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Jackson Health System's healthcare professionals request grand jury investigation over misuse of public funds

SEIU Local 1991 (www.seiu1991.org), the union representing 5,000 nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals at Jackson Health System, today requested a state grand jury investigation into gross mismanagement that has caused the public hospital to teeter on financial ruin and that is putting patients at risk.

19 Feb 2010

Study shows how genes and environmental factors influence common human diseases

A UCLA study reveals how human genes interact with their environment to boost disease risk. Published in the Feb. 18 online edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the findings shed light on why the search for specific gene variants linked to human diseases can only partly explain common disorders.

19 Feb 2010

Mayo Clinic's first DCD lung transplantation performed in 59-year-old Illinois man

Lung transplantation is a well-known therapy for patients with end-stage lung disease, but, as with other patients waiting for organs for transplantation, there are more recipients waiting than donors available. A potential solution for patients with end-stage lung disease is donation after cardiac death (DCD). Mayo Clinic reports its - and Minnesota's - first lung transplantation from DCD in the February issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

19 Feb 2010

AGH neurosurgeons explore new therapeutic approach for brain tumor

Neurosurgeons at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) are exploring use of a drug that illuminates brain tumor cells to determine if the experimental visualization technique will enhance their ability to surgically excise tumors and improve patient survival.

19 Feb 2010

Ortivus reports net sales of MSEK 105.0 for 2009

During 2009, we have placed great focus on the sale of products and solutions within the framework for our core operation, i.e. advanced mobile and clinical monitoring and decision-making support for modern healthcare. This has resulted in an increase in sales of 66% in our units in Sweden and the UK. At the same time, we have worked further on reducing our costs and the introduction of a savings programme of around MSEK 10, primarily within the Swedish operation, which will come into full effect during 2010.

19 Feb 2010

Researchers use Life Technologies’ next-generation sequencing instruments for cancer research

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the publication of two key scientific papers that highlight the utility of next-generation sequencing instruments in better understanding disease and the genetic differences that cause diversity within and between human populations. The Applied Biosystems SOLiD™ System was used in both of these research studies.

19 Feb 2010

Proven strategies mastered by best-in-class biopharma companies

Companies invest hundreds of millions – and occasionally billions – of dollars overall in developing new drugs and face countless hurdles in bringing these new products to market. To make good on these vast investments, successful companies must maximize product uptake across all customer groups: not only among patients and physicians, but also among government and private payers to win formulary access and improve product placement.

19 Feb 2010

USPTO grants SPO Medical innovative baby heart rate monitoring patent

SPO Medical Inc., a leading developer of biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices, today announced it has been granted a new and innovative baby monitoring patent relating to a non-invasive device or system for monitoring and measuring the heart rate of a baby to activate an alarm when the level falls outside a predetermined range.

19 Feb 2010

Patient registry formed to track clinical course of hypoactive sexual desire disorder

New findings from a European study show that women with low sexual desire and associated distress experience personal and emotional distress related to the sexual issue.

19 Feb 2010

VIRxSYS announces results from prophylactic HIV vaccine study at 2010 CROI conference

VIRxSYS Corporation, a privately held company developing vaccines and RNA therapies for serious human diseases such as HIV and cardiovascular diseases, announced results from its prophylactic HIV vaccine (VRX1023) study in Rhesus Macaque monkeys during a presentation today at the 2010 Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco, CA.

19 Feb 2010

AARP opposes Idaho Health Freedom Act

In a move that could have dire effects on health care in Idaho, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted yesterday to bring the Idaho Health Care Freedom Act (House Bill 391) one step closer to becoming law

19 Feb 2010

FDA approves 53 new cancer indications between July 2005 and end of 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Oncology Drug Products approved more than 50 new indications for the use of oncology and hematology drugs and biologics between July 2005, when the office began reviewing marketing applications, and the end of 2007, according to a new agency study.

19 Feb 2010

USDA and FDA join forces to enhance safety and quality of fresh produce

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration are working together to achieve the goals of enhancing the safety and quality of fresh produce in ways that take into account the wide diversity of farming operations.

19 Feb 2010

KHN column: Why are fewer patients enrolling in hospice

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: "Suddenly, many hospices are admitting fewer patients. Others are increasingly caring for people for just days or hours before they die.

19 Feb 2010

Medicare coverage for prescription drugs: HHS to apply ARRA increased FMAP to clawback payments

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $4.3 billion in financial relief to states by reducing the amount they will have to pay the federal government to offset the cost of Medicare coverage for prescription drugs for state residents eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

19 Feb 2010

Shortfall of $21B in aid pledged by wealthy countries, report says

There is a $21 billion shortfall between aid promised in 2005 by some of the world's richest countries and actual payments, according to an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, released on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

19 Feb 2010

Sacred Heart Medical Center fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards

On January 29, 2010, Sacred Heart Medical Center was cited and fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards. The Department of Labor and Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued the citation and fine for violation of Center for Disease Control and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines on H1N1 and also for violation of the DOSH Directive on Enforcement Procedures for High or Very High Occupational Exposure Risk to the 2009 H1N1 Influenza.

19 Feb 2010

Research shows natural compound in marine sponges reduces cancer cell motility

Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research) led by Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., have discovered that the natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility (movement) and has very low toxicity.

19 Feb 2010

Group B streptococcus may have significant public health implications: Study

A common bacteria found in many healthy adult females that can cause life-threatening infections when passed to newborns could be introduced to some women through frequent contact with cows, according to a research team led by a Michigan State University pediatrician.

19 Feb 2010

UBC researcher finds improved uptake of highly active antiretroviral therapy

A comprehensive population-based study, conducted by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and presented at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco, shows that expanded highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) coverage was associated with a 50% decrease in new yearly HIV infections among injection drug users.

19 Feb 2010