Abbott has selected 40 undergraduate and graduate students living with cystic fibrosis (CF) to each receive a $2,500 CFCareForward Scholarship for use during the 2012-2013 academic year. Recipients were chosen based on their impressive academic merits, community involvement and creativity, and will now compete for two additional scholarships for a total award of $20,000 each – in honor of the 20th anniversary of the program. From now until Sept. 11, 2012, the public is invited to vote at www.CFCareForwardScholarship.com to help determine this year’s Thriving Undergraduate and Graduate Student winners.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56750-2012-cfcareforward-scholarships-announced-voting-open
In a revolutionary treatment for early-onset scoliosis (EOS), a team of surgeons implanted adjustable growing rods in two children from California. The pioneering surgeries — the first ever in the United States — were performed on May 7th at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Compassionate Use approval to use the MAGEC™ (MAGnetic Expansion Control) System, developed by Ellipse Technologies, Inc., for these two patients.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61604-rady-children-s-hospital-san-diego-ellipse-magec-early-onset-scoliosis-eos
When Kayla Dehnert tells friends and family in Northern California about life as a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patient, she pulls out a string of beads taller than she is.
Kayla, 8, of Novato, Calif., is one of hundreds of St. Jude patients who have participated in the hospital’s Legacy Bead program since its launch in 2009. The program offers patients and their families a tangible way to illustrate their journeys using 55 glass beads as unique as the children who collect them. Patients receive vivid green cylindrical beads for blood transfusions; sapphire round beads for lumbar punctures; tear-drop beads in assorted colors for homesickness; and blue, triangle-shaped beads for clinic visits. Other beads mark triumphs such as the completion of radiation or chemotherapy or challenges ranging from cancer’s return to the death of a friend.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/58137-st-jude-legacy-bead-program-treatment-milestones-for-children
New research has revealed that the use of Antimicrobial Copper surfaces in hospital rooms can reduce the number of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) by 58% as compared to patients treated in Intensive Care Units with non-copper touch surfaces. In the United States, 1 out of every 20 hospital patients develops an HAI, resulting in an estimated 100,000 deaths per year. Although numerous strategies have been developed to decrease these infections, Antimicrobial Copper is the only strategy that works continuously, has been scientifically proven to be effective and doesn’t depend on human behavior, according to a recently published study in the SHEA Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61120-antimicrobial-copper-surfaces-reduce-healthcare-acquired-infections
WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD), the leading source of health information, today announced its new WebMD Pain Coach™ for iPhone, a unique free mobile application for consumers and patients living with chronic pain. As the leader in mobile health, WebMD provides trusted health information anytime and anywhere with its mobile web and applications for consumers and physicians. The new WebMD Pain Coach™ app builds on WebMD’s market-leading mobile applications through a holistic approach that helps users create a balanced lifestyle.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/57975-webmd-launches-unique-new-mobile-app-for-those-living-with-chronic-pain
Jerome Bettis and Robin Miller are teaming up with Sanofi US to raise awareness of life-threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) and spread the word that Auvi-Q™ (epinephrine injection, USP) is now available by prescription in pharmacies nationwide. Bettis, who is allergic to shellfish, and Miller, who is allergic to eggs, hope to help educate adults and caregivers of children at risk for severe allergic reactions.
Auvi-Q is the first-and-only epinephrine auto-injector with audio and visual cues for the emergency treatment of life-threatening allergic reactions in people who are at risk for or have a history of anaphylaxis. The size and shape of a credit card and the thickness of a smart phone, Auvi-Q is a breakthrough in epinephrine auto-injector design that talks patients and caregivers step-by-step through the injection process.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59439-auvi-q-epinephrine-injection-usp-now-available-by-prescription-in-u-s
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) has recently launched a new educational resource for people with diabetes and their caregivers as part of its HealTogether national awareness program. HealTogether.com is an online community designed to increase awareness and education of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and help patients better understand that DFUs should be treated immediately.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62794-shire-launches-educational-resource-for-diabetes-and-caregivers
Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) are one of the most common, yet treatable, complications in people with diabetes. As part of World Diabetes Day, Shire is today urging diabetes patients to have their feet checked and visit www.healtogether.com to better understand the complications associated with diabetes.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64401-shire-urges-people-with-diabetes-feet-for-wounds-world-diabetes-day
Crosstex International, a subsidiary of Cantel Medical Corp. (NYSE:CMN), and Prestige Ameritech, the only two major U.S.-based medical mask manufacturers have joined forces to bring attention to a glaring void in public health research and policy – that, if addressed, has the potential to more quickly provide a simple, effective tool to mitigate the spread of influenza and other respiratory borne viruses. The awareness campaign comes in response to a new study, “ Exposure to Influenza Virus Aerosols During Routine Patient Care,” published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, showing that influenza viruses may spread as far as six feet from a person coughing or sneezing, and that some people, referred to as “super spreaders,” may be more likely to spread the virus. The study, supported by the Department of Health and Human Services with a $600,000 research grant, pointed specifically to concerns for healthcare workers being exposed to coughs from sick patients. Yet government research and policy continues to overlook face masks as a feasible protection measure for both the healthcare industry and the general public.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60417-cantel-medical-fitted-mask-infectious-disease-control-public-health-policy
The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS) today announced the recipients of the “Innovations in Community Health” grants, which have been awarded to community health centers nationwide through a partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The grants will help community health centers increase access to quality health care and produce better health outcomes while reducing costs for patients and healthcare systems.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61405-cvs-caremark-charitable-trust-awards-21-innovations-in-community-health
Nearly six of ten Americans will develop kidney disease in their lifetime, according to a new analysis published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. In comparison, lifetime risk of diabetes, heart attack and invasive cancer is approximately four in ten.
As a result of this and previous studies, the National Kidney Foundation is calling on healthcare professionals to screen patients in specific high-risk groups for kidney disease – those age 60 or older and those with high blood pressure or diabetes – by adding a simple urine albumin test for kidney damage to annual physical examinations.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62772-national-kidney-foundation-study-screening-for-disease
Takeda today announced the launch of a new expert Report on COPD, introduced at a Takeda organised press conference on the occasion of the 2012 European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress taking place from 1- 5 September in Vienna, Austria.
The Report, entitled ‘The Shifting Paradigm in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Management,’ was initiated and developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals International GmbH and is a compilation of opinion articles from a panel of key international respiratory experts, the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Association (EFA) and COPD patients, reflecting updated guidance and research. The new expert Report was developed in response to a recent shift in emphasis in COPD management which now places future risk at equal importance to treatment of current disability. Treatment objectives are now divided into two groups: reducing symptoms and reducing risk.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56582-expert-report-on-copd-launch