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Number of medical school graduates increasing; average age of physicians stabilizing

Canada experienced the biggest annual percentage gain in the national supply of physicians since the late 1980s, according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). In 2009, there were approximately 68,100 active physicians working in Canada, an increase of nearly 2,700 physicians over the previous year. This represents an increase of 4.1%—more than triple the rate of growth of the Canadian population as a whole (1.2%) and the largest annual increase of the past two decades.

3 Dec 2010

New robotic arm device for early to mid-stage osteoarthritis

A robotic arm device developed to assist orthopedic surgeons with performing partial knee replacement surgery for early to mid-stage osteoarthritis is now available at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The technology was approved by the FDA in 2005, and to date nearly 5,000 cases have been performed in the U.S.

3 Dec 2010

Access MediQuip enters agreement with BCBSTX to provide implant surgical management

Access MediQuip, LLC, the largest provider of surgical implant management solutions in the country and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), the largest provider of health benefits in Texas, announced today an agreement for Access MediQuip to provide specialized implant surgical management services to BCBSTX's vast membership across the State of Texas. Implementation will begin in December 2010.

3 Dec 2010

Cell Therapeutics submits pixantrone NDA application to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has submitted a formal appeal to the Office of New Drugs in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research regarding the agency's decision from earlier this year on the pixantrone New Drug Application to treat relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

3 Dec 2010

UCLA findings could lead to enhanced health supplements, progress on Parkinson's

The discovery by UCLA biochemists of a new method for preventing oxidation in the essential fatty acids of cell membranes could lead to a new class of more effective nutritional supplements and potentially help combat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and perhaps Alzheimer's.

3 Dec 2010

IP-K signs agreement to continue NITD research deal for new drug candidates

Institut Pasteur Korea (IP-K) has signed an agreements to continue to mine the chemical compound collection of Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) of Singapore for new drug candidates.

3 Dec 2010

Arthritis drug reduces incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers

A widely-used arthritis drug reduces the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers - the most common cancers in humans - according to a study published this week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (brand name Celebrex), which is currently approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and acute pain in adults led to a 62 percent reduction in non-melanoma skin cancers, which includes basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas.

3 Dec 2010

NIAID researchers develop new method to detect prion diseases

A fast test to diagnose fatal brain conditions such as mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans could be on the horizon, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health scientists. Researchers at NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have developed a highly sensitive and rapid new method to detect and measure infectious agents called prions that cause these diseases.

3 Dec 2010

Sagent launches chemotherapy agent topotecan hydrochloride for injection

Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced U.S. FDA approval and launch of its topotecan hydrochloride for injection, a chemotherapy agent, in conjunction with the innovator's patent expiry. Sagent's topotecan is available in 4 mg single-dose latex-free vials.

3 Dec 2010

New scientifically-based family planning tool

A scientifically-based family planning tool developed by researchers from Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), is now available as an easy-to-use iPhone -, iPod touch- or iPad- application. iCycleBeads- is the first software application that enables a woman to plan or avoid pregnancy easily and effectively, entirely through the information provided by the application.

3 Dec 2010

Sentara Heart Hospital commences procedures in AtriCure DEEP AF feasibility trial

Sentara Heart Hospital is breaking new ground in cardiac care and treatment. Surgeons and Cardiologists at Sentara Heart Hospital are first to begin enrolling and performing trial cases in the AtriCure DEEP AF feasibility trial. The first procedure in the country was performed in a new, state-of-the-art hybrid operating room at Sentara Heart Hospital by Jonathan Philpott, M.D., Director of the Sentara Atrial Fibrillation Surgery Program, Ian Woollett, M.D., and John Onufer, M.D., Medical Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology.

3 Dec 2010

IP-K signs agreement with sanofi-aventis to identify new medicines

Institut Pasteur Korea (IP-K) has signed an agreement with sanofi-aventis Research & Development of Toulouse, France to continue research on the identification of new medicines.

3 Dec 2010

Democrats confident food safety bill will be resolved despite procedural error; Child nutrition bill set for house vote

The Hill's Healthwatch Blog: "Senate Democrats say an error in the food-safety bill passed Tuesday can be resolved in time to send the legislation to President Obama by the end of the year. Two senior leadership aides confirmed that the bill the Senate approved, 73-25, inadvertently contained tax provisions that, under the Constitution, must originate in the House of Representatives. That means the bill must be passed a second time by the Senate, giving critics such as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) another chance to block it" (Rushing and Lillis, 12/1).

3 Dec 2010

Dysfunction in blood vessels plays a role in Alzheimer's disease development

A dysfunction in the lining of blood vessels that is linked to cardiovascular illness also appears to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Dec 2010

TITAN Modular Total Shoulder System implantation performed at Bucks County Specialty Hospital

Ascension Orthopedics, Inc., the world leader in PyroCarbon orthopedic devices, announces another implantation of the TITAN™ Modular Total Shoulder. The surgery was performed by Matthew Ramsey, M.D. at Bucks County Specialty Hospital in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

3 Dec 2010

Mushrooms are good source of vitamin D

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released the results of its 24-month review on dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for vitamin D and calcium, which validated the importance of vitamin D as an essential nutrient for promoting bone health. The committee set the recommended intake level at 600 IU, which is triple the previously recommended amount from 1997.

3 Dec 2010

Research on ribosome could aid antibiotic development against MRSA infection

Theoretical biologists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have used a New Mexico supercomputer to aid an international research team in untangling another mystery related to ribosomes-those enigmatic jumbles of molecules that are the protein factories of living cells.

3 Dec 2010

AHA: Incidence of hospitalization for heart valve diseases rises in New York

The incidence of hospitalization and treatment for heart valve diseases in New York State has constantly and progressively risen since the early 1980s, according to research presented at the recent meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) by SUNY Downstate Medical Center. The study results were published in a supplement to the AHA journal, Circulation.

3 Dec 2010

More Coloradans lose Medicare Advantage plans, Missouri lawmakers push for doctor's order to buy common cold and allergy meds

The Denver Post: "Nearly 14,000 Coloradans are losing their form of Medicare Advantage plans next year and will need to choose new options, creating a hardship for 1,700 rural Medicare members who won't find similar plans left on the table. Medicare Advantage carriers such as Humana, Anthem, Secure Horizons and MVP dropped some Medicare Advantage plans in Colorado. … The dropped carriers affect 13,936 beneficiaries in Colorado, including 3,832 in the Denver metro area" (Booth, 12/2).

3 Dec 2010

Doctors still prescribe higher-dose menopausal hormone therapy pills

Doctors across the country are still prescribing higher-dose menopausal hormone therapy pills, despite clinical evidence that low doses and skin patches work just as well and carry fewer health risks. That's what researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found in a study that will be published online Dec. 2 in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

3 Dec 2010

Medical News

Number of medical school graduates increasing; average age of physicians stabilizing

New robotic arm device for early to mid-stage osteoarthritis

Access MediQuip enters agreement with BCBSTX to provide implant surgical management

Cell Therapeutics submits pixantrone NDA application to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

UCLA findings could lead to enhanced health supplements, progress on Parkinson's

IP-K signs agreement to continue NITD research deal for new drug candidates

Arthritis drug reduces incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers

NIAID researchers develop new method to detect prion diseases

Sagent launches chemotherapy agent topotecan hydrochloride for injection

New scientifically-based family planning tool

Sentara Heart Hospital commences procedures in AtriCure DEEP AF feasibility trial

IP-K signs agreement with sanofi-aventis to identify new medicines

Democrats confident food safety bill will be resolved despite procedural error; Child nutrition bill set for house vote

Dysfunction in blood vessels plays a role in Alzheimer's disease development

TITAN Modular Total Shoulder System implantation performed at Bucks County Specialty Hospital

Mushrooms are good source of vitamin D

Research on ribosome could aid antibiotic development against MRSA infection

AHA: Incidence of hospitalization for heart valve diseases rises in New York

More Coloradans lose Medicare Advantage plans, Missouri lawmakers push for doctor's order to buy common cold and allergy meds

Doctors still prescribe higher-dose menopausal hormone therapy pills

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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