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TD2 to join GPEC at BayBio2010 to spur Arizona's bioscience industry

Scottsdale-based TGen Drug Development will join the Greater Phoenix Economic Council this week at BayBio2010 in an effort to spur Arizona's bioscience industry.

7 Apr 2010

UHC awards dual 3-year agreements to UHS, Crothall Services Group

University HealthSystem Consortium today announced that after a competitive bid process, it has awarded dual 3-year agreements for clinical/diagnostic equipment maintenance services to Universal Hospital Services, Inc. and Crothall Services Group. Contracts were effective January 1, 2010 and February 1, 2010 respectively.

7 Apr 2010

Senator Grassley issues warning about 'phanton pharmacies' while Tampa officials arrest pharmacists on fraud charges

Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week saying federal officials have failed to stop the growing trend of "phantom pharmacies" that bill millions to Medicare in prescription drug costs then disappear, ABC News reports.

7 Apr 2010

Sickle cell disease: Rehospitalization rates high

The largest study to date of the use of acute care medical services by people with sickle cell disease found four of every 10 had to return to the hospital within 30 days of a previous hospitalization or go to the emergency department for treatment of pain, according to a new study funded in part by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

AHRQ: Women accounted for nearly 60% of 39.4M admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007

Women accounted for nearly 60 percent of the 39.4 million admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

Liver transplant loan repayment expected says WA Premier

Claire Murray, 24 died last week in a Singapore hospital following complications related to her second liver transplant. Her first tax-payer funded transplanted liver was damaged due to her relapsing into heroin addiction.

7 Apr 2010

Improving static balance key to preventing falls in older adults

Being able to stay in their homes and remain independent is a daily struggle for many older adults. As we age we tend to lose our flexibility, our connective tissue tightens and we have prolonged reaction times. Problems with vision, including depth perception, all increase the likelihood of falling. When a child falls it may result in a few bumps and bruises.

7 Apr 2010

MEDEC adopts revised, restated Code of Conduct on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals

Effective today MEDEC membership has adopted a revised and restated Code of Conduct on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals.

7 Apr 2010

IZI Medical Products introduces Mammography Indicator Markers

IZI Medical Products today announced that the company has developed and begun distributing two new lines of flat mammography markers, which are being manufactured in the United States and sold worldwide under the brand, Mammography Indicator® Markers.

7 Apr 2010

ESC heart failure meeting encourages audience interaction

"Delegates attending the meeting will get real insights into what's new in heart failure," said Professor Stefan Anker, chairman of the Heart Failure Congress Scientific Committee. "In what's the biggest international stand-alone meeting dedicated to heart failure, there'll be lots of hot of the press news. The very fact that 12 late breaking clinical trial updates are being presented at the meeting demonstrates how bright the future is in heart failure."

7 Apr 2010

Hospital charges for uninsured inpatient care grows by 88%

The amount that hospitals charge the uninsured for inpatient care grew by 88 percent between 1998 and 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The average charge for an uninsured hospital stay grew from $11,400 in 1998 to $21,400 in 2007 after adjusting for inflation.

7 Apr 2010

A 2% decline in U.S. birth rate including teenage births

According to Government statistics released this Tuesday, the birthrate in the United States has dropped by 2% from 2007 to 2008 with about 4.2 million babies born during this time. This drop also means that the fertility rate has gone below 2.1 children per woman. This statistic means that Americans are not giving birth to enough children to keep the population from declining.

7 Apr 2010

Doctors prepare to take recertification tests; California case examines patient safety

The Associated Press: "For the first time since leaving medical school, many doctors are having to take tests to renew board certification in their fields — 147 specialties from dermatology to obstetrics. Any doctor can deliver a baby, treat cancer, or declare himself a cardiologist. Certification means the doctor had special training in that field and passed an exam to prove knowledge of it.

7 Apr 2010

Jantibody Therapeutics, Pfenex collaborate in production of HSP-avidin fusion proteins

Boston BioCom LLC today announced the successful completion of a collaborative research agreement between its Jantibody Therapeutics LLC subsidiary and Pfenex Inc., resulting in the rapid production of a HSP-avidin fusion protein for the Jantibodies self-assembling vaccines platform.

7 Apr 2010

Defective protein responsible for SCA5 disease cuts synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons

The neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) damages nerve cells in two ways. University of Minnesota researchers now report that the defective protein responsible for the disease cuts the number of synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons.

7 Apr 2010

Infusion and injection therapy Medicare defraud scheme: Detroit-area resident pleads guilty

A Detroit-area resident pleaded guilty today for her role in an infusion and injection therapy scheme to defraud Medicare, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).

7 Apr 2010

Has the NHS procured too many swine flu shots?

Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has nearly 34 million unused swine flu vaccines at present due to a drop in the number of cases and these vaccinations. A total 44 million shots were procured. 3.8 million of these unused shots will be sent to Africa via the World Health Organization to help them. Of the rest, 10.6m is already with GPs who will be ready to act if more people entitled to the jab come forward. But the remaining 23.6m will be held in reserve.

7 Apr 2010

Does a seasonal flu shot raise the risk of swine flu?

Four new studies by Canadian researchers have come up with the result that the traditional seasonal flu vaccine that has been used for some time now is related to an increased risk of infection with pandemic H1N1 swine flu.

7 Apr 2010

Crucell, GSK sign agreement to develop 'second generation malaria vaccine'

Crucell, the Dutch biotechnology company, "said on Tuesday it had agreed with Britain's GlaxoSmithKline to jointly develop a malaria vaccine candidate, without disclosing financial details," Reuters reports (Gray-Block, 4/6).

7 Apr 2010

Media look at regional effect of China's drought

In light of the "first-ever summit of Mekong nations," where participating countries hailed "China's move to share data on reservoir levels," Bloomberg/BusinessWeek examines the "severe drought" affecting more than 60 million people in countries along Asia's Mekong river.

7 Apr 2010