LONDON, October 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The MS Society has cautiously welcomed today's proposals from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to scrap the current care rationing system used by local authorities.

The charity, which represents the at least 85,000 people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), has said that the Government must now act on expert proposals to address the crisis in social care where people in need of care are slipping through the net.

In its report on reforming the Fair Access to Care Services system, the social care regulator calls for an end to the postcode lottery in access to council-funded care services.

LONDON, October 22 /PRNewswire/ -- In its efforts to improve safety for everyone, especially vulnerable road users, Honda's leading motorcycle to car communication system is being demonstrated for the first time in Europe at the CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium event taking place at the Opel Test Track in Dudenhofen, Germany, from 22-23 October 2008.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081022/325797 )

The system generates warnings to riders and drivers of other vehicles by continuous exchange of positioning data from satellite GPS sources. This is particularly relevant as road users approach intersections, alerting them to other vehicles that are potentially on a collision course, allowing avoidance manoeuvres.

Ethnomathematics! Doesn’t the very term conjure up visions of politically correct wallahs (and walis) trying to prove, in a postmodern way, that “all cultures are equal”?

True, previous generations of math historians had tended to be unjustifiably Eurocentric, though the really great ones, like the Swiss-American Florian Cajori (1859 - 1930) were certainly not so. But to me there are two great benefits to be gained from the study of the maths of the East.

Firstly, the achievements of China, India and the Middle East give the lie to any postmodern assertion (if that’s not an oxymoron) that mathematics is a culture-dependent thing without any fundamental underlying reality.

The Bill Melinda Gates Foundation today announced 104 grants to explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve global health. The grants of US$100,000 each will be made to scientists from 22 countries and five continents. They mark the first round of funding from Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help lower the barriers for testing innovative ideas in global health.

The initial set of grants will inject fresh perspective into research for preventing or curing infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and TB, and limiting the emergence of drug resistance.

MUMBAI, India, October 22 /PRNewswire/ --

- Genworth Records Management Online Course Developed by Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) has Been Selected for a Bronze Brandon Hall Learning Award

The Records Management online course developed by Tata Interactive Systems (http://www.tatainteractive.com), a leader in innovative learning, for Genworth Financial has won a coveted Bronze Brandon Hall Excellence in E-learning Award in the Custom Content category.

VIENNA, Austria, October 22 /PRNewswire/ -- New data presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) confirm the efficacy and safety of prucalopride, a novel enterokinetic compound, in patients with chronic constipation for whom laxatives do not provide adequate relief.

Prucalopride was evaluated in a large double-blind (n=231), placebo-controlled, phase II dose-finding trial (USA-3) that supports the choice of 2 mg as the lowest effective dose. Both the 2 mg and 4 mg dosing of prucalopride were superior to the 0.5 mg and 1 mg dosing with 4 mg showing a marginal benefit over 2 mg but a less favourable AE profile. There was no rebound effect during the run-out phase. Prucalopride was well tolerated at all doses tested.

LONDON, October 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Diabetic Hypoglycaemia (http://www.hypodiab.com), the influential online diabetes journal published by ESP Bioscience, leads its new issue with a topical editorial, authored by Professor Simon Heller, one of the ADVANCE investigators, and Dr Rory McCrimmon. The impact of intensive lowering of blood glucose levels on cardiac mortality was studied in the ACCORD and ADVANCE trials, and the outcomes of these trials suggested very different conclusions. Results from the ACCORD trial certainly suggest that aggressive lowering of blood glucose using multiple therapies to target an HbA1c of 6% or below is unsafe in some patients with type 2 diabetes; the trial was terminated due to an unexpected increase in the number of sudden cardiac deaths.

REDMOND, Washington and LANGLEY, England, October 22 /PRNewswire/ --

Microsoft Corp. and Travelport today announced they are teaming together to develop an integrated set of services targeted for the travel industry to address challenges faced by travellers, suppliers, and travel agents. Through the collaboration, Microsoft and Travelport will explore the development of services designed to improve the traveller experience and to provide airlines, travel suppliers, and travel agencies, including travel management companies (TMCs) and online travel agents (OTAs), with new revenue and cost reduction opportunities, broader distribution reach, and improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. The services are slated for Q1 2009.

LONDON, October 22 /PRNewswire/ -- A new and exciting site for online shopping has just opened its doors for business in the UK. Funkbet.com allows customers to find fantastic opportunities to buy the latest and greatest products 80-90% below the normal retail price.

The shoppers can achieve this by competing against other shoppers to find the lowest unique bid for the product on offer. This is exactly the opposite of the more famous auctions sites, like eBay.com where the products go to the highest bidder.

COPENHAGEN, October 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakthrough: Results from the fourth year in a long-term clinical study prove the disease modifying effect of GRAZAX(R). For the first time ever, it is documented that the positive clinical effect of the tablet vaccine persists after completion of treatment.

Today, ALK announces main results from the first follow-up year in a long-term study (GT-08) with GRAZAX(R), the company's tablet-based vaccine against grass pollen allergy. The clinical study documents that the effect of GRAZAX(R) persists following completion of the recommended three-year treatment regimen. Furthermore, blood samples from patients show a persistent, positive effect on the immune system indicating a lasting tolerance to grass pollen.