Monthly Archives: October 2012

Med students get a feel of human body on iPad

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By Poon Chian Hui The Straits Times Sunday, Oct 07, 2012

GIVEN the shrinking supply of cadavers here, the upcoming medical school at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will provide 3-D models of the human body on iPads to allow students to learn about anatomy.

The plan is to set up a central database of 3-D models of real-life patients.

NTU's Institute for Media Innovation (IMI), which is teaming up with the medical school to produce software for the tablet, will be recruiting local patients for the project.

For a start, it will focus on reproducing 3-D models of the lower limbs, said IMI director Nadia Thalmann, who created a virtual heart model back in the 1980s that paved the way for simulation surgery today.

This will be done by getting 2-D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans from the patients to provide details of muscles and other structures. The patients will then be scanned with motion-capture technology. All these will be put together to yield a virtual representation of the muscles, tendons, joints and cartilage.

"The internal anatomy is as different as people's faces," Prof Thalmann said. "With patient-specific data, medical students can learn how to treat cases differently, depending on the person's age, amount of fat and how his skeleton moves."

Set to open next year, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine will also use the iPad as an "essential teaching and learning tool", said its senior vice-dean Martyn Partridge, adding that the provision of the device is still being worked out by the school.

"Putting such technology onto an iPad enables the student to visualise, learn and revise wherever they are."

Applications for the first batch of 50 students will open at the end of the year.

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Ruhland is MSU's new starting center, before heading off to medical school

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EAST LANSING -- Fifth grade is a time for pizza parties and whoopee cushions, but for fifth-grader Ethan Ruhland, it was a time to write a letter to himself and map out the rest of his life.

His mother, Gemma Ruhland, still has that letter and read it just last week. Some of the goals are different -- Ruhland had his sights on Harvard Medical School at the time -- but many are the same.

"He said he wanted to be a doctor so he can help people," said his mother, a nurse for a group of oral surgeons in Bingham Farms. "That hasn't changed. He's always been a kind-soul kid."

Football was a passion then and remains so for Ruhland, a Michigan State fifth-year senior center. Football would have won over medicine when Ruhland was an MSU freshman and thought he had to pick between the two.

Now medical school is just months away. But first, Ruhland will start the most important stretch of his football career Saturday at Indiana.

Years of balancing extreme demands has reached a culmination of sorts for the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Lake Orion High product. Before embarking in earnest on a career he first mentioned in second grade, Ruhland has a shot to experience some of what he envisioned for his playing career.

He is expected to start at center in place of Travis Jackson, who was lost for the season with a broken leg in last week's loss to Ohio State. As the season goes on, Ruhland will be in a three-man competition for two spots -- center and left guard -- with Jack Allen and Blake Treadwell.

"We're all kind of the big cheese coming out of high school," said Ruhland, who was ranked the No. 29 offensive guard in the nation for the class of 2008 by Rivals.com. "So you want to play. But I definitely, for the majority of my time here ... there's always frustrations, whether it's with yourself, the way you're playing.

"But it's all for the betterment of the team. Whatever I can do. And this is an opportunity. It comes at the expense of one of my best friends getting hurt, but I need to step up."

Ruhland has started one other game, last season against Minnesota with Jackson ailing. He has been in the playing rotation since he was a redshirt freshman in 2009 but has not had the kind of steady role that may now await him.

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Ruhland is MSU's new starting center, before heading off to medical school

UC Riverside celebrates medical school opening

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. -

UC Riverside officials, students and community leaders today will celebrate the UCR School of Medicine as officially open to prospective students.

The campus received word Tuesday that the Liaison Committee on Medical Education -- the national accrediting body for programs geared to medical degrees in North America -- had given preliminary approval to UCR's proposed courses.

The decision paves the way for the university to begin accepting applications for its charter enrollment of 50 students in the fall of 2013.

"This is momentous ... for Inland Southern California and for UC Riverside," said UCR Chancellor Timothy P. White.

An informal celebration in recognition of the accreditation milestone is planned for 5:30 p.m. at Rivera Plaza, adjacent to Hinderaker Hall.

The LCME withheld accreditation approval in 2011, when it became clear the state would not be making annual funding available to UCR because of California's gaping budget deficit.

However, over the last year, the university has secured tens of millions of dollars in private donations, government grants -- including $20 million from Riverside County -- and UC system appropriations, enabling it to move ahead with opening its doors next fall.

"Working together, the community and the UCR campus simply persevered because expanding access to healthcare is one of the most pressing issues for Inland Southern California," UCR Medical School Dean Dr. Richard Olds said.

"This milestone enables us to ... begin expanding and diversifying our region's physician workforce."

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In a first, Pakistani medical school will offer sex-ed

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan In the United States, health class has introduced generations of snickering sixth-graders to the fundamentals of sex.

But the terms sex and education are a mismatch in Pakistan: The subject simply is not taught in schools. Traditional cultural values have prevented any formal integration of the basics of the birds and the bees into the Islam-based education system.

Here, young people mainly learn about sex from whispered conversations with their schoolyard friends, or by experience. Many Pakistanis say their parents were loath to give them the facts about reproduction.

That leaves great room for misinformation, unsafe practices, uncontrolled family size, and abortion as a method of birth control, health advocates say.

The Koran strictly prohibits sex outside marriage. Many institutions here take that mandate so seriously that the very topic of sex has become taboo with teachers, and even family physicians shy away from broaching the subject with patients (including married ones).

The prohibition extends from primary schools to colleges. And, until now, no comprehensive sexuality courses have been taught in undergraduate medical colleges. Last month Dow University of Health Sciences, based in Karachi, announced that it will integrate reproductive health education into its curriculum beginning next academic year. The medical college said its future doctors will become prepared to treat patients for sexual and reproductive-related problems.

So when we talk of infections, we will talk of reproductive infections, said Sikander Sohani of the nonprofit organization Aahung, which collaborated with Dow University on developing the curriculum. When we talk of [medical] history-taking, we will talk about taking reproductive health history as well. So it is a holistic approach.

Aahung is an advocacy group focused on community programs promoting reproductive health and education in Pakistan. The Dow University sex-ed program will be taught to male and female students every semester. The group also developed a reproductive health guide for faculty and students that comports with the countrys cultural values.

Past attempts to teach sex-ed have met with fierce resistance from conservative religious leaders and parents wishing to protect their children from secular influences.

This was me when I was 10, one Pakistani said in an Internet forum conversation about sex-ed:

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In a first, Pakistani medical school will offer sex-ed

Debt-choked Greece looks to sell off islands, marinas

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By Liza Jansen, CNBC.com

Got some cash to spend? How about a piece of the Greek islands of Rhodes or Corfu? Or a royal palace, a marina, or even a consulate building?

As Greece is struggling to appease international lenders and live up to the conditions of its bailout, the debt-choked nation is speeding up the sale of state assets by expanding its privatization program.

Greeces state fund (Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund or HRADF) now has more than 70,000 state-owned properties on offer for investors and it aims to generate 19 billion euro ($24.5 billion) by 2015 via the sales.

The states properties include a 119,800 square-meter peninsula with a palace hotel complex and a marina, a 450,000 square-meter area in Rhodes with an 18-hole golf course and four miles of beach, a coastline in Corfu, an airport area in Athens and the 2004 Athens Olympics broadcast center.

CNBC: Worlds biggest debtor nations

Apart from land areas, Greece is also offering its government buildings. Greece's ministries of justice, health, education and culture are seeking to rent out some of their buildings, and although the country is coping with rampant tax evasion, 13 of its tax offices are on offer for privatization as well.

Last week, Greece completed its first privatization deal by leasing the International Broadcast Center, used during the 2004 Olympics, to development group Lamda. The group is paying 81 million euros ($104.7 million) to lease the 73,000 square-foot area for 90 years, a price Odisseas Athanassiou, CEO of Lamda Development, said is fair.

The deal made financial sense, Athanassiou told CNBC, and rejected rumors that the agreement was made to please Greeces international lenders.

CNBC:Which country has the lowest debt in the euro zone?

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Experiencing and conserving the pristine beauty of Caramoan Islands

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By Nikka Garriga

A trip to the provinceCamarines Sur will never be complete without exploring the unspoiled islands of the Caramoan Peninsula.

The term secret is perhaps best applied owing to theboulders of limestone formations that tower and surround the islandspowdery white sand and clear, turquoise waters.

Genaro Galang, or more commonly known around visitors asMang Genaro, is among the pioneer licensed tourist guides in the area under theCaramoan Adventures tour group.

A typical one-day tour includes a visit to five of its islands--Matukad, Lahus, Cagbalinad, Minilahus and Sabitang-laya.

Matukad is probably the most popular as it is where the American reality TV seriesSurvivor is frequently staged. The island seems to depict a woman lying flat on its back from an aerial view.

Apart from the bluish water of its lagoon, Matukad is also a bird hunter's paradise for those wanting a glimpse of thelawin or hawk.

Lahus, which translates to "passing through", is found in between two giant rock formations, whileMinalahus has the same features though the equally clear waters are often low tide.

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Delphi Genetics Grants Merck License for the Use of the StabyExpress™ System

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BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Delphi Genetics SA (Delphi) has announced today a broad licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, for the use of the StabyExpress technology, which allows high yield, cost effective protein expression without the use of antibiotics.

Under the agreement, Merck receives a non-exclusive license to use the StabyExpress technology for protein expression in research and product development. In exchange, Delphi is eligible to receive milestone payments associated with the development of Merck product candidates that utilize the StabyExpress technology, as well as royalties on sales of such products. The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Cdric Szpirer PhD, Delphi Genetics Founder and CEO, explained: This is Delphi's first broad-based licensing agreement that covers potential use of the StabyExpress technology for protein based product in the areas of human and animal health.

Guy Hlin, CBO, added: This is the third licensing agreement that we have announced with a world leading healthcare company. The non-exclusive nature of this agreement enables us to consider similar collaborations with other strategic partners, including partners in other fields than biopharma production.

Delphi also has licensing agreements with Sanofi-Pasteur, announced in June 2009, and with GSK, announced in September 2010.

About StabyExpress

StabyExpress technology can be applied to any industrial protein production process that involves bacterial fermentation. Biopharmaceutical production represents a rapidly growing market and its share of the overall medication market today is estimated at 15%. Moreover, the technology is consistent with the recommendations of the FDA and the EMA with regard to the elimination of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in protein production processes for both human and veterinary uses. Currently, Antibiotic Resistance Genes are used as selection markers for the design of the majority of the genetic systems enabling protein production. The technology is also usable to produce DNA vaccines in order to avoid completely the use of antibiotics resistance genes from DNA cloning to DNA production.

About Delphi Genetics SA

Founded at the end of 2001, Delphi Genetics develops more effective products and technologies for genetic engineering and for protein expression in bacteria by using its unique expertise in the field of plasmid stabilisation systems. Delphi Genetics patented StabyExpress technology increases the recombinant protein production output without the use of antibiotics, which is the traditional approach. In January 2012, together with academic and Biotech key-players, Delphi Genetics announced its participation in a research project during the next 3 years for the development of DNA vaccines using the technology. Other research projects are under way to adapt the technology to mammalian cells and yeast.

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Delphi Genetics Grants Merck License for the Use of the StabyExpress™ System

Ed Gillespie ‘This Week’ Interview: 2012 Presidential Election; Obama Vs. Romney Tax Plan, Jobs – Video

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07-10-2012 12:23 The Romney campaign senior adviser on the first presidential debate. ABC News 'This Week' Transcript: STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's hear from the Romney camp right now. Ed Gillespie joining us this morning. Ed, thanks for getting up this morning. You heard Robert right there, masterful, theatrical, fundamentally dishonest. I guess his basic point now about Governor Romney on his tax plan is either that he's not telling the truth about the scale of the tax plan or abandoning his economic theory. Which one is it? GILLESPIE: Well, the problem they have is that the debate's performance on Wednesday evening was not a matter of style, it was a matter of substance. And Governor Romney laid out a plan for turning this economy around, getting things moving again. He had a fact-based critique of President Obama's failed policies that the president was unable to respond to. And today and since then, the Obama campaign, they remind me a little bit of a 7-year-old losing a checker game, and then instead of being frustrated at the outcome, they sweep the board off the table. The fact is that if President Obama's re-elected, as Governor Romney pointed out, we'll have continued chronically high unemployment. We're going to have continued massive debt instead of moving toward a balanced budget. We've had this week the fourth trillion dollar deficit under this president. Health care premiums are going to continue to rise. Up to 20 million Americans will lose their employer-based health insurance ...

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Ed Gillespie 'This Week' Interview: 2012 Presidential Election; Obama Vs. Romney Tax Plan, Jobs - Video

Exorbitant Health Care Cost Wastes Affecting Health Insurance Consumers, HealthCompare Warns

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Orange, CA (PRWEB) October 08, 2012

A new [report released by the Institute of Medicine indicates that $750 Billion is wasted each year in the health care industry. The wastes outlined in the report come from everything from administrative overages to ordering unnecessary tests, impacting the viability of finding affordable health insurance.

The news comes amid the presidential campaigns end where the hot ticket is the Presidents and Romneys differing views on the how to approach the health care issue in this country. With the Affordable Care Act on the table, all eyes have been on this industry.

But whats disturbing are the findings that many people are paying for tests they dont need to have run. In fact, the report by the IoM indicates that in 2009 alone, $210 Billion of the squandered $750 Billion was spent on unnecessary testing alone. Further investigation reveals a staggering $8000 per person is spent each year on health care.

Yet, countries who have a history of professional and quality care, such as Norway and Switzerland, pay as much as half of that each year.

With such costs going out the window, patients have to be diligent about their health care. Becoming proactive in their treatments can help avoid costly situations, like what Tara Parker-Pope of the NY Times experienced.

What seemed to be a simple twisted ankle cost her health insurance company thousands of dollars because doctors kept ordering tests and M.R.I.s to have her daughters ankle repaired. And each test led to another test until the elementary school girl pointed out that after all of the blood tests and all of the M.R.I.s (for her ankle and her hand - an irrelevant discovery made while investigating her ankle prompted the doctor to order those images), her ankle still hurt.

Tara.Parker-Popes daughter had been to several doctors offices and hospitals to have work done that never needed to be done in the first place.

The health care industry is far from perfect, thats why it takes a team to manage the care of one person. Dont become part of the health care waste. Dont become a part of the statistic. Educate yourself and your family about what you can do to prevent over-testing and overcharging for yourself and your health insurance provider.

Visit HealthCompare today to start your education.

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Exorbitant Health Care Cost Wastes Affecting Health Insurance Consumers, HealthCompare Warns

Darden tests limiting worker hours as health-care changes loom

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In an experiment apparently aimed at keeping down the cost of health-care reform, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants has stopped offering full-time schedules to many hourly workers in at least a few Olive Gardens, Red Lobsters and LongHorn Steakhouses.

Darden said the test is taking place in "a select number" of restaurants in four markets, including Central Florida, but would not give details. The company said there has been no decision made about expanding it.

In an emailed statement, Darden said staffing changes are "just one of the many things we are evaluating to help us address the cost implications health care reform will have on our business. There are still many unanswered questions regarding the health care regulations and we simply do not have enough information to make any decisions at this time."

Analysts say many other companies, including the White Castle hamburger chain, are considering employing fewer full-timers because of key features of the Affordable Care Act scheduled to go into effect in 2014. Under that law, large companies must provide affordable health insurance to employees working an average of at least 30 hours per week.

If they do not, the companies can face fines of up to $3,000 for each employee who then turns to an exchange an online marketplace for insurance.

"I think a lot of those employers, especially restaurants, are just going to ensure nobody gets scheduled more than 30 hours a week," said Matthew Snook, partner with human-resources consulting company Mercer.

Darden said its goal at the test restaurants is to keep employees at 28 hours a week.

Analysts said limiting hours could pose new challenges, including higher turnover and less-qualified workers.

"It's a real problem for restaurants," said Howard Penney, a restaurant analyst and managing director for Hedgeye Risk Management.

Darden, the world's largest casual-dining company and one of the nation's 30 largest employers, said it offers health insurance to all its approximately 185,000 employees. Many are offered a limited-benefit plan. That type of coverage is being phased out under health-care changes, which will ban annual limits for most plans.

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Saudi- Mobily and Sanofi to promote mHealth services

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(MENAFN - Arab News) Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Sanofi, a global health care leader, have announced their collaboration for boosting the Mobilized Healthcare services (mHealth) with an innovative approach in the mobilized health care services in Saudi Arabia.

The partnership of Sanofi and Mobily aims to offer a state-of-art (IBG Star) device and the newest technology in diabetes management smart application.

All of this will enable patients to communicate their diabetes related data to their physicians or health care provider.

"The mobilized health care concept is expanding as patient electronic follow-ups, electronic records and disease and health related information is now available to the public as long as there's the supply of innovative and up-to-date e-health application, solutions and products which goes in parallel with a concrete, high speed reliable data transmission services," said Mobily CEO Khalid Al-Kaf.

"Our partnership with Sanofi, a health care leader, will leverage the moblized health care solutions in Saudi Arabia," he added.

"Our main objective is putting our patients first and that's by offering easy-to-use and innovative solutions, which help patients to share instant reports to their physicians and helping patients taking diabetes related decisions," said Salah Mousa, Sanofi's GM in Saudi Arabia.

He also emphasized the importance of having such a partnership with Mobily in boosting the mobilized health care that will protect diabetics from long-term complications and more control over the disease.

Mobily is looking forward to maintain its position as a leader in (mHealth) through this collaboration as the group has already launched several applications and services concerning public health.

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Saudi- Mobily and Sanofi to promote mHealth services

AHCA to Apply PointRight® OnPoint-30™ Case-Mix Adjusted Rehospitalization Metric to LTC Trend Tracker™

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WASHINGTONand LEXINGTON, Mass., Oct.8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The American Health Care Association (AHCA), together with PointRight Inc., the industry leader in predictive analytics in the healthcare and insurance industry, today announced that AHCA will incorporate PointRight's proprietary OnPoint-30 case-mix adjusted hospitalization metric into its data collection and benchmarking tool, LTC Trend Tracker.

The joint announcement is made in conjunction with AHCA's 2012 Annual Convention & Expo, held October 8-10 in Tampa, Florida.

"PointRight's offer to share their risk-adjusted hospital readmission metric with AHCA is another significant step toward advancing our industry with a professional benchmark for enhancing quality and performance by reducing unnecessary rehospitalizations," says Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA.

The LTC Trend Tracker web-based software enables AHCA members to access various reports to track, organize, identify, benchmark, examine and compare business needs like rehospitalization. LTC Trend Tracker offers key metrics to identify opportunities, improve performance and make smarter decisions. AHCA offers this intelligence-collecting tool at no charge exclusively to its membership.

Previous to AHCA's incorporating PointRight's OnPoint-30 rehospitalization metric in LTC Trend Tracker, the two organizations jointly announced AHCA's adoption of the case-mix adjusted metric in its Quality Initiative. As part of the effort, AHCA has defined, goals in four core areas, including safely reducing hospital readmissions by 15 percent within 30 days during a skilled nursing facility stay by March 2015.

"PointRight is thrilled to deepen its partnership with AHCA for the betterment of the long term and post-acute care industries in relationship to reducing unnecessary hospital admissions," said Steven Littlehale, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer with PointRight. "A fair, case-mix adjusted rehospitalization metric tells CMS and the public that we, as an industry, are accountable for our outcomes and offer excellent, cost-effective care. Beyond that, the use of this metric also directly helps skilled nursing facilities to be more competitive in their marketplace by demonstrating their value through data-driven analytics to hospitals and other referring sources."

The OnPoint rehospitalization metric will be available to AHCA members in LTC Trend Tracker by the end of 2012. To learn more about LTC Trend Tracker, visit http://www.ahca.org. To learn more about additionalOnPoint-30 rehospitalization services, visit http://www.pointright.com.

About American Health Care Association As the nation's largest association of long term and post-acute care providers, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) advocates for quality care and services for frail, elderly and disabled Americans. Compassionate and caring employees provide essential care to one million individuals in the Association's 11,000 not-for-profit and proprietary member facilities. For more information, visit http://www.ahcancal.org. To learn more about the AHCA Quality Initiative, please visit qualityinitiative.ahcancal.org.

About PointRight Inc.PointRight is the industry leader in providing data-driven analytics and Web-based tools that measure and improve risk, quality of care, rehospitalization, compliance and reimbursement accuracy of the healthcare and insurance industries. Using some of the largest and best databases in the industry, our nationally recognized clinical staff, researchers, and technologists expertly translate disparate data into usable information and insight. For more information, visit http://www.pointright.com.

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AHCA to Apply PointRight® OnPoint-30™ Case-Mix Adjusted Rehospitalization Metric to LTC Trend Tracker™

Editorial: Reject bogus ‘health services’ amendment

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The proposed Health Care Services charter amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot Amendment 1 is nothing more than a reminder that the Florida Legislature cares more about making political statements than about the health care needs of Floridians.

The measure has nothing to do with health care or services. The Legislature passed it in 2011 as an effort to exempt Floridians from the Affordable Care Acts requirement to buy health insurance. Since the Supreme Court upheld the mandate and the law, the amendment is moot. If the court had overturned the law, the amendment wouldnt have mattered. Legislators, however, knew the amendment was useless when they approved it.

Florida and 25 other states had filed suit against the Affordable Care Act, and there was never any doubt that the question of whether the federal government could compel individuals to buy insurance would be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, not Florida voters. Federal law trumps state law.

The measures sponsors, Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island and Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, arent investing any of their time and energy pushing for the ballot question. They have been, not surprisingly, silent on the issue. The Florida Chamber of Commerce, a key proponent of the proposed amendment, has just one sentence in its elections guide on the issue and also is not investing money to support it.

Unfortunately, taxpayers did have to invest money to advertise the measure, which will be meaningless even if it gets the necessary 60 percent majority.

Floridas legislators werent the only ones wasting voters time and money. Alabama and Wyoming have similar meaningless constitutional amendments on the ballot. Sixteen states have approved statutes or put constitutional amendments to limit or reject health care reform on their ballots since 2008.

A better response would be for the Legislature to worry that Florida has the third-highest rate of residents who lack health insurance. Nearly 4 million Floridians, or 21 percent of the state, are without health coverage.

Despite that, Gov. Rick Scott has said the state will not set up health insurance exchanges, as required by the health care law for individuals to buy coverage with government subsidies, or expand its Medicaid program to provide insurance to those making up to 133 percent of the poverty level. The federal government will set up the exchanges if the state wont. The Supreme Court ruling, however, made expanding Medicaid optional for the states. The expansion would provide health insurance for an additional 2 million Floridians.

The Post recommends a NO vote on Amendment 1, and urges Gov. Scott and the Legislature to focus on health care instead of political gamesmanship.

Rhonda Swan

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Editorial: Reject bogus ‘health services’ amendment

Health care highlights cracks in GOP

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Published: 10/7/2012 9:48 PM | Last update: 10/7/2012 10:28 PM Conservatives opt for a wait, see approach while moderate voices dwindle. By John Hanna - Associated Press TOPEKA - An acrimonious debate over the federal health care overhaul is seeping into state capitols, creating fissures among Republicans as the tea party movement reasserts its influence in GOP-controlled areas.

States face decisions about setting up online health insurance marketplaces, and a mid-November deadline for declaring their intentions has sparked conflicts between governors and legislators across the country. In two GOP strongholds, Kansas and Mississippi, elected insurance commissioners are at odds with governors, even though they're all Republicans.

Praeger wants the state to have a role in running the online insurance marketplace, known as an exchange, and she said she'll have a plan ready. Gov. Sam Brownback, a longtime critic of the health care law, plans to wait until after the presidential election to set the state's course and is under pressure from fellow conservatives and tea party activists to avoid any state involvement.

The disagreement with Brownback has political consequences for Praeger, the most prominent of a dwindling number of GOP moderates in state government. Now in the middle of a four-year term, she disclosed in a recent interview that she's all but decided against running again in 2014 and acknowledged she'd have difficulty winning a Republican primary.

"My position is really more apolitical, just trying to be a good insurance regulator," she said. "His is more of a political position, and I understand that."

Brownback's office declined requests from The Associated Press for an interview. It pointed to previous statements that if GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney defeats Democratic President Barack Obama, who championed the health care overhaul, states are likely to get a waiver from many of the federal health care law's requirements.

"We're operating in a seat of uncertainty," said state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a conservative Shawnee Republican who argues any involvement in an exchange would make Kansas a "tool of the federal government."

Exchanges are sometimes described as the health coverage equivalent of websites such as Travelocity. States that aren't setting up their own still can declare by Nov. 16 that they'd like to be partners with the federal government, handling consumer complaints and controlling which companies sell coverage.

Praeger has sent Brownback a recommendation for minimum requirements for policies sold on the exchange, despite his stance.

She's also been a part of the national debate, serving as chairwoman of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners committee on health care policy since 2009. She was the group's president in 2008.

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Genetic Immunity Receives GMP Certification for In-House Manufacturing Facility

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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - Genetic Immunity (OTCBB: PWRV) is pleased to announce the GMP approval of its manufacturing facility. The development of the GMP manufacturing process and the facility was financed from a $4 million grant received from the Hungarian Office for Innovation and Technology.

"To establish a GMP manufacturing facility is a major milestone for Genetic Immunity. Initially, it will serve our need to produce high quality ingredients to our nanomedicine products tested in clinical trials. We developed our GMP manufacturing technology and processes to be suitable to upgrade them to a commercial scale. This approval demonstrates the capability of our team to advance our DermaVir HIV-specific immunotherapy to the market, and our new candidate products from the bench to the bedside,"said Dr. Julianna Lisziewicz, CEO of Genetic Immunity.

The GMP status is provided for the manufacturing and the validated quality control processes of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient of our immunotherapeutic nanomedicine products.Genetic Immunity has a state of the art R&D laboratory that includes a dedicated GMP facility. Due to the platform feature of our plasmid DNA based nanomedicine technology, only the nucleotide sequence of the DNA is specific for the target disease. Consequently, the manufacturing and the quality control process of the lead and all pipeline products is the same. This means that the GMP facility can be used for the manufacturing all products of Genetic Immunity regardless of clinical stage. The common GMP manufacturing technology simplifies the regulatory process, saves costs and time in clinical development, and reduces time to market approval of medicinal products.

"With this GMP facility we have successfully closed the manufacturing gap between clinical trial scale and the commercial production. With continuous development of the manufacturing processes we are able to control the costs and achieve a competitive price for each market segments at an attractive ROI ratio for every product. We are strongly focused on the market and are well prepared for large scale manufacturing for our planned Expanded Access program of DermaVir," said Mr. Viktor Rozsnyay, CEO of Power of the Dream Ventures.

Genetic Immunity is a wholly owned subsidiary of Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. (OTCBB: PWRV).

About Genetic Immunity Genetic Immunity is part of Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. (PWRV) committed to bring innovative Hungarian products and services to public. GeneticImmunity is a clinical stage technology company committed to discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing a new class of immunotherapeutic biologic drugs for the treatment of viral infections, cancer and allergy. The Company's two distinguished technology platforms will revolutionize the treatment of these chronic diseases. Our Langerhans cell targeting nanomedicines are exceptional in both safety and immune modulating activity boosting specific Th1-type central memory T cells. Such immune responses differ from antibodies induced by vaccines. These are essential to eliminate infected cells or cancerous cells, and balance the immune reactivity in response to allergens. Our IT team generated a complex algorithm to match the mechanism of action of our drugs with clinical efficacy. In the future, we will predict the clinical and immunological benefits of our drugs based on the patient's disease and genomic background. The unique mixture of our technologies represents the next generation of personalized but not individualized medicines ensuring a longer and higher economic return. Genetic Immunity's primary focus is the development of DermaVir that acts to boost the immune system of HIV-infected people to eliminate the infected cells that remained in the reservoirs after successful antiretroviral treatment. Three clinical trials conducted in EU and US showed that DermaVir immunizations were as safe as placebo and only four sequential patch treatments were required to reduce the HIV infected cells in the blood within 24 weeks.

In 1988 Drs. Lisziewicz and Lori founded the Genetic Immunity in the US after they described the 1st patient whose immune system was boosted to control HIV after treatment interruption (Lisziewicz et al. New England Journal of Medicine 1999) that lead to the invention of DermaVir. The Company's innovative technology team directed by Dr. Lisziewicz, a champion of immune busting therapies, is now headquartered in Budapest (Hungary). For more information please visit http://www.geneticimmunity.com

Forward-looking statements Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature constitute forward-looking statements qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding business combination and similar transactions, prospective performance and opportunities and the outlook for the companies' businesses, including, without limitation, the ability of PWRV to advance Genetic Immunity's product pipeline or develop a curative immunotherapy for HIV, performance and opportunities and regulatory approvals, the anticipated timing of data from clinical data; the possibility of unfavorable results of the company's clinical trials; filings and approvals relating to the transaction; the expected timing of the completion of the transaction; the ability to complete the transaction considering the various closing conditions; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the companies, and the companies assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

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Genetic Immunity Receives GMP Certification for In-House Manufacturing Facility

Parkinson's Risk Linked To Specific Genetic Variants

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Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Genetics Article Date: 08 Oct 2012 - 0:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Parkinson's Risk Linked To Specific Genetic Variants

The researchers say they have carried out the first ever genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants linked to Parkinson's disease.

Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, and Richard H. Myers, PhD, explained that a recent study published by the PDGC (PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium) had shown that people with genetic variants in or close to the genes HLA, MAPT, SNCA, RIT2, and GAK/DGKQ had a higher-than-average risk of developing Parkinson's disease. However, in that study, the mechanism behind the higher risk had not been determined.

Boston University School of Medicine reported in PLOS ONE in July 2012 that the FOXO1 gene plays an important part in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease. That study is said to have used the largest number of brain samples used in a wide-genome expression study of PD.

Latourelle suggested that perhaps a genetic variant might change how a gene is expressed in the brain, resulting in a higher risk of developing Parkinson's.

The scientists say that their findings may pave the way for treatments to correct the genetic variants and thus possibly reverse the effects of Parkinson's disease.

They determined gene expression by using a microarray that screened what the effects of genetic variants were on the expression of genes located very near the variant - called cis-effects - and genes that were far from the variant, such as genes on a totally different chromosome, called trans-effect. To recap - cis-effects are those on very nearby genes, while trans-effect are those on distant genes.

When they analyzed the cis-effects, it was observed that many genetic variants in the MAPT region showed a significant association with the expression of multiple nearby genes, including gene LOC644246, the duplicated genes LRRC37A and LRRC37A2, and the gene DCAKD.

They also observed significant cis-effects between variants in the HLA region on chromosome 6 and HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQA1, two genes that were very near. When examining for trans-effects, they found 23 DNA sequence variations that were statistically significant in variants from the RIT2, MAPT, and SNCA genes.

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Parkinson's Risk Linked To Specific Genetic Variants

Strong Initial Reception to Eco-Safe Home Unit

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LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - Eco-Safe Systems USA, Inc. ( PINKSHEETS : ESFS ) is pleased to announce that the Eco-Safe Ozone Disinfection System for the consumer market is being met by a very positive initial reaction.

Michael Elliot, CEO of Eco-Safe, stated, "We received our initial order immediately after announcing the availability of the new Home Unit.That unit has been installed and is performing to the complete satisfaction of the homeowner.We have also received a Request for Proposal from a builder for 400 units to be installed in an assisted living facility to be constructed in the near future.We are delighted with the extremely strong and positive response even before our marketing effort has begun."

About Eco-Safe Systems: Eco-Safe Systems, based in Los Angeles, is the manufacturer of patent pending water treatment and water reclamation systems.Our technologies produce ozonated water for food disinfection and water purification at significantly less maintenance cost and greater energy savings than our competitors in a completely green and organic manner.We currently offer supermarkets and restaurants a cost-effective way to safely extend the shelf life of meat, poultry, seafood, fruits and vegetables.All Food Industry products are National Sanitation Foundation, International (NSF) Registered.Please visit us at http://www.ecosafeusa.com for more information.

The foregoing contains forward-looking information within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements.The company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results (expressed or implied) will not be realized.

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Strong Initial Reception to Eco-Safe Home Unit

Don't forget Esperance

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Reader Andrea Hampson sings the praises of the beautiful beaches of Esperance.

BERKELEY RIVER, THE KIMBERLEY

In response to your recent article about the most beautiful beaches (101 Best Beaches by Andy Short), I wonder whether he has visited Esperance in March, as we did earlier this year.

I have seen beaches all around the world, down south and up north in the east and in WA and, although the beaches you mentioned are beautiful, I have never seen more stunning beaches than around Esperance on a clear sunny day.

The Great Ocean Road drive near the town was amazing enough but when we went further east to Duke Of Orleans Bay and discovered Little and Big Whartons, Hellfire Bay, Lucky Bay and Thistle Cove, we were absolutely stunned by the pristine crystal aquamarine water, icing sugar-white sand and rocks of Cape Le Grand National Park.

There were varying shades of blue in the water from a deep dark blue to the lightest aquamarine. The sand was very fine and as white as snow and the gentle waves rolled in breaking to a white foam.

I have never seen such crystal- clear ocean. There were lots of islands and bays to add more beauty and amazing rocks. We did strike very good weather - clear blue skies and hot enough to enjoy swimming.

I am sure you have been there yourself but I cannot understand why this part of our amazing State is not advertised more. It took us over 60 years to get to Esperance and it was one of the best holidays we have had - certainly the best beach holiday and most relaxing.

I took hundreds of photos and the enclosed are a few extra I had. Why do we not see pictures like this showcasing what a beautiful and stunning area we have in our own backyard?

Most of the people we met down there were from New Zealand, Eastern States or overseas. We certainly had no idea how gorgeous it was, even though we had heard about Esperance from time to time.

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Don't forget Esperance

Readers Write: Can we teach robots to think ethically?

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Letters to the Editor for the October 8, 2012 weekly print issue:When we create artificial intelligence, will we create artificial 'ethicators,' too? The potential for 'cognitive decision-making skills' in computers is both challenging and exciting.

Regarding the Sept. 17 cover story, "Man & Machine," on the development of artificial intelligence (AI): I don't wish to be an alarmist, but I'm glad we're still far from inventing self-reasoning machines. Humankind has a history of creating new technologies simply because they're possible, only thinking about their impact later. Ray Bradbury suggested that science fiction is the nursery of new possibilities for humanity. If so, it should also be considered a warning.

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From Isaac Asimov's novel "I, Robot" to HAL in Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey," thinkers have long been asking: How can we be sure an artificial intelligence will be good? A machine has no moral sense or inner Jiminy Cricket to guide it. Will we create artificial "ethicators," too? If we can't even train dogs reliably, are we really capable of training machines with human-level reasoning?

AliCarmen Carico

Weed, Calif.

Extremely sophisticated, "smart" software could play a key role in reviving the US economy, just as highly capable computer-based systems may replace some human job functions. But this article doesn't really push to the most challenging frontier of AI.

Computer systems may develop to the point where they seem to possess cognitive decision-making skills and reach conclusions not foreseen by their creators. These themes are touched on by "cyber prophets" like the computer pioneer Bill Joy when he wrote the groundbreaking article "Why the future doesn't need us" (Wired Magazine, 2000).

One of the most vital aspects of this new world is the rapid proliferation of a vast variety of "networks" where "smart" machines and "smart" systems share information in an endless "ebb and flow." The flowing data are altered and improved in what some refer to as a kind of "collective intelligence." Our current Internet is a mild precursor of the potential involved in such a system.

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Readers Write: Can we teach robots to think ethically?