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First Edition: July 22, 2010

Today's headlines reflect news about health reform implementation activities, health information technology and sparring opinions about the Massachusetts experience.

22 Jul 2010

Towards a cure: HIV reservoirs and strategies to control them

Can HIV infection ever be cured? The prospect of efficiently controlling HIV persistence in infected persons was the topic of a high-level, two-day meeting of researchers gathered here on the eve of AIDS 2010, the biennial international conference of HIV researchers, funders, policy-makers and advocates.

22 Jul 2010

Four areas that impact weight, obesity in women identified

The information gap and general lack of understanding of obesity's unique and disproportionate impact on women contributes to the challenges of the 65 million American women who are considered overweight or obese, said the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance Task Force on Women at a meeting on Capitol Hill today.

22 Jul 2010

BioTime announces 21 new stem cell products for sale

BioTime, Inc. announced today that on August 1, 2010 the Company will be offering for sale 21 new stem cell products for research use only. These products will include the novel stem cell lines: E120 expressing the gene LGR5 useful in colon cancer drug discovery, EN16, T43, RAD20.5, RA-SKEL8, SM22, and Z1, full properties of which will be disclosed on product launch, along with differentiation kits and media for the culture of each line.

22 Jul 2010

60% of surgical reconstruction for ACL could be avoided: KANON study

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common injuries to the knee, primarily affecting young people who practise sport and often treated with surgical reconstruction. A research group from Lund University has now shown that 60 per cent of these operations could be avoided, without negatively affecting treatment outcomes.

22 Jul 2010

Painters at higher risk of developing bladder cancer: Study

A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has provided further evidence that professional painters may face a higher risk of developing bladder cancer than the general population.

22 Jul 2010

AHF calls upon Congress to immediately pass 'HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010'

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a press teleconference on Thursday, July 22nd, at 1:00 PM Eastern (U.S.A.)/10:00 AM Pacific to urge the United States Congress to immediately pass the HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010. Introduced in the Senate Wednesday by Senator Tom Coburn, MD (R-OK), the bill seeks to save lives by making better use of existing resources for PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the US' successful global AIDS program.

22 Jul 2010

Medco second-quarter GAAP diluted EPS increases 20.3% to $0.77

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today reported second-quarter 2010 GAAP diluted EPS of $0.77, up 20.3 percent compared to $0.64 for the second quarter of 2009. Adjusting for the amortization of intangible assets that existed when Medco became a publicly traded company in 2003, second-quarter 2010 diluted earnings per share increased 20.3 percent to $0.83, from $0.69 in the second quarter of 2009.

22 Jul 2010

Brain scans could provide unique information in choosing career

General aptitude tests and specific mental ability tests are important tools for vocational guidance. Researchers are now asking whether performance on such tests is based on differences in brain structure, and if so, can brain scans be helpful in choosing a career? In a first step, researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Research Notes have investigated how well eight tests used in vocational guidance correlate to gray matter in areas throughout the brain.

22 Jul 2010

Alexion second-quarter non-GAAP net income increases 56% to $36.9 million

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

22 Jul 2010

Repros granted IRB approval to commence low dose Proellex study

Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced it has received IRB approval to commence the low dose Proellex® study. The contract for clinical services was previously awarded to ICON. The new low dose study is designed to explore both safety and signals of efficacy in an escalating dose fashion. The study will test 5 different doses of Proellex (1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 mg) with 1 mg being the first dose tested. In previous studies a 12.5 mg dose was well tolerated and yielded statistically significant efficacy signals for both uterine fibroids and endometriosis.

22 Jul 2010

Euthymics Bioscience completes $24 million Series A financing

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing next-generation antidepressants, today announced the completion of a Series A financing -- led by Novartis Venture Funds and Venture Investors - for a total investment commitment of $24 million in milestone-conditioned tranches. Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management, LLC, GBS Venture Partners and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board also participated in the financing.

22 Jul 2010

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield launches initiative to educate consumers on how to best access ER alternatives

At a time when health care costs continue to rise and hospitals are advertising emergency room availability, it is becoming more important to educate consumers on how to best access ER alternatives and receive the same care with less out-of-pocket cost. If a primary care physician isn't available, retail health clinics, walk-in doctor offices and urgent care centers can take less time and cost about the same as a regular doctor visit.

22 Jul 2010

AHF hosts 'Test & Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs' satellite session

As both cost containment of care and services and treatment-as-prevention gain greater prominence in the global fight against HIV/AIDS during the Vienna AIDS Conference, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which currently provides AIDS medical care to more than 139,000 individuals in 23 countries worldwide, will host a satellite session today, July 21st, titled "Test and Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs" (IAC Mini Room #5 at 6:30pm) preceded by a press conference (5pm, Media Center, Room PCR #2).

22 Jul 2010

New understanding on insulin resistance, action of diabetes drugs may lead to safer medication

A new understanding of insulin resistance and the action of diabetes drugs such as Avandia and Actos could pave the way for improved medications that are more selective and safer, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Scripps Research Institute.Our findings strongly suggest that good and bad effects of these drugs can be separated by designing second-generation drugs that focus on the newly uncovered mechanism, said Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, of Dana-Farber, senior author on a report appearing in the July 22 issue of Nature.

22 Jul 2010

Correlates of HIV stigma in HIV-positive women: Study

For some women, planning a family can be the first step towards one of life's most rewarding experiences. But a study led by Ryerson University researchers has found strong evidence that some HIV-positive women feel that they are being judged negatively by their healthcare providers for wanting to become moms and feel stigmatized by their physicians due to their medical condition.

22 Jul 2010

Fatal risk of software defects in implantable medical devices

Software vulnerabilities in life-sustaining medical devices such as pacemakers and infusion pumps pose a growing threat to public health, warns a new report published by the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC).

22 Jul 2010

Study reveals link between anti-TPO antibodies and placental abruption

Pregnant women with antibodies that can indicate early thyroid disease are three times as likely to have placental separation during labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a study of more than 17,000 women.

22 Jul 2010

Strong feelings alter one's ability to resist temptations: Study

While it may be convenient to add in a trip to the grocery store after a good workout at the gym, a recent study confirms it may not be the best idea for your waistline.The study in the current issue of the Journal of Consumer Research indicates mood, positive or negative, has a noticeable effect on the choices made by consumers. Co-authors Alexander Fedorikhin, of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business Indianapolis, and Vanessa Patrick, of the University of Houston, conducted three experiments to show how strong feelings alter one's ability to resist temptations.

22 Jul 2010

Study investigates abusive use of drugs on children

Child abuse is a serious problem that affects nearly one million children a year in the United States alone. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Department of Health and Human Services classify child abuse into four categories including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. None of these categories, however, clearly includes the abusive use of drugs on children. A study soon to be published in the Journal of Pediatrics investigates the malicious use of pharmaceuticals and attempts to shed light on this under-recognized problem.

22 Jul 2010