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First heart surgery using MECC system completed

MAQUET Cardiovascular announced today that Johannes Bonatti, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Director of Coronary Surgery and Advanced Coronary Interventions at the University of Maryland Heart Center in Baltimore, has completed the world's first use of the MAQUET Minimized ExtraCorporeal Circulation (MECC) system during a successful robotic and fully endoscopic heart surgery. The new cardiopulmonary bypass technology is the first major advancement in perfusion technology in the last decade. It is designed to minimize the effects of traditional heart surgery and aid in minimally-invasive heart surgery without the need to stop the patient's heart from beating.

28 Sep 2009

Researchers measure the brain activity in infants

Do infants only start to crawl once they are physically able to see danger coming? Or is it that because they are more mobile, they develop the ability to sense looming danger? According to Ruud van der Weel and Audrey van der Meer, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, infants' ability to see whether an object is approaching on a direct collision course, and when it is likely to collide, develops around the time they become more mobile. Their findings have just been published online in the Springer journal Naturwissenschaften.

27 Sep 2009

Investigational vaccine regimen 31% effective in preventing HIV infection

In an encouraging development, an investigational vaccine regimen has been shown to be well-tolerated and to have a modest effect in preventing HIV infection in a clinical trial involving more than 16,000 adult participants in Thailand. Following a final analysis of the trial data, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, the trial sponsor, announced today that the prime-boost investigational vaccine regimen was safe and 31 percent effective in preventing HIV infection.

27 Sep 2009

Rosiglitazone slows progression of cachexia in cancer affected mice

Insulin resistance, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes and a condition often associated with obesity, is paradoxically also an apparent contributor to muscle wasting and severe fat loss that accompanies some cancers, according to new research.

27 Sep 2009

S&P Consultants and Vedant collaborate to increase patient safety in Cerner Millennium implementations

A new business partnership of S&P Consultants, Inc. and Vedant Incorporated will now offer the highest levels of quality- and patient-safety assurance to both standard and customized applications built on the Cerner Millennium® platform. Both companies have particular expertise in the Cerner Millennium® environment, with S&P providing a broad range of consulting services and Vedant offering TestStream®, a comprehensive suite of software testing and validation solutions for systems of all levels of complexity and scale.

26 Sep 2009

Photographs from the Frontlines of Health

On exhibit for the first time in Canada, Providence Health Care and AstraZeneca Canada are co-presenting Beyond Barriers: Photographs from the Frontlines of Health, which celebrates the compassion and ingenuity of health professionals (doctors, nurses, social workers and others) working on Canada's frontlines.

26 Sep 2009

INFORMS annual meeting in San Diego from October 11th to 14th

When 4,000 experts in everything from problems with California's hospitals to a perpetual game of Monopoly come to San Diego on October 11, the city will find itself deluged not only by smart people who use math for a living but also problem solvers who tackle America's greatest threats.

26 Sep 2009

Network in Canada to develop biomaterials for treatment of eye diseases

Researchers in Canada have established a new university/industry network to pursue the development of biomaterials, medical devices and drug delivery systems to treat the increasing incidence of eye disease.

26 Sep 2009

ProSperus, Genesis Physicians Group launch GenPro Practice Management Solutions

ProSperus, a Mequon, Wis.,-based, full-service practice management company, and Genesis Physicians Group, a Dallas-based independent physicians association (IPA), today announced the launch of GenPro Practice Management Solutions.

26 Sep 2009

NCPA commends U.S. Senate Finance Committee's approval of the Cantwell amendment

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today commended the U.S. Senate Finance Committee for approving by unanimous, voice vote an amendment by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to lower health care costs through common-sense disclosure requirements for any pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) participating in the health insurance exchanges envisioned in Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) America’s Healthy Future Act.

26 Sep 2009

Contagious diseases more prevalent due to presenteeism

While employers may celebrate a low absenteeism rate among their employees, there may be a more serious problem if sick employees are coming to work. "Presenteeism," a new term coined for when employees work while unhealthy, may be even worse for employers and for the healthcare system, costing $160 billion annually in lost productivity, according to healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information, in its new report "The Market for Wellness Programs and Their Impact on Pharmaceutical, Diagnostic and Device Product Markets." The report also notes that presenteeism costs are one of many factors driving usage of wellness programs.

26 Sep 2009

Sonomax signs five year licensing agreement with Dutch company

Sonomax Hearing Healthcare Inc. (TSX Venture: SHH) announces that it has signed a five year licensing agreement with a newly formed Dutch company which has adopted the name Sonomax Europe BV (hereafter SEBV) with Sonomax's approval. Sonomax is not a stakeholder in SEBV.

26 Sep 2009

Cantwell amendment will raise cost of prescription drugs: PCMA

“America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) believe strongly in the principle of transparency and empowering payers to make informed health-care purchasing decisions resulting in lower prescription drug costs and higher quality. Regrettably, today’s amendment moves the health care system in the opposite direction.”

26 Sep 2009

AETNA's nutrition program to counter childhood obesity

Aetna Better Health, formerly Aetna Medicaid and CHIP Services, today announced an eight-week nutrition and exercise program for children at the North Fort Worth Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth. The pilot program, named ACTIVATE Kids, was created to educate children on the risks of childhood obesity.

26 Sep 2009

Biden emerges as health care messenger

The vice president took the stage Wednesday for the administration's health reform campaign with a talk with seniors at Leisure World in suburban Maryland. The Associated Press reports: "Vice President Joe Biden sought to reassure nervous seniors Wednesday that they won't see cuts in their Medicare benefits if the nation's health care system is revamped. ...

26 Sep 2009

CAPT organizes events to draw attention to budget cuts and layoffs

WHY: The California Association of Psychiatric Technicians is continuing a series of weekly informational pickets at state hospitals, developmental centers and prisons, this time at three locations: Coalinga State Hospital, Lanterman Developmental Center and Metropolitan State Hospital. The events will draw attention to ongoing state budget cuts that are not only hurting employees, but also the vital services Psych Techs provide to Californians in their care.

26 Sep 2009

Pfizer to commence Phase 3 trial of oral c-Met and ALK inhibitor

Pfizer Oncology announced today that it will initiate a global, Phase 3 clinical trial of its investigational oral c-Met and ALK inhibitor, PF-02341066, versus standard of care chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carrying the ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinases) fusion gene, who have progressed on one prior treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapy.

26 Sep 2009

NIEHS director to discuss health concerns with citizens

The director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) will visit Milwaukee to preside over a "Town Hall Meeting" in which the public can discuss with local, state and federal authorities how the physical environment underlies many of the health problems in Milwaukee.

26 Sep 2009

G20 to focus on global poverty

The move to make the G20 the world's leading economic body holds potential for broader coordination in the global fight against poverty and hunger, though it may also pose risks for achieving promises made by G8 leaders at previous summits, say aid policy experts at World Vision.

26 Sep 2009

Morphotek announces preliminary data from Phase II trial of farletuzumab

Morphotek(R), Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North America, today announced preliminary data from a Phase II trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of farletuzumab in platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer subjects experiencing their first relapse. Farletuzumab (MORAb-003) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets the Folate Receptor Alpha (FRA).

26 Sep 2009