RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Sensus, a leading provider of smart grid infrastructure technologies for electric, gas and water utilities, has been selected by the City of Medicine Hat (CMH), Alberta, Canada, to automate metering for all three of the municipalitys utility services.

CMH is currently commissioning the Sensus FlexNet system for a trial phase with residential and commercial accounts. The Industry Canada-licensed, full two-way FlexNet system includes seven collector base stations networked with Sensus iCon electric and iPERL water meters, as well as Sensus SmartPoint gas transceivers. Pending the city council approval, CMH would move forward with the projects second phase of replacing legacy analog equipment with automated meters at each of the 30,000 customer accounts covering an area of 43 square miles (111 km2) in the southeastern part of the province.

Medicine Hat, which sits on large deposits of natural gas, is rare among North American municipalities in that the city owns and operates all power generating and transmission and distribution assets. The citys Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project manager, Dean Stepanic, said the project represents the first implementation in Canada of electric, water and gas measurement, monitoring and control over a single network. He added that the choice of implementing Sensus technology was driven by an effort to manage costs and provide better service to the citys 61,000 residents.

Medicine Hat provides very competitive utility rates for customers but we needed to build a modern system for more efficient monitoring, accurate billing and greater conservation, stated Stepanic. The FlexNet licensed spectrum allows us to automate meter reading and collect critical infrastructure data more securely than with a system based on public spectrum.

Stepanic also said that the systems point-to-multipoint topology requires less equipment than mesh networks and seamlessly interfaces with the citys existing fiber optic network for backhaul. FlexNet will allow us to expand and introduce more services and capabilities such as distribution automation at some point in the future.

In addition to electric meter installations, advanced meters for water and gas is a growing trend as utilities replace on-premise meter reading and introduce more options for customers to monitor usage and billing. Advanced water and gas metering has the additional benefits of leak detection and public safety. Initially, CMH will perform automated billing and remote monitoring with the new system and may offer voluntary pricing options after full deployment.

About Sensus

Sensus is a leading utility infrastructure company offering smart meters, communication systems, software and services for the electric, gas, and water industries. Sensus technology helps utilities drive operational efficiency and customer engagement with applications that include advanced meter reading, data acquisition, demand response, distribution automation, home area networking and outdoor lighting control. Customers worldwide trust the innovation, quality and reliability of Sensus solutions for the intelligent use and conservation of energy and water. Learn more at http://www.sensus.com. To follow Twitter updates from Sensus, please visit http://twitter.com/sensussmartgrid.

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City of Medicine Hat, Alberta Chooses Sensus Technology for Electric, Water and Gas Utility Automation

04 September 2012 | last updated at 11:44PM

Praised effort

Creamy aid *

Stir it in*

Sweet treat

1 - Give your child his favourite drink or fruit juice to wash down the medicine instead of plain water.

Cold treatment

2 - Give your child ice-cream or let him suck on an ice cube before taking his medicine. The numbness or cold sensation will tone down tastebuds. Keeping liquid medications cold can also make them more palatable.

Favourite drink

3 - Get your child to sip a bit of his favourite drink before taking the medicine so that it wont taste so bad.

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Top Picks: Help the medicine go down

31st August 2012 is Africa Traditional Medicine Day. The theme for marking the Day is "A Decade of Traditional Medicine Development: What Are the Impacts?" Ghana has since 1991 followed a consistent policy of developing aspects of traditional medicine that has the potential of contributing immensely to healthcare in the country.

The policy is backed by in-country needs as well as international health related policies such as the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978, the Ouagadougou Declaration on Primary Healthcare of 2001, at which community health seeking behaviours were to become key components in healthcare planning at the primary level. Traditional medicine constitutes some of the healthcare practices at the community level.

For the past decade, Ghana has made some modest gains in its quest to develop traditional medicine.

The Council for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine (CSRPM) was set up in 1975 and has since developed 35 well-researched products.

KNUST has since 2005 produced 150 BSc. Herbal Medicine graduates who are physicians' Assistants with special knowledge in herbal medicine and designated as Medical Herbalists.

The government, in an effort to deploy this new cadre of healthcare providers under the supervision of physician specialists and senior medical doctors, has recruited thirty (30) of them and posted them to eighteen (18) government hospitals to begin pilot application of approved herbal medicine.

The rest of the registered Medical Herbalists, after internship and licensure examination, are being utilized in private clinics that are distinguishing themselves in a new quality healthcare niche. They will be properly designated in the future.

Eighty-six (86) herbal medicines have been selected out of the CSRPM-developed products and from about 147 herbal medicines approved by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) for market authorization. The list is currently being reviewed in line with new safety standards issued by the FDB for upgrading the quality of herbal medicines.

Plans are underway to launch a large scale cultivation of the needed medicinal plant resources and set up large scale production.

The Ministry of health and the Ghana Health Service have developed Standard Guidelines for the establishment and operation of such pilot herbal units.

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Africa: Africa Traditional Medicine Day

Forensic medicine is a rare speciality that attracts very few dedicated doctors.

All it requires to understand what forensic medicine is to watch people waiting outside a hospital morgue. There will be policemen, sometimes magistrates and curious onlookers. Only a few realise the hard work that a police surgeon is delegated.

Unlike other fields of medicine, forensic medicine is one where the doctor or surgeon never comes across a living person.

They are relegated to the rear end of the hospital, and they are constantly trying to find clues by examining the cadaver to learn the cause of death. This is what makes forensic medicine one of those rare specialities that attract very few students.

Working with police

Those who have entered the field either by choice or because of interest and have opted to work for the government have earned the respect of the police and the judiciary by working with them in unravelling mysteries and ensuring justice to the wronged person.

Senior forensic medicine experts routinely conduct classes for the police and the judiciary. The experts share their observations with undergraduate medical students, teaching them about medical ethics and the nuances of treating a patient.

PG course

Yet, there was a time in Tamil Nadu when MBBS graduates shunned the speciality since it was not as lucrative as surgery or other super specialities. For several years in a row there were no takers for the MD in Forensic Medicine course.

An MD in Forensic Medicine takes three years to complete. At present, there are nine students undergoing the course at the Madras Medical College, an institution which has the distinction of having women as the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

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Few takers for forensic medicine?

Living

Living Extra

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Comedian J Medicine Hat also known for goodwill

MEDICINE PARK, OK._The main stage in downtown Medicine Park was littered with lawn chairs Friday night at the opening night of the Mayor's Blues Ball.

Six years ago, the event started as a way to raise funds after fires or ice storms, but now the events purpose is simply to bring folks together to celebrate music, friends and the unique town nestled into the Wichita Mountain Range.

It may be the Mayor's Blues Ball but he takes no credit.

He says the weekend would not be possible without the long list of sponsors, and of course, the local and regional talent that people from all over the region come to dance to.

Medicine Park Mayor Dwight Cope loves a good party, and his parties are becoming more and more well-attended.

The small art community is getting some national recognition.

"Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, in the region and it's even starting to...some neighbors have some friends from Ohio down," said Cope.

Mayor Cope loves the notoriety, but he loves the music more.

To the mayor, it does not get any better than the blues.

"Well, BB King said it ain't nothin' but a good man feelin' bad," said Cope.

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Medicine Park Mayor throws his 6th annual Blues Ball

The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) is the only non-profit national professional society dedicated exclusively to the practice of dental sleep medicine. The AADSM provides educational resources for dentists and promotes the use of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing. Established in 1991, the AADSM has more than 2,800 member dentists worldwide. Visit http://www.aadsm.org or call the national office at (630) 737-9705 for more information.

Company:

Headquarters Address:

Main Telephone:

Website:

Type of Organization:

Industry:

Key Executives:

Specialty Society & Communications Manager: Thomas Heffron

Public Relations

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Company Profile for American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The global sports medicine devices marketis expected to grow from USD3.3 billionin 2011 to reach USD5.7 billionby 2017, at a CAGR of 9.3%. Knee application still holds the largest share among others due to the high frequency of ACL injuries along with other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, meniscal cartilage damage, and patellar chondromalacia.

The overall sports medicine market is quite fragmented with a large number of global players, including Arthrex, ArthroCare, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Biomet, Shock Doctor, DePuy Mitek, Linvatec ConMed, Mueller Sports, McDavid, Breg, BSN Medical, Cramer Sports and Cho-Pat Sports, among several others.

New report Sports Medicine Devices Market By Products & Application (2012 - 2017) Global Trends & Competitive Analysis worked out by MarketsandMarkets provides true and unbiased insights into the global sports medicine market, categorized by value and volume. Both of these markets are broken down into segments and sub-segments, providing exhaustive analysis for 2011 and 2012, as well as forecast up to 2017. To provide in-depth information on the global scenario, each market is comprehensively analyzed at granular level by geography North America, Europe, Asia, and RoW.

The report also details major market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Furthermore, the competitive landscape along with elaborate profiles of 25 companies analyzed through a company overview, key financials, products and services, strategies and developments can also be found in the study.

Report Details:

Title: Sports Medicine Devices Market By Products & Application (2012 - 2017) Global Trends & Competitive Analysis Published: August, 2012 Pages: 293 Price: US$ 4,650.00 http://marketpublishers.com/report/medicine_pharmaceuticals_biotechnology/healthcare_equipment_services/sports_medicine_devices_market_by_products_application_2012_2017_global_trends_competitive_analysis.html

Report Contents:

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 KEY TAKE-AWAYS 1.2 REPORT DESCRIPTION 1.3 MARKETS COVERED 1.4 STAKEHOLDERS 1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1.5.1 MARKET SIZE 1.5.2 MARKET SHARE 1.5.3 KEY DATA POINTS FROM SECONDARY SOURCES 1.5.4 KEY DATA POINTS FROM PRIMARY SOURCES 1.5.5 ASSUMPTIONS

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Global Sports Medicine Market Trends Analyzed in New MarketsandMarkets Report Available at MarketPublishers.com

RUTHERFORD, NJ--(Marketwire -08/31/12)- Malo Clinic Health & Wellness today announced their latest partner practice, Passaic Sleep Medicine & Neurological Services, led by Dr. Fawad Mian, who is board-certified in neurology, sleep medicine, and clinical neurophysiology.

Dr. Fawad Mian specializes in the assessment and treatment of neurological disorders, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of many sleep disorders. He began his burgeoning practice in 2011 where he regularly sees patients with a variety of complaints including back and neck pain, headaches, tremors, numbness/tingling, seizures, etc. Dr. Mian also subspecializes in the assessment and diagnosis of patients with sleep disorders. He will begin seeing patients with neurologic and sleep disorders on September 4TH at his new satellite office located at the MALO Clinic Health & Wellness center on route 17 North in Rutherford, New Jersey. "As one of the region's only complete preventative care centers, we look forward to working with Dr. Mian to bring awareness and treatment of neurologic and sleep disorders to Bergen County," said Joseph Testani, Chief Administrative Officer of MALO Clinic Health & Wellness.

Dr. Mian is a graduate of St. George's University School of Medicine. He went on to do his residency in neurology at New York University. He completed his fellowship in sleep medicine and clinical neurophysiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Fawad Mian currently resides in Bergen County.

About MALO Clinic Health & Wellness

MALO Clinic Health & Wellness offers a unique approach to complete wellness through a comprehensive array of world-class services. It is a brand new concept in North America, and set to be the world's largest facility of its kind. Since 2010, MALO CLINIC Health & Wellness features a team of health professionals and wellness therapists delivering the highest standards of medical and dental services in a healthy and relaxing spa environment. For more information please visit malohealthandwellness.com.

About Passaic Sleep Medicine and Neurological Services

Since 2011, Passaic Sleep Medicine and Neurological Services, has been actively serving the community with advanced therapeutics in sleep medicine and neurology. Led by Dr. Fawad Mian, Passaic Sleep Medicine and Neurological Services aims to continue to bring quality care to patient suffering from debilitating neurologic and sleep disorders. For more information please visit passaicsleepneuro.com.

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Passaic Sleep Medicine & Neurological Services Expands to Bergen County

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that it will present at Robert W. Baird & Company's 2012 Health Care Conference on September 5, 2012 at 1:20 p.m. Eastern Time. Eric Bouvier, President and CEO of the Company, will present an overview of BG Medicine and updates on the Company's portfolio of cardiovascular diagnostic tests.

Webcasts of the Company's presentation will be available to the public and accessible by visiting: http://wsw.com/webcast/baird30/bgmd/ or on the "Investors" section of the Company's website at http://www.bg-medicine.com. Replays will be available on the Company's website for 30 days after the initial presentation.

About BG Medicine, Inc.

BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD) is a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel cardiovascular diagnostics to address significant unmet medical needs, improve patient outcomes and contain healthcare costs. The Company's first commercialized product, the BGM Galectin-3(R) test for use in patients with heart failure, is available in the United States and Europe. BG Medicine is also developing the CardioSCORE TM test, a blood test designed to identify individuals at high risk for near-term major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke. For additional information about BG Medicine, heart failure and galectin-3 testing, please visit http://www.bg-medicine.com and http://www.galectin-3.com.

The BG Medicine Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10352

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BG Medicine, Inc. to Present at Robert W. Baird 2012 Health Care Conference

Clinton Hospital and UMass Memorial Medical Group announced the addition of Dr. Kathryn Maier, to its Sterling Family Medicine practice, 50 Leominster Road, Sterling.

A graduate of New York Medical College, Dr. Maier performed her residency at UMass Medical School Graduate Medical Education Barre Family Health Center and is board certified in family medicine. She cares for patients of all ages, specializing in both adult and pediatric family medicine.

For more information, call (978) 422-5082.

Reliant Medical Group announced the addition of Dr. Diego Illanes to its medical team. Dr. Illanes will practice in Reliant Medical Groups Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, specializing in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (urogynecology), at St. Vincent Hospital.

He received his medical degree from Universidad Catlica de Crdoba in Argentina. He then completed his internship at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., and his residency and fellowship at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. He is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Valerie Espeleta has been named employee of the month for August at Day Kimball Healthcare. Ms. Espeleta is an insurance verification specialist for Day Kimball HomeCare, which is part of the Day Kimball integrated health care system.

As an insurance verification specialist, Ms, Espeleta is responsible for assisting with the processing and screening of clinical referrals, as well as all insurance verification upon admission and resumption of care.

VNA Care Network & Hospice, a Worcester-based nonprofit serving Central and Eastern Massachusetts, recently appointed Dr. Mary A. Valliere, as chief medical adviser.

Her experience includes serving as the senior clinical consultant for the Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment Demonstration and Expansion Projects, palliative care clinical consultant for the UMass Memorial Medical Center and UMass Memorial Hospice, chief of palliative medicine for UMass Memorial Medical Center and hospitalist for UMass Memorial Medical Center, Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She is assistant professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, she was a resident in internal medicine, chief medical resident and faculty scholar fellow in addiction medicine at the Medical Center of Central Massachusetts/Worcester Memorial Hospital. She was a faculty scholar at the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, American Society of Addiction Medicine and American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

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Dr. Maier joins Sterling Family Medicine

English: President Barack Obama speaks to a joint session of Congress regarding health care reform (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Time to Take the Medicine on Tax Cuts Submitted by JOSH KING   Should the Bush-era tax cuts be extended? Should they be extended just for those making less than $250,000 a year? A lot of [...]

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Guest Post: Time To Take The Medicine On Tax Cuts

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/49mg4f/personalized_medic) has announced the addition of the "Personalized Medicine - A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants and Environment" report to their offering.

Personalized Medicine- A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants, and Environment by Kelly Scientific Publications is a comprehensive assessment of this developing industry thus far. This report tackles the growing market interest in personalized medicine (PM), pharmacogenomics, companion diagnostics and the associated market environment.

Individualized or personalized medicine aims to increase the efficacy of therapeutics via genetic testing and companion diagnostics. As we progress through the era of genomic medicine, patients will benefit by more effective therapies and less side effects. Developmental and diagnostic companies will benefit from lower discovery and commercialization costs and more specific market subtypes.

The average drug-to-market cost varies but is estimated at $500 million, however with the advent of personalized therapeutics and companion diagnostics this cost could be dramatically reduced. Only 30% of drugs recover the cost to market however personalized therapeutics and associated companion diagnostics will be more specific and effective thereby giving pharma/biotech companies a significant advantage to recuperate costs. Personalized medicine will reduce the frequency of adverse drug reactions and therefore have a dramatic impact on health economics.

Companies Mentioned:

- 23andMe

- Affymetrix

- Astex Pharmaceuticals

- Atossa Genetics

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Research and Markets: Personalized Medicine - A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants and ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vxph8f/quickfact_edition) has announced the addition of the "QUICKFACT Edition Personalized Medicine - A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants and Environment" report to their offering.

The QUICKFACT's edition of Personalized Medicine- A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants, and Environment by Kelly Scientific Publications is a compact report on key facts of the personalized medicine industry and its impact on the health system.

Individualized or personalized medicine aims to increase the efficacy of therapeutics via genetic testing and companion diagnostics. Personalized therapeutics and associated companion diagnostics will be more specific and effective thereby giving pharma/biotech companies a significant advantage to recuperate R&D costs. Personalized medicine will reduce the frequency of adverse drug reactions and therefore have a dramatic impact on health economics. Developmental and diagnostic companies will benefit from lower discovery and commercialization costs and more specific market subtypes.

The average drug-to-market cost varies but is estimated at $500 million, however with the advent of personalized therapeutics and companion diagnostics this cost could be dramatically reduced. Only 30% of drugs recover the cost to market however personalized therapeutics and associated companion diagnostics will be more specific and effective thereby giving pharma/biotech companies a significant advantage to recuperate costs. Personalized medicine will reduce the frequency of adverse drug reactions and therefore have a dramatic impact on health economics.

Functions of personalized medicine:

- Give developers an alternative to hit and miss' drug development.

- Streamline the research and discovery process.

- Decrease the time it takes to discover, develop and bring a therapeutic to market.

- Can be applied to current drugs and determine their efficiency and safety profiles in specific patient groups.

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Research and Markets: 2012 QUICKFACT Edition Personalized Medicine - A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3ws6f5/the_top_50_sleep_m) has announced the addition of the "The Top 50 Sleep Medicine Technology Companies Worldwide" report to their offering.

Sleep disorders are very common and their frequency generally increases with age. A 2011 poll by the U.S. National Sleep Foundation found that more than half (60%) of Americans say that they experience a sleep problem every night or almost every night (i.e., snoring, waking in the night, waking up too early, or feeling un-refreshed when they get up in the morning). Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint, affecting some 30% of adults. It is estimated thatobstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is as prevalent as adult diabetes and asthma (yet 90% of people who have OSA remain undiagnosed and untreated).

The presence of a sleep disorder has a significant negative impact on the health and well-being of the individual e.g. OSA is a cause of daytime sleepiness and a risk factor for arterial hypertension, stroke and cardiac disorders. The high prevalence of sleep disorders also has a huge impact on society e.g. Harvard Medical School's American Insomnia Study, released last September, found that insomnia is costing the U.S. economy $63.2 billion in lost productivity every year. A 2010 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that in the United States, one in every six deadly crashes and one in eight crashes causing serious injury involved a drowsy driver.

Thus, the need for new technologies to diagnose and treat sleep disorders is pressing.

About This Report

This unique and comprehensive report profiles the 50 leading sleep medicine technology companies worldwide. These companies develop cutting-edge diagnostic equipment and innovative therapeutic devices for both sleep laboratory and home use.

Profile information for each company in The Top 50 Sleep Medicine Technology Companies Worldwide' typically includes:

- Company Contact Information - Address, Telephone and Fax Numbers, Email and Website Addresses

- Key Company Decision Makers - From CEO and Main Board, to Key Senior Managers

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Research and Markets: The Top 50 Sleep Medicine Technology Companies Worldwide

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cardiovascular diagnostics, announced today that the study, "Galectin-3, a Marker of Cardiac Fibrosis, Predicts Incident Heart Failure in the Community," was published online in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology1 (JACC). The study, conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Framingham Heart Study, was designed to determine whether elevated levels of galectin-3 in the population at large identify those who are at increased risk for the development of heart failure. Galectin-3 levels were measured in blood specimens collected from 1996-1998 as part of a routine examination of 3,353 participants enrolled in the NHLBI-supported Framingham Offspring Cohort. The study demonstrated that men and women with baseline blood levels of galectin-3 in the highest quartile had heart failure incidence rates that were more than twice as high as those of all other study participants, over a ten year follow-up period.

"Our research at Framingham represents the first U.S.- based large-scale study to examine whether elevated levels of galectin-3 in the population at large can identify people who may be at risk for development of heart failure," said Daniel Levy, M.D., Director, Framingham Heart Study, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "Galectin-3 is associated with cardiac fibrosis, which plays an important role in the development of heart failure, so it may be useful in identifying patients at high risk for heart failure prior to the onset of symptoms and could point the way to earlier prevention and treatment strategies."

"The results published in JACC emphasize the significance of being able to detect factors that impact the identification and progression of heart failure, as nearly one in six people in the general adult population may have elevated levels of galectin-3 and be at risk," said Eric Bouvier, President and CEO of BG Medicine. "As part of our corporate strategy to develop and commercialize cardiovascular diagnostics that address significant medical needs, we filed a 510(k) for an expanded indication for the BGM Galectin-3(R) test with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2012, and have obtained CE Mark in Europe. Subject to FDA clearance, the new application would expand the indicated use of our galectin-3 test to the general adult population to identify those with elevated levels of galectin-3, which is associated with an increased risk for the development of new-onset heart failure."

About Galectin-3 and Heart Failure

Galectin-3 is a unique carbohydrate-binding lectin, or protein, that binds to carbohydrates called beta-galactosides. Galectin-3 has been implicated in a variety of biological processes important in the development and progression of heart failure, and is believed to be a primary mediator of progressive cardiac fibrosis (abnormal thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle) and adverse remodeling (changes in the structure of the heart). Heart failure affects an estimated 5.8 million Americans, with approximately 670,000 new cases occurring each year. The direct and indirect cost of heart failure in the United States for 2010 is estimated to be $39.2 billion.

About the Framingham Heart Study

Led by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the Framingham Heart Study is a leading observational, multi-generational study designed to track the development of cardiovascular disease and its common contributing factors. The study was initiated in 1948 and has been the source of key research findings regarding the contributions of hypertension, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and other risk factors to the development of cardiovascular disease.

About BG Medicine, Inc.

BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD) is a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel cardiovascular diagnostics to address significant unmet medical needs, improve patient outcomes and contain healthcare costs. The Company's first commercialized product, the BGM Galectin-3(R) test for use in patients with heart failure, is available in the United States and Europe. BG Medicine is also developing the CardioSCORE TM test, a blood test designed to identify individuals at high risk for near-term major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke. For additional information about BG Medicine, heart failure and galectin-3 testing, please visit http://www.bg-medicine.com and http://www.galectin-3.com.

1Ho, J, Liu C, Lyass A, et al. Galectin-3, a Marker of Cardiac Fibrosis, Predicts Incident Heart Failure in the Community. J Am Coll Cardiol 2012 (Published online August 29, 2012, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2012.04.053).

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BG Medicine, Inc. Announces Publication of Important Galectin-3 Study Designed to Identify Adults in General ...

VALUE Framework Urged for Medical and Surgical Residents

Newswise PHILADELPHIA Despite the national consensus on the need to improve the value of health care while reducing unnecessary spending, teaching hospitals often struggle to design curricula to train future physicians to deliver such care to their patients.

Working to fill this gap, Mitesh Patel, MD, MBA, a physician and Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, worked with colleagues to develop the VALUE framework for teaching-hospitals, academic medical centers, and residency programs. It can be used by physician trainees to assess whether a medical intervention will help patients while keeping costs down. The model is detailed in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

VALUE is an acronym for 1) validation and variability 2) affordability and access 3) long-term benefits and less side effects 4) utility and usability and 5) effectiveness and errors. In addition to discussing these components, Patel and his colleagues present more than 20 suggestions for ways that residency programs can incorporate them into their training programs.

Our model can be used to train young physicians to assess the benefits of medical interventions, with the goal of selecting those that generate high value and reduce unnecessary costs, says Patel. These include deciding what medical tests to order, selecting the most cost-effective medications to prescribe, and discussing with patients whether or not to have surgery.

As outlined in the VALUE framework, validation refers to the need for residents to evaluate whether a medical intervention has been borne out through evidence-based medicine from rigorous research trials or if it has been used despite weaker evidence. Variability addresses the need to determine if certain medications or treatments, which may be effective in a large group of patients, may be applicable to individual patients based on such characteristics as age, ethnicity, or medical conditions. One technique for teaching this component offered by Patel and his co-authors is to pick one patient a week under consideration for a medical intervention and discuss at least two published studies regarding the validation of potentially relevant medications or treatments and their applicability to the selected patient.

The other components in the VALUE framework, along with examples of how they could be taught to residents as part of their formal training, are included in a table accompanying the article.

At Penn Medicine, residents have access to the Center for Evidence-Based Practice (CEP), one of the only comparative effectiveness centers in the U.S. based in an academic health system, and other value-based clinical tools, including protocols and patient care pathways. The Office of Graduate Medical Education is also working with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to explore additional resources addressing many of the components outlined in the VALUE framework.

Training residents to practice medicine using concepts of value-based care is like learning a new language for both residents and their teachers, says Patel. The VALUE framework can bridge this gap and become a useful tool for improving the care of our patients.

Patels co-authors are Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, and Monica L. Lypson, MD, MHPE, both from the University of Michigan Medical School.

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Penn Medicine Physician Offers Model for Teaching Residents Value-Based Care

ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Twease.org - New Report Added in Pharmaceuticals Reports Database Companion Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine Market Report 2012

This is the latest and most up-to-date Market Report from Select Biosciences addressing the companion diagnostics (CDx) and personalized medicine marketplace. Personalized medicine is a broad field with several stakeholders all of which must be aligned in order to capture the immense potential value in targeting therapeutics to the correct patient populationthe field of stratified medicine.

To Browse Full Toc Visit: http://www.twease.org/report/companion-diagnostics-and-personalized-medicine-market-report-2012.htm

Companion Diagnostics has been rapidly expanding over the past 3 years and in this market report we describe the current state of the marketplace from the following perspectives:

Related Reports:

Personalized Medicine Market MicroRNAs and Exosomes Market MicroRNA Market MicroRNA Research and Disease Associations Circulating Tumor Cells

This data-driven characterization of the Companion Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine field is a hands-on document that can be used for competitive benchmarking, business planning, and strategy developmentall the data that have been collected in this industry analysis are presented and they form the basis for the conclusions drawn throughout the market report presented in a format enabling "drag-and-drop" into business presentations/business plansthis Market Report is written and delivered to customers in PowerPoint format.

Extensive Market Analyses Presented in this Report

Personalized Medicine and Companion Diagnostics: Market Segmentation and Quantitative Analysis

Personalized Medicine Industry Landscape: Selected Indications, Biomarkers and Therapeutics

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Companion Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine Market Report 2012: Twease.org

DAYTONA BEACH, FL--(Marketwire -08/27/12)- Quture International, Inc. (TCLN) (TCLN) and its operations subsidiary Quture, Inc. ("Quture") announce that its QualOptima product is now under contract with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital for a clinical trial for performance and outcomes measurement. After completing the demonstration project with InterSystems at the University, the return on investment (ROI) evaluations announced on August 8, 2012, now further include analytics focused on patient-centered, personalized medicine use of the product for hospitals to brand themselves with the same data for their patients.

As announced in June's Shareholder Letter, this additional use of clinical data from QualOptima creates sales incentives to hospitals from data generated by the product in the $700 billion hospital marketing for "branding." QualOptima will be even more on target with the urgent needs of senior management for healthcare analytics.

Quture is in the final stages of ROI evaluations from three hospital reference sites. Use of QualOptima product data for personalized medicine creates yet another financial incentive and investment opportunity for hospitals to license the product. The internal ROI evaluation parallels the Company moving to revenue-based operations as the search for its Chief Business Development Officer is nearing completion. Even at its median price point, the market opportunity for QualOptima is in excess of 1.75 billion dollars annually from hospital sales alone in the United States, and exponentially higher with either revenue model other than traditional licensing or sales to other health care market sectors. Patient-centered, personalized medicine applications create major new market sector opportunities.

In publications by Heather Woodward-Hagg at Purdue University, College of Technology, she has stated their experience with their widely accepted return on investment (ROI) methodology to calculate the business case to promote efficient, patient-centric care within a healthcare organization. In answering the question -- what is preventing the development of the business case for quality in healthcare -- she states: "In our experience, the lack of appropriate performance indicators often makes it difficult to determine performance gaps, effectively drive performance improvements and accurately measure the impact of improvement initiatives."

"Quture is intensely focused on proving and projecting the business case for QualOptima through rigorous ROI methodologies and financial projection models," said Landon Feazell, CEO of Quture International. "We are committed to the use of QualOptima to provide performance measures and analytics tools as already demonstrated in three hospitals. Health care ROI studies and formulas, and now our own ROI calculations prove the clinical logic and business case for QualOptima. Since the product captures and integrates patient-centric risk factors and outcomes measures in addition to performance measures, there is yet another huge intrinsic value for personalized medicine applications of QualOptima data. We are encouraged by the ROI evaluations to date and looking forward to this new financial revenue insight."

Quture's product demonstrations at three key hospitals have been designed to triangulate the QualOptima analytics value proposition. As the operations company moves from development to marketing and sales, the analysis of the ROI potential of the product is at completion from all three sites. Each project provides unique elements for ROI, so that the insight from each converges to attract additional reference hospitals to license QualOptima.

The clinical trial at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital (UoM) focused on measuring clinical performance and outcomes. Dr. Keith Candiotti designed the project to demonstrate the value of the product design to ultimately calculate unreimbursed cost relationships with compliance to evidence-based perioperative protocols. The project measures the impact of performance of evidence-based protocols on outcomes and costs. There are significant costs associated with extended stays and complications in recovery and beyond for well-established practice guidelines from professional organizations, that for the first time connect clinical quality with outcomes and costs. Electronic data capture, aggregation into a second generation database, and imposition of quality and value analytics is essential for hospitals that urgently need to move to value-based purchasing and to comply with accreditation standards. Quture is now further exploring the QualOptima database for patient-centered, personalized medicine applications with Dr. Candiotti.

At Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMCC), Quture implemented an evidence-based optimal clinical process for prevention of catheter-acquired urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in the intensive care unit. The ROI analysis announced for completion before September is focused on payment initiatives. The clinical demonstration was selected because it is one of the hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) for which providers are no longer reimbursed and is the major patient safety initiative for 2012. Performance measurement based on a nursing-sensitive protocol augments physician performance at the University of Miami for true interdisciplinary performance measurement.

Springhill Medical Center, Springhill, LA (SMC) is focused on replacing Quture's former peer review product with QualOptima. The ROI evaluation there is based on replacing labor-intensive manual processes with electronic data capture and analytics, while integrating their peer review and performance measurement processes. Successful implementation of a license to the InterSystems product platform for QualOptima is scheduled for completion in early September. The demonstration requires completion of the product as a cloud application. This will demonstrate the market for QualOptima to small and rural medical centers such as SMC. As an established customer of the former peer review product, it was urgent to supplement peer review process with performance measurement, both for compliance with accreditation standards and to prepare for the new fee-for-value payment system.

"The recent Black Book Rankings hospital survey cited in our last press release was extraordinarily significant, stating that 84% of provider organizations without clinical analytics systems in place currently plan to acquire at least one new or additional clinical analytic tools within 12 months," said Feazell. "We have committed over six years and millions of dollars and other resources to create QualOptima. The InterSystems platform powers our product as a breakthrough application of their unparalleled technology. Senior management teams find themselves in charge, but not in control in hospitals throughout America. The survey report indicts that only 16 percent of U.S. hospitals acknowledge they currently have the clinical decision support tools to effectively manage the data needs of the accountable care evolution. Hospital boards and senior management need to prepare their organization for clinical analytics not only in the new payment system, but also for the future of improving care as patients become more involved in their care. Adding personalized medicine and wellness to the business case for QualOptima is a rapidly evolving product strategy and marketing and sales advantage. As delivery systems and payment systems are changing and patient involvement in their care increases, QualOptima empowers data-driven decisions for results-driven success."

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Quture/TCLN QualOptima Product Business Case Expands Focus to Patient-Centered Personalized Medicine

Net profit during the first six months of the year at traditional Chinese medicine producer Kangmei Pharmaceutical of Guangdong Province climbed 62.5% to 708 million yuan, or $110 million, on revenue that increased by 83% to 5.1 billion yuan, the company said in a statement this morning. The company is led by Ma [...]

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Traditional Chinese Medicine Billionaire Ma Xingtian's Kangmei Says 1st-Half Net Rose 62%