenses, Maurer's study shows that they experience specific visual processing deficiencies into adulthood.

18 Feb 2012