Monthly Archives: June 2012

Crash for Cash: Anatomy of an Insurance Fraud

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On the streets of Philadelphia, Wallace Pop Morris Sr. ran a limousine service. It was a lucrative business carting patients to and from medical appointments. However, his real money was made with a tow truck and a scheme that landed him in prison for being the mastermind of a million-dollar insurance fraud conspiracy.

Morris would race to car accidents to be the first to arrive. He then towed the cars to a body shop for repairs and received a commission for bringing in the damaged vehicles. He typically made about 20 percent of the repair bill.

Once the vehicle was in the garage, the body shop owner would inflict more damage before repairing the car. This practice, known as damage enhancement, allowed the auto shop to bill insurance companies for more money.

However, Morris didnt stop there. When he wasnt making enough money off car accidents, he created his own. Working with a partner, he staged accidents and found people to pose as crash victims. After intentionally damaging the cars and creating false accident reports, Morris would file fraudulent claims with insurance companies in the victims names.

Crimes like Morris are hitting Americans in the wallet. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the total cost of non-health insurance fraud is estimated to be more than $40 billion per year thats $400 to $700 a year per family due to increased premiums.

A runner or wreck chaser like Wallace Morris looks for car accidents and encourages those involved to seek medical treatment whether they need it or not.

If a runner comes and finds you and says no, no, no, you need treatment and you go get $100,000 worth of unnecessary medical treatment, someone is paying for that, New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said. That is the pool of money that the insurance company has to pay for that treatment. The people that are in that pool with you, with the insurance company trying to determine its risk, are going to have to, at some point, account for that additional money."

They are pushing up the price of auto coverage at a time when people are paying more for gas, and now we have to pay more for auto insurance so that really hurts, said Dennis Jay, executive director of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

If an accident occurs, consumers should be vigilant to avoid being scammed. Jay said its important to get the names of everyone involved in the accident and to pay attention to details.

Take photographs because often times the injuries reported are not consistent with the amount of damage on the car. Thats a huge red flag, Jay said. Sometimes we see cars get into accidents that have a lot of existing damage, so if you see the car is beat up already you might be a little hesitant.

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Crash for Cash: Anatomy of an Insurance Fraud

Synta Announces Results from Interim Analysis of the Randomized Phase 2b/3 GALAXY Trial Evaluating Ganetespib plus …

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LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (SNTA) today announced encouraging results from a planned interim analysis of the GALAXY trial, a randomized Phase 2b/3 study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Companys lead Hsp90 inhibitor, ganetespib, in combination with standard-of-care docetaxel vs. docetaxel alone as second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The GALAXY trial is based on a two-stage, operationally adaptive design. The first-stage, randomized, open-label, 240-patient Phase 2b portion of the trial is designed to enroll Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients who have progressed following one prior line of therapy, with the goal of determining biomarkers predictive of ganetespib activity. Results will be used to guide choice of patient population for the Phase 3 stage of the trial.

Patients in the GALAXY trial are randomized 1:1 to receive ganetespib plus docetaxel or docetaxel alone. Patients in both arms receive a standard regimen of docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 1 of a 21-day cycle; patients in the combination arm receive in addition ganetespib 150 mg/m2 on days 1 and 15. Treatment continues until disease progression per RECIST 1.1 criteria.

The co-primary endpoints of GALAXY are PFS (progression-free survival) in patients with elevated baseline level of serum LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), and PFS in the mutant KRAS population. PFS and OS (overall survival) in all adenocarcinoma patients are key secondary endpoints. Serum LDH levels and tumor KRAS mutation status are assessed by independent central laboratories.

Elevated LDH: Elevated baseline LDH occurs in approximately one quarter to one third of advanced cancer patients in clinical trials and is prognostic of poor clinical outcomes in many cancer types, including lung cancer.[1-3] While elevated LDH can result from several conditions, in cancer patients elevated levels of LDH and its isoforms have been associated with tumor hypoxia (lack of oxygen).[4,5] Inhibition of hypoxia pathways has been shown to enhance anti-cancer activity of taxanes and other chemotherapies.[6] Recent results from trials evaluating agents that target hypoxia-related pathways, including VEGF and mTOR inhibitors, have shown correlation between elevated LDH and improved clinical activity.[7-10] In laboratory experiments, treatment with ganetespib potently suppresses HIF-1alpha, a critical regulator of hypoxic pathways[11] supporting potential application for ganetespib in combination with taxanes in this patient population.

KRAS mutation: Activating KRAS mutations, estimated to occur in 15-30% of NSCLC patients, are also associated with poor clinical outcomes and limited therapeutic options.[12,13] Hsp90 is required for the proper function of a number of key signaling proteins in the KRAS pathway, while inhibition of Hsp90 by ganetespib has shown promising activity in laboratory models of this disease.[14] Recent results from trials evaluating ganetespib monotherapy in lung, colon, and gastric cancers have further suggested promising potential in patients with KRAS mutations.

Based on a target enrollment of 240 adenocarcinoma patients, GALAXY is 90% powered to detect a PFS improvement from 6 to 12 weeks in elevated LDH patients and from 5 weeks to 10 weeks in the mutant KRAS patients. For the key secondary endpoints: in all adenocarcinoma patients, GALAXY is 88% powered to detect an improvement in PFS from 3 to 4.5 months, and 73% powered to detect an improvement in OS from 6 to 8.5 months. All powering assumptions are based on a 1-sided alpha of 0.05. An interim analysis was planned when approximately 50% of patients had been enrolled and had sufficient follow up, defined as one post-baseline scan.

GALAXY Interim Results

At the time of this interim analysis, a total of 114 adenocarcinoma and 69 non-adenocarcinoma patients had been enrolled. Following a review earlier this year that determined low likelihood of benefit in the non-adenocarcinoma population, the trial was modified to enroll only adenocarcinoma patients. Results reported below are for adenocarcinoma patients only.

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Synta Announces Results from Interim Analysis of the Randomized Phase 2b/3 GALAXY Trial Evaluating Ganetespib plus ...

Research and Markets: Companion Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine and Cancer Therapy

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/h3n97n/companion_diagnost) has announced the addition of the "Companion Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine and Cancer Therapy" report to their offering.

Companion diagnostics (CDx) refers to a particular clinical diagnostic test that is under evaluation and is specifically linked to a known drug therapy. This linkage could be important in the therapeutic application and clinical outcome of a drug, such as with personalized medicine for oncology patients. The molecular diagnostics field plays a vital part in personalized medicine and has greatly expanded over the past twenty years, expanding by more than 20% annually compared to most other laboratory procedures. Research will continue to produce an increased understanding of disease processes, and diagnostics manufacturers will continue to expand and refine the technology and automation needed for clinical testing. Companion diagnostics, although smaller at present, is one of the fastest growing segments in the in vitro diagnostic (IVD) market. And while the concept of a drug-diagnostic combination is not new, it has only recently started to generate interest with the move of healthcare towards pharmacogenomics.

This TriMark Publications report examines the use of companion diagnostics in personalized medicine and cancer therapy. The study provides a qualitative and quantitative review of the industry, including cancer biomarker tests, pharmacogenomics tests, recurrence prediction tests, blood-based technologies, proteomics and regulatory trends. Moreover, this analysis profiles the leading companies that are developing and manufacturing companion diagnostics solutions. Each company is discussed in extensive depth with a section on its history, product line, business and marketing analysis, and a subjective commentary of the company's market position. Detailed tables and charts with sales forecasts and market share data are also included.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Overview

2. Companion Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine

3. Companion Diagnostics: Qualitative and Quantitative Market Analysis

4. Trends and Overview

5. Biomarker Tests Co-developed with Cancer Therapeutics as Companion Diagnostics

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Research and Markets: Companion Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine and Cancer Therapy

Neurology residency program to meet stroke treatment needs

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A new neurology residency program has been approved for Palmetto Health and the USC School of Medicine, a move designed to meet a severe need in the state.

South Carolina has one of the highest stroke rates of any state, ranking in the top 10 for stroke deaths per capita. Every hospital, large and small, has to deal with stroke patients. But many small hospitals dont have stroke neurologists, according to Dr. Souvik Sen, who will direct the new residency program.

We do have a shortage of neurologists, Sen said. Stroke neurologists are very specialized, and every hospital needs at least one.

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The new program, recently approved by the national Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, should help reduce the shortage, though it will take a few years. The program will accept a class of three residents per year, and the training takes four years, Sen said.

The costs of the program are being shared by Palmetto Health, the Veterans Administration and the USC School of Medicine. Residents will do clinical work at both Palmetto Health and the Dorn VA Hospital under a team of 12 physician instructors. The first class will begin in July 2013, Sen said.

The state already has one neurology residency program at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. MUSCs program traditionally has a class of four or five new residents each year.

The number of medical school students in the state has increased slightly in recent years and will see a big jump this year with the addition of a four-year program starting at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville. The Greenville schools first class will have 50 students, and school leaders hope to grow to 100 new students each year. The USC School of Medicine in Columbia enrolls about 100 each year, and MUSC takes in a class of about 170.

But the number of residency programs, which provide clinical training after med school, hasnt increased in the state much in the past few years. That means more medical students from state schools have to go outside the state for training, and those doctors are less likely to return to the state, health experts say.

Palmetto Health and USC School of Medicine already have residency programs in dentistry, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and surgery.

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Neurology residency program to meet stroke treatment needs

Steven L. Galetta, MD, Appointed Chair of the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

NYU Langone Medical Center announced today that Steven L. Galetta, MD, has been appointed the Philip K. Moskowitz, MD Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology, andLaura Balcer, MD, MSCE, has been appointed vice chair of the department. The appointments are effective November 1, 2012.

A nationally recognized leader in neurology and medical education, Dr. Galetta joins NYU Langone from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) where he is the Ruth Wagner Van Meter and J. Ray Van Meter Professor of Neurology, vice chair of the department, and director of the Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology. During his tenure at Penn, Galetta led the Department of Neurology residency program for an unprecedented 23 years. He also leads the neuro-ophthalmology fellowship program and serves as associate dean of admissions of the medical school.

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Galetta as chair of neurology, said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO at NYU Langone. As one of todays leading clinical neurologists, he brings a depth and breadth of experience and expertise in neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, and program development, making him the ideal chairperson to lead our already stellar department to even greater heights.

Often noted for his abilities as an educator, Dr. Galetta has received nearly 50 awards including the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, Penns highest teaching award. In 2004, he was also honored for his role as an educator by receiving the American Neurological Associations Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award, granted to only one teacher in the U.S. each year, as well as the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Additionally he received the Palmer Parker Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Dr. Galetta was the recipient of the Louis Duhring Outstanding Clinical Specialist Award at Penn in 1998. His areas of expertise include research and advances in the treatment of double vision, multiple sclerosis (MS), neuro-ophthalmology, and optic nerve disorders.He is a prolific researcher and has authored more than 200 original papers, as well as 113 editorials and serves on the editorial boards of Neurology and the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. Additionally, he served as president of the Philadelphia Neurological Society in 2004.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dr. Galetta received his undergraduate degree from Penn in 1979, and in that same year received the Class of 1915 Award, which is presented annually to the senior male student-athlete who shows outstanding athletic, academic and leadership qualities. Additionally, in 2005 he was inducted into Penn Athletics Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in both lightweight football and track during his undergraduate career. Dr. Galetta received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1983.He completed his neurology residency training at Penn and his neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Florida.

It is an honor to join NYU Langone, and I am delighted to return to my roots in New York City, said Dr. Galetta. I am eager to begin this next chapter of my career and to lead NYU Langones already world-class Department of Neurology in delivering exceptional patient care, advanced scientific research, and quality graduate education.

The principal investigator for several notable clinical trials that examine strategies and potential roles for early therapy in MS, Dr. Galetta is also an outstanding mentor, inspiring his trainees to become physician-scientists in neurology and neuro-ophthalmology. In fact, Dr. Galetta introduced one of his first neuro-ophthalmology fellows, Dr. Balcer, to MS as an area for vision research. Since then, they have been teammates and collaborators for over 20 years at Penn, where she serves as a professor of neurology and division chief for MS since 2004, leading a diverse group of physician-scientists, clinicians and staff. She will now join Dr. Galetta in steering the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone.

Dr. Balcer was one of the first epidemiologists within the field of neuro-ophthalmology. She is an established clinical investigator whose teams work has focused on the development of visual outcome measures for MS. Dr. Balcers research, through collaborative efforts with researchers from several other leading institutions, first identified structure-function correlations in the visual pathway that now allow the measuring of axonal and neuronal loss in patients with MS and optic neuritis. She has co-authored more than 150 publications, and is the principal investigator for NIH and foundation grants totaling more than $1 million.

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Steven L. Galetta, MD, Appointed Chair of the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center

Phoenix St. Joseph's Hospital to host 3rd-, 4th-year Creighton medical-school students

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by Ken Alltucker - Jun. 27, 2012 06:59 PM The Republic | azcentral.com

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center today adds a new designation: medical-school campus.

The Phoenix hospital becomes a campus for Creighton University's School of Medicine as the initial class of 42 students begins its studies.

The students, who completed their first two years of instruction at Creighton's main campus in Omaha, Neb., will finish their third and fourth years at St. Joseph's. A second class of 42 students will follow next year, giving the Phoenix hospital a constant rotation of 84 third- and fourth-year medical-school students studying in class and roaming the hospital floors on clinical rotations.

The arrangement fulfills St. Joseph's long-sought goal of being a medical-school campus for a Jesuit Catholic university. Creighton, which has long sent medical-school students to St. Joseph's for one-month rotations, pursued the arrangement to expand west with a new campus for its expanded medical school.

Both St. Joseph's and Creighton University touted the relationship as a boon for metro Phoenix's burgeoning medical-education industry and a potential source of future doctors.

"We looked at our long-term commitment to education, improving the health of this community and educating our future health-care providers," said Linda Hunt, area president for San Francisco-based Dignity Health, which owns St. Joseph's Hospital. "We are really excited about the students being here."

Five years ago, metro Phoenix did not have an "M.D." medical school. The University of Arizona College of Medicine opened its Phoenix campus in 2007. Creighton University becomes the region's second allopathic medical school granting doctor of medicine, or M.D., degrees. And Mayo Clinic is ramping up its planning for a branch of Mayo Medical School that expects to open on Mayo's Scottsdale campus in 2014.

The UA College of Medicine this summer will welcome its largest-ever class of 80 students, up from 48 students per year. UA expanded its class size with this summer's opening of the new copper-clad Health Sciences Education building at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

The building will allow the addition of three lecture halls, an anatomy lab and a simulation center as well as administrative offices for medical-school staff. The 268,000-square-foot building will also host Northern Arizona University's physician-assistant and physical-therapy programs.

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Phoenix St. Joseph's Hospital to host 3rd-, 4th-year Creighton medical-school students

Gene therapy curbs nicotine addiction in mice

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Forget patches: gene therapy could suppress cigarette cravings by preventing the brain from receiving nicotine. The treatment is effective in mice, but with gene therapy still not fully tested in people, human trials and treatments are a long way off.

For drug users who really can't quit, vaccination might one day be an option, and several groups have attempted to develop such treatments.

But nicotine vaccines have mostly flopped. This is because nicotine is a very small molecule, so the immune system has difficulty recognising the drug and making antibodies that bind it. Physicians can inject antibodies directly into a patient, but this treatment quickly becomes expensive because the antibodies don't last long.

Ronald Crystal of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and his team decided to bypass that problem by putting the gene for a nicotine antibody right into the body.

They selected the strongest antibody against nicotine from a mouse and isolated the gene that produced it. They then placed this gene into a carrier called adeno-associated virus (AAV), which is widely used for gene therapy.

When the researchers injected the virus and its cargo into nicotine-addicted mice, the rodents' livers took up the virus, began making antibodies and pumped them into the bloodstream. The researchers injected two cigarettes' worth of nicotine into AAV-infected mice. The antibodies were able to bind 83 per cent of the drug before it reached the brain.

Without their drug, the mice's behaviour changed. Nicotine usually causes mice to "chill out", Crystal says, but the researchers found that the treated mice stayed active and their heart rates stayed normal when they received nicotine.

Eighteen weeks later, the mice's livers were still making the antibody, suggesting that the therapy might render nicotine useless to smokers for long periods.

Jude Samulski at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who was part of the team that developed AAV as a gene therapy vector, says he's "ecstatic" that the vector has come so far. He calls the research "a gorgeous piece of work" that has "leapfrogged" the difficulties faced by vaccines.

But he has doubts about whether gene therapy is well-tested enough to be used to treat nicotine addiction. So far, AAV has been clinically tested in people with HIV or terminal cancer where potential benefits far outweigh the risks. "It's ahead of its time. In 10 years there may be enough safety data," he says. "Quitting smoking might be easier."

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Gene therapy curbs nicotine addiction in mice

Gene Therapy Against Nicotine May Someday Help Smokers Quit

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By Elizabeth Lopatto - 2012-06-27T18:00:00Z

An experimental vaccine againstnicotine, delivered using gene therapy, prevents the substance from reaching the brain and may make quitting easier for smokers, a study using mice indicates.

A single dose of vaccine allowed the liver to produce antibodies that stopped most of the nicotine from getting to the brain, according to a study in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The concentration of nicotine in the brains of treated mice was just 15 percent of that in untreated ones.

Of the more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, it is nicotine that leads to addiction, the researchers wrote. Keeping the substance away from the brain might stymie nicotines addictive power by preventing smokers from enjoying their cigarettes, giving them no incentive to relapse, said Ronald Crystal, one of the studys researchers.

This looks really terrific if youre a mouse, but the caveat is that they arent small humans, said Crystal, the chairman of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, in a telephone interview.

The gene therapy delivers the vaccine to the liver using a virus engineered not to be harmful. The gene sequence for the antibodies is inserted into liver cells, which then begin to create antibodies to nicotine.

The antibody is floating around like Pac-Man in the blood, Crystal said. If you give the nicotine and the anti- nicotine gobbles it up, it doesnt reach the brain.

The idea of vaccines against nicotine has emerged before, in the form of injections used to trigger an immune response. Those methods proved ineffective, according to the researchers. They turned to gene therapy to trigger production of antibodies.

About 20 percent of U.S. adults are smokers, and most relapse shortly after quitting.

We dont have very effective therapies, Crystal said. The problem is even with the drugs we have now, 70 percent of people go back to smoking within 6 months of trying to quit.

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Gene Therapy Against Nicotine May Someday Help Smokers Quit

MARKET REPORT: Bad chemistry for Yule Catto

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By Geoff Foster

PUBLISHED: 16:00 EST, 27 June 2012 | UPDATED: 16:00 EST, 27 June 2012

The odds on a takeover bid materialising for Yule Catto shortened considerably when shares of the chemicals maker crashed 38.9p, or 22 per cent, to a 52-week low of 138p on a shock profits warning.

Investors bailed out after the company said it expects business to be hit by the volatile euro and by weak demand for nitrile in Asia, a region where it was increasingly shifting its focus.

Nitrile is a speciality chemical used in the manufacturing of latex a very fine quality of rubber used in the making of rubber gloves. Yule Catto had said in March that it expected sales from emerging markets to offset low growth in developed markets but now the board reckons demand will remain weak until next year.

Speciality chemical companies have in recent years been swallowed like flies.

International bidders have swooped on those companies that make anything from additives for everyday products, such as paints, to materials used in the semiconductor industry. The diversity of their businesses makes the sector recession proof, as the need for their chemicals will always be there.

Yule Catto last year was the subject of intense speculation that either Dow Chemical or BASF of Germany was prepared to fork out 1.2bn or 350p a share in cash to swallow the Harlow-based company.

Any interested party would have to get the green light from Kuala Lumpur Kepong, which owns 19 per cent of Yule Cattos equity and has been a major shareholder since 1976.

Following overnight strength in Asian markets amid speculation that another rate cut by China is just around the corner, growing optimism that Europes leaders could yet deliver a positive surprise at today and tomorrows EU summit in Brussels helped the Footsie climb 76.96 points to 5,523.92 and the FTSE 250 86.6 points to 10,751.98.

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MARKET REPORT: Bad chemistry for Yule Catto

Benefits: What are the benefits of biotechnology? – Video

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27-06-2012 17:38 Technologies, such as food biotechnology, have become an important part of agriculture. However, many myths and misperceptions about food biotechnology have led to questions about its safety and benefits for the public. The video segments below were developed to help clarify the facts on food produced through biotechnology and to address some of your most common questions. In the videos, physicians who are leaders in their field discuss the following topics as they relate to food biotechnology: Safety; Allergies; Children; Benefits; and Labeling. These physicians have relevant background in these areas, as well as knowledge of the safety and health research around food biotechnology. For more information and more videos from this series, visit: Copyright 2012 International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation -- For informational and educational purposes only; not for advertising or other commercial use without written permission from the IFIC Foundation. For more information, please visit: http://www.foodinsight.org.

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Benefits: What are the benefits of biotechnology? - Video

Crash for Cash: Anatomy of an Insurance Fraud

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On the streets of Philadelphia, Wallace Pop Morris Sr. ran a limousine service. It was a lucrative business carting patients to and from medical appointments. However, his real money was made with a tow truck and a scheme that landed him in prison for being the mastermind of a million-dollar insurance fraud conspiracy.

Morris would race to car accidents to be the first to arrive. He then towed the cars to a body shop for repairs and received a commission for bringing in the damaged vehicles. He typically made about 20 percent of the repair bill.

Once the vehicle was in the garage, the body shop owner would inflict more damage before repairing the car. This practice, known as damage enhancement, allowed the auto shop to bill insurance companies for more money.

However, Morris didnt stop there. When he wasnt making enough money off car accidents, he created his own. Working with a partner, he staged accidents and found people to pose as crash victims. After intentionally damaging the cars and creating false accident reports, Morris would file fraudulent claims with insurance companies in the victims names.

Crimes like Morris are hitting Americans in the wallet. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the total cost of non-health insurance fraud is estimated to be more than $40 billion per year thats $400 to $700 a year per family due to increased premiums.

A runner or wreck chaser like Wallace Morris looks for car accidents and encourages those involved to seek medical treatment whether they need it or not.

If a runner comes and finds you and says no, no, no, you need treatment and you go get $100,000 worth of unnecessary medical treatment, someone is paying for that, New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said. That is the pool of money that the insurance company has to pay for that treatment. The people that are in that pool with you, with the insurance company trying to determine its risk, are going to have to, at some point, account for that additional money."

They are pushing up the price of auto coverage at a time when people are paying more for gas, and now we have to pay more for auto insurance so that really hurts, said Dennis Jay, executive director of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

If an accident occurs, consumers should be vigilant to avoid being scammed. Jay said its important to get the names of everyone involved in the accident and to pay attention to details.

Take photographs because often times the injuries reported are not consistent with the amount of damage on the car. Thats a huge red flag, Jay said. Sometimes we see cars get into accidents that have a lot of existing damage, so if you see the car is beat up already you might be a little hesitant.

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Crash for Cash: Anatomy of an Insurance Fraud

Frost & Sullivan: Technological Developments Offer Growth Opportunities for Microscope Market, Despite Saturation in …

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Spending on life sciences and nanotechnology will lead to sustained industry growth

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The need to overcome long sales cycles and the saturation of the light microscope segment represent some of the key industry challenges today within the global microscope market. Leaders in this market are overcoming this challenge by offering software-defined architectures with better statistical analysis performance capabilities that acquire a higher quality of data. Software applications are giving end-users different ways to improve complexity in sample data analysis.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.measurement.frost.com( http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/svcg.pag/AESI )), Analysis of the Microscopes Market, finds that the global microscope markets earned revenues of $3.18 billion in 2011 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0 percent during the forecasted period between 2012 and 2018.

If you are interested in more information on this research, please send an email to Jeannette Garcia, Corporate Communications, at jeannette.garcia@frost.com( mailto:jeannette.garcia@frost.com ), with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

Although the growth of the market is focused on advanced research microscopes and complex digital imaging systems, there is a large and saturated market for light microscopes with high longevity to serve traditional applications and educational use. The light microscopes longevity and saturation thus restrains growth of the market.

"The market has reached a highly saturated growth phase," said Senior Research Analyst Mariano Kimbara. "There is minimal capacity for alternative techniques in this segment within the long-term."

Nevertheless, microscope manufacturers are constantly driven to increase the performance capabilities of their products, acquire data and add new features for image processing to meet demands in emerging applications such as nanotechnology.

"A main driving factor driving demand for microscopes is the development of nanotechnology and increasing spending in life sciences," said Kimbara. "There has been a significant rise in funds allocated for characterization and synthesis of nanomaterials research."

For example, there have been significant technological advancements in the field of nanolithography. These include the analysis of nanometer structures in a wide range of dimensions related to dip pen nanolithography, electron beam direct or ultraviolet lithography, thereby creating significant demand for microscopes.

Analysis of the Microscopes Market is part of the Measurement & Instrumentation Growth Partnership Services program, which also includes research in the following markets: General Purpose Test & Equipment and Modular Instruments for Test & Measurement. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

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Frost & Sullivan: Technological Developments Offer Growth Opportunities for Microscope Market, Despite Saturation in ...

UNLV nanotechnology camp aims to cultivate next generation of engineers

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UNLV Photo

Seventeen Clark County high school students attended a hands-on, four-day nanotechnology camp at UNLV. Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Its cutting-edge applications can be seen in everything from computers to machinery to building materials to medicines tofood.

By Lauren Ruvo (contact)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Camp last week for a small group of Clark County high school students didnt include swimming, hiking or any of the usual recreation activities associated with summer.

But then, these students werent attending a traditional summer camp.

Instead, they were participating in a nanotechnology camp at UNLV. Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Its cutting-edge applications can be seen in everything from computers to machinery, building materials to medicines and food.

The camp attracted 17 students, who attended lectures on various topics related to nanotechnology. Hui Zhao, a UNLV assistant professor of mechanical engineering, said enrollment in the camp was kept relatively low by design to allow the students to take a more hands-on approach. Once the opening day of lectures was finished, camp sessions were devoted to applying the lecture material in a laboratory setting.

Among other projects, campers made nano solar cells that generated electricity, Zhoa said.

UNLV sponsored the camp as part of a grant it received to broaden interests of high school students so that they are more likely to pursue the study of science and engineering in college.

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UNLV nanotechnology camp aims to cultivate next generation of engineers

Industrial Nanotech Launches New Nanotechnology Based Industrial Insulation and Protective Coating: Nansulate(R) Diamond

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NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (Pink Sheets:INTK), an emerging global leader in nanotechnology based energy saving and sustainable solutions announced today that the Company has launched a new product in their industrial line, Nansulate(R) Diamond. The product is a fast-cure high heat industrial insulation and corrosion prevention coating that provides energy savings and personnel protection for equipment surfaces up to 400F.

Nansulate Diamond makes an excellent addition to our nanotechnology based industrial coating line, stated Francesca Crolley, VP of Business Development for Industrial Nanotech, Inc. The product offers the same excellent combination of benefits: thermal insulation, energy savings, corrosion prevention, and resistance to moisture and weathering and offers a faster curing time and non-slip surface. This coating has been in successful trials on industrial equipment with a major international automotive manufacturer and has produced excellent results. This product fits in well with our other industrial coatings, which have been providing energy savings for our commercial and industrial clients since 2004, and offers additional options for faster curing and a textured, opaque surface. Nansulate(R) Diamond will give us the opportunity to provide solutions for more industrial applications, such as those requiring a faster cure, and give our customers the excellent energy savings and short 6-18 month payback period that they have come to expect from Industrial Nanotech products. We are taking pre-orders now, and the product will be launched and available in July.

About Nansulate(R)

Nansulate(R) is the Company's patented product line of award winning, specialty coatings containing a nanotechnology based material and which are well-documented to provide the combined performance qualities of thermal insulation, corrosion prevention, resistance to mold growth, fire resistance, chemical resistance and lead encapsulation in an environmentally safe, water-based, coating formulation. The Nansulate(R) Product Line includes industrial, residential, agricultural and solar thermal insulation coatings. Additional information about the Company and its products can be found at their websites, (www.inanotk.com) and (www.nansulate.com). Blog: http://www.nansulate.com/nanoblog, Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NanoPioneer, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Nansulate.

About Industrial Nanotech Inc.

Industrial Nanotech Inc. is a global nanoscience solutions and research leader and member of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Company develops and commercializes new and innovative applications for sustainable nanotechnology which are sold worldwide.

Safe Harbor Statement

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, the ability to meet customer demand, the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment, or human resources, the effect of economic and business conditions, and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

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Industrial Nanotech Launches New Nanotechnology Based Industrial Insulation and Protective Coating: Nansulate(R) Diamond

A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body

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Public release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

Scientists are reporting an advance toward treating disease with minute capsules containing not drugs but the DNA and other biological machinery for making the drug. In an article in ACS' journal Nano Letters, they describe engineering micro- and nano-sized capsules that contain the genetically coded instructions, plus the read-out gear and assembly line for protein synthesis that can be switched on with an external signal.

Daniel Anderson and colleagues explain that development of nanoscale production units for protein-based drugs in the human body may provide a new approach for treating disease. These production units could be turned on when needed, producing medicines that cannot be taken orally or are toxic and would harm other parts of the body. Until now, researchers have only done this with live bacteria that were designed to make proteins at disease sites. But unlike bacterial systems, artificial ones are modular, and it is easier to modify them. That's why Anderson's group developed an artificial, remotely activated nanoparticle system containing DNA and the other "parts" necessary to make proteins, which are the workhorses of the human cell and are often used as drugs.

They describe the nanoscale production units, which are tiny spheres encapsulating protein-making machinery like that found in living cells. The resulting nanoparticles produced active proteins on demand when the researchers shined a laser light on them. The nanoparticles even worked when they were injected into mice, which are stand-ins for humans in the laboratory, producing proteins when a laser was shone onto the animals. This innovation "may find utility in the localized delivery of therapeutics," say the researchers.

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The authors acknowledge funding from the Misrock Foundation, the Life Sciences Research Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the Marie D. & Pierre Casimir-Lambert Fund.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body

Students petition Medical School to reinstate diversity office

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Amid protests in a student-led petition, the Perelman School of Medicine announced its new plan for promoting diversity on Tuesday.

The online petition which has received over 800 signatures from students, faculty and other supporters criticizes the Medical School administration for eliminating the Office for Diversity and Community Outreach. Perelman for Diversity, a student group that formed in mid-June in response to this decision, also formally submitted a letter to the administration on June 25.

The next day, Senior Vice Dean for Education Gail Morrison issued a letter to all medical school students outlining the Medical Schools plans to restructure its diversity and inclusion programs.

She announced that intensive care specialist Horace Delisser had been appointed to the new position of Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion within the Academic Programs Office, and emergency room physician Iris Reyes had been named Associate Dean for Student Community Outreach. In addition, Morrison stated that a new faculty Council on Diversity and Inclusion, headed by Neurology professor Roy Hamilton and Psychiatry professor Benoit Dube, would begin working with the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and the Office of Student Affairs starting July 1.

In the letter, Morrison also wrote that Karen Hamilton and Hilda Luiggi who worked in ODCO for a combined 30 years would be stepping down from their positions.

A tradition of support

Founded in 1968 as the Office for Minority Affairs, the ODCO was the first minority support office in the country. Responsible for minority student recruitment and retention as well as mentoring programs for college, medical and high school students, Hamilton and Luiggi also provided advising and support to all minority student groups within the Medical School.

In the petition, students wrote that this move would negatively affect the generations that follow because for many, the warm and welcoming environment uniquely provided by these individuals [was a] major contributing factor in their decisions to attend Perelman. The students also felt the manner in which Hamilton and Luiggis departure was announced was without explanation and with only a months notice before the ODCOs planned dissolution.

According to a Medical School student who wished to remain anonymous because she is involved with the petition, news of ODCOs elimination reached some minority student groups in mid-June. On June 20, the Medical School Government notified student group leaders of a meeting with Morrison on July 3 to give feedback on the decision.

Medical School spokesperson Susan Phillips explained that Hamilton and Luiggi are not physicians, and that Reyes and Delisser who are both active clinicians would be a significant advantage for students that need support in their career at Penn.

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Students petition Medical School to reinstate diversity office

Parkinson's disease gene identified with help of Mennonite family: UBC-VCH research

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Public release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Brian Lin brian.lin@ubc.ca 604-822-2234 University of British Columbia

An international team led by human genetic researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health has identified the latest gene associated with typical late-onset Lewy body Parkinson's disease (PD), with the help of a Canadian Mennonite family of Dutch-German-Russian ancestry.

Twelve of the 57 members of the Saskatchewan family who participated in the study had previously been diagnosed with PD.

UBC Medical Genetics Prof. Matthew Farrer, who led the research, notes that unequivocal confirmation of the gene's linkage with PD required DNA samples from thousands of patients with PD and healthy individuals. He refers to the new discovery as the "missing link," as it helps to unify past genetic discoveries in PD.

"A breakthrough like this would not be possible without the involvement and support of the Saskatchewan Mennonite family who gave up considerable time, contributed clinical information, donated blood samples, participated in PET imaging studies and, on more than one occasion following the death of an individual, donated brain samples," says Farrer, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neurogenetics and Translational Neuroscience and the Dr. Donald Rix BC Leadership Chair in Genetic Medicine.

"We are forever indebted to their generosity and contribution to better understanding and ultimately finding a cure for this debilitating disease."

The mutation, in a gene called DNAJC13, was discovered using massively parallel DNA sequencing. Conclusive evidence came from the identification of the gene mutation in several other families across many Canadian provinces, including British Columbia.

"This discovery is not only significant for researchers, but also for those families carrying this genetic mutation and afflicted with this disease in that it offers hope that something good might yet result from their suffering," says Bruce Guenther, President of the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary Canada, a community leader and spokesperson for the family that participated in the study.

"The family involved is very grateful for the research team's respectful, collaborative and sensitive approach, and we hope that this enables the discovery of more effective treatments, and hopefully eventually a cure."

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Parkinson's disease gene identified with help of Mennonite family: UBC-VCH research

Nobel Prize winner discusses 'green' chemistry at the Science Museum of Western Virginia – www.roanoke.com

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Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

Robert Grubbs, recipient of the 2005 Nobel Prize for chemistry, talks with visitors at the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Grubbs was in Southwest Virginia for the World Polymer Congress at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

As a "green" chemist, Robert Grubbs works to counter the image of scientific endeavors as spreading pollution and risk.

The California scientist said during a visit to Roanoke he's finding ways to turn plant products into fuel and insect pheromones into pesticide replacements.

If Grubbs says that's possible, it probably is. He was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for chemistry, an honor given for his work in catalysts.

"Once you've got a catalyst, you can do all kinds of interesting stuff," Grubbs told an audience of 25 Tuesday at the Science Museum of Western Virginia. He was in Southwest Virginia for the World Polymer Congress at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

Grubbs, 70, a professor at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., ran through a series of scientific slides and personal photos during an informal, hour-long talk brought about by the science museum's partnership with Tech. There is a shot of him receiving the Nobel Prize from the king of Sweden. There is a shot of his sons, one a chemist and one a doctor, and his daughter, a psychologist for military veterans.

The psychic wounds of war, he said, are "worse than you think."

Grubbs is a native of Kentucky who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Florida and a doctorate in chemistry from Columbia University. He taught at Michigan State University from 1969 to 1978, when he joined Caltech.

Among a career with many highlights, he split $1.2 million with two others when named a Nobel Prize winner, he said. Asked before his talk about the impact on his life, he quoted his wife: "We dance more and we drink better wine."

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Nobel Prize winner discusses 'green' chemistry at the Science Museum of Western Virginia - http://www.roanoke.com

New ACS podcast: Ancient effect harnessed to produce electricity from waste heat

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Public release date: 27-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2012 The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series describes the first-of-its-kind "pyroelectric nanogenerator," a new device designed to harvest the enormous amounts of energy wasted as heat every year to produce electricity.

Based on a report by Zhong Lin Wang, Ph.D., and colleagues in the ACS journal Nano Letters, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes and from http://www.acs.org/globalchallenges.

In the report, Wang and colleagues explain that more than 50 percent of the energy generated in the U.S. every year goes to waste, much of it as heat released to the environment by everything from computers to cars to long-distance electric transmission lines. Heat can be converted to electricity using something called the pyroelectric effect, first described by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus in 314 B.C., when he noticed that the gemstone tourmaline produced static electricity and attracted bits of straw when heated. Heating and cooling rearrange the molecular structure of certain materials, including tourmaline, and create an imbalance of electrons that generates an electric current. Wang's group wanted to apply the ancient principle to make a nanogenerator (NG), which uses a time-dependent temperature change to generate electricity and could take advantage of heat changes in the modern world.

To do that, the researchers made nanowires out of zinc oxide, a compound added to paints, plastics, electronics and even food. Using an array of short lengths of nanowire standing on end, they demonstrated a device that produces electricity when heated or cooled. They suggest the NGs could even produce power as temperatures fluctuate from day to night. "This new type of NG can be the basis for self-powered nanotechnology that harvests thermal energy from the time-dependent temperature fluctuation in our environment for applications such as wireless sensors, temperature imaging, medical diagnostics and personal microelectronics," the researchers said.

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Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions is a series of podcasts describing some of the 21st century's most daunting problems, and how cutting-edge research in chemistry matters in the quest for solutions. Global Challenges is the centerpiece in an alliance on sustainability between ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Global Challenges is a sweeping panorama of global challenges that includes dilemmas such as providing a hungry and thirsty world with ample supplies of safe food and clean water, developing alternatives to petroleum to fuel society, preserving the environment and ensuring a sustainable future for our children and improving human health.

For more entertaining, informative science videos and podcasts from the ACS Office of Public Affairs, view Prized Science, Spellbound, Science Elements and Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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New ACS podcast: Ancient effect harnessed to produce electricity from waste heat

Clinical Chemistry Market Outlook in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to 2017

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NEW YORK, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Clinical Chemistry Market Outlook in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to 2017

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0829625/Clinical-Chemistry-Market-Outlook-in-BRICS-Brazil-Russia-India-China-South-Africa-to-2017.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Diagnostics

Clinical Chemistry Market Outlook in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to 2017

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalData's team of industry experts.

The emerging economies, comprising China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa, with a significantly large pool of under-served patients, represent the next big opportunity for the leading medical equipment and devices manufacturers. China remains the world's most populous country and is consequently home to a large patient base. The country is home to more than 120 million people who are aged 65 or oldera population in continuous need of medical care. India, the second most populous country globally, is home to 1.2 billion people, approximately 5% of which are aged 65 or older. It's estimated that shortly after 2020, India's population will surpass China, making it the most populous country in the world. As the population continues to grow and people continue to age, the underlying demand for healthcare is also expected to increase.

- Annualized market revenues ($m), volume (units) and average price ($) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within the six market categories. Data from 2003 to 2010, forecast forward for seven years to 2017.

- 2010 company shares and distribution shares data for the overall Clinical Chemistry market in each of the aforementioned countries.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Clinical Chemistry market in BRICS.

- Key players covered include F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Siemens Healthcare, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Inc., Beckman Coulter, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Shanghai Kehua Bio-engineering Co., Ltd., Mindray Medical International Limited, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd. and Sysmex Corporation.

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Clinical Chemistry Market Outlook in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to 2017