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Overweight, smoking and lack of exercise linked to frequent headaches in teens

Teens who are overweight, get little exercise or who smoke may be more likely to have frequent headaches and migraines than teens with none of these factors, according to a study published in the August 18, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Aug 2010

Study finds factor behind alcohol use disorder after liver transplantation

Patients who receive a liver transplant due to alcoholic liver disease need to demonstrate periods of abstinence and often attend addiction treatment before transplantation. However, alcohol use disorders can recur, as can other diseases requiring transplantation, and thus alcohol use after liver transplantation is not uncommon.

19 Aug 2010

Mass. regulators reach rate hike accord with one more insurer

Massachusetts regulators cut a deal Monday with insurer Health New England to limit premium increases for individual policyholders and small businesses to 8.2 percent, down from the hikes ranging from 11.5 to 21.3 percent the firm requested earlier this year, The Boston Globe reports. "With the Health New England agreement, the Patrick administration has now reached accords with five of the six Massachusetts insurance carriers that were denied double-digit increases on April 1.

19 Aug 2010

Closure of Vancouver General Hospital's outpatient Domestic Violence Program puts vulnerable women at risk

Despite strong community opposition and media attention, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority continues to dismantle the outpatient Domestic Violence Program at Vancouver General Hospital. The 18-year-old program is slated to close at the end of this week.

19 Aug 2010

TPRF grants $25k to St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital for children's eye care program

For the third consecutive year, a grant for $25,000 from The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) will help St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital (SJJEH) provide eye care to children in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

19 Aug 2010

New 'Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database' tracks published epidemiologic and real world exposure studies

Links to pesticide exposure are being found in a growing number of studies that evaluate the causes of preventable diseases -- including asthma, autism and learning disabilities, birth defects and reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and several types of cancer. A new database, released today, tracks published epidemiologic and real world exposure studies.

19 Aug 2010

Scientists reveal lab approach method to treat neuroblastoma in children

A study led by scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) reveals a new method of identifying drugs to treat children suffering from fatal cancers for which an effective treatment has not been found. Rather than developing a new drug from scratch, which is a complicated and time-consuming process, they tried a different approach: in the lab, they tested existing drugs on cancer stem cells from young patients with neuroblastoma, one of the common cancers of infants and children.

19 Aug 2010

Fralin Life Science Institute professor receives grant from NSF to elucidate research on fungi

Pablo Sobrado, assistant professor of biochemistry with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance his research on the mechanism of iron acquisition in fungi and mycobacteria.

19 Aug 2010

Laid-off workers lament conclusion of COBRA subsidy

Kaiser Health News, in a collaboration with USA Today: Recently laid-off workers, as well as people who received a subsidy for 15 months to help them afford to keep their former employer's health insurance, are lamenting the end of the popular program. "Deficit-conscious lawmakers have not renewed a subsidy that helped many jobless Americans afford health benefits.

19 Aug 2010

Siemens Healthcare to distribute Calypso GPS System in Europe

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumor targets, today announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive product distribution agreement with Siemens Healthcare for the sale of its Calypso® System in Europe. Under terms of the agreement, Siemens retains non-exclusive rights to sell Calypso's real-time tracking technology to existing and prospective Siemens linear accelerator customers throughout Europe for a period of three years.

19 Aug 2010

UnitedHealthcare to donate $1.95 million for Walking Paths Program

UnitedHealthcare is committing $1.95 million over three years to the American Heart Association to help establish walking paths throughout the country, with a goal of 150 new paths in the first year. It will also fund enhanced online walking resources available on the American Heart Association's walking paths website.

19 Aug 2010

TOPEX announces sale of skin cancer business operations to SENSUS Healthcare

TOPEX, Inc. announces the sale of its skin cancer business operations to SENSUS Healthcare, LLC for its low energy SRT 100 superficial radiotherapy treatment system. Since TOPEX received FDA approval during 2007, many systems have been operating worldwide at hospital radiation oncology centers, dermatology and veterinary oncology practices for the treatment of skin cancer.

19 Aug 2010

FDA accepts to review Bristol-Myers Squibb's ipilimumab for melanoma

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted, for filing and review, the Biologics License Application (BLA) for ipilimumab for the treatment of adult patients with advanced melanoma who have been previously treated. The company also announced today that the application has been granted a priority review designation by the FDA.

19 Aug 2010

Reuters examines measles outbreaks in Africa

Reuters reports on how some health experts worry that growing complacency about the threat of measles in Africa is contributing to "some of the largest and most deadly outbreaks in years." Worldwide, "[a]bout 164,000 people died from measles in 2008, down 78 percent from 733,000 in 2000, according to the Measles Initiative," Reuters reports, adding that "UNICEF fears the combined effect of decreased political and financial commitment to measles could reverse the gains, resulting in an estimated 1.7 million measles-related deaths globally between 2010 and 2013."

19 Aug 2010

Behavioral Innovations includes In-home Autism Treatment programs in ABA services at San Antonio

SANBehavioral Innovations, the premier provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for families of children with Autism and other developmental disorders, announces the expansion of its San Antonio services to include In-home Autism Treatment programs and consultation services for schools and professionals.

19 Aug 2010

Apex EDI introduces Preferred Solutions Partner Program

Apex EDI, one of the nation's leading e-claims reimbursement companies for dental and medical professionals, unveiled a Preferred Solutions Partner Program to offer turn-key EDI support for health care providers through strong relationships with practice management vendors, business partners, payers and more. The Preferred Solutions Partner Program will allow medical and dental resellers to offer an industry-leading clearinghouse claims processing solution to their clients.

19 Aug 2010

Mirus Bio launches new TransIT-PRO transfection kit for biotherapeutic protein production

Mirus Bio now offers a new transfection kit ideal for biotherapeutic protein production in large pharma and biotech settings. Mirus Bio's new TransIT-PRO™ Kit will decrease time to produce usable protein by maximizing target protein yields through transient transfection.

19 Aug 2010

Cannabis Science signs manufacturing and development license with RockBrook

Cannabis Science Inc. a pioneering US biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, announces that on August 18, 2010, Cannabis Science signed with RockBrook Inc., its first manufacturing and development license for the Cannabis Science Brand of Pharmaceutical Products for the State of Colorado.

19 Aug 2010

Broadband could be boon for rural clinics

A federal broadband initiative may have implications for the health system, too, NPR reports. "Millions of Americans who live in rural areas travel long distances to get health care. Or they may go without it. But high-speed Internet connections now make it possible to bring a doctor's expertise to patients in far-off places, if those places are connected. As part of its National Broadband Plan, the Federal Communications Commission has pledged $400 million a year to connect nearly 12,000 rural health care providers."

19 Aug 2010

FDA grants orphan drug designation to ImmunoGen's lorvotuzumab mertansine for small-cell lung cancer

ImmunoGen, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops antibody-based targeted anticancer products, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to its lorvotuzumab mertansine (formerly IMGN901) product candidate when used for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

19 Aug 2010