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Most small businesses will get tax credits under overhaul, according to report

News reports follow Families USA's continuing rollout of state-by-state studies on the number of small businesses that will be eligible for tax credits to help cover health costs under the new overhaul law, a vast majority according to the studies.

23 Jul 2010

Utah Medical Products second-quarter international sales increase 10%

In the second calendar quarter (2Q) and first half (1H) of 2010, Utah Medical Products, Inc.'s changes in financial results compared to the same time period in the prior calendar year were as follows

23 Jul 2010

Independent DSMB recommends Inhibitex to complete FV-100 Phase II clinical trial for shingles

Inhibitex, Inc. today announced that the independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) responsible for reviewing safety data from the Company's ongoing Phase II clinical trial of FV-100 met, as scheduled, after the Company had provided it with complete 30-day follow-up safety data on the third quartile (75%) of the patients that the Company plans to enroll in the trial. Based upon its review, the DSMB recommended that the trial continue to completion without modification.

23 Jul 2010

States, senior groups, pressure Congress to continue extra Medicaid funding

CQ HealthBeat: "Despite doubts that Congress will pass legislation before the August recess to maintain higher levels of Medicaid funding, senior groups say they'll keep putting pressure on lawmakers to act this month. … In recent days AARP circulated a letter to each member of Congress calling on them to immediately pass legislation that would extend the higher levels of Medicaid funding afforded to states as part of the economic stimulus law.

23 Jul 2010

ISCO to create new European subsidiary with $10 million capital funding

International Stem Cell Corporation, announced today that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with ARG Vermogensverwaltung AG, a German Investment Fund, to create a new European subsidiary ("ISCO Europe") to be funded with up to $10 million of capital derived from ARG and other independent sources in Europe. Shares of ISCO Europe are expected to trade on the Deutsche Bourse independently of the company's shares in the US. ISCO Europe's shares will not be convertible into ISCO shares on any US exchange.

23 Jul 2010

Schizophrenia patients likely to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stay

People with schizophrenia are more likely than others to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stays, a large national study finds.These findings confirm that medical and surgical hospitalizations are an at-risk time for this group, and a national problem, said lead study author Elizabeth Khaykin, at the Department of Mental Health at Bloomberg Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

23 Jul 2010

Major breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research

Researchers from the University of Sydney's Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Laboratory have achieved a major breakthrough by finding the causes of Alzheimer's disease at a cellular level and thereby identifying a potential therapy as a result.

23 Jul 2010

Human Genome Sciences second-quarter revenues increase to $38.8 million

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, and provided highlights of recent key developments.

23 Jul 2010

New drug to treat chronic pain in SCD patients

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team led by Kalpna Gupta, Ph.D., has discovered that cannibinoids offer a novel approach to ease the chronic and acute pain caused by sickle cell disease.Using a mouse model of SCD, Gupta and University of Minnesota colleagues studied the pain mechanisms by observing animals that exhibited both musculoskeletal pain and temperature sensitivity, symptoms similarly experienced by humans with SCD. The team compared two classifications of drugs in their ability to manage pain sensed by the animals, the traditionally prescribed classification of drugs, opioids, with a new therapeutic approach, cannabinoids, a synthetic compound based on marijuana derivatives. Currently, the only approved treatment for management of severe pain in SCD is opioids.

23 Jul 2010

Report: Nonprofit insurers collected billions in surplus while hiking premiums

An analysis by Consumers Union has found that non-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans collected billions of dollars in surplus over the past decade while raising premiums for customers.

23 Jul 2010

Unapproved cyanide antidote kits seized from Keystone Pharmaceuticals

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today seized $39,000 worth of products labeled as cyanide antidote kits from Keystone Pharmaceuticals in Laguna Hills, California. The seizure warrant was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

23 Jul 2010

Lack of SIRT1 protein exhibits impaired memory and learning: Study

A protein implicated in many biological processes also may play a role in memory, according to a study led by the University of Southern California and the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.The findings, published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, agree with research by a different team published online by Nature on July 11. Both studies found that mice lacking the protein SIRT1 exhibited impaired memory and learning, suggesting SIRT1's importance to those functions.

23 Jul 2010

Nestle announces collaborative study with Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute on diet rich in whole grains

Nestle USA Chairman and CEO Brad Alford has announced that Nestle Research Center, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, has donated US $500,000 to Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. The gift will fund a collaborative study focused on examining the effects of a diet rich in whole grains on body composition and energy metabolism.

23 Jul 2010

New rules guarantee patients' right to appeal insurance claim denials

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz and Michelle Andrews, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, report on new rules being issued today by the Obama administration.

23 Jul 2010

BDSRA designates Nationwide Children's Hospital as Batten Disease Center of Excellence

Nationwide Children's Hospital has been selected as a Center of Excellence by the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA), the largest research and support organization in North America for families that have children with Batten disease. BDSRA chose Nationwide Children's because of its clinical and research history with the disease and its ability to provide comprehensive care for these unique children.

23 Jul 2010

Teleflex second-quarter net revenues increase 5% to $461.7 million

Teleflex Incorporated today announced financial results for the second quarter and year to date ended June 27, 2010.

23 Jul 2010

Reusing syringes in anesthesia leads to viral transmission: Study

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus can be transmitted during intravenous administration of anesthesia, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. In this study, doctors found that anesthesia contamination - not endoscopy contamination - was the cause of infection.

23 Jul 2010

Many House Democrats trying to revive 'public option' with new bill

More than 120 Democrats in the House are pushing a new bill to reintroduce a discarded idea from the health overhaul debate last year: the "public option," Los Angeles Times/Tribune reports. "The idea of creating a major government health insurance program was roundly rejected last year, but the 128 House Democrats pushing to reconsider the idea are now advancing the argument that it would help hold down federal spending.

23 Jul 2010

Bullied children are at risk for developing emotional problems

Bullying victimization is common among children of school age, although its consequences are often anything but benign. The recent death of a Massachusetts teen by suicide prompted state lawmakers to pass one of the most far-reaching anti-bullying laws within the U.S. Whether such legislative actions result in measurable decreases in physical or emotional distress among school peers remains to be seen.

23 Jul 2010