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FDA provides guidance to help caregivers, patients safely use complex medical devices in home

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a new initiative to ensure that caregivers and patients safely use complex medical devices in the home.

21 Apr 2010

Federal health reform implementation stirring up state politics and policies

The Denver Post: In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter is scheduled to sign an executive order Tuesday that "health care advocates say is key to turning the federal government's vague framework for reform into reality." The order "will create a board of health-policy advisers to guide the transition to a new health system — everything from setting up a state insurance exchange to making sure the insurance commissioner has authority to guard against companies rejecting someone for being sick."

21 Apr 2010

Report details progress in fighting malaria in Africa, notes funding shortfall

Global funding for malaria reached $1.7 billion in 2009, a "ten-fold" increase since 2004, and the production of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) worldwide rose to 150 million last year, according to a report, released Monday, from UNICEF and the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership, which also highlighted the need for additional funding, Agence France-Presse reports (4/19).

21 Apr 2010

Cochlear implantation improves comprehension and spoken language expression in children under 5

Children under 5 years of age with severe hearing loss who underwent cochlear implantation experienced greater improvement in comprehension and expression in spoken language than would be predicted from their pre-implantation language scores, with younger age at implantation associated with greater improvements, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

Black and Hispanic children have high rate of hospital admissions for ruptured appendix

Black children were one-third more likely than white children to be hospitalized for a ruptured appendix in 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

21 Apr 2010

Updates on development of Truvada and TMC278

Gilead Sciences, Inc. provided an update today on the development of the fixed-dose combination of Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and Tibotec Pharmaceuticals' investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor TMC278 (rilpivirine hydrochloride, 25 mg).

21 Apr 2010

Genetic dermatology tests merge with DermaGenoma

Pioneering genetic tests in key areas of dermatology today merged into one molecular dermatology research and development innovator called DermaGenoma, Inc.

21 Apr 2010

Defects in carbon nanotubes stimulate body's natural immune response: Study

Yale University engineers have found that the defects in carbon nanotubes cause T cell antigens to cluster in the blood and stimulate the body's natural immune response.

21 Apr 2010

Hospital chiefs worry about health law's effects, CMS proposes Medicare payment cuts

Kansas hospital chiefs worried about their bottom lines are waiting to see the consequences that the n ew health law will have on their organizations, the Kansas Health Institute News Service reports.

21 Apr 2010

Celsion's ThermoDox Phase I trial data presented at 9th IHPBA World Congress

Celsion Corporation today announced that Dr. Thanjavur S. Ravikumar, from the Geisinger Health System and a principal investigator of the Phase I ThermoDox® dose escalation trial, gave an oral presentation at the Liver Tumors Panel session of the 9th World Congress of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

21 Apr 2010

IMPACT trial shows improvement in OS for metastatic CRPC

Dr. Neal Shore (GB) presented for the first time in Europe the updated results of the study "Sipuleucel-T Active Cellular Immunotherapy for Metastatic, Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: results from the IMPACT trial," during the second plenary session of the 25th Anniversary EAU Congress in Barcelona.

21 Apr 2010

Prevention is key to minimize choking hazards among young children

Though airway obstructions in young children occur less often than other types of injuries, the death rate is higher, according to new research from Children's National Medical Center.

21 Apr 2010

Capario secures CAQH CORE Phase II Certification for Phoenix Processing System

Capario, a leading provider of revenue cycle management solutions that connect healthcare payers and providers nationwide, today announced it has achieved the CAQH® Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE®) Phase II Certification for its Phoenix Processing System.

21 Apr 2010

Warning on hearing loss from personal music players

For the generation that cannot imagine living without their iPods here is some bad news. Listening to music at high volume can cause grave damage to your hearing. The risk is even higher for those who use earphones that are inserted into the ear canal as this intensifies the volume. There is growing evidence of young people having poorer hearing when they use such devices on a regular basis.

21 Apr 2010

Johnson & Johnson' first-quarter 2010 sales increase 4.0% to $15.6 billion

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $15.6 billion for the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 4.0% as compared to the first quarter of 2009. Operational results declined 0.1% and the positive impact of currency was 4.1%.

21 Apr 2010

E-prescribing to grow as DEA eases regulation

The Wall Street Journal: "Doctors are increasingly prescribing medications electronically, abandoning the traditional paper scripts that can result in drug errors due to hard-to-read writing or coverage denials by a patient's insurer." E-prescribing tripled last year to 191 million according to the online prescribing leader Surescripts.

21 Apr 2010

ZenBio awarded Phase I SBIR grant to establish novel human cell-based models of NAFLD

ZenBio, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a Phase I SBIR grant to establish novel human cell-based models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that will be useful for basic research and as a potential drug development platform. The project stems from recent efforts at ZenBio, Inc. to develop methods for differentiating adipose tissue derived progenitor cells into hepatocyte-like cells.

21 Apr 2010

Kaiser Permanente physician to receive ASH Marvin Moser Clinical Hypertension Award

Kaiser Permanente physician Joel Handler, MD, has been selected to receive a national award from the American Society of Hypertension for his "outstanding dedication to the treatment and care of hypertensive patients." The City of Orange resident is a critical care specialist at Kaiser Permanente's Anaheim Medical Center and has served area residents for over 30 years.

21 Apr 2010

Liquidia Technologies adds PPD to Series C financing

Liquidia Technologies, a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing particle-based vaccines and therapeutics, announced today that it has added an additional investor, PPD, Inc., to its Series C financing. The final addition of PPD brings the total funding for this round to $25 million.

21 Apr 2010

Scam artists hawk fake insurance policies, prey on seniors

"[S]cam artists are working overtime. They're hawking fake insurance policies by preying on the fears and confusion that surround" the new health overhaul law, according to consumer advocates.

21 Apr 2010