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Health care high school to open in Chicago

Crain's Chicago Business reports that, in the fall, the city will open its "first charter high school specializing in health care, a move local hospitals hope will help relieve chronic workforce shortages. ... Juniors and seniors will be able to earn credits by shadowing hospital workers and interning as assistant nurses and in other professions."

20 May 2010

Loyola University Chicago introduces new online doctorate degree program in bioethics

Classes have begun for Loyola University Chicago's new online doctorate degree program in bioethics, designed to provide advanced training in the ethical issues surrounding the complexities of modern medical research and clinical care.

20 May 2010

Study confirms inverse association of increase in BMI with lower brain volumes

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine determined that excess abdominal fat places otherwise healthy, middle-aged people at risk for dementia later in life. Preliminary findings suggest a relationship between obesity and dementia that could lead to promising prevention strategies in the future. Results of this study are published early online in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association.

20 May 2010

Emotional distress can lead to overeating, serious weight gain

Despite the fact most of us have cell phones, Internet access and other communication devices, many still deal with loneliness on a daily basis. For some, emotional distress can lead to overeating and serious weight gain.

20 May 2010

Luminex, HTG launch qBead Gene Expression Assay

Luminex Corporation, the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, and High Throughput Genomics, Inc. (HTG), provider of the quantitative Nuclease Protection Assay (qNPA™), today launched a new custom gene expression product, the qBead Gene Expression Assay (qBead Assay). The companies co-developed the product and have signed an exclusive distribution agreement in which Luminex will begin offering it to the research community.

From Luminex 20 May 2010

Inviragen initiates first clinical trial of DENVax vaccine to protect against dengue fever

Inviragen has announced the initiation of the first clinical trial of its vaccine to protect against dengue fever. The trial, to be conducted at Saint Louis University, is designed to assess the safety of Inviragen's investigational dengue vaccine.

20 May 2010

Health care votes may have influenced primaries

News outlets report on how health reform may have influenced Tuesday's primary elections. The Washington Post says that the Democratic primary election for Arkansas' Senate seat was influenced by labor unions who campaigned for Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, in part because of incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln's vote on health care.

20 May 2010

New online diagnosis tool offers prescriptions in a hurry

News outlets report on the expanding online relationship between doctors and patients.

20 May 2010

Inova Labs completes $10 million Series A Preferred Stock financing

Inova Labs, Inc. of Austin, Texas announced today the closing of the private placement of shares of its Series A Preferred Stock. The placement went to investment funds affiliated with Three Arch Partners, based in Silicon Valley, California. Inova received gross proceeds of $10.0 million from the equity financing, which will be used for nationwide and international sales expansion of its LifeChoice® portable oxygen concentrator product line, continuation of next stage developments, and working capital.

20 May 2010

ImaginAb, GSK CIC conclude two research collaboration agreements

ImaginAb, Inc. and the GSK Clinical Imaging Centre (part of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies) have concluded two research collaboration agreements around a clinical therapeutic antibody asset currently under development by GSK in the field of oncology.

20 May 2010

Gene therapy shows positive effects in rat models of PAH: Researchers

Gene therapy has been shown to have positive effects in rat models of pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

20 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Childhood obesity, the interworkings of the FDA, the constitutionality of 'Obamacare'

The White House report offers recommendations related to early childhood, parenting, food in schools, access to healthy and affordable food and physical activity. Taken individually, none of these is a silver bullet (Tom Newton, 5/19).

20 May 2010

Federal employee unions pressing for bill to cover young adults

Roll Call reports that "labor unions representing federal employees are pressing for temporary health insurance coverage for college-age students who will otherwise be thrown off their parents' health insurance plans when they turn 22 years old." The new health law has a provision guaranteeing such access but that isn't scheduled to take effect for federal health beneficiaries until January, even though a number of private plans are moving to implement the coverage earlier.

20 May 2010

Phase I study of SNS-032 demonstrates safety, potential clinical activity in treating B-cell malignancies

A Phase I clinical trial of SNS-032, one of the first in a new class of drugs that inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases, demonstrated the drug's safety and potential clinical action against advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cyclin-dependent kinases are enzymatic proteins that are integrally involved in cellular metabolism, renewal and signaling, and are thought to play key roles in the growth of cancers.

20 May 2010

Medtronic commences treatment in RESCUE trial of Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft with Captivia Delivery System

Further demonstrating its commitment to proving the benefits of minimally-invasive procedures, Medtronic, Inc., today announced that the first patient has been treated with the company's Valiant® Thoracic Stent Graft with the Captivia Delivery System in Medtronic's RESCUE Clinical Study.

20 May 2010

AIR Trial demonstrates benefits of BT in asthma patients

Asthmatx Inc., today presented positive five-year data from the Asthma Intervention Research Trial, which evaluated the safety of bronchial thermoplasty with the Alair System. The data demonstrated the absence of clinical complications and the maintenance of stable lung function over a five year period post-BT in patients with moderate to severe asthma.

20 May 2010

Fraud and abuse cases come to conclusions

Los Angeles Times: "A man who recruited destitute HIV patients to be straw purchasers in a prescription drug scheme was convicted by a federal jury Tuesday in Los Angeles. Nathaniel Newhouse, 53, showed no expression as the verdict was read in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson." Newhouse was caught with 29 bottles of powerful painkillers two years ago. Investigators said they had a street value of up to $80,000. HIV patients arranged for doctors to prescribe the drugs, which were passed on to Newhouse (Glover, 5/19).

20 May 2010

FDA grants 510(k) market clearance for EraGen's MultiCode-RTx HSV 1&2 Kit

EraGen Biosciences Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) market clearance for EraGen's MultiCode®-RTx HSV 1&2 Kit.

20 May 2010

Democrats debating how to handle Medicare 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy extension

Some Democrats are concerned that adding a Medicare physician payment "fix" to tax legislation will add to the debt and are considering dropping the provision.

20 May 2010

FDA approves ZYMAXID ophthalmic solution for treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis

Allergan, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved ZYMAXID (gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution) 0.5%, a topical fluoroquinolone anti-infective indicated for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of the following organisms; Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mitis group, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus pneumonia.

20 May 2010