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MS Society Statement: Personal Budgets In Healthcare

MS Society Statement: Personal Budgets In Healthcare

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Following today's formal announcement by the Department of Health of the Health Bill and specifically the extension of personal budgets to healthcare for people with long term conditions, please find below a statement from the MS Society.

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said extending direct payments into health was a welcome step.

He added: MS is a fluctuating and complex condition and people's needs can change from week to week, which is why it's so important to give people with MS as much choice and control as possible in how they access the healthcare they need.

Better Aerosol Research Would Lead To More Accurate Climate Models - NASA

Better Aerosol Research Would Lead To More Accurate Climate Models - NASA

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Climate prediction is difficult stuff.   As you know, it's impossible to predict the weather 10 days from now much less six months and aside from "it will get a lot worse" no one can say with any degree of certainty what Earth's climate could look like in the future given changing kinds of pollution conditions and nature itself.
Thomson Reuters Launches Additional News Analytics For Trading And Risk Management

Thomson Reuters Launches Additional News Analytics For Trading And Risk Management

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 16 /PRNewswire/ --

Thomson Reuters today announced it has expanded its machine-readable news offering to include unique real-time analysis on key news events, which has the capacity to help predict market volatility and returns. NewsScope Event Indices (NEI) has been developed in conjunction with AlphaSimplex Group and will enable clients to more easily incorporate news into their trading and risk management strategies.

The New MACSQuant(TM) Analyzer Combines Cell Enrichment And Flow Cytometry

The New MACSQuant(TM) Analyzer Combines Cell Enrichment And Flow Cytometry

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

ICTPH Partners With University Of Pennsylvania, School Of Nursing To Enhance Rural Health

ICTPH Partners With University Of Pennsylvania, School Of Nursing To Enhance Rural Health

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

HYDERABAD, India, January 16 /PRNewswire/ -- To increase access to healthcare services and improve health outcomes for rural populations, IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health (ICTPH) has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, USA to pilot the functionality and viability of nurse-managed Rural Micro Health Centres (RMHC) in Tamil Nadu, India.

Through the first stage of the partnership, which was signed in January and remains in effect until the end of the year, Penn Nursing faculty will collaborate with the ICTPH team to develop Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) education in India, enhance census survey data analysis, and work on other areas of research. The full impact of the partnership is expected to last years.

Maurel Prom: A Combined General Meeting

Maurel Prom: A Combined General Meeting

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

PARIS, January 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to achieve enhanced reactivity and increased financial flexibility, Maurel Prom will soon invite its shareholders to attend an ordinary and extraordinary general meeting. They will be called to vote on the renewal of existing authorisations and to grant new financial delegations to the Board of Directors.

These delegations of competence and financial authorizations will allow the board of directors to seize market opportunities in terms of investment and refinancing which could appear from this beginning of year, without having to wait for the annual general meeting planned for June.

Further information: http://www.maureletprom.com

Telnic Announces Accredited Technology Partner Programme

Telnic Announces Accredited Technology Partner Programme

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Telnic Limited (http://www.telnic.org), the registry operator for the new .tel top level domain, today announced the opening of the Telnic Accredited Technology Partner programme for organizations looking to integrate their technology products and services with .tel. This free and optional programme is available to all organizations wishing to seamlessly integrate their offerings with the .tel service.

We've seen a huge response from organizations of all types about the .tel, said Henri Asseily, CTO and Chief Strategist for Telnic Limited, We're now creating a formal program that will enable technology and web services providers of all types to work with us to make sure that they can integrate with the .tel platform seamlessly.

Great Opportunities For .tel Landrush

Great Opportunities For .tel Landrush

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- Everyone has An Equal Chance to buy the Best Names

With less than three weeks until the start of the .tel Landrush, Telnic Limited (http://www.telnic.org), the registry operator for the new .tel top level domain, announced today that it will not be holding any auctions for high value or premium domain names nor is it withholding any names from the Landrush, with the exception of a few names on a reserved list, as required by ICANN and as needed for registry operations.

Should There Be Presumed Consent For Organ Donation?

Should There Be Presumed Consent For Organ Donation?

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Introducing presumed consent or opt-out system may increase organ donation rates, suggests a new systematic review published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal).

There is currently insufficient supply of donor organs to meet the demand for organ transplantations in the UK but the number of patients registered for a transplant continues to increase. In March 2008, 7,655 patients were on the active transplant list and 506 died in the years 2007-2008 while waiting for their transplant.

At present the UK has an informed consent legislative system where individuals opt-in if they are willing for their organs to be used after death. However, only a quarter of the UK population are on the NHS donor register. 
Malaria: New Treatment Is Upcoming

Malaria: New Treatment Is Upcoming

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

ROME, January 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- Developed by the Italian Pharmaceutical Company sigma-tau

- New Data Confirm the Absence of Side Effects and the Benefit of the Simpler Treatment Schedule

The results of two new large scale trials show that the combination of dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine (DHA+PQP) not only is effective against uncomplicated malaria in a way which is comparable to other artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), but it also protects patients against new infections for at least two months after treatment. The DHA/PQP combination is very well tolerated with no significant side effects.

Arctic Amplification - Maybe It Just Heats Up Easier Than Other Places

Arctic Amplification - Maybe It Just Heats Up Easier Than Other Places

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

With record low temperatures, winter blizzards and warming that isn't really global, people aren't taking climate change very seriously these days, but that doesn't mean pollution gets a free pass if we want to continue to enjoy nature as we know it.   Temperature change in the Arctic can still happen regardless of what is happening in cold spots of the world and  it may be happening at a greater rate there than other places in the Northern Hemisphere.

As a result, glacier and ice-sheet melting, sea-ice retreat, coastal erosion and sea level rise could continue even if it doesn't feel warmer in Chicago.
The Mathematical Odds Of That Elusive Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Still Existing

The Mathematical Odds Of That Elusive Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Still Existing

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

5.

That's how many mated pairs will need to have survived the extensive habitat loss that occurred during the early 1900's for the ivory-billed woodpecker to still be around today.

Do they exist?   No one knows, though in the last few years people have claimed to see them.   But people have claimed to see Bigfoot too.
Video Games - Blood Actually Does Not Help The Bottom Line (It Isn't Hurting Teens Either)

Video Games - Blood Actually Does Not Help The Bottom Line (It Isn't Hurting Teens Either)

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Take heart, parents.   If your teenager is brandishing a virtual shotgun in their new video game, you're not raising the next Columbine kid.    If they're enjoying themselves, it's because of the healthy pleasure of mastering a challenge rather than from a disturbing craving for carnage. 
Commonwealth Fund Says Mandatory Insurance Plus Government Subsidies Make The Best Health Policy

Commonwealth Fund Says Mandatory Insurance Plus Government Subsidies Make The Best Health Policy

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

A new Commonwealth Fund study says that the United States should adopt the policies of Switzerland and the Netherlands.    Those countries have near-universal coverage, though they have to subsidize up to 40 percent of families since individual health coverage is mandated by law.

The result?  Both countries effectively cover all but one percent of their population, compared with 15 percent uninsured in the U.S.

Genetic Snapshot Of Iceland 1000 Years Ago

Genetic Snapshot Of Iceland 1000 Years Ago

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Scientists at deCODE genetics have completed the largest study of ancient DNA from a single population ever undertaken. Analyzing mitochondrial DNA, which is passed from mother to offspring, from 68 skeletal remains, the study provides a detailed look at how a contemporary population differs from that of its ancestors.

The results confirm previous deCODE work that used genetics to test the history of Iceland as recorded in the sagas. These studies demonstrated that the country seems to have been settled by men from Scandinavia – the vikings – but that the majority of the original female inhabitants were from the coastal regions of Scotland and Ireland, areas that regularly suffered raids by vikings in the years around the settlement of Iceland 1100 years ago. 
Romance Really Is A Game - And Game Theory Will Give You Some Answers

Romance Really Is A Game - And Game Theory Will Give You Some Answers

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Scientists say they have developed a mathematical model of the mating game to help explain why courtship is often protracted.   That's right, there may one day be a numerical model to tell you why women under 30 like the Bad Boys but over age 30 they like men that are employed.
 
The study by researchers at University College London (UCL), University of Warwick and LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science), says that extended courtship enables a male to signal his suitability to a female and enables the female to screen out the male if he is unsuitable as a mate.
Clonal Interference - Evolution Gets Even More Dynamic In Time For Darwin's Birthday

Clonal Interference - Evolution Gets Even More Dynamic In Time For Darwin's Birthday

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Katy Kao, assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, and Stanford University colleague Gavin Sherlock say their new study of yeast cells has resulted in the most detailed picture of an organism's evolutionary process to date.

Working with populations of yeast cells, which were color-coded by fluorescent markers,  they were able to evolve the cells while maintaining a visual analysis of the entire process. 

What does that mean?   It means the evolutionary process is even more dynamic than initially thought, with multiple beneficial adaptations arising within a population. These adaptations, Kao explained, triggered a competition between these segments, known as "clonal interference." 
Ecological Thresholds - Small Changes Can Have Big Effects On The Ecosystem

Ecological Thresholds - Small Changes Can Have Big Effects On The Ecosystem

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

The ecology is a dynamic, complex system so even small changes, or small experiments, can have big responses.   Some of these responses, including insect outbreaks, wildfire, and forest dieback, may adversely affect people as well as ecosystems and their plants and animals. 
Female Brains More Valuable Than Males, Decrees Mother Nature

Female Brains More Valuable Than Males, Decrees Mother Nature

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

Writing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a group of researchers found that nutrient deprivation of neurons produced sex-dependent effects. Male neurons more readily withered up and died, while female neurons did their best to conserve energy and stay alive.

That's right, nature has declared female brains should survive with a lot less than males.   Take that, glass ceiling!

The idea that the sexes respond differently to nutrient deprivation is not new and revolves around the male preferences to conserve protein and female preferences to conserve fat. However, these metabolic differences have really only been examined in nutrient-rich tissues like muscles, fat deposits, and the liver. 
Wellness: a balance of mind, body, spirit in peaceful vitality

Wellness: a balance of mind, body, spirit in peaceful vitality

Jan 16 2009 | comment(s)

I am a living, breathing, trudging onward authority on the quest for wellness. I'm not an athlete, my body is imperfect, and sometimes I choose unhealthy indulgence. Yet, no one has worked harder to achieve optimal health. The most important lesson I have learned is that wellness isn't being disease free, it is being dis-ease-free.

Wellness is a balance of mind, body, spirit in peaceful vitality. Good health is achieved by tending to each aspect of our humanness: our mental and emotional states, spirituality, bodily function and design.

Questions I ask myself in the ongoing quest for wellness:

• Do I live with integrity? If I am chasing self-shame I will not be good to myself or others