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Specific orofacial characteristics can lead to accurate diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol while pregnant. Each year, FASD affect an estimated 40,000 infants in the United States—more than spina bifida, Down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy combined.

22 Sep 2010

Researchers explain how nerve cells transmit electrical signals

Billions of brain cells are communicating at any given moment. Like an organic supercomputer they keep everything going, from breathing to solving riddles, and "programming errors" can lead to serious conditions such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

22 Sep 2010

Omega receives CAP accreditation for forensic drug testing of hair

Omega Laboratories, Inc. today announced that it has received accreditation for forensic drug testing of hair from the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors carefully review the laboratory's records and quality control procedures for the preceding two years, as well as the laboratory's equipment, facilities, safety program and record. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications and the overall management of the laboratory.

22 Sep 2010

Deep brain stimulation improves OCD symptoms, promotes smoking cessation and weight loss

Electrical stimulation of the brain in a patient with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) led to some unanticipated benefits—"effortless" smoking cessation and weight loss, according to a case report in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

22 Sep 2010

Blue Cross to refund policyholders nearly $156 million in North Carolina

USA Today: "Health insurance regulators in North Carolina have identified nearly $156 million in refunds owed to Blue Cross policyholders because of changes coming under the nation's new health law. Consumers with policies at other companies across the nation also may deserve refunds, says North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. ...

22 Sep 2010

Rush University researchers identify potential new way to prevent Alzheimer's disease progression

Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found a new therapeutic target that can potentially lead to a new way to prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The target called neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is a protein that when activated, can cause a chain of reactions in the cell leading to neuronal death and memory loss.

22 Sep 2010

NIH awards Georgia State University $6.7M to commence new Center for Excellence in Health Disparities Research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Georgia State University with a five-year grant to start a new Center for Excellence in Health Disparities Research, which will investigate health disparity issues in Atlanta's urban environment.

22 Sep 2010

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

On the first of the three-day U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appealed "to the assembled presidents, prime ministers and kings to use their power to meet U.N. goals to help the world's poorest by 2015," the Associated Press reports.

22 Sep 2010

Study: Doctors who are overweight or lack training are reluctant to counsel patients about diet, exercise

Physician's confidence in their abilities to counsel patients on a healthy diet and exercise may be related to their own personal habits, according to a study by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

22 Sep 2010

First free-standing infectious disease hospital built in US in over 50 years

Many Americans think tuberculosis (TB) has been eliminated in this country. But, while it is no longer as common or deadly as it was decades ago, it is estimated that more than a third of the world's population is infected with the disease. The new Texas Center for Infectious Disease (TCID) hospital was designed to provide patients with the care and treatment needed to help curb the resurgence of TB in the United States and reduce the drug-resistance of strains developing worldwide.

22 Sep 2010

ADA conference to highlight oral health solutions for disabled and older adults

The American Dental Association (ADA) is extending invitations to those concerned about the oral health of vulnerable older adults and people with disabilities to attend a national conference and help shape the future of oral health care for this underserved and growing population.

22 Sep 2010

Senate approves global clean water legislation

"The U.S. Senate Monday approved a bill intended to help 100 million people around the world gain access to clean water and sanitation," United Press International reports (9/20).

22 Sep 2010

Health Care REIT prices underwritten common stock public offering at $45.75 per share

Health Care REIT, Inc. today announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 8,000,000 shares of common stock at $45.75 per share. The offering was increased in size from 7,000,000 shares in response to investor demand. The company has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,200,000 shares during the next 30 days to cover over-allotments, if any.

22 Sep 2010

Study evaluates effects of psychological program to improve teachers' mental health

With respect to the Symptoms Check List-27, the values of the GSI (Global Severity Index) and of 3 subscales (those for depressive, dysthymic and mistrust symptoms), compared with the control group, improved significantly upon participation in the group program.

22 Sep 2010

Mobile Aspects releases next version of RFID enabled iRIScope endoscope tracking system

Mobile Aspects announced today the commercial availability of an enhanced design of its RFID enabled endoscope tracking system, iRIScope. Targeted at increasing care quality and patient safety, iRIScope 2.0 offers additional functional and technical capabilities to help care providers enhance their processes for endoscope storage, use and reprocessing.

22 Sep 2010

Clinton Global Initiative meeting kicks off, U.S. will commit to Clean Cookstove project

"World leaders, CEOs, non-governmental organizations and philanthropists" are gathering this week at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting, "[t]imed to coincide with the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly," WNYC News reports (Herman, 9/20).

22 Sep 2010

Some insurers to end child-only policies rather than comply with health law

Major insurers plan to discontinue child-only health plans rather than issue coverage under such plans for children with preexisting conditions, something they would have to do beginning Sept. 23 as part of the health law, The Washington Post reports. WellPoint, Cigna and CoventryOne are among the insurers that will end the plans. Those children already covered under the plans would be able to continue, and the companies "will accept children with preexisting conditions in new family policies" (Aizenman, 9/20).

22 Sep 2010

NPS Pharmaceuticals closes public offering of 7,912,000 common stock shares

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the closing of a public offering of 7,912,000 shares of its common stock, including 1,032,000 shares sold pursuant to the full exercise of an overallotment option previously granted to the underwriters. Net proceeds were approximately $44.4 million after deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses. Jefferies & Company, Inc. acted as the sole book-running manager and Canaccord Genuity Inc. acted as co-lead manager for the offering.

22 Sep 2010

QR Pharma and MUSC receive $220,000 SBIR grant to study Posiphen in AD transgenic mice

QR Pharma, Inc., a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company committed to developing therapeutics with novel approaches for the treatment of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) announced today that they received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) phase I grant in the amount of $220,000 to study Posiphen® and its metabolites in cell culture and in transgenic Alzheimer mice.

22 Sep 2010

Bali introduces mass vaccination campaign to eliminate rabies by 2012

Across the world, hundreds of thousands of stray dogs are killed by government-led inhumane mass cullings, during which animals are poisoned, electrocuted, clubbed or shot in attempts to curb the spread of rabies.

22 Sep 2010

Medical News

Specific orofacial characteristics can lead to accurate diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Researchers explain how nerve cells transmit electrical signals

Omega receives CAP accreditation for forensic drug testing of hair

Deep brain stimulation improves OCD symptoms, promotes smoking cessation and weight loss

Blue Cross to refund policyholders nearly $156 million in North Carolina

Rush University researchers identify potential new way to prevent Alzheimer's disease progression

NIH awards Georgia State University $6.7M to commence new Center for Excellence in Health Disparities Research

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

Study: Doctors who are overweight or lack training are reluctant to counsel patients about diet, exercise

First free-standing infectious disease hospital built in US in over 50 years

ADA conference to highlight oral health solutions for disabled and older adults

Senate approves global clean water legislation

Health Care REIT prices underwritten common stock public offering at $45.75 per share

Study evaluates effects of psychological program to improve teachers' mental health

Mobile Aspects releases next version of RFID enabled iRIScope endoscope tracking system

Clinton Global Initiative meeting kicks off, U.S. will commit to Clean Cookstove project

Some insurers to end child-only policies rather than comply with health law

NPS Pharmaceuticals closes public offering of 7,912,000 common stock shares

QR Pharma and MUSC receive $220,000 SBIR grant to study Posiphen in AD transgenic mice

Bali introduces mass vaccination campaign to eliminate rabies by 2012

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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