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Medicare cuts could take greater toll on not-for-profit hospitals

Upcoming Medicare cuts to hospitals will have a bigger negative impact on nonprofit facilities than their for-profit counterparts, The Dallas Morning News reports. "In a note to investors, Moody's said the 0.4 percent Medicare reduction in inpatient hospital rates for fiscal year 2011 will amount to an estimated $440 million in lower payments.

11 Aug 2010

Study finds hormone replacement therapy increases breast cancer risk

A new analysis of the California Teachers Study, which analyzed hormone replacement therapy use among 2,857 women for almost 10 years, underscores the need for personalized risk-benefit discussions before women begin hormone therapy."This is evidence that the story is complicated," said Tanmai Saxena, an M.D./Ph.D. student at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. "The benefits of hormone therapy for relief of postmenopausal symptoms among women are clear, but the risks are more complicated than we had previously thought."

11 Aug 2010

Brain morphological changes associated with cyclic menstrual pain

Primary dysmenorrhea, or menstrual cramps, is the most common gynecological disorder in women of childbearing age. Lower abdominal pain starts with the onset of menstrual flow and this ongoing pain stimulus can cause alterations throughout the nervous system. In a study scheduled for publication in the September issue of PAIN, researchers report abnormal changes in the structure of the brain in PDM patients, whether or not they are in fact experiencing pain.

11 Aug 2010

American Shared Hospital Services second-quarter revenue decreases to $4.16 million

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2010.

11 Aug 2010

Spinal muscular atrophy may lead to cardiac dysfunction: Study

Along with skeletal muscles, it may be important to monitor heart function in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). These are the findings from a study conducted by Nationwide Children's Hospital and published online ahead of print in Human Molecular Genetics. This is the first study to report cardiac dysfunction in mouse models of SMA.

11 Aug 2010

One in five Americans visited ER in 2007

The New York Times: One in five Americans visited the emergency room in 2007 whether they were insured or not, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. "Among the uninsured, 7.4 percent made two or more visits to an E.R., but so did 5.1 percent of people with private insurance. Medicaid recipients were the heaviest users of E.R.'s, with 15.3 percent of them making two or more visits during the year.

11 Aug 2010

NovoSeven RT in 8 mg vial for hemophilia A or B with inhibitors receives FDA approval

Novo Nordisk announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved NovoSeven® RT (Coagulation Factor VIIa [Recombinant] Room Temperature Stable) in an 8 mg vial size, making the hemophilia A or B with inhibitors treatment available in 1, 2, 5 and 8 mg vials. The 8 mg vial allows a rapid initiation and administration of this medication for those patients who need a larger dose. In addition, FDA has also approved the extension of shelf life for all vial sizes from 24 months to 36 months at room temperature (at or below 77 degrees Fahrenheit).

11 Aug 2010

Scientists identify chemical system effective in cocaine-addiction cure

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a chemical system in the brain that reacts differently in cocaine addicts, findings that could result in new treatment options for individuals addicted to the drug."We found that the amount of blood flow in areas of the brain known to be involved in the rewarding effects of cocaine and craving was different in cocaine addicts, compared with healthy subjects," said Dr. Bryon Adinoff, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and lead author of a study that appeared in Neuropsychopharmacology. "Now we have a new target for pharmacologic intervention."

11 Aug 2010

Myriad Genetics fourth-quarter revenues increase 9% to $93.9 million

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2010.

11 Aug 2010

Acoustic cardiography improves diagnostic accuracy in acute heart failure

It allows them to hear the S3, an abnormal third sound in the heart's rhythm strongly associated with cardiac disease and heart failure. However, the low-frequency, low-pitch sound is notoriously very difficult to hear with a stethoscope alone.It allows them to hear the S3, an abnormal third sound in the heart's rhythm strongly associated with cardiac disease and heart failure. However, the low-frequency, low-pitch sound is notoriously very difficult to hear with a stethoscope alone.

11 Aug 2010

WHO declares end of H1N1 pandemic

"World Health Organisation Director-General Margaret Chan announced Tuesday the end of the [H1N1] swine flu pandemic, more than a year after it was declared," Agence France-Presse reports. "The world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert. We are now moving into the post-pandemic period," Chan said during a virtual press conference from Hong Kong, according to a WHO press release (8/10).

11 Aug 2010

Study shows physicians reluctant to use finasteride for prostate cancer

Despite the dramatic results of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), which showed a significant reduction in prostate cancer among those taking finasteride, physicians have not increased its use, according to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

11 Aug 2010

FDA clears Curemark's CM – 4612 IND for Phase III clinical trial in ADHD

Curemark, LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given clearance to Curemark's Investigational New Drug application for a Phase III clinical trial for the use of CM – 4612 in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

11 Aug 2010

TetraLogic raises $32 million in Series C financing to advance clinical development of TL32711 cancer drug

TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule drugs to treat cancer, today announced it has completed a $32 million Series C financing with new investor Clarus Ventures leading the round.

11 Aug 2010

Education, changes in reimbursement practices can reduce inappropriate antibiotic usage: Study

Improved drug coverage under Medicare Part D has led to an increase in the use of antibiotics by seniors, particularly of brand-name and more expensive drugs, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. Published in the Aug. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine and the first to explore spending on antibiotics under Medicare Part D, the study suggests recent changes in drug coverage improved the use of antibiotics for pneumonia, but could lead to unnecessary spending on expensive broad-spectrum antibiotics and the overuse of inappropriate antibiotics.

11 Aug 2010

NIAID launches clinical trials of dengue vaccine

After more than a decade of development, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has started clinical trials to test a vaccine to protect against the dengue virus, a product researchers hope may one day "help prevent a disease to which 2.5 billion people are exposed," CIDRAP News reports (Roos, 8/9).

11 Aug 2010

Clarient receives patent for Mammostrat breast cancer prognostic test

Clarient, Inc. a premier technology and services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the pharmaceutical industry, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office have allowed patents covering the technology behind Clarient Insight Dx Mammostrat, a test designed to aid in the classification of the risk of recurrence of breast cancer following surgery and initial treatment.

11 Aug 2010

ACD launches RNAscope Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Assay Kit

Advanced Cell Diagnostics, Inc., announces the launch and immediate availability of RNAscope™ FFPE Assay Kit, a line of RUO products designed to detect RNA biomarkers in routine Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded tissue specimens with single molecule sensitivity.

From Advanced Cell Diagnostics 11 Aug 2010

FDA approves longer Valcyte therapy for CMV disease in adult kidney transplant patients

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.

11 Aug 2010

Omeros net loss for second-quarter 2010 increases to $7.8 million

Omeros Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation and disorders of the central nervous system, today announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

11 Aug 2010