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Labor pushes in Mass. and Minn.; Nurses struggle with job hunt despite shortage

Massachusetts's largest health care union is going to try to pull workers at Boston's leading medical centers: Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women's, Beth Israel Deaconess and Tufts hospitals, The Boston Globe reports. The union, led by Veronica Turner since last month, forged a deal in 2009 with Caritas Christi Health Care that gave 3,000 employees raises and bonuses.

7 Jul 2010

Crux Biomedical commences enrollment in Retrieve 2 pivotal U.S. IDE trial of new Vena Cava Filter

Crux Biomedical®Inc. announced today that it has successfully enrolled the first patient in its Retrieve 2 pivotal U.S. IDE trial. The trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Crux's new Vena Cava Filter (VCF). The Crux VCF is a retrievable, implantable filter which is designed to trap blood clots that can lead to a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). It is the first VCF to be developed that is bidirectional and thus permits insertion or retrieval from either the femoral or jugular veins.

7 Jul 2010

International conference focuses on HPV's impact on women

Scientists, clinicians and public health leaders from around the world are gathered in Montreal this week for the 26th International Papillomavirus Conference where they hope to generate awareness about human papillomavirus, Canwest News Service/Gazette reports (Martin/McCallum, 7/4).

7 Jul 2010

PI3 kinase boosts body heat, helps burn excess calories

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest that an enzyme in the brain known as PI3 kinase might control the increased generation of body heat that helps burn off excess calories after eating a high-fat meal.

7 Jul 2010

PuraMed BioScience completes clinical study of LipiGesic M for treating acute migraine

PuraMed BioScience, announced today that a clinical study of LipiGesic M has been completed. The study design was a double blind, placebo controlled, multi-site study measuring the effectiveness of LipiGesic™ M for the treatment of acute migraine attacks. The next steps include completion of the manuscript, submission for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal and actual publication. In an effort to maximize the potential for publication, an embargo has been placed on the disclosure of any of the results of this study.

7 Jul 2010

Medical waste: A rising challenge for health industry

The New York Times: The health care industry generates billions of pounds of garbage each year, and disposing of it all has become a problem. "The problem, fueled by a shift toward the use of disposables that made it simple to keep treatment practices sterile, has been an open secret for years, but getting the health care industry to change its habits has not been easy. No organization currently tracks how much medical trash the United States produces — the last known estimate, from the early 1990s, was two million tons a year."

7 Jul 2010

Pfizer's new chewable Lipitor for children receives European Commission approval

Pfizer Inc. announced it has received European Commission approval of a new chewable form of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) suitable for use in children aged 10 or older with high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and high triglycerides due to the inherited disorder familial hypercholesterolemia and other primary causes, which can increase the risk of heart disease and premature death. This pediatric indication has also been approved for the currently available tablet form of Lipitor.

7 Jul 2010

Scientists demonstrate how neural stem cells, precursor cells control growth of glioblastomas

In their latest research, scientists of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch, Germany, have demonstrated how the brain's own stem cells and precursor cells control the growth of glioblastomas. Of all brain tumors, glioblastomas are among the most common and most aggressive.

7 Jul 2010

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

The Boston Globe: In Massachusetts, "[t]he number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms has climbed … despite the enactment of nearly universal health insurance that some hoped would reduce expensive emergency department use. According to state data released last week, emergency room visits rose by 9 percent from 2004 to 2008, to about 3 million visits a year.

7 Jul 2010

St. Jude Medical acquires LightLab Imaging

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today completed the previously announced acquisition of LightLab Imaging, Inc. for approximately $90 million in cash.

7 Jul 2010

Redwood Healthcare Staffing opens new territories for sale

Redwood Healthcare Staffing, a provider of temporary nurse staffing and travel nursing, has announced the offering of new franchise opportunities. The staffing firm has open territories for sale in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado. Redwood Healthcare Staffing, a Los Angeles based temporary healthcare staffing company, was formed in 2010 by CEO Veerpal Brar to address the growing demand for healthcare professionals by providing prospective franchisees a guided way into understanding how to create a competitive advantage in the medical staffing industry.

7 Jul 2010

Medicare patients battle tight rules while doctors express frustrations about payment issues

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on how high costs and rigorous rules affect Medicare patients and examines the case of Fran Bogom, 86, a widow with mild dementia who broke her arm after falling from a bed.

7 Jul 2010

Battling medical jargon in doctor's office may improve patient health

The Wall Street Journal reports on efforts to make the language used in doctors' offices easier for patients to understand.

7 Jul 2010

Alcon signs definitive agreement to acquire LenSx Lasers

Alcon, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LenSx Lasers, Inc, a privately held company that developed the first femtosecond laser to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for use as a part of cataract surgery. The LenSx system is indicated for anterior capsulotomy and laser phacofragmentation during cataract surgery, providing a complementary surgical approach to certain manual steps within the traditional cataract procedure.

7 Jul 2010

FDA grants Angion Biomedica's BB3 therapeutic Fast Track and Orphan Drug product designations

Angion Biomedica Corp., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics that enhance quality of life, eradicate disease and save lives by modulating the body's protective, reparative and regenerative systems, announced today that its lead therapeutic BB3 was accepted into the Fast Track program of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has also been designated an Orphan Drug product by FDA.

7 Jul 2010

POMC neurons suppress appetite, induce weight loss: Research

A protein found in cells throughout the body must be present in a specific set of neurons in the brain to prevent weight gain after chronic feeding on high-calorie meals, new findings from UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest.

7 Jul 2010

Some state insurance commissioners push back on Fed premium rate reviews

Politico: Some state insurance commissioners are not happy with a proposal that would give the federal government the authority to centralize premium rate reviews of health insurance.

7 Jul 2010

Questions surround Republican leaders' level of support for health reform repeal efforts

The Hill: Some Republican leaders may not be fully embracing a Senate bill aimed at repealing the health reform overhaul despite other GOP endorsements. "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), GOP Conference Chair Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Conference Vice Chair Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) have all argued that the reforms — passed in March without Republican support — will hike costs and erode services, and therefore should be scrapped.

7 Jul 2010

Obama and High Court at odds; Health law could be at stake

The Los Angeles Times explores the "deep divide" between President Barack Obama's administration and the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. "The president and congressional Democrats have embarked on an ambitious drive to regulate corporations, banks, health insurers and the energy industry.

7 Jul 2010

AIDS Healthcare Foundation presses Obama Administration on PEPFAR funding

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), "[t]he largest global AIDS organization[,] accused the Obama administration and Congress on Friday of falling short on promised funding and oversight in the worldwide fight against the epidemic," The Hill's "Healthwatch" blog reports.

7 Jul 2010

Medical News

Labor pushes in Mass. and Minn.; Nurses struggle with job hunt despite shortage

Crux Biomedical commences enrollment in Retrieve 2 pivotal U.S. IDE trial of new Vena Cava Filter

International conference focuses on HPV's impact on women

PI3 kinase boosts body heat, helps burn excess calories

PuraMed BioScience completes clinical study of LipiGesic M for treating acute migraine

Medical waste: A rising challenge for health industry

Pfizer's new chewable Lipitor for children receives European Commission approval

Scientists demonstrate how neural stem cells, precursor cells control growth of glioblastomas

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

St. Jude Medical acquires LightLab Imaging

Redwood Healthcare Staffing opens new territories for sale

Medicare patients battle tight rules while doctors express frustrations about payment issues

Battling medical jargon in doctor's office may improve patient health

Alcon signs definitive agreement to acquire LenSx Lasers

FDA grants Angion Biomedica's BB3 therapeutic Fast Track and Orphan Drug product designations

POMC neurons suppress appetite, induce weight loss: Research

Some state insurance commissioners push back on Fed premium rate reviews

Questions surround Republican leaders' level of support for health reform repeal efforts

Obama and High Court at odds; Health law could be at stake

AIDS Healthcare Foundation presses Obama Administration on PEPFAR funding

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