Recent Health Articles: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Eaton Scientific Discusses Positive Anecdotal Feedback from Pharmacist Compounding Homatropine for Doctors Treating Patients Experiencing Hot Flash Symptoms in the Beverley Hills and Los Angeles Area.

Eaton Scientific Discusses Positive Anecdotal Feedback from Pharmacist Compounding Homatropine for Doctors Treating Patients Experiencing Hot Flash Symptoms in the Beverley Hills and Los Angeles Area.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Eaton Scientific Systems, Ltd. ("Eaton Scientific" or the "Company"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pristine Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: PRTN) is pleased to provide this update detailing recent comments made by Dr. Hootan Melamed, whose family's Beverly Hills, CA based Rox San Pharmacy is the original compounding Pharmacy for Tropine 3, a Novel indication of Homatropine in oral suspension. Dr. Melamed filed the Patent for the drug's new indication for the non-hormonal treatment of hot flashes in pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal, and post-menopausal women.

"Over the last six years, the Rox San Pharmacy team has been compounding Tropine 3 for southern California doctors that prescribe the drug to their patients for the treatment of hot flashes. Based on our interactions with the doctors and patients, it is our belief that Tropine 3 users have had a generally very positive response to the drug with no pronounced negative side-effects," stated Dr. Hootan Melamed. "It is obvious that women across America and around the world could benefit from open access to this new drug, so we are very excited to see Eaton Scientific making progress in executing its plan to seek FDA Approval and fully commercialize Tropine 3. We would like to see our experience with the positive effects of the oral suspension version of Homatropine that Eaton has named Tropine 3 in a FDA Clinical Trial and move towards having Tropine 3 available for all women suffering from the effects of hot flashes."

Rox San Pharmacy has over 40 years of experience with a highly-qualified and educated team of pharmacists, technicians, and chemists to custom prepare high-quality compounded and manufactured medications using several unique delivery systems including, but not limited to, lozenges, nasal spray, cream, lotion, or transdermal gel. Rox San Pharmacy services are utilized by a variety of health care participants, including new drug developers, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and pain care specialists.

The Company is currently in advanced stage discussions with Rox San Pharmacy to provide expanded and ongoing compounding support during the highly anticipated Tropine 3 FDA compliant clinical trials expected to begin in September.

About Pristine Solutions, Inc.

Pristine Solutions, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary company, Eaton Scientific Systems, Ltd., holds the intellectual property and global marketing rights to Tropine 3, a patent pending novel indication of an existing FDA approved drug for the non-hormonal treatment of hot flashes in pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal, and post-menopausal women.

Forward-Looking Statements/Disclaimer

Information in this document constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "forecast", "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause Pristine Solutions' actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in Pristine Solutions' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Pristine Solutions herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Pristine Solutions disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE Eaton Scientific Systems, Ltd.

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Opposition to Proposed Beverage Ban Continues to Grow

More Than 200,000 New Yorkers Have Signed Petition Against Ban

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New Yorkers for Beverage Choices today announced that more than 200,000 New Yorkers have joined the coalition in opposition to the proposed size restrictions on sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, juice drinks, teas, sports drinks and flavored waters.

"This proposal to restrict choice is likely to pass, but it won't pass with the support of New Yorkers," Eliot Hoff, spokesperson for New Yorkers for Beverage Choices said. "I am proud to stand by more than 200,000 fellow New Yorkers to highlight the inequitable and arbitrary nature of the proposed 'soda ban.'"

As the New York City Board of Health's final ruling on September 13 quickly approaches, New Yorkers are speaking out against the ban in larger numbers than ever before. According to a recent poll conducted by The New York Times, sixty percent of New Yorkers believe that the ban on sugar-sweetened beverages is a "bad idea" with a majority of those surveyed responding that the ban infringes on people's freedom of choice.

New Yorkers for Beverage Choices is continuing to engage individuals and businesses throughout the city to voice their opposition to the proposed ban and is ensuring those voices are heard by both Mayor Bloomberg and his Board of Health. More than 2,003 businesses and 201,420 individual supporters have joined the coalition since its inception.

"What we need in New York are sensible solutions to the obesity issue that focus on a comprehensive approach to tackle an extremely complex problem," Hoff said. "New Yorkers are smart enough to decide for themselves what to eat and drink."

New Yorkers for Beverage Choices has been fighting for small business owners and New York residents that oppose the ban since the proposal was introduced, and will not abandon these efforts. By joining New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, New York City business owners and residents still have the opportunity to speak out against the proposed beverage ban and make their voices heard.

For more information or to join the coalition, visit www.nycbeveragechoices.com.

SOURCE New Yorkers for Beverage Choices

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Weight Watchers® Continues Fight Against Obesity And Hunger With 5th Annual Lose For Good® Campaign

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers today announced the launch of its 5^th Annual Lose For Good campaign, which gives members and Weight Watchers Online subscribers the chance to help fight global hunger and chronic malnutrition, simply by losing weight. Since the inaugural campaign in 2008, Weight Watchers has donated $4 million to the campaign's charitable partners to help fight hunger—and is committed to grow that total to $5 million this year.

Between September 2 and October 20, as Weight Watchers members and Weight Watchers Online subscribers lose weight, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million to hunger fighting organizations Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Share Our Strength focuses on ending childhood hunger in the United States through its No Kid Hungry® campaign, while Action Against Hunger fights hunger and chronic malnutrition around the world.

"Providing the tools to live a healthier life is at the core of our mission, and we're committed to helping our members not only to lose weight to improve their own health, but – through Lose For Good – also the health and lives of others," said Dave Burwick, President, Weight Watchers North America.

On September 15, Weight Watchers will host Lose For Good® Open House events at select Weight Watchers locations that will include a special one-day offer and food drives to benefit local food banks. Many members choose to donate an amount of food equivalent to the amount of weight they've lost.

"It is illuminating for our members to donate the amount of food equivalent to the amount they have lost. It represents how one person's loss can be another's gain," said Burwick.

Over the past four years, the Weight Watchers Lose For Good donations to Share Our Strength through its No Kid Hungry campaign have funded more than 110 strategic grants to key community partners in 39 states, many of which have focused on supporting school breakfast initiatives. Through these grants, children also can participate in programs that expand the availability of summer meals and teach families how to cook healthy, affordable meals.

"Teachers tell us that kids who come to school hungry often have a hard time concentrating, resulting in poor academic performance," said Billy Shore, Founder and CEO of Share Our Strength. "One of the ways the No Kid Hungry campaign is making a difference is by introducing schools to innovative models for serving school breakfast so that more eligible students can start the day with a nutritious meal."

The Lose For Good campaign is also battling hunger and helping to save the lives of malnourished children and families in over 40 countries through Weight Watchers partnership with Action Against Hunger. Since 2008, Weight Watchers has donated $1.2 million to the international hunger fighting organization.

"Action Against Hunger works to eradicate malnutrition, a human tragedy that is both preventable and treatable. Lose for Good has made invaluable contributions to our lifesaving work around the world. We're proud that this partnership helps us to provide the right nutrition so that children can have a bright future, both in the US and globally," said Nan Dale, CEO, Action Against Hunger's Chief Executive Officer.

Learn more about the Lose For Good campaign, and how you can participate, visit www.WeightWatchers.com/LoseForGood.

About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds over 45,000 meetings each week where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. WeightWatchers.com provides innovative, subscription weight management products over the Internet and is the leading Internet-based weight management provider in the world. In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control.

About Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry® campaign - a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015 - Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs; invests in community organizations fighting hunger; teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals; and builds public-private partnerships to end hunger, nationally and at the state and city level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit NoKidHungry.org to get involved.

About Action Against Hunger | ACF International
Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. Recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition, Action Against Hunger works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. With over 30 years of expertise in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, Action Against Hunger runs life-saving programs in some 40 countries benefiting 5 million people each year.

SOURCE Weight Watchers

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Stem Cells Bring New Hope for Parry-Romberg Syndrome Patients

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark clinical study, scientists of the RNL Stem Cell Technology Institute have demonstrated that the transplant of patients' own ("autologous") stem cells can dramatically improve the ability of plastic surgeons to repair diseases. In the September 2012 issue of the prestigious international plastic surgery journal Annals of Plastic Surgery (69:3), researchers published their controlled study of the power of stem cells, describing a breakthrough with patients who have Parry-Romberg Syndrome. More than 200,000 have this tragic and debilitating disease in the U.S. alone. Their prognosis without treatment is the slow loss of control, then paralysis of the face and in some cases the mouth and even eyes. Most patients with Parry-Romberg begin to experience these symptoms between the age of five (5) and fifteen (15) years of age. There is, says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, "no cure." To date, treatments have involved waiting until the disease slows and then transplanting fat into patients' faces, strengthening bones in their faces, and using microvascular surgery to "install" a free flap of skin.

However the only solution for patients with this disorder, and those with similar disorders, the grafting of fat, is at best a temporary solution, which alleviates none of the pain felt by these patients, and can in fact result in an increase in pain when fat grafts fail. So, plastic surgeons, engineers and others have searched for years for a solution with longer term effects, or even a way to fight the disease's symptoms in a sustained way.

Dr. Kyeung-Suk Ko and Dr. Jong-Woo Choi led a research team under Dr. Jeong-chan Ra of RNL Stem Cell Technology Institute that may have uncovered, for the first time, just such a tool for plastic surgeons: patients' own stem cells. In their controlled study, the team painlessly removed a few ounces of fat from one group Parry-Romberg Syndrome patients, harvesting stem cells from these patients' fat, cells that are genetically identical to the patient's cells throughout their body and that have well documented abilities to "home in" on inflammation and disease and have dramatic effects on patients' symptoms and even disease itself. In this study, those patients in the "treated" group received stem cells magnified into the millions (using the team's patented technology whose safety has been well published). These patients' outcomes, adding stem cells to standard-of-care therapies, were measured against traditional microfat grafts in the control group receiving no stem cells.

In what many have described as a revolutionary finding, the team found that those patients who received their own "adult" mesenchymal stem cells saw unprecedented improvement in the effectiveness of therapies. Fat grafts that are often "resorbed" into patients' skin shortly after they are placed were 50% less likely to disappear when provided alongside stem cells (20.59% vs 46.81%).

This study was approved by the Korea Food and Drug Administration, the institutional IRB of the Asan Medical Center, and peer-reviewed prior to acceptance in the renowned plastic surgery publication under the title: "Clinical application of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in progressive hemifacial atrophy (Parry-Romberg Disease) with microfat grafting techniques using three-dimensional computed tomography and three-dimensional camera." Authors and investigators included: Koh KS, Oh TS, Kim H, Chung IW, Lee KW, Lee HB, Park EJ, Chung JS, Shin IS, Ra JC, Choi JW. Media and others may access the article at http://journals.lww.com/annalsplasticsurgery/Abstract/2012/09000/Clinical_Application_of_Human_Adipose.22.aspx. Its National Library of Medicine ID is PMID:22878516.

Dr. Ra, senior author, said, "We believe that this is a big step for Parry-Romberg Syndrome patients and expect to see autologous stem cell transplantation as standard of care for their treatment. The next step is to test the efficacy of the many ways in which stem cells from adults' own bodies will expand the quality of life and even identify cures for many rare diseases."

SOURCE RNL Stem Cell Technology Institute

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Facts About Removing Your Scars

Scars happen whenever a wound like cut or acne perforates the skin and do not heal the right way. Another common reason why scarring occurs is when you pick up a scab or allow bacteria to grow in cuts making them infected. Scars and cuts can increase when infection settles sin. Proper care of cuts will effectively reduce scarring. Formations of scars on the skin are a natural part of healing from cuts or wounds. Most of the time however, they look unsightly so people are always trying to find out the best way to remove or lessen the appearance of scars. Oftentimes, scar treatment will usually be okay as long as you follow your physician's direction. There are plenty of ways to get rid of scars, and some of the most common are mentioned below. Complete article

Webcams Help Parents Keep Watch Over Their Babies During Hurricane Isaac

Sound Bites, B-Roll and Images Available for Download

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In May, Ochsner Medical Center installed a free webcam service in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), thanks to a generous donation from the Brees Dream Foundation, founded by Drew and Brittany Brees. These cameras became especially important during Hurricane Isaac, when many parents had to evacuate without their babies or were unable to visit the hospital.

The NICVIEW cameras allow a view into Ochsner's 42 NICU beds so parents can be with their babies virtually when they cannot be there physically. The NICVIEW web service allows those with a hospital-issued username and password to watch a secure, continuous video stream of their new bundle of joy.

After Hurricane Isaac subsided on Thursday, August 30, Paige and Paul Prechter were finally able to visit their five and a half week old twin daughters, Juliana and Savana. They had been watching them via the NICVIEW cameras during the storm.

"They were safer here at Ochsner than at home because of power [issues]," Paige said. "It was very comforting to know that we were able to see them. Being able to see that they were okay made you feel great inside." She added, "We got a bit spoiled by the NICVIEW cameras. It's the next best thing you can get to seeing them in person."

"Parents need a sense of security, especially on a night like tonight," said Harley Ginsberg, MD, Section Head, Neonatology, Ochsner Medical Center, late on the evening of August 28. "Even though they had to relocate, they know their child is safe and sound here at Ochsner."

Ochsner Medical Center is the only hospital in Louisiana with the NICVIEW service. For more information, please visit ochsner.org/webcam.

Ochsner Health System is southeast Louisiana's largest non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system with eight hospitals and over 38 health centers in Louisiana. Ochsner has been named the Consumer Choice for Healthcare in New Orleans for 16 consecutive years and is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a "Best Hospital" across 11 specialty categories. Ochsner employs more than 13,000 employees, over 850 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts over 300 clinical research trials annually. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE Ochsner Medical Center

Memorial Blood Centers and Community Partners Ask Blood Donors to Help Fight Sickle Cell Disease

ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Local nonprofit Memorial Blood Centers is partnering with the community this September to observe Sickle Cell Awareness Month and highlight the need for blood donors to help break the cycle of pain for those fighting this chronic disease. Along with the Minnesota Vikings, University of Minnesota, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Memorial Blood Centers is hosting special blood donation events and urging all sickle cell negative blood donors to step up and give.

About 1 in every 500 African-American infants is born with sickle cell—an inherited red blood cell disorder in which the body makes an abnormal hemoglobin molecule. Latino babies and other newborns of Middle Eastern, Greek, Italian, and Indian decent are affected as well. While many people living with sickle cell disease lead full and productive lives, they face constant challenges—from crisis episodes of severe pain to physical complications and frequent hospitalization. Although there is no cure, regular blood transfusions are a major component of treatment for the pain that often results from a life-threatening episode.

Local hospitals—including Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota—rely on Memorial Blood Centers to provide nearly 1,000 units of sickle trait negative blood annually to save and sustain the lives of newborns, children and adults. "That's why we make an effort throughout the year—and especially each September—to spread the word about the importance of blood donation to help patients battle this chronic, life-threatening disease," Ken Kieffer, Vice President of Collections, Recruitment, and Production Planning at Memorial Blood Centers said. "And this year, along with our blood drive partners, we're especially pleased to have support from Ameriprise. Thanks to their generous funding we've been able to expand our reach into the community with this important message to donate blood."

For Rae Blaylark, instructional trainer with Memorial Blood Centers and Vice-President of the Board of Sickle Cell Disease Advocates of Minnesota [http://www.scdam.org/], the battle against this disease is personal. "My son, Treyvon—now a young teenager of 16—is alive today because generous blood donors were there since birth. Trey continues to be someone whose life is sustained by the generosity of donors."

Both Rae and Trey are active spokespeople for Memorial Blood Centers' Sickle Cell Donor Program, a registry of blood donors who have voluntarily been tested and identified as sickle cell trait negative. "The more often Trey and kids like him are transfused, the more likely he is to develop resistance to donated blood," Rae added. "However, healthy blood from donors of similar ethnic origin increases compatibility and helps to decrease transfusion-related reactions later in life. That's why this program is so valuable. It takes steps to carefully match blood donors with patients needing transfusions."

Special blood donation events in September make it easy to help save lives and all eligible blood donors are encouraged to give generously. To make an appointment, call 1-888-GIVE-BLD or register online at www.MBC.org/sicklecell.

About Memorial Blood Centers

Memorial Blood Centers has been saving lives for over 60 years as an independent nonprofit supplying life-saving blood to area hospitals and other partners throughout the U.S. Operating 11 donor centers and conducting hundreds of blood drives each month, Memorial Blood Centers also provides comprehensive testing and expert technical services as a national leader in transfusion medicine. For more information, call 888-GIVE-BLD or visit MBC.org.

SOURCE Memorial Blood Centers

New Hospital Safety Effort To Link ICU Machines

Short Takes On News & Events

By Jordan Rau

August 28th, 2012, 12:05 PM

Peter Pronovost’s reputation as a health care safety maven was built on his success in getting doctors and nurses to think more systematically about avoiding hospital infections from catheters by using checklists. Now Pronovost is trying to see if the machines in hospital intensive care units can be taught to communicate with each other to avoid errors that hurt or kill patients.

Pronovost

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation on Tuesday announced it has awarded $8.9 million to the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, which Pronovost heads. Pronovost aims to develop ways that ICUs can avoid the most common harms that befall patients, things like pneumonia, delirium and medication errors.

Pronovost says his team will develop standardized protocols that will help not just clinicians but also family members keep a lookout for problems with the patient or the care. A big part of the project, he says, will be to develop computer software that will allow the key pieces of technology in the intensive care unit—infusion pumps, ventilators, blood pressure and pulse monitors—to “talk to each other” and to the electronic health record containing details of the patient and the treatments. “Right now, these devices don’t even know the others exist,” he said in an interview.

For example, he cited the case of a 12-year-old who died from respiratory arrest when pain medication she was being given slowed her breathing to a standstill. If infusion pumps that drip narcotics were connected to the monitors that count the breaths, an alarm could sound or the machines could even automatically stop the drugs.

In the program Pronovost is developing at Johns Hopkins, families and patients will be given digital e-tablets that show all the interventions patients are supposed to get every day — about 250 — as well as identifying the risks they are vulnerable to. That will create a “ruthless transparency” where families can understand and participate in the patient’s care.

The grant is part of the Moore Foundation’s new foray into patient safety, which has become the foundation’s third program area, said Steven McCormick, president of the foundation. Moore, based in Palo Alto, Calif., has $5.5 billion in assets, making it the ninth largest foundation in the country. (Gordon Moore is a co-founder of Intel Corp.) The foundation has committed to spending $500 million over 10 years for its Patient Care Program with the goal to “eliminate all patient deaths and harms in acute care settings,” said Dr. George Bo-Linn, the program’s chief program officer.

jrau@kff.org

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at 12:05 pm.

Source: feedproxy.google.com

Global Prenatal Diagnostics Industry

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Prenatal Diagnostics Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0960387/Global-Prenatal-Diagnostics-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Diagnostics

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Prenatal Diagnostics in US$ Million. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2018. The report profiles 38 companies including many key and niche players such as Angle Plc, Hologic, Inc., PerkinElmer, Inc., Ravgen, Inc., Sequenom, Inc., Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, LLC, and TrovaGene, Inc. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

To order this report:Diagnostics Industry: Global Prenatal Diagnostics Industry

Nicolas Bombourg

Reportlinker

Email: nicolasbombourg@reportlinker.com

US: (805)652-2626

Intl: +1 805-652-2626

SOURCE Reportlinker

RELATED LINKS
http://www.reportlinker.com

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Marken ouvre deux entrepôts pharmaceutiques à New York et en Allemagne

- La Phase 1 du réseau global d'entrepôts pharmaceutiques est ainsi achevée

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, Caroline du Nord, le 30 août 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marken a annoncé aujourd'hui qu'elle a achevé la phase une de son plan de création d'un réseau global d'entrepôts qui permettra de satisfaire les besoins de ses clients dans le cadre de la distribution globale. Deux nouveaux entrepôts ont été achevés : l'un à Francfort en Allemagne, et l'autre à Farmingdale, New York. Avec l'ouverture de ces deux dépôts principaux qui s'ajoutent aux entrepôts déjà opérationnels à Singapour, au Mexique et en Argentine, la société a complété son propre réseau d'entrepôts tiers et termine ainsi la Phase I de son Plan global d'entrepôts. Ce réseau est né des résultats d'une vaste analyse des besoins de la clientèle ainsi que des besoins géographiques pour permettre aux vastes essais cliniques de la Phase III d'être réalisés de manière rentable et optimisée.

(Logo : http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110930/NY78064LOGO )

« Aujourd'hui, Marken a atteint une étape importante. Grâce à ces deux nouveaux entrepôts principaux, nous pouvons fournir des services de distribution globale à nos clients, et plus important encore, nous pouvons servir nos clients qui recherchent une distribution globale intégrée et rentable. La Phase I étant désormais achevée, nous allons de l'avant avec la Phase II qui comprend encore plus d'entrepôts dans des pays clés à travers le monde, tels que la Chine, le Brésil et la Russie », a déclaré Gerit Offenhauser, le Vice-président principal de la Distribution des essais cliniques chez Marken.

Les entrepôts de Marken proposent un stockage dans un environnement sécurisé et sous température contrôlée, ainsi que la distribution de médicaments, appareils médicaux et équipement de diagnostic. Ils se situent à proximité des succursales d'exploitation déjà existantes afin de bénéficier d'une assistance clientèle bien établie, des opérations import /export et de l'assistance administrative. Chacun des entrepôts de Marken est connecté par le biais de la plateforme Solo, un système de gestion de l'inventaire hypermoderne et validé en conformité à la directive 21 CFR part 11. Il est basé dans le nuage et peut être intégré en interface avec IRT pour une réconciliation d'inventaire améliorée. L'interface permet à nos clients de suivre les dosages au niveau du patient.

Wes Wheeler, le Président Directeur Général de Marken, a déclaré : « Nous sommes fiers d'étendre notre réseau d'entrepôts de service pharmaceutique à Francfort et New York. Notre présence dans ces villes permet à Marken de continuer à offrir à nos clients un service complet et des solutions d'approvisionnement clinique d'un niveau international. Marken continuera à investir dans des installations et technologies qui offriront des services de messagerie et de logistique de qualité supérieure. »

A propos de Marken

Marken est un fournisseur mondial de premier plan de solutions de chaîne d'approvisionnement clinique pour les secteurs pharmaceutique et des sciences de la vie, qui prend en charge plus de 49 000 experts cliniques dans plus de 150 pays. Marken intègre des services d'entrepôt et logistique dans des solutions qui élargissent le cadre des essais cliniques même jusqu'au traitement le plus distant dans des géographies naïves.

http://www.marken.com/

SOURCE Marken

min online Names Elizabeth Elfenbein of The CementBloc a 2012 "Sweet 16" Integrated Marketer

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Elizabeth Elfenbein, Partner, Creative, at The CementBloc, has been named one of 2012's "Sweet 16" Integrated Marketers by the editorial and executive teams at the media industry newsletter min online.

The Sweet 16 honor is awarded annually to 16 "media buyers and brand marketers who have consistently championed magazine brands and their unique and emotional connections with audiences."

This is certainly the case with Elfenbein, who, as one of the The CementBloc's creative leads,has spearheaded campaigns across all media -- digital, television, outdoor, social, and, of course, magazines.

In 2011, Elfenbein founded Convergent Times, a quarterly multichannel magazine published by The CementBloc that brings together voices from diverse fields to offer thoughts on how brands can effectively make an impact in today's health and wellness advertising space. She also serves as Editor in Chief.

Elfenbein believes that, "The good create, the great innovate. We are in the business of ideas, and, regardless of channels, they need to be emotionally charged, relevant, and drive action."

Elfenbein has led the charge on many award-winning initiatives for The CementBloc. Earlier this year, The Bloc won Best of Show at the prestigious IPA Best of Health Awards in London. It was for GROW SOLE, a pro bono multichannel campaign created for the Coore Foundation's Girls Right of Way (GROW) project, which generated shoe donations for kids in developing countries.

Elfenbein will be recognized with her fellow Sweet 16 winners at min online's Integrated Marketing Awards breakfast on September 11th at the Marriott Marquis in New York's Times Square.

About The CementBloc: The CementBloc is a leading multichannel healthwellness creative agency based in New York. Founded in 2000 by Susan Miller Viray and Rico Viray, The CementBloc is also a founding member of Indigenus, the largest independent global network of entrepreneurial healthcare creative agencies.

www.thecementbloc.com

SOURCE The CementBloc

RELATED LINKS
http://www.thecementbloc.com

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Global Biobanking Market Projected to Increase by 30% to Reach $183 Billion by 2015

FARMINGTON, Conn., Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The biobanking market presents the largest of all opportunities in the area of new drug and treatment development for specific diseases. The global market for biobanking was $141 billion in 2010 and is projected to increase by 30% between 2010 and 2015, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4%. Private sector biobanks will experience the greatest increase with growth of 64%, at a 5-year CAGR of 10.4% and it is expected to reach $69.6 billion by 2015. Population biobanks are projected to increase by 27%, at a CAGR of 5%, as additional population-based biobanks are formed in countries around the world. Disease-based biobanks are projected to increase by 6%, at a 5-year CAGR of 1.2%.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120829/CG64936)

Leaders in Biobanking Congress 2012

October 1-2, 2012 | Chapel Hill, NC, USA

The 4th Annual Leaders in Biobanking Congress addresses both the business and science of biobanking. The conference brings together biomedical and biopharmaceutical researchers, regulators, biorepository managers and practitioners to investigate the best tactics for effective use of biospecimens within today's cutting edge research.

Attendees will gain insight from biobanking managers and biopreservation scientists and delve into the molecular advances in biomedical science; Determine best practices in biopreservation protocols through panel discussions; use case studies to analyze ongoing biobanking partnerships; attend interactive short courses; join discussion groups and network.

Attendees save up to $200 with Early Bird discount ending September 7, 2012.

View all details http://www.giiconference.com/chi240528-2012/

Biobanking: Technologies and Global Markets

This study investigates one of the most important market drivers in the biotech/pharma area: the introduction to the market of a resource for investigating a variety of combined disease therapies. This is expected to contribute substantially to market growth through the forecast period. This report analyzes emerging biobanking markets, by specific disease segment and specific application. Continued worldwide growth is expected due the growing middle class in emerging countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Russia.

For a detailed executive summary and table of contents, or to request free sample pages from the full report, please visit http://www.giiresearch.com/report/bc204227-biobanking-technologies-global-markets.html

Global Biobanking Automation Market

Numerous facilities, ranging from research laboratories to hospitals, academic centers and commercial entities, collect human tissues and biomaterials. This study will discuss opportunities, challenges and forecasts for the biobanking automation market globally for the period 2010-2018. Varying requirements of biobanks have urged market participants to provide innovative tools to accelerate biobank workflow, such as automated liquid handling systems and robotics, automated compound storage and sample management systems, laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and consumables. Opportunities within these segments have been discussed in this study.

Key questions addressed:

Is automation within biobanks growing? How long will it continue to grow and at what rate?
Who are the existing competitors competing within several segments of automating biobanks?
Are the vendors in the space ready to function independently, or do they need partnerships to take their business to the next level?

For a detailed executive summary and table of contents, or to request free sample pages from the full report, please visit http://www.giiresearch.com/report/fs249106-global-biobanking-automation-market.html

About Global Information Inc. Global Information (GII) (http://www.giiresearch.com) is an information service company partnering with over 300 research companies around the world. Global Information has been in the business of distributing technical and market research for more than 25 years. Expanded from its original headquarters in Japan, Global Information now has offices in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Europe and the United States.

Media Contact: Jeremy Palaia Global Information, Inc., 1-860-674-8796, Press@gii.co.jp

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE Global Information, Inc.

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Riester Now Offers LED Technology in its Premium Ophthalmoscope Range

MUMBAI, August 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Riester now offers LED illumination for all three versions of its ri-scope® L ophthalmoscopes. ri-scope® L is Riester's premium direct ophthalmoscope range featuring high performance optics and LED and Li-ion technology.

Photo: http://halmapr.com/riester/ri-scope_L_ophthalmoscopeLED.jpg

Advantages of the new LED and Li-ion technology include longer battery life and increased instrument reliability. Consistent light output of bright, white LEDs improves examination and ease of diagnosis benefiting both physician and patient.

Lamps with LED technology and 5,500 Kelvin have a lifetime of at least 20,000 hours, compared to 20-30 hours with halogen and xenon alternatives. ri-scope® L combines this energy efficient LED technology with a long lasting lithium-ion battery for sustained high-power performance and significant cost savings.

All ri-scope® L ophthalmoscopes have a modular design featuring high-performance optics with aspherical condenser glass lenses and reduced reflection. All three versions L1, L2 and L3, are available with correction lenses with up to 89 diopter values. Using Gullstrand's principle, reflexes from the cornea and iris are avoided by separating the observational and illuminating light beams.

All ri-scope® L ophthalmoscope heads are dust-proof, with an easy to operate aperture hand-wheel for apertures and filters.

About Riester

Riester is a German company that engineers and manufactures diagnostic instruments for general practitioners, hospitals, clinics and even the home. Its major product lines include sphygmomanometers, E.N.T. and ophthalmic instruments, stethoscopes, laryngoscopes and examination lamps. Founded by Rudolf Riester in 1948, the company has 60 years of experience in developing products that embody the high quality and precision of German engineering. Riester is a subsidiary of Halma p.l.c.

About Halma

Halma p.l.c. is an international market leader in safety, health and sensor technology. Halma is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange and has over 4000 employees in 40 subsidiaries worldwide. Halma's subsidiaries make products that protect lives and improve the quality of life for people through innovation in market leading products which make its customers safer, more competitive and more profitable. These subsidiaries are assisting India's economy in areas such as manufacturing, energy, water and waste treatment, the environment, construction, transport and healthcare.

For further news about Halma in India and to subscribe to the Halma India RSS News Feed please visit our blog at: http://halmapr.com/news/india/.

For more information please contact:

N. S. Govardhan

Riester Regional Sales Manager

14/A Lakshmi street

Thiru Mangalam Road

Villivakkam

Chennai 600 049

Tel/Fax: +91-44026180-1407

E-mail: govardhan@riester.de

Website: www.riester.de

Press contact:

Mr Kuniyur J. Srinivasan

Country Head & Managing Director

Halma India

B1-401 Boomerang, Chandivali

Andheri (East), Mumbai 400072

Tel: +91-22-67080400, Fax: +91-22-67080405

E-mail: Srini@halma.com

Website: www.halma.com

Primary Media Contact: Damian Corbet, dcorbet@halmapr.com, 44-1494-789152

SOURCE Riester

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Wellness Center USA, Inc. Completes Psoria-Shield Inc. Acquisition

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellness Center USA, Inc. (OTCQB: WCUI), a Schaumburg IL based healthcare and nutraceutical company, today reported the closing of its Psoria-Shield Inc. (PSI) acquisition. PSI is a Tampa, FL based developer and manufacturer of UltraViolet (UV) phototherapy devices for the treatment of skin diseases. PSI's flagship product "Psoria-Light®", is the first deep UV LED "Targeted Phototherapy" device to effectively treat Psoriasis, Eczema, Alopecia Areata, Vitiligo and other ultraviolet-treatable skin diseases affecting an estimated 11% of the world population.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120621/LA28371LOGO)

Upon consummation of the Exchange Agreement, PSI became a wholly owned subsidiary of Wellness Center USA, Inc. PSI was acquired through a Share Exchange Transaction whereby all issued and outstanding shares of PSI were acquired in exchange for 7,686,797 shares of Wellness Center USA, Inc. common stock. PSI is a self-managed operating company led by its founder and CEO Mr. Scot Johnson. At the time of the closing, Mr. Johnson joined Wellness Center USA's Board of Directors.

As with CNS-Wellness (CNS), Wellness Center USA's earlier acquisition, PSI's financial results shall be reported on a consolidated basis, by Wellness Center USA, Inc., starting from the August 24, 2012, the date of acquisition. PSI's sales and marketing campaign is underway, with domestic device placements and signed international distribution agreements.

"With the acquisition of PSI, Wellness Center USA, Inc. now has two operating companies providing revenue through clinical services and product sales. Both businesses have empowered Wellness Center USA with cutting-edge intellectual property, and more importantly with highly talented industry leaders. This important acquisition marks an increase in value to our shareholders," says Andrew Kandalepas, CEO of Wellness Center USA, Inc.

"The closing with Wellness Center USA, Inc. falls on the expansion of our domestic and international sales program. Our sales and marketing promotion is being largely enhanced through the Wellness Center USA, Inc. network and its funding capabilities. Given how well our product has been received by device resellers and distributors, we welcome the assistance provided by Wellness Center USA, Inc. to support manufacturing needs as sales demand increases. Further, I look forward to working with Dr. William A. Lambos of CNS. The synergy with CNS creates a new arena for joint development of medical devices utilizing CNS's intellectual property. Both through device sales and service revenue, we expect to be a major contributor in the Wellness Center USA, Inc. family," comments Scot Johnson, President and CEO of PSI.

Psoria-Light® is an FDA cleared, CE marked, Class II Medical device, developed and produced at PSI's FDA-registered manufacturing facility in Tampa, Florida, under its ISO 13485 certified quality system. The Psoria-Light platform is expandable, allowing the development of additional hand-pieces to treat a myriad of other dermatological disorders, utilizing light sources ranging from LED to Laser.

Psoria-Light® is the latest accomplishment of PSI's medical engineering team, the same team which previously developed over 40 FDA cleared, Class II medical devices sold worldwide. Psoria-Light's patent-pending emitter adapts deep UV LED technology jointly developed and utilized for photoelectron generation projects by Stanford University, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the European Space Agency (ESA) and DARPA. Today, Psoria-Light is recognized by the Space Foundation (spacefoundation.org) exclusively in their market as a Certified Space Technology for this achievement (http://www.spacecertification.org/certified-products/psoria-light).

About Wellness Center USA, Inc. http://wellnesscenterusa.com/
Wellness Center USA, Inc. wascreated to address important healthcare and wellness needs; through break-through solutions, centered on the "well-being of the body and mind." Wellness Center USA, Inc.'s three business units are:

AminoFactory (www.aminofactory.com), is an online market place for modern nutrition of vitamins and supplements. Its products are amino acid based, sold to the general public and sports minded enthusiasts. Current portfolio of products sold through aminofactory.com consists of: Beta Alamine, Acetyl L-Carnitine, Ajinomoto L-Leucine, Ajinomoto L-Glutamine, and Ajinomoto Instantized BCAA.

CNS-Wellness (www.cns-wellness.com), is a Tampa FL based cognitive science clinic business, specializing in the treatment of behavioral health disorders in at least three focus areas: a) stress related disorders including anxiety and panic attacks, depression, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, b) developmental and learning disorders such as autistic spectrum issues and Asperser's syndrome, AD/HD, learning differences and birth trauma-related issues, and c) purely brain-based issues including epilepsy and seizure disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and related acquired brain syndromes.

Psoria-Shield Inc. (www.psoria-shield.com), is a Tampa FL based company specializing in design, manufacturing, and distribution of medical devices to domestic and international markets. PSI employs full-time engineering, production, sales staff, and manufactures within an ISO 13485 certified quality system. PSI's flagship product, Psoria-Light®, is FDA-cleared and CE marked and delivers targeted UV phototherapy for the treatment of certain skin disorders.

Safe Harbor Statement:
Certain statements contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include statements regarding the proposed exchange transaction, the anticipated closing date of the transaction and anticipated future results following a closing of the transaction. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and "intend" or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." While it is not possible to identify all factors, risks and uncertainties that might relate to, affect or arise from the proposed transaction, and which might cause actual results to differ materially from expected results, such factors, risks and uncertainties include delays in completing the transaction, difficulties in integrating operations following the transaction, difficulties in manufacturing and delivering products, potential market rejection of products or services, increased competitive pressures, changes in general economic conditions, legislative and regulatory changes that adversely affect the business in which the parties are engaged, changes in the securities markets and other factors, risks and uncertainties disclosed from time to time in documents that the Company files with the SEC.

SOURCE Wellness Center USA, Inc.

RELATED LINKS
http://wellnesscenterusa.com

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Patient and Family Engagement Key to Improved Healthcare

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation launched a new national Patient Care Program today that seeks to eliminate all preventable harms to patients. The Foundation expects to allocate a half billion dollars over ten years if the Program develops as anticipated. The Patient Care Program will focus on both meaningfully engaging patients and their families in their own healthcare and developing a systems approach that optimally reconfigures interprofessional teams, processes, and technology to be supportive of that engagement. Such work should also decrease healthcare costs.

The new program will build on the achievements and current work by others in the field, collaborate with like-minded organizations, and fund research and clinical projects that will develop and fully integrate these two critical areas.

Dr. George Bo-Linn, chief program officer for the Patient Care Program, said the effort address the loss of dignity and respect that some patients and families experience are preventable harms that must be addressed as well, he added.

Each year tens of thousands of preventable deaths occur in U.S. hospitals, and millions of dollars are spent on complications and patient readmissions that could be averted. Additionally, fewer than half of all patients report feeling part of and respected by the healthcare system that serves them.

Today's launch included the announcement of a strategic partnership with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, where an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, engineers, bioethicists, and others will identify ways to eliminate all harm to patients, engage families in the care of their loved ones, and reduce costs beginning in the intensive care unit. The $8.9 million grant from the Foundation will support their work. The project, led by Institute Director Dr. Peter Pronovost, will focus on identifying improvements that could be applied in other healthcare settings.

The Foundation's new Program is also working with the Institute of Medicine, RAND Corporation, Health Affairs, University of California, San Francisco, Stanford University, and others.

The Patient Care Program includes and builds on the achievements of Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis.

SOURCE Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Source: www.prnewswire.com

A High Raw Food Diet...Your Ticket to Better Health

The raw food diet is as much a life-style as an eating plan; a naturalistic approach which excludes, in addition to cooked and animal foods, processed and refined ingredients.

In the ever-hungry quest for new fads and health panaceas, the raw food diet, with adherents such as Woody Harrelson and Donna Karan, is growing in mainstream popularity. Unlike many other bandwagons however, raw foods (also referred to as ‘living foods'), offer unarguable health benefits and one can reap rewards even as a 50% dabbler. To be a 100% extremist takes commitment, discipline and education and is best introduced gradually to avoid the overwhelm of inevitable detoxification.

A food is essentially ‘raw' if it is kept below 115 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature above which enzymes are destroyed. Eating raw food ensures an opulent intake of nutrients, fibre, healthy oils and life-giving enzymes. Raw food is much more easily digested, taking half to a third of the time of cooked food, around 24-36 hours compared to 40-100 hours. Raw vegetables and fruits, are also predominantly alkaline so help to optmize the pH balance of the body (around 60-80% alkaline foods being recommended for a healthy internal environment resistant to disease).

Sprouts, raw juices and superfoods are favoured in a raw food diet, and dehydrating ‘ovens' effectively concentrate the flavour of certain raw foods to assist in the creation of a mind-boggling array of as-cooked dishes. I've eaten a raw food pizza that unbelievably contained no wheat, no cheese and no cooked ingredients! It tasted delicious and I was stumped to figure out what it was actually made of!

Raw Power

Raw plant foods are healthy, regenerative, cleansing, energising, predominantly alkaline, and packed with vitamins, minerals, healthy oils, enzymes and antioxidants that promote health, beauty and longevity. As well as enhancing digestion and protecting against aging and disease, a raw food diet has noted weight loss benefits and promotes clear, beautiful skin.

The benefit of raw food becomes even more apparent in view of the effects cooking can have on constituents in food.

The Effects of Cooking

Arthur Baker writes in Awakening Our Self-Healing Body, ‘Overly cooked foods literally wreck our body. They deny needed nutrients to the system since heat alters foodstuffs such that they are partially, mostly, or wholly destroyed. Nutrients are coagulated, deaminized, caramelized and rendered inorganic and become toxic and pathogenic in the body.'

The indigestible end products of cooked foods can linger in the gut, clogging the intestines and interfering with healthy elimination. They can cause a build-up of toxins, mutagens and carcinogens. Carbohydrates ferment, proteins putrefy and fats become rancid, creating free radicals that enter the blood stream.

Lipufuscin, the ‘aging pigment', is an example of a waste product created from damaged proteins and fats. It accumulates in the skin and nervous system and is visible as brown ‘liver spots' on the skin and eyes.

Toxic by-products and excess free radicals from cooked foods can weaken the immune system and accelerate the aging process.

Enzymes

Cooking destroys enzymes in our food. These delicate, heat sensitive proteins can destabilise at temperatures as low as 115 degrees Fahrenheit, hence even light steaming can render them inactive.

Enzymes, so abundant in a raw food diet, are highly functional catalysts involved in various health-regulating tasks in the body, such as breaking down food in digestion, delivering nutrients, carrying away toxic wastes and strengthening the endocrine and immune system. All living cells contain enzymes which function in cooperation with other minerals. As there is not an unlimited supply of enzymes, eating them in our food lifts the burden off organs to produce digestive enzymes which allows a greater use of enzymes for other metabolic purposes, freeing up more energy for the performance of other tasks.

Nutrients

In cooking food we can loose up to 97% of water-soluble vitamins (B and C) and 40% of fat-soluble vitamins (namely A, D, E and K).

Proteins

Heat denatures proteins, modifying their molecular structure and rendering them unusable. The bacteria in the gut feeds upon undigested proteins that tend to putrefy, giving rise to toxins. Raw foods provide healthy, readily available protein in greater supply without unwanted residue.

Fats

As oils are heat, light and air sensitive, heating can destroy the goodness of the and can alter molecules generating toxins and free radicals. Unrefined oils that are cold-pressed contain all their natural healthful substances (olive oil for example is rich in phytonutrients, flaxseed oil a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and so on). They should be kept refrigerated in dark sealed containers.

Fibre

Fibre is essential for health and helps to flush out the intestines, scrubbing them clean and aiding elimination. With cooked food fibre becomes a soft substance, loosing its brush-like quality. It can partially rot, ferment and putrefy in the gut, causing toxins, gas and heartburn.

Super Raw

Eating superfoods enhances a raw food diet even further. Superfoods are the most potent, antioxidant rich, nutrient dense, disease fighting, anti aging, beautifying, mood enhancing, immune boosting foods on the planet. Raw superfoods ensure an optimum intake of nutrients and phytochemicals for ultimate health, beauty and longevity.

Raw Food Diets For Dogs and Cats

A raw food diet for dogs and cats is natural and species-appropriate. Not only does it provide a rich supply of nutrients, antioxidants and enzymes, but ensures a move a way from low grade, inappropriate, highly processed and toxic ingredients found in commercial pet foods that can damage your pets health. If embarking on a homemade raw food diet for your pet (sometimes referred to as BARF - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.

(Article by Sylvia Riley 2006, www.miracle-superfoods.com & www.pet-nutrition-guide.com)

Source: www.natural-health-girl.com

Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Statement on FAME 2 (FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE VERSUS ANGIOGRAPHY FOR MULTI-VESSEL EVALUATION 2), Presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2012 Congress and Published in The New En

Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Statement on FAME 2 (FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE VERSUS ANGIOGRAPHY FOR MULTI-VESSEL EVALUATION 2), Presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2012 Congress and Published in The New En

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The FAME 2 trial will improve treatment strategies for patients with stable ischemic heart disease. FAME 2 indicates that angioplasty and stenting (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI) plus the best available medications results in better outcomes than medications alone for patients who have significant blockages in their heart arteries, as measured by a test known as Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR). With these results, heart doctors gain new evidence to guide decisions about use of PCI.

FAME 2 is an important clinical trial in part because it enrolled consecutive patients with stable coronary artery disease, a patient group whose treatment strategy has been the subject of active debate since the 2007 presentation of COURAGE, which ultimately randomized less than 10 percent of eligible patients. In FAME 2, FFR was performed on every patient to confirm that "hemodynamically significant" (or "tight") blockages in their coronary arteries were limiting blood flow. The patients with hemodynamically significant blockages were then randomized to PCI plus the best medications available or medications alone.

The results of FAME 2 have been anticipated since earlier this year, when it was announced that an independent safety monitoring board halted the trial early, essentially deeming it unsafe to deny PCI to any study patients whose coronary blockages were found to be significant according to FFR.

Today, the FAME 2 investigators provided further details on the study results:

Patients who received PCI plus medications were significantly less likely to require an unplanned hospitalization leading to urgent revascularization to stop a heart attack or control symptoms that became unstable; this finding favoring PCI over medications alone emerged within 6 months of randomization.
The patients treated with PCI plus medications experienced greater symptom relief than those on medications alone.
The patients who underwent PCI less frequently required treatment with anti-anginal medications compared to those receiving medications alone.

The findings from FAME 2 are now the best data currently available to inform treatment decisions for patients with stable coronary artery disease. These data clearly demonstrate that the benefit of PCI plus medical therapy in stable patients with ischemia-producing lesions extends beyond symptom relief and quality of life. Unlike COURAGE, the study additionally reflects the current use of evidence-based tests (such as FFR) and modern treatment options (including the use of second-generation drug-eluting stents) and their combined roles in improving patient outcomes. The results of the recently launched and ongoing NIH-funded ISCHEMIA study will provide further clarity when its results are available in approximately 2018.

BACKGROUND ON STABLE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND FFR

Patients with stable heart disease have blockages in the arteries of their heart. When these blockages limit the amount of blood able to flow through the artery, physicians refer to them as "hemodynamically significant" or "tight." These "tight" blockages are often the cause of unpleasant and frightening symptoms, such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

During a cardiac catheterization procedure (or diagnostic angiogram), interventional cardiologists may use Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) to measure how "tight" a blockage is. FFR is determined by a carefully calibrated sensor that measures the blood pressure upstream and downstream of a blockage after the administration of adenosine. If the FFR finds the difference between the two measurements is significant, then the blockage is considered to be tight. FFR, which has been shown to correlate very well with non-invasive stress testing, is considered to be complementary to a conventional angiogram, particularly when the tightness of a blockage is difficult to establish by angiography or when patients have not had non-invasive stress testing.

ABOUT SCAI

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions is a 4,000-member professional organization representing invasive and interventional cardiologists in more than 60 nations. SCAI's mission is to promote excellence in invasive and interventional cardiovascular medicine through physician education and representation, and advancement of quality standards to enhance patient care. SCAI's patient and physician education program, Seconds Count, offers comprehensive information about cardiovascular disease. For more information about SCAI and Seconds Count, visit www.scai.org or www.SecondsCount.org.

SOURCE Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions

Monday, August 27, 2012

Daily votes for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital nurse can help win national contest

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital nurse Ed Koen is a top-10 finalist in the national competition, The Amazing Nurses Contest. Koen plays an important role in the treatment of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. As an outpatient infusion nurse, he administers chemotherapy, blood products, antibiotics and other medications. Koen has been a nurse at St. Jude for 19 years.

Educating others is a large part of Koen's role. He helps educate patients and families about the proper use of their medications, the potential side effects of treatment and what symptoms are cause for concern. Koen also conducts cardiac life-support training for St. Jude staff to ensure they are prepared to handle emergencies involving patients, parents and visitors.

"St. Jude has a treasured nurse in Ed," one patient's parent said. "There are no words that will ever explain how special he is and how he makes his patients and their families feel."

Koen said he is inspired by the children he treats, who often demonstrate wisdom and courage beyond their years, and by their families. Koen demonstrates his commitment to helping others not just at work, but also in his community. He volunteers regularly at a medical mission clinic for the uninsured.

Colleague Bonnie Mason, RN, has worked at St. Jude for 35 years and with Koen for more than a decade on the hospital's weekend shifts.

"We sing together, laugh together, cry together—Ed really helps make the group more of a family," Mason said. "He's smart, conscientious and truly makes patients and their families feel comfortable when they're at St. Jude. There are many good nurses out there, but if I were a patient, I'd want Ed to be my nurse."

Koen has received several awards for his excellence in nursing at St. Jude and in the medical community, including being honored as one of the top registered nurses in the Memphis area.

How to help Koen win: Beginning Tuesday, August 28, at 12:01 a.m. EDT, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/JNJNursingNotes and go to the Amazing Nurses Contest tab, or visit www.amazingnurses.com. Votes are allowed once every 24 hours until Friday, September 28, at 11:59 a.m. EDT. The finalist who receives the most valid votes will be named as the Amazing Nurse. The winner will be announced at the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute show in December and will be featured in a video profile at the event. The nationwide contest, sponsored by The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future, provides families, patients and communities the chance to honor the contributions of individual nurses.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing overall U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. St. Jude is also a leader in research and treatment of life-threatening blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives. To learn more, visit www.stjude.org. Follow us on Twitter @StJudeResearch.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Ballot Initiative to Make Health Insurance Companies Justify Rates Should Have Qualified for 2012 Ballot According to Official Signature Count Released Today, says Consumer Watchdog Campaign

Advocates Call for Reform of Petition Signature Counting Process

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Data released today by the Secretary of State shows a ballot measure to require health insurance companies to publicly justify rate increases should have been on the ballot this November, but was unnecessarily delayed to 2014 due to a flawed signature verification process, said Consumer Watchdog Campaign. The measure missed the deadline to qualify for the 2012 ballot because a short count of signatures incorrectly projected the number of signatures submitted. The petition signature verification process needs reform, said Consumer Watchdog Campaign, sponsor of the ballot measure.

As of today, with one county left to report, the full signature count from the Secretary of State's office shows that 567,790 valid signatures were submitted, or 112% of the amount necessary. Only 110%, or 555,236, are required under current law to qualify under the short count.

Download the data released by the Secretary of State today: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/full_check.xls

"A flawed signature verification process wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on an unnecessary full signature count, and Californians now have to wait two extra years to vote to get outrageous health insurance prices under control," said Carmen Balber with Consumer Watchdog Campaign. "Citizens usually take to the initiative process only when legislative reform has proved impossible, meaning ballot measures address problems for which a fix is long overdue. It's time to lower the random sample threshold to ensure that measures like this one make the ballot they are intended for, and save the counties the significant time and expense of a full count."

Initiative measures can qualify for the ballot with a 3% random sample count of signatures to save county registrars of voters the time and expense of counting and validating millions of petition signatures. The results of a random sample count must show 110% of the total required signatures have been submitted in order to avoid a full signature count.

The random sample count for the health insurance regulation measure was completed in June and projected that 109% of the necessary signatures had been submitted, too few to forestall a full count. The results of the full count announced today show that proponents submitted enough signatures to be well above the requirement, 112% with one county left to report.

The 110% threshold should be lowered, said Consumer Watchdog Campaign.

"Californians need relief now from health insurance premiums that are rising at five times the rate of inflation, but a broken process delayed reform," said Balber. "Fortunately the law is retroactive, so insurance companies will have to refund to consumers any excessive prices they charge after Nov. 7 of this year."

The ballot initiative builds on California's successful model of rate regulation for auto, home and other property and business insurance that requires approval of insurance rate increases before they take effect. That law, Proposition 103, was enacted by the voters in 1988 and has saved California drivers $62 billion.

The Insurance Rate Public Justification and Accountability Act:

- Requires health insurance companies to publicly disclose and justify, under penalty of perjury, proposed rate changes before they take effect.

- Makes every document filed by an insurance company to justify a rate increase a public record.

- Requires public hearings on proposed rate increases.

- Gives Californians the right to challenge excessive and unfair premium rate increases.

- Prohibits health, auto and home insurers from considering Californians' credit history or prior insurance coverage when setting premiums or deciding whether to offer coverage.

- Gives the elected insurance commissioner authority to reject unjustified rate increases.

- Would require refunds to consumers for excessive rates charged as of November 7, 2012.

Read the initiative here: http://justifyrates.consumerwatchdogcampaign.org/read-initiative.

For more information and to sign up for the campaign visit: www.JustifyRates.org.

Consumer Watchdog Campaign is chaired by insurance reform Proposition 103 author Harvey Rosenfield. Consumer Watchdog Campaign is the campaign affiliate of Consumer Watchdog, which was founded by Rosenfield and whose president, Jamie Court, an award-winning consumer advocate and author, is the proponent of the proposed ballot.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Campaign

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Latest Breakthroughs and Treatments in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Bring Top Clinicians and Researchers Together in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27. 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The best and the brightest minds in spinal cord injury medicine will convene this week for Paralyzed Veterans of America's Summit 2012 to discuss the latest breakthroughs and treatments in spinal cord injury medicine. Renowned clinicians like Dr. Stephen Waxman and Dr. Jeffrey Kocsis from Yale, will cover topics such as the molecular revolution, technological advances and solutions to key parts of the multiple sclerosis (MS) puzzle. Experts in the field will also discuss how close we are to breakthroughs in this vitally important—yet often overlooked—area of medicine and health care.

"The big news out of Paralyzed Veterans' Summit 2012 is that we are getting much closer to curing paralysis and better treating spinal cord injuries, diseases and disorders," said Lana McKenzie, associate executive director of Medical Services and Health Policy for Paralyzed Veterans of America. "Paralyzed Veterans created the Summit to build on our 66 years of engaging and educating clinicians on behalf of our members. This Summit brings together leaders from all sectors, private and public, with the end goal of improving care for patients and one day finding a cure for paralysis."

Expected to be highlights of the Summit are presentations by Professors Stephen Waxman, MD, PhD, and Jeffery Kocsis, PhD, of Yale University. At the forefront of what has been called the "molecular revolution," Waxman and Kocsis have received international recognition for their research in spinal cord regeneration and neuropathic pain and for developing a better understanding of MS—research that holds out the real possibility of reversing some types of paralysis in the next decade.

Other highlights of this year's Summit program include:

Opening Remarks—Tuesday, August 28, 7:45 a.m. – Bill Lawson (U.S. Army veteran), National President, Paralyzed Veterans of America
Keynote Speaker—Tuesday, August 28, 8:00 a.m. – Robert Petzel, MD, Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration
Technology Is Essential for Community Participation, Quality of Life and Health for People with SCI—Tuesday, August 28, 8:30 a.m. – Rory Cooper, PhD
Transitional Leap from Laboratory Clinic: Building on the Molecular Revolution for Spinal Cord Dysfunction—Wednesday, August 29, 8:30 a.m. – Stephen G. Waxman, MD, PhD and Jeffrey D. Kocsis, PhD
Addressing MS Patients' Needs—Thursday, August 30, 8:30 a.m. – George Howard Kraft, MD, MS, and Dennis Bourdette, MD

Paralyzed Veterans of America has a long track record of helping people who live with spinal cord injury and related diseases, such as MS. Since the founding of its Research and Education Foundations, and with help from its chapters, Paralyzed Veterans' has invested more than $100 million into research that promises new therapies, treatments and potential cures for paralysis, as well as advancements in care and education of individuals with spinal cord injury or disease.

Summit 2012 and Expo — "Delivering Excellence, Achieving State-of-the-Art Health Care" — offers attendees three days of focused discussion and opportunities to advance spinal cord medicine and health care. Summit attendees will have the opportunity to earn 20-plus continuing education units while hearing from renowned leaders from medicine, health care, policy and government. More than 650 people have registered to attend.

Allergan, Inc., founding partner, along with Permobil, Acorda Therapeutics, Bioness and Teva Pharmaceuticals, will serve as proud sponsors for Summit 2012.

Paralyzed Veterans' Speedy TV will be broadcasting from the Summit with daily Summit recap shows airing online at www.pva.org/speedymedia. For more information about the Summit, including a full agenda of events, please visit www.pva.org/Summit2012.

About Paralyzed Veterans of America:
Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded by a group of seriously injured American heroes from the "Greatest Generation" of World War II. They created a nonprofit organization to meet the challenges that they faced back in the 1940s — from a medical community not ready to treat them to an inaccessible world. For more than six decades, Paralyzed Veterans' national office and its 34 chapters across the nation have been making America a better place for all veterans and people with disabilities. (www.pva.org)

SOURCE Paralyzed Veterans of America

MAQUET Cardiovascular Announces Results Of The IABP-SHOCK II Trial Of Intra-aortic Balloon Counterpulsation Therapy In Cardiogenic Shock Patients

MUNICH and WAYNE, N.J., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC, the market leader in intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation therapy, today announced 30-day results from the large, randomized, multicenter IABP- SHOCK II ("SHOCK II") clinical trial in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were in cardiogenic shock and undergoing early revascularization. The findings showed that use of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) therapy was associated with an observed improvement in all-cause mortality at 30 days, but the trial did not meet the pre-specified 12 percent improvement in survival endpoint compared with standard medical therapy. In the trial, IABC therapy was shown to be safe without any increase in complications compared to the control group. The findings were presented in the Hot Line II: Late-Breaking Trials on Interventions session during the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2012 in Munich.

"Patients in cardiogenic shock are critically ill and require aggressive treatment measures," said Marc Cohen, M.D., chief of the division of cardiology at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, N.J., and professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "The results of the SHOCK II trial demonstrated unparalleled safety with IABC therapy in this patient population, and I believe it would be premature, without further exploration of the data, to determine which patients are best served with IABC therapy."

He added, "Previous clinical trials in other patient populations, including those undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI], have shown that the benefits of IABC therapy can be seen beyond 30 days. It is important that we wait and assess the six-month and 12-month mortality data from IABP-SHOCK II before making definitive conclusions about the use of IABC therapy in cardiogenic shock patients."

IABC therapy, which reduces the workload of the heart and improves perfusion of the coronary arteries, has been the standard of care for critically ill patients requiring hemodynamic support for more than 40 years, with more than 1 million patients treated. Patients who have experienced an AMI that is complicated by cardiogenic shock and who are undergoing early revascularization are routinely given an intra-aortic balloon pump during an elective procedure to improve heart function. Results from multiple patient registries have shown a significant reduction in mortality in AMI patients with cardiogenic shock in hospitals that regularly used IABC therapy to treat patients regardless of patients' baseline characteristics, hospital-related factors, treatment or procedure-related factors, such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

SHOCK II Study Design and Results

SHOCK II was a prospective trial that evaluated the benefits of IABC therapy compared with standard medical therapy on all-cause mortality at 30 days in AMI patients experiencing cardiogenic shock who were undergoing early revascularization. The trial was conducted at 37 clinical sites in Germany and randomized 600 patients (301 to IABC and 299 to control).

Although the trial did not show a statistically significant all-cause mortality benefit at 30 days, the mortality curves for the two treatment regimens began to diverge slightly at 20-30 days. Thirty days after randomization, the mortality rate was 39.7 percent for the IABC patient group and 41.3 percent for the control group. The trial is continuing to follow patients and will report all-cause mortality results at six and 12 months.

The SHOCK II trial was partially funded by an unrestricted grant from MAQUET.

About Cardiogenic Shock

Cardiogenic shock results when the ventricles of the heart fail to pump effectively, resulting in insufficient perfusion of tissue to meet the heart muscle's demands for oxygen and nutrients. It is a major and frequently fatal complication of a variety of acute and chronic disorders, occurring most commonly following AMI.[i] In the United States, the incidence rate of cardiogenic shock ranges from 5-10 percent in patients with AMI. The overall incidence is higher in men than in women because of the increased prevalence of coronary artery disease in males, with females accounting for 42 percent of patients with cardiogenic shock. For adults, the median age for cardiogenic shock is 65-66 years.[ii]

About MAQUET

As a trusted partner for hospitals and clinicians since 1838, Maquet is a global leader in medical systems that advance surgical interventions, cardiovascular procedures and critical care. Maquet develops and designs innovative products and therapeutic applications for the operating room, hybrid OR/Cath lab, intensive care unit and patient transport within acute care hospitals, improving outcomes and quality of life for patients.

Cardiovascular specialties include intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation therapy for cardiac assist; coronary artery bypass surgery; aortic and peripheral vascular surgery; and extracorporeal circulation.

The Critical Care portfolio includes market-leading intensive care ventilators and anesthesia machines.

Maquet also equips Surgical Workplaces with critical infrastructure such as flexible room design for OR and ICU; OR tables; lights and ceiling supply units; and OR integration for image data management.

Maquet is a subsidiary of the publicly listed Swedish Getinge Group. In 2011, Maquet generated nearly 1.4 billion Euro which is more than half of the Group's annual revenue of 2.4 billion Euros. The Getinge Group has 13,000 employees worldwide, including around 6,000 Maquet employees in 50 international sales and service organizations, as well as a network of more than 280 sales representatives. For more information please visit www.maquet.com and www.getingegroup.com.

MAQUET – The Gold Standard

www.maquet.com

www.getinge.com

[i] http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/152191-overview

[ii] http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/152191-overview#a0156

SOURCE MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC