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Medical advances abound while surgeons report concerns about medical errors

The Wall Street Journal reports on "20 health-care advances to give thanks for this Thanksgiving." Among the most key: "Life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 77.9 years in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available, continuing a long upward trend. (That's 75.3 years for men and 80.4 years for women.) ... Death rates dropped significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., including cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, accidents, diabetes, homicides and pneumonia, from 2006 to 2007."

24 Nov 2009

Ocimum Biosolutions' Biotracker awarded caBIG Bronze Compatibility Certification

Ocimum Biosolutions today announced that its specialty life science Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Biotracker™ has been awarded the prestigious caBIG® (cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid®) Bronze Compatibility Certification by the National Cancer Institute, an institute of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

24 Nov 2009

HIV peaked in 1996, according to the United Nations

The number of HIV cases worldwide — 33 million — has remained steady during the last two years and the epidemic peaked in 1996, according to the United Nations, The Associated Press reports. The disease looks stable in most regions, except for Africa, according to the UN. "

24 Nov 2009

KHN column: Answers from Iowa

In this Kaiser Health News column, Michael L. Millenson writes about insights one could gain from paying attention to what's happening in Iowa. "The Des Moines home of the Chicago Cubs' AAA farm team boasts of being 'one of the top minor league facilities in the country.' This might also be an accurate description of the State of Iowa's political status, in which its quadrennial presidential caucuses help determine who advances to the Big Show."

24 Nov 2009

RESTAURANT SURVIVAL GUIDE in the EAT THIS, NOT THAT! book series released

The authors of the bestselling EAT THIS, NOT THAT! book series, with more than five million copies in print, today released the ultimate reference book for making the most effective food choices while dining at your favorite restaurants — EAT THIS, NOT THAT! RESTAURANT SURVIVAL GUIDE by David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding.

24 Nov 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

If this were a presidential election year, a recent report by the Iowa Committee for Value in Healthcare would be reaping a lot of attention. Its sponsors say they know the "secret sauce" that allows Iowa to care for one of the highest percentage of "old old" in the country on modest Medicare reimbursement and yet still score near the top of the nation on a slew of quality indicators (Michael Millenson, 11/24).

24 Nov 2009

Ad audit: Congress' former fiscal expert attacks health overhaul effort

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau examines an ad advanced by the Employment Policies Institute.

24 Nov 2009

Merit Web Health Award for MannatechScience.org

Mannatech, Incorporated, a global pioneer in the development of high-quality health, weight and fitness, and skin care solutions based on nutritional science, announced today its educational Web site, MannatechScience.org, has received a merit Web Health Award.

24 Nov 2009

First-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by China Aoxing Pharmaceutical

China Aoxing Pharmaceutical Company, Inc., a China-based pharmaceutical company specializing in research, development, manufacturing and distribution of narcotic and pain-management products, today announced financial and operational results for the three month ended September 30, 2009, or the first quarter of fiscal year 2010.

24 Nov 2009

Insurers under fire for denials of care, inadequate coverage

When people talk about revamping the health care system, among the often-mentioned reasons for change are unfair denials of care by insurance companies and medical debt, both of which are in the news today.

24 Nov 2009

OmniComm Systems chosen as Beardsworth's preferred EDC provider

OmniComm Systems, Inc., one of the fastest growing companies in the EDC marketplace, today announced that Beardsworth, a full service contract research organization (CRO) who specializes in difficult therapeutic areas, has selected OmniComm's TrialMaster EDC solution for conducting a Phase II vaccine study.

24 Nov 2009

New Medicare rules on home-oxygen affect patients, businesses

The Wall Street Journal: "New Medicare rules designed to reduce waste and fraud in medical-equipment reimbursements are driving some home-oxygen suppliers out of business and leaving patients scrambling to find new providers." The rules - scheduled to go into effect January 1, apply to people "who rely on Medicare to pay for oxygen services, which relieve the symptoms of conditions such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

24 Nov 2009

Groups on both sides of abortion issue revived in Senate reform fight

The Wall Street Journal reports that abortion-rights groups are mobilizing to keep a provision that would toughen abortion restrictions out of a Senate health care reform bill. "Activists hope to flood Washington to rally and lobby on Dec. 2, during the week that Senate floor debate begins." Ads are running to criticize the restrictions and a new coalition — the Coalition to Pass Health Care Reform and Stop Stupak — is being formed, The Journal reports.

24 Nov 2009

Ohr Pharmaceutical to develop OHR/AVR118 for cachexia treatment

Ohr Pharmaceutical Inc. is developing OHR/AVR118 for treatment of cachexia based on technology acquired earlier this year from Advanced Viral Research Corp. OHR/AVR118 has shown excellent therapeutic efficacy and safety in human clinical trials in over 100 patients with applications for cachexia in Cancer and AIDS patients, as well as Rheumatoid Arthritis.

24 Nov 2009

Poll: Women in their 40's will still get mammograms, despite new guidelines

USA Today reports that "[a] vast majority of American women plan to ignore controversial new recommendations about mammograms, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows. The poll also shows that most women sharply overestimate their risk of developing the disease."

24 Nov 2009

Medical Nutrition launches Diff-Stat pre- and probiotic supplement to prevent the onset of AAD and C-diff

Medical Nutrition USA, Inc., a developer and distributor of uniquely engineered, nutrition-medicine products, announced the introduction of Diff-Stat™, a new supplement containing pre- and probiotics to help restore and maintain beneficial bacteria that prevent the onset of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and clostridium difficile (C-diff).

24 Nov 2009

Fourth-quarter and fiscal year-end 2009 results announced by IASIS Healthcare

IASIS Healthcare® LLC today announced financial and operating results for the fiscal fourth quarter and year ended September 30, 2009.

24 Nov 2009

CytRx to initiate a multinational Phase 2 clinical trial of its doxorubicin prodrug

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, today announced plans to initiate a multinational Phase 2 clinical trial with its doxorubicin prodrug INNO-206 as a treatment for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas who have failed surgery and radiation. Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that are formed in the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels or other supporting tissue of the body.

24 Nov 2009

Fourth-quarter and full year fiscal 2009 results announced by AVANIR Pharmaceuticals

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported unaudited financial results for the three and twelve months ended September 30, 2009.

24 Nov 2009

Roche, Spanish Department of Health to collaborate in Medical Genome Project

Roche and the Department of Health of Junta de Andalucía, Spain have signed an agreement for a cooperation in the Medical Genome Project (MGP), a research project created to analyse the genomes of people with rare diseases and identify the defective gene or genes causing the disease and its behaviour.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 24 Nov 2009