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Lethal new MRSA strain resists antibiotics, increases demand for Unotron’s disinfectable and washable keyboards

A deadly new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylociccus auerus (MRSA) poses an alarming new threat, sparking demand for Unotron’s (www.unotron.com) medical grade, fully washable keyboards and mice that can be disinfected to mitigate the spread of germs. A study conducted by the Henry Ford Hospital reported the USA600 strain resists Vancomycin, a drug successfully used in the past to treat patients with MRSA.

5 Nov 2009

Study examines campaign to increase use of zinc to prevent childhood diarrhea

Scientific American reports on a multiyear PLoS Medicine study, published on Monday, which "followed a nationwide public health campaign to increase zinc use for childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh."

5 Nov 2009

EFOF's initative to raise epilepsy awareness

Each year, some 50,000 Americans die from seizures and related causes, triggering more deaths annually than breast cancer. The Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (EFOF) is working to educate the public about this condition during November, Epilepsy Awareness Month.

4 Nov 2009

Medidata Solutions announces multi-year contract extension with Shire

Medidata Solutions, a leading global provider of hosted clinical development solutions, today announced a multi-year contract extension with Shire plc for use of Medidata Grants Manager™ and CRO Contractor™ benchmarking and analysis tools for investigator site and contract research organization (CRO) trial budget planning and forecasting.

4 Nov 2009

Department of Health urges healthcare professionals to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu

Saying healthcare workers are "on the front lines" of battling the H1N1 flu pandemic, the Department of Health today urged healthcare professionals across Pennsylvania to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu.

4 Nov 2009

Unilife Medical Solutions signs Merger Implementation Agreement with Unilife USA

On 1 September 2009, Unilife Medical Solutions Limited (ASX: UNI) (PINKSHEETS: UNIFF) (Unilife Australia) entered into a Merger Implementation Agreement with Unilife Corporation (Unilife USA) to facilitate the proposed redomiciliation of the Unilife group in the United States of America (Proposed Transaction).

4 Nov 2009

Insurers' pricing practices targeted by Senate health committee

Senate health committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, asked four of the nations largest health insurers - Aetna, Humana, Wellpoint and UnitedHealth - to explain their pricing policies after small-business owners testified Tuesday that insurance premiums were crushing their businesses, the Des Moines Register reports.

4 Nov 2009

Designers of anti-cancer drugs aim at the genetic material DNA in preventing cancer cells

Designers of anti-cancer drugs are aiming their arrows at mysterious chunks of the genetic material DNA that may play a key role in preventing the growth and spread of cancer cells, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

4 Nov 2009

Key moderates influence the shape of health overhaul bills

The Washington Post: "Moderates have raised numerous concerns about aspects of the bill, including the public insurance option that liberals persuaded Reid to add last week. Although (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid included an 'opt out' provision for states that don't want to participate, many moderate Democrats prefer a "trigger" mechanism, proposed by their lone Republican ally, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine)." Resolving differences could take weeks some say (Murray and Montgomery, 11/4).

4 Nov 2009

Grow ornamental plants to remove indoor air pollutants

Air quality in homes, offices, and other indoor spaces is becoming a major health concern, particularly in developed countries where people often spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Surprisingly, indoor air has been reported to be as much as 12 times more polluted than outdoor air in some areas. Indoor air pollutants emanate from paints, varnishes, adhesives, furnishings, clothing, solvents, building materials, and even tap water.

4 Nov 2009

PEPFAR expands efforts to improve health services worldwide through use of mobile devices

Fierce Mobile reports on the recent announcement that PEPFAR is teaming up with the United Nations Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Vodafone Foundation to be a founding member of the mHealth Alliance, "a group seeking to bring health services to the most remote corners of the globe using mobile networks and technologies." U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby announced the partnership during a keynote address last week at the inaugural mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C., according to the news service (Versel, 11/3).

4 Nov 2009

House Republicans offer health overhaul plan

Their alternative health care bill "would reward states for reducing the number of uninsured, limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance exempt from most state regulation," The New York Times reports.

4 Nov 2009

Health care jobs plentiful but tough to get

While health care jobs are plentiful, "getting one is hard work," The Associated Press/The News-Sentinel reports. "Many people who have lost jobs to the recession may find a cure for unemployment in the health care field," and the demand for nurses, specialists and technicians is strong

4 Nov 2009

Alcatel-Lucent receives FDA clearance to market Alcatel-Lucent TeleHealth Manager in the US

Alcatel-Lucent today announced that the Alcatel-Lucent TeleHealth Manager, a secure and reliable remote patient monitoring solution, has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing in the United States.

4 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health News: Childhood vaccines; USAID administrator; Pakistan polio fight; UNICEF fundraising; measles in India

As a follow-up to the release of the State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization by the WHO, UNICEF and World Bank last month, The International examines the findings that "despite child vaccinations hitting a record-high with about 106 million infants being immunised this year, life-saving vaccines fail to reach some 24 million children in 72 of the world's poorest countries," many of whom, "are estimated to be most at risk from vaccine-preventable diseases," the publication writes.

4 Nov 2009

SCMG and Graybill Medical to develop PM and EHRs implementation strategies

Sharp Community Medical Group (SCMG) and Graybill Medical Group have signed an Enhanced Partnership Agreement to jointly develop practice management and electronic health records implementation strategies.

4 Nov 2009

Small business group lobbies for reform while trade groups see cuts in business

Small business owners lobby Congress while trade associations and a seniors' group worry about what lawmaker's efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system could mean for them.

4 Nov 2009

Cancer patients want strong relationship with their radiation oncologist

What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during important office visits, compared to 12 percent of men, according to a randomized study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

4 Nov 2009

Automated temperature monitoring module for health care facilities

Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS), a subsidiary of Consulier Engineering, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSLR), today announced the availability of its most advanced automated temperature monitoring module.

4 Nov 2009

Reuters examines how much of G8 agriculture investment is new

Three billion of the $20 billion that G8 leaders promised to invest in agriculture in developing countries "appears to be new money, diplomats and sources close to the matter said on Tuesday," Reuters reports. "Most of that new money, up to $2 billion, is coming from the United States, according to two sources, one on the donor side and one on the recipient side," the news service writes.

4 Nov 2009