BASEL, Switzerland, November 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- Three New Studies Presented at AASLD Demonstrate Efficacy and Safety of Extended Treatment in Non-Responders, Relapsers and Slow-Responders

Cure rates for certain groups of difficult-to-treat hepatitis C patients can be improved significantly by extending the treatment period with PEGASYS(R) (peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD)) and COPEGUS(R) (ribavirin) to 72 weeks, according to new studies being presented at AASLD this week in San Francisco.

BASEL, Switzerland, November 1 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, independently-conducted study being presented at AASLD shows that PEGASYS(R) (peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD)) regimens result in higher cure rates for hepatitis C patients compared to regimens with another pegylated interferon.(1)

Comparing Today's Standard Treatment Regimens: The Milan Safety Tolerability Study

A system of presumed consent for organ donation - where people have to opt out of donating their organs when they die - is the best way to tackle a growing waiting list for transplant, according to Dr John Troyer, an expert in organ donation and the illegal trade of body parts, who has recently joined the University of Bath’s Centre for Death&Society.  Yes, that is a real department and not a Halloween trick.  We checked.

There are more than 7,500 patients in the UK currently on the waiting list for organ donations.

A study in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first demonstration of a specific neurochemical abnormality in adults with primary insomnia, providing greater insight to the limited understanding of the condition's pathology. 

Results indicate that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the most common inhibitory transmitter in the brain, is reduced by nearly 30 percent in individuals who have been suffering from primary insomnia for more than six months. These findings suggest that primary insomnia is a manifestation of a neurobiological state of hyperarousal, which is present during both waking and sleep at physiological and cognitive levels.

BETHLEHEM, PA (October 31, 2008)—A new study published in the September/October issue of the journal Marketing Science reveals the world's most innovative countries, with Japan and the Nordic countries earning top spots and the United States finishing in sixth.

The study, which evaluates 31 countries based on the time it takes for new products to takeoff, is among the most comprehensive research of its kind. Wherever applicable, researchers analyzed 16 different product categories over a time span of 50 years.

Findings of the study, titled, "The Global Takeoff of New Products: Culture, Wealth, or Vanishing Differences," include:

While it certainly can't hurt for Barack Obama to get millions of hits on YouTube with an 'Obama Girl' does it really help, or is John McCain's "Joe The Plumber" in traditional media just as good?  

Dr. Paul Haridakis, associate professor of Communication Studies at Kent State University and a long-time scholar in the area of the impact of media on the political landscape in the U.S., is investigating the impact of hugely popular social media's impact on the upcoming presidential contest.

Ever wonder where all that food your teenager devoured was going? Not only does the food go into the teen's daily activities--running, doing homework, breathing and playing video games, but food converted to energy also fuels growth of new tissues--bones, vessels, cartilage, muscle.  In poorer areas of the world, part of the energy yielded by food might be deflected for the body's defense system in fighting disease. Children and teens in such conditions will not grow as tall or big as their healthy counterparts who were able to allocate more of their energy stores directly to growth.

MCKINNEY, Texas, October 31 /PRNewswire/ --

Torchmark Corporation (NYSE: TMK) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of US$.14 per share on all of the outstanding common stock of the Company held of record as of the close of business of the Company's transfer agent on January 2, 2009. The dividend will be paid on January 30, 2009.

NEW YORK, October 31 /PRNewswire/ --

- Culture+Travel to be integrated as a new section on ARTINFO.com, Art+Auction and Modern Painters.

The world's leading web site for art and culture has been re-designed to provide a more comprehensive information resource of the dynamic global art world and art markets.

Enhancements to the site include new content from Louise Blouin Media print publications Art+Auction, Modern Painters and Gallery Guide plus Art Sales Index's database of over 3.5 million auction price results. Additionally, the redesign includes Culture + Travel, LBM's unique take on the world's most interesting cultural destinations, which now appears both in its own online section and alongside original and related ARTINFO.com articles.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, October 31 /PRNewswire/ --

- DoctorConsult in Germany Marks First of Several Localized Workflow Solutions That Improve Clinician Decision Making and Health Care Business Performance

With a deep understanding of healthcare workflow and more than a century of experience as a global medical publisher, Elsevier is increasing its efforts to provide interactive clinical reference and clinical decision support (CDS) tools to new markets in Europe. With the launch of DoctorConsult - the German language version of MD Consult ( http://www.doctorconsult.de) -- Elsevier becomes the first multi-lingual professional clinical reference product provider.