FRIMLEY, England, August 27 /PRNewswire/ --

- Guidance Secures Access to Ranibizumab for all Suitable Patients on the NHS

- NICE Confirms Final Details of Innovative Ranibizumab Reimbursement Scheme

- Novartis Prepares for Nationwide Roll-out of Scheme Across England and Wales

Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd (Novartis) today welcomed the Final National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Guidance for age-related macular degeneration.

Scientific happenings, big and small, on this day in history…

But first, today’s quiz:
What event, which took place on this day in 1883, produced the most violent explosion known in human history? You probably know the answer; it’s just a matter of thinking about it for a moment. But just to be sure, you can check the answer at the end of the article.

And on to other historic happenings…

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Elekta recently announced that it has received CE Mark clearance to distribute Elekta Compact(TM), the latest addition to its line of treatment systems, offering clinicians an easy to implement, more affordable solution for radiation therapy. CE Mark clearance from the European Union certifies Elekta Compact has met health, safety and environmental requirements for consumer safety.

Elekta Compact was developed to address the demanding clinical requirements in emerging markets, which require a low energy system that can be dedicated to specialized cases. Its ultra-compact design also makes it more accessible to clinicians who want to provide their patients with optimal radiation therapy care.

I usually limit my book reviews to Goodreads or Shelfari but this one deserves much more attention. In Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs; When Scientists Find What They're NOT Looking for, Morton Meyers reviews examples of the unpredictability of scientific progress. This could just be a collection of interesting anecdotes - and some of the stories are truly fascinating. My favorite is probably the discovery of platinum compounds for the treatment of cancer.

ELMSHORN, Germany, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Home Automation, Video Surveillance and Energy Efficiency in Focus

Shuttle Inc., market leader in the Mini PC segment and maker of multi form factor solutions grants a first-look at the innovations to be showcased at IFA in Berlin, Germany. Complete Mini PC solutions ranging from Home-Computing, Home-Media and Home-Terminal will be on display awaiting the visitors.

SAN RAMON, California, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Data centers, projected to be one of the world's biggest energy users, face rapidly rising costs and tough carbon regulations

TrendPoint Systems, a leader in data center energy management solutions, today announced a four-point plan aimed at dramatically reducing energy costs and carbon emissions at data centers. A recent study by McKinsey & Co. predicted that data centers will surpass the airline industry as the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and called for data centers to double their energy efficiency by 2012. TrendPoint projects that by implementing only a part of its plan -- focused on managing cooling costs -- data centers can reduce energy cooling costs by a third or more.

ROCHESTER, New York, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Aggressive Three Week Deployment Schedule Brings Advanced, International Signalling Capabilities to Fiji

Performance Technologies (Nasdaq: PTIX), a leading developer of communication platforms and systems, today announced that Fiji International Telecommunications Limited (FINTEL) has implemented the company's SEGway(TM) STP Signalling Solution with Point Code Emulation(TM) (PCE) technology to meet its high-growth, international signalling requirements. FINTEL, partially owned by Cable & Wireless, provides international telecommunications service to and through the South Pacific Island of Fiji.

LAVAL, Canada, August 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Laval-based firm Algorithme Pharma is pleased to announce that it has achieved its goal of securing a European facility through its acquisition of Simbec Research Ltd in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. This news comes only six weeks after confirming the purchase of another clinical research centre in Baltimore, Maryland.

This important acquisition will enable Algorithme Pharma, a worldwide leader in clinical research and bioanalysis, to continue its international expansion plans, establish a foothold in Europe for the very first time in its history and, most importantly, obtain additional advanced scientific and medical expertise for its North American teams.

SAN JOSE, California, August 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- The United States Patent Office Has Granted Finjan a New Patent That Provides Businesses With Features for Scanning and Caching Content at the Gateway

Finjan Inc., a leading provider of secure web gateway solutions for the enterprise market, today announced that the United States Patent Office has granted the company Patent No. 7,418,731 for "Method and system for caching at secure gateways". This patent further adds to Finjan's extensive and comprehensive intellectual property portfolio in the security market.

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