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GAO: Medicaid managed care contracts need better CMS oversight

The Government Accountability Office released a report Wednesday that says the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs better oversight of Medicaid managed care contracts.

6 Aug 2010

CDS introduces new course on brain injury into its curriculum

The College of Direct Support, an internet-based college for Direct Support Professionals and managed in partnership by Elsevier/MC Strategies and the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center, has introduced its fourth Disability Intensive Course into the CDS Curriculum - "Brain Injury."

6 Aug 2010

Fidaxomicin, CDA1/CDB1 effective for treating CDI : Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, in first- and second-line treatment of Clostridium difficile infection, nearly 70 percent of surveyed infectious disease specialists and internists will use Optimer's fidaxomicin and nearly half will use Medarex/Merck's CDA1 and CDB1, one year after the launch of these agents. The lower recurrent/relapse rate associated with fidaxomicin and CDA1/CDB1 is the most influential attribute surveyed clinicians cite in their decisions to prescribe these emerging agents for CDI.

6 Aug 2010

Adversity-exposure may protect against psychiatric disturbances that occur with CBP: Study

A new study by researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine, to be published in the September issue of the journal Pain, reveals that, for people with chronic back pain, having a little adversity in your life can be protective and beneficial.

6 Aug 2010

BioMimetic Therapeutics reports net loss of $7.7M for second-quarter 2010

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010. For the three months ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $7.7 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $6.3 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the same period in 2009. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $16.2 million, or $0.73 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $14.3 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, for the same period in 2009.

6 Aug 2010

Clinton, Shah discuss long-term help, disease monitoring in Pakistan after flooding

After flooding in northwest Pakistan killed more than 1,500 people and displaced an estimated 300,000, leaders of the State Department and USAID are "promising an extended mission to deal with the long-term effects," Foreign Policy's "The Cable" blog reports. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah briefed reporters Wednesday about the disaster and their agencies' efforts in the region (Rogin, 8/4).

6 Aug 2010

Dyax announces first Phase 3 trial results of KALBITOR for acute HAE

Dyax Corp. announced today that results from EDEMA3, the Company's first Phase 3 trial evaluating KALBITOR (ecallantide) for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema, were published in the August issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. KALBITOR, discovered and developed by Dyax, is available in the United States for the treatment of acute attacks of HAE in patients 16 years of age and older.

6 Aug 2010

Electronic health records improve patient outcomes: FSMB

The Federation of State Medical Boards announced today that it recognizes widespread adoption of electronic health records could be used by doctors to both improve patient outcomes and assess ongoing clinical competence for purposes of medical licensure. The FSMB made the announcement at the "Advancing Electronic Health Records Adoption and Meaningful Use" forum hosted by the Health Industry Forum of Brandeis University and Health Affairs.

6 Aug 2010

Humans unintentionally imitate subtle aspects of each other's mannerisms: Research

Humans are incessant imitators. We unintentionally imitate subtle aspects of each other's mannerisms, postures and facial expressions. We also imitate each other's speech patterns, including inflections, talking speed and speaking style. Sometimes, we even take on the foreign accent of the person to whom we're talking, leading to embarrassing consequences.

6 Aug 2010

Researchers recommends robotic prostatectomy over traditional open surgery method

While sharp debate continues among medical professionals as to whether a radical prostatectomy performed with the assistance of a robotic device is more beneficial than the traditional open surgery method, research just published by investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows new evidence supporting the safety of the robotic procedure - including what is believed to be one of the lowest complication rates to date. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

6 Aug 2010

Researchers reprogram human embryonic stem cells to iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state-so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells-exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers.The pluripotency of ES cells fueled excitement over their use in regenerative medicine. While ethical hurdles associated with the clinical application of human ES cells appeared to have been overcome with the development of methods to create iPS cells, some recent research has suggested that ES and iPS cells have substantial differences in which sets of genes they express.

6 Aug 2010

Child Nutrition Initiative encourages Senate for Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

The Child Nutrition Initiative commends Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and ranking member Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) for their hard work and commitment to pass the bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307) – a vital step in the effort to improve children's health and increase their access to nutritious school meals. We applaud the Senate for their strong bipartisan support and encourage the U.S. House to act quickly to pass similar legislation so critical improvements can be signed into law this year.

6 Aug 2010

GenVec reports net loss of $4.2M for second-quarter 2010

GenVec, Inc. today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

6 Aug 2010

Survey reveals need for nutrition education among African Americans for disease prevention, management

Researchers looking for differences in eating habits of African Americans based on whether or not they had Type 2 diabetes uncovered an unexpected result: No matter what the blood sugar level was, the dietary intakes were pretty much the same.African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and 1.4 times more likely to be obese than are non-Hispanic whites, according to federal health agencies. Obesity is a leading risk factor for development of diabetes, a condition that results when the body cannot properly use insulin to transfer sugar from the blood to muscle and fat cells that use glucose for energy.

6 Aug 2010

HHS Secretary announces $159.1M in grants to health care workforce training programs

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today will announce $159.1 million in grants to health care workforce training programs. These grants build on the multimillion dollar investments made under the Affordable Care Act and Recovery Act to strengthen and grow our primary care workforce. The grants will target three types of programs: Nursing Workforce Development programs; interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs; and Centers of Excellence programs for underrepresented minority students.

6 Aug 2010

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Nature describing the discovery and validation of the role of the gene Sort1 in the development of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI). This work was done with collaborators at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Broad Institute. The collaborative effort combined genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and RNAi technology to identify and validate novel genes as targets for new therapies for heart disease.

6 Aug 2010

Study identifies options for restoring knee cartilage lubrication to prevent OA

An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament is fairly common, especially among young athletes. While it can often be corrected through surgery, the injury can lead to increased risk of developing degenerative joint diseases, including osteoarthritis. The problem is that fluid in the knee joint, which lubricates the cartilage, is impacted by the trauma of the injury and begins to deteriorate.

6 Aug 2010

Forensic Laboratories' analytical test capable of detecting Ethyl Sulfate in saliva

Forensic Laboratories, a Denver-based laboratory specializing in toxicology services for drug and alcohol abuse, has announced the expansion of its oral fluid testing capabilities. The company is the first lab in the nation to develop an analytical test capable of detecting Ethyl Sulfate (EtS) in saliva, a chemical produced by the body after alcohol exposure. Forensic Laboratories' new test method will also simultaneously detect Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG).

6 Aug 2010

New York Attorney General investigating health care credit cards

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating health care credit cards peddled by doctors and dentists.

6 Aug 2010

Omega Protein reports second-quarter net income of $2.0M against net loss last year

Omega Protein Corporation, the nation's leading producer of Omega-3 fish oil and specialty fish meal products, today reported net income of $2.0 million ($0.11 per share) for the second quarter of 2010, compared with net loss of $3.3 million ($0.18 per share) for the second quarter of the previous year.

6 Aug 2010

Medical News

GAO: Medicaid managed care contracts need better CMS oversight

CDS introduces new course on brain injury into its curriculum

Fidaxomicin, CDA1/CDB1 effective for treating CDI : Report

Adversity-exposure may protect against psychiatric disturbances that occur with CBP: Study

BioMimetic Therapeutics reports net loss of $7.7M for second-quarter 2010

Clinton, Shah discuss long-term help, disease monitoring in Pakistan after flooding

Dyax announces first Phase 3 trial results of KALBITOR for acute HAE

Electronic health records improve patient outcomes: FSMB

Humans unintentionally imitate subtle aspects of each other's mannerisms: Research

Researchers recommends robotic prostatectomy over traditional open surgery method

Researchers reprogram human embryonic stem cells to iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine

Child Nutrition Initiative encourages Senate for Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

GenVec reports net loss of $4.2M for second-quarter 2010

Survey reveals need for nutrition education among African Americans for disease prevention, management

HHS Secretary announces $159.1M in grants to health care workforce training programs

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Study identifies options for restoring knee cartilage lubrication to prevent OA

Forensic Laboratories' analytical test capable of detecting Ethyl Sulfate in saliva

New York Attorney General investigating health care credit cards

Omega Protein reports second-quarter net income of $2.0M against net loss last year

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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