Mental-health care solutions for veterans

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Published: Monday, September 10, 2012, 12:01 a.m.

Tricare networks currently exist to provide health care to military personnel and retirees, their families and survivors.

Two days after Romney's pledge, President Barack Obama signed an executive order with several new initiatives to improve access to mental health care services for veterans, service members and their families.

One directs the VA and the Department of Health and Human Services to establish at least 15 pilot programs involving community-based health providers to expand mental health services in areas not well served by the VA. Another establishes an interagency task force on military and veterans' mental health co-chaired by the VA, Defense Department and HHS.

Not mentioned is an initiative to allow the VA to refer veterans in need of immediate mental health care to Tricare network. But Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the Romney idea has real merit. The former Massachusetts governor unveiled it in a speech recently to the American Legion conference in Indianapolis.

Miller, in an interview, suggested Romney's notion is a reasonable step on a path Miller wants to travel -- giving veterans more access to private sector health care, at VA expense, rather forcing them to commute long distances to a VA facility or to endure long delays to get a VA appointment.

Romney's idea, Miller said, would swiftly address the VA's shortage of mental health care providers -- to treat post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury and the epidemic of suicides among veterans -- by immediately doubling the number of available mental health care providers.

The VA in April announced plans to hire 1,600 more mental health care providers and 300 support staff. But Miller is skeptical that the VA can do so in a timely way, given that it already had 1500 vacancies for mental health providers when it announced the new hiring effort.

"If you can't fill those 1,500," Miller said from his Florida district Thursday, "it's hard to imagine that the VA would be able to double that number and be able to hire them any quicker. Their hiring process is more than cumbersome. It takes a tremendous amount of time ... and in many cases, (applicants) are being lost to the private sector because they just can't wait for the VA to make a decision."

The VA already has authority to refer patients to civilian providers when they can't get timely care inside the VA. But it has used this authority sparingly to hold down costs.

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Blue flag status of beaches being lifted

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The Malta Tourism Authority has announced that with immediate effect, the Blue Flag status of the beaches managed by the MTA is being lifted, as per end-of-season practice.

The beaches at St. George's Bay, St. Julians, the Bugibba Perched beach, the beaches at Ghadira and Qawra Point, will still however be supervised by the MTA's beach management team until the end of the month, though, possibly, certain services will be provided with less frequency than at season's peak.

Lifeguard services will continue to be provided at these beaches although the public is advised to be aware of the times and days that the service is in operation, especially from mid-September onwards. The other beaches managed by the MTA, Fond Ghadir in Sliema and Golden Bay in Ghajn Tuffieha, which have been assigned Beach Of Quality status, will also be supervised and managed accordingly for the next three weeks. The beaches at Ghadira, currently undergoing a space ultilization pilot project until the end of the month, will be retaining most of the beach management services provided by the Authority until the project is concluded.

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Blue flag status of beaches being lifted

Beaches Negril voted World's Best Hotels for Families

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BEACHES Negril Resort and Spa has been voted 'World's Best Hotels for Families' for the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda in a reader's survey by the leading Travel + Leisure magazine. Beaches Turks & Caicos copped second place.

Every year Travel + Leisure asks its readers to complete a detailed questionnaire revealing their favourite hotels, destinations and companies which represent the best in hospitality and travel. Hotels are assessed on room/facilities, location, service, restaurants/food and value.

"This award represents the best in world travel so it is truly an honour to be at the forefront. It further underpins the hard work of our dedicated team, as well as our commitment to constantly improving our products and services in order to guarantee visitors to the Caribbean an unparalleled vacation experience," remarked Adam Stewart, chief executive officer of Sandals Resorts International, parent company of Beaches.

Beaches Negril, nestled on the world-renowned seven mile white sand beach, features island charm and, like its sister property in Turks and Caicos, is stamped with a warranty to provide guests with the ultimate Luxury Included family getaway.

With an exhilarating water park, specialty restaurants, premium brand beverages, a wide array of land and water sports, sumptuous food; and an enviable kids' programme, including the Caribbean Adventure with Sesame Street, Beaches Resorts continues to maintain its dominance in the hospitality industry.

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Beaches Negril voted World's Best Hotels for Families

Computer, read my lips: Emotion detector developed using a genetic algorithm

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A computer is being taught to interpret human emotions based on lip pattern, according to research published in the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing. The system could improve the way we interact with computers and perhaps allow disabled people to use computer-based communications devices, such as voice synthesizers, more effectively and more efficiently.

Karthigayan Muthukaruppanof Manipal International University in Selangor, Malaysia, and co-workers have developed a system using a genetic algorithm that gets better and better with each iteration to match irregular ellipse fitting equations to the shape of the human mouth displaying different emotions. They have used photos of individuals from South-East Asia and Japan to train a computer to recognize the six commonly accepted human emotions - happiness, sadness, fear, angry, disgust, surprise - and a neutral expression. The upper and lower lip is each analyzed as two separate ellipses by the algorithm.

"In recent years, there has been a growing interest in improving all aspects of interaction between humans and computers especially in the area of human emotion recognition by observing facial expression," the team explains. Earlier researchers have developed an understanding that allows emotion to be recreated by manipulating a representation of the human face on a computer screen. Such research is currently informing the development of more realistic animated actors and even the behavior of robots. However, the inverse process in which a computer recognizes the emotion behind a real human face is still a difficult problem to tackle.

It is well known that many deeper emotions are betrayed by more than movements of the mouth. A genuine smile for instance involves flexing of muscles around the eyes and eyebrow movements are almost universally essential to the subconscious interpretation of a person's feelings. However, the lips remain a crucial part of the outward expression of emotion. The team's algorithm can successfully classify the seven emotions and a neutral expression described.

The researchers suggest that initial applications of such an emotion detector might be helping disabled patients lacking speech to interact more effectively with computer-based communication devices, for instance.

More information: "Lip pattern in the interpretation of human emotions" in Int. J. Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing, 2012, 3, 95-107

Journal reference: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing

Provided by Inderscience Publishers

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ST Aerospace ends Singapore British Engineering JV

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ST Aerospace is dissolving its joint venture company with BAE Systems, Singapore British Engineering (SBE), the company announced Monday.

ST Aerospace said the 51%-owned subsidiary has begun voluntary winding up.SBE was created to market BAE Systems avionics and defense products in Singapore.

The decision to liquidate SBE was mutually agreed upon between ST Aerospace and BAE Systems, and a result of ongoing engagement and reviews between the partners to better support the latters business growth in the region through ST Aerospaces global network, ST Aerospace said in a statement.

The companys existing contracts will be taken on by ST Aerospace subsidiary STA Supplies.

ST Aerospace last week warned that 300 employees could be affected by a restructuring of its ST Aerospace Solutions (Europe) A/S subsidiary, due to weak European market conditions (ATW Daily News, Sept. 7).

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Upcoming Meeting at Northwestern University/Kellogg School Helps Baby Boomers Learn About Later-Life Entrepreneurship

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BOULDER, CO--(Marketwire - Sep 10, 2012) - The Center for Productive Longevity (CPL), which serves as the bridge between older people and opportunities for them to continue in productive activities, is hosting its third meeting in the "Spotlight on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Baby Boomers" series on Thursday, October 11. The meeting will be held in Wieboldt Hall on the Chicago campus of Northwestern University/Kellogg School. To register and view the agenda, visit http://www.ctrpl.org/october-11-2012. Participants must be 50 and older.

The meetings are designed to facilitate a national momentum for new-business creation, which will help Baby Boomers remain productively engaged while contributing to national economic growth. AARP, the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) and CPL are sponsors of the meeting, along with other organizations.

The day will include presentations from successful entrepreneurs over the age of 50 and two rounds of interactive breakout sessions on topics relating to new-business creation and how to become an entrepreneur.

The featured speakers include:

The "Spotlight on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Baby Boomers" meeting is limited to 125 participants on a first-come basis. The charge of $35 per person covers a spouse, if desired, and a post-meeting workshop on the "how-tos" of creating a new business. Registrations must be made by October 1 at http://www.ctrpl.org/october-11-2012.

A block of hotel rooms for this meeting is reserved at the MileNorth Hotel, one block away, at a discounted rate of $175.

This is one in a series of four meetings, organized by CPL. The first was held at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, MO on March 27, and the second is being held at Babson College in Wellesley, MA on September 14; the fourth meeting will be held at the University of Denver on November 15.

For more information on CPL and the senior entrepreneurship meetings, visit http://www.ctrpl.org or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

About the Center for Productive Longevity The mission of CPL is to stimulate the substantially increased engagement of people 55 and older in productive activities, paid and volunteer, where they are qualified and ready to continue adding value. Visit ctrpl.org for more information. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

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Upcoming Meeting at Northwestern University/Kellogg School Helps Baby Boomers Learn About Later-Life Entrepreneurship

'Junk DNA' and the mystery of mankind's missing genes

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The lexicon of science is riddled with catchy yet misleading terms. The god particle is nothing of the sort. Genes cannot really be selfish, and when astronomers talk about metals, they usually mean something else entirely. Now, we must add junk DNA to the list of scientific misnomers.

Last week, the results of the multinational Encode Project were published across 30 papers in the journals Nature, Science, Genome Biology and Genome Research. The five-year collaboration involved some 450 scientists working in 32 institutions and took up 300 years of computer time. The goal was to analyse the vast bulk of human DNA that does not constitute a gene ie, does not directly code for the creation of particular proteins and is seemingly surplus to requirements.

The conclusion? That this DNA is not junk at all, but absolutely vital for the functioning of our cells. It turns out that as much as a fifth of the 98 per cent of our DNA that falls into this category is instead made up, among other things, of switches bits of DNA that turn some genes on and others off. It is now believed that, in order to get to grips with genetic illnesses such as hereditary heart disease, some forms of diabetes and Crohns Disease, we need to understand these regulatory elements as much as the genes themselves.

It has been clear for a long time that there is a lot more to DNA than just genes. Indeed, one of the great scientific surprises in recent decades has been the discovery that the human genome is surprisingly bereft of actual genes. When the first draft of it was published in the summer of 2001, it did not describe the 100,000 or more genes that most biologists assumed we had, but fewer than 20,000 making Homo sapiens not much more well-endowed genetically than a fruit fly or even a lump of yeast. As an editorial in Nature put it, Unless the human genome contains a lot of genes that are opaque to our computers, it is clear we do not gain our undoubted complexity over worms and plants by using many more genes.

Partly as a result, the idea that scanning a persons genome can tell us pretty much everything about them their likely intelligence, the chance of criminal tendencies, their probable age and cause of death is now seen as a simplistic fantasy. Indeed, the more we learn about our genome, the more complex the story becomes. We have genes that tell our bodies to make proteins, genes that affect other genes, genes that are influenced by the environment, segments of DNA that switch certain genes on and off, as well as our RNA, the still-not-fully understood messenger molecule that conveys information from our DNA to protein factories in the cells.

Despite the fanfare with which the Encode findings were greeted last week, biologists have known for years that junk DNA, a term coined in 1972 by the Japanese-American geneticist Susumu Ohno, performs a host of functions, among them gene regulation. Indeed, it was always obvious that much of our DNA must be tasked with the activation or suppression of other parts of itself: genes that make bone tissue are present in all cells but are only switched on in bone cells; heart muscle genes are present but inactive in your teeth and liver and everywhere else.

Furthermore, as Ohno pointed out, a great deal of the genome consists of pseudogenes non-functioning copies of active genes that form the raw material of evolution. Without this spare genetic material, natural selection would have nothing to act upon. We have also known for some time that the dark part of our genome contains what are known as human endogenous retroviruses: bits of the genetic code from viruses that are a legacy of our long battle with these microbes. In millennia to come, it is likely that bits of the genome for HIV will become similarly incorporated into our DNA, as a legacy of the Aids epidemic.

The more we learn, the more the recipe book of life turns out to resemble less a single tome than a well-organised library, complete with a sophisticated index and with the ability to lend and borrow books. Some of the volumes are crucial a mix-up in the code could kill or cripple us while others moulder in the stacks. There is probably a lot of built-in redundancy, which is not surprising considering that the genomes of any species are the result of three billion years of evolution. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that we can make any sense of it at all.

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University Senate approves biology major, delays vote on botany, zoology merger

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The Miami University Senate voted Monday to approve a new biology major.

The decision came after the Senate opted to table a vote on merging the botany and zoology departments until the Senates next meeting in two weeks.

Regardless of the outcome of the botany-zoology merger, James Hickey, interim chair of the botany department, said approving the biology major is a step in the right direction.

This is something that we all feel we need to move forward on, Hickey said. Its important for recruitment, and we feel that its a good synthesis of where we need to be.

According to Doug Meikle, chair of the zoology department, the creation of the biology major will appeal to prospective high school students looking specifically for biology as a course of study.

Thats the word that high school students understand best, Meikle said. A lot of this has to do with recruitment.

The decision to merge the botany and zoology departments, which was tabled, has several justifications, according to Phyllis Callahan, dean of the college of arts and sciences. The proposed merger would also enhance recruitment, as well as achieve efficiencies in staffing and course offerings and enhance collaboration among faculty, Callahan said.

According to Callahan, there are several benefits to merging the two departments, including saving staff positions, saving a department chair stipend and supplemental salary, as well as achieving curricular efficiency and reducing redundancies in the departments.

The Senate also heard special reports from the benefits committee about the 2012 benefits activities as well as employee benefit changes to expect in 2013.

Additionally, the Senate heard a special report from Deedie Dowdle, associate vice president of university communications and marketing, on the Miami logo, branding and domain name. Dowdle updated the Senate on the Miami website redesign, the domain name and logo change, a style guide for identity standards and overarching university branding.

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University Senate approves biology major, delays vote on botany, zoology merger

West Campus welcomes newest institute

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By Ashton Wackym

Contributing Reporter

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Gary Brudvig, the Benjamin Silliman Professor of Chemistry and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, was appointed last week as the director of Yales new Energy Sciences Institute.

The institute is the sixth such group added to Yales West Campus, and represents the newest leg of the Universitys push in sustainability science. As part of the institutes opening, Brudvig said he is looking not simply to move current faculty to West Campus, but to also hire new researchers. Although the facility opened earlier this month, Brudvig is still filling out his ranks in order to get projects started.

I am most excited to bring in 10 new faculty members in the energy area, Brudvig said. It is great for the University and will help to build a critical mass of faculty working in this area to Yale.

By bringing in new staff, Brudvig said he hopes to also bring in new ideas, perspectives and research opportunities, all key ingredients to the collaborative science mission of West Campus. While the emphasis of the Energy and Sciences Institute is research in energy storage, conservation and conversion, it is also part of a larger initiative to promote interdisciplinary research at Yale.

The institutes are independent, but we are hoping some of the faculty of the various institutes will have overlapping interests so that collaboration can take place, Brudvig said. The focus of West Campus is on interdisciplinary research.

The West Campus institutes generally represent the cross-pollination of ideas and disciplines, according to chemistry professor Jason Crawford. He added that the multi-institute model will succeed by drawing upon strengths collectively.

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Patrick Dempsey in trouble for Grey's Anatomy spoiler alert

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Patrick Dempsey has confirmed reports suggesting he was reprimanded by Greys Anatomy bosses after giving away plot secrets by posting a photo of a cast-mate online.

The actor admits he wasn't thinking about the impact of what he was doing when he tweeted shots of Eric Dane on the set.

Dane's character, Mark Sloane, was left for dead at the end of the last season of the medical drama.

In a pre-taped interview with chat show host Ellen DeGeneres, which will air this week, Dempsey explains, "I tweeted some pictures of this season and they were like a spoiler alert. All of the sudden I got all these phone calls from (the network) ABC, like, 'You have to take this picture down!'

"I was just enthusiastic: 'This is a great image, I should shoot this.'"

But the damage was already done before Dempsey removed the shot of Dane: "Now we know he survives and comes back and he was just napping in between takes."

But Dane is planning an exit from the show - earlier this summer, the actor announced the upcoming ninth season of the show will be his last. The new season of Grey's Anatomy is set to debut in the US later this month.

WENN.com

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Patrick Dempsey in trouble for Grey's Anatomy spoiler alert

Triton's Subsidiary Company "Privileged World Travel Club, Inc." Files Form S-1 Registration Statement with the SEC

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TIBURON, Calif., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Triton Distribution Systems, Inc. (TTDZ) announced today that its subsidiary company, Privileged World Travel Club, Inc. ("Privileged"), filed on September 6, 2012, a resale registration statement on Form S-1 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

Upon being declared effective by the SEC, the resale registration statement will allow the resale of 910,056 shares of the Company's common stock held by certain Selling Stockholders named in the registration statement. The Selling Stockholders are 38 individuals or entities who hold shares of Privilege's Common Stock, including 10 stockholders who received shares in exchange for services rendered to Privileged, and 28 stockholders who received shares in exchange for debts owed by Triton.

The Selling Stockholders are under no obligation to sell the securities. Privileged will not receive any proceeds from the resale of the securities. Additionally, Privileged will take no part in the resale of the securities, and nothing in this press release is intended to convey or communicate an offer to sell the securities by or on behalf of Privileged or Triton.

Privilege's outstanding Common Stock before and after the offering is 18,201,125 shares. No shares of Common Stock are offered by Privileged under the registration statement for sale.

Once the registration statement of which the Prospectus is part has been declared effective by the SEC, and once a public market develops, the Selling Stockholders may sell the Shares indicated above in public transactions or otherwise, on the OTC Bulletin Board (or such other public market as may develop) or in privately negotiated transactions. Those resales may be at the then-prevailing market price or at any other price that a particular Selling Stockholder may negotiate. The Selling Stockholders act independently of one another in making a determination to sell the Shares owned by them and they do not act as or form a group for purposes of their ownership or disposition of the Shares offered hereunder.

The resale registration statement was filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. The shares of Privilege's common stock that may be resold by the Selling Stockholders under the resale registration statement may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, before the time the resale registration statement becomes effective. As noted, this press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to any registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Any offer of securities covered by the resale registration statement may be made solely by means of the prospectus included in the registration statement containing specific information about the terms of any such offering.

The prospectus, and the registration statement of which it is a part, are available online at http://www.sec.gov or by request to Privileged at: 1 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920.

Triton Distribution Systems, Inc. owns 8,125,000 shares or 44.64% of Privileged, valued at $8,125,000. The value of the Privileged shares held by Triton is based solely on the exchange price to the former Triton note holders who are Selling Stockholders in the registration statement. No outside valuation has been obtained.)The transactions whereby the shares were issued in exchange for outstanding debt of Triton served to reduce Triton's liabilities by $5,595,500.

Subsequent to this filing, Privileged intends to file an application with FINRA for the public trading of Privilege's Common Stock on the over-the-counter markets (the OTC Bulletin Board and/or the OTC Markets Group, Inc. quotation services). A market maker must file an application on behalf of Privileged in order to make a market for the common stock. Privileged is engaged in preliminary discussions with a FINRA Market Maker to file the application on Form 211 with FINRA, but has not reached a final agreement yet.

ABOUT TRITON DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, INC. http://www.tritonds.com

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The Grill: NASA's Adrian R. Gardner works to manage cybersecurity challenges

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Adrian R. Gardner, CIO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, was the 2012 recipient of the Information Technology Leader Award from Temple University's Fox School of Business. Here, he talks about what it takes to lead IT at one of the most famous government organizations.

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The Grill: NASA's Adrian R. Gardner works to manage cybersecurity challenges

Cutting-Edge Regenerative Medicine Being Used To Help Injured Soldiers

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September 10, 2012

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

Men and women who have been wounded while serving in the US armed forces are being aided by cutting edge medicine made possible by taxpayer support and a four-year-old federal program designed to develop new treatments, according to recent wire service reports.

Scientists are growing ears, bone and skin in the lab, and doctors are planning more face transplants and other extreme plastic surgeries, Marilynn Marchione of the Associated Press (AP) wrote on Sunday. Around the country, the most advanced medical tools that exist are now being deployed to help Americas newest veterans and wounded troops.

According to Marchione, the AP interviewed more than a dozen people and analyzed recent medical research in order to evaluate the strides made in treating those injured in the service of their country. She said that the news organization uncovered some surprising feats of surgery and bioengineering which were linked to a 2008 initiative known as the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM).

The programs official website describes AFIRM as a multi-institutional and interdisciplinary network, managed and funded primarily through the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) but also supported by the US Navy, the US Air Force, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and several other military and government organizations.

AFIRMs goal is to develop advanced treatment options for our severely wounded servicemen and women, and in her research, Marchione discovered several examples of that mission being fulfilled.

Among those were the case of Los Angeles doctors who were able to use part of a soldiers forehead to reconstruct his nose after it was damaged by a bomb explosion in Iraq; the case of Pittsburgh doctors who were able to regrow a portion of a soldiers thigh muscle using pig tissue; and the case of Boston researchers who are close to being able to implant laboratory-grown ears, among others.

In their 2011 Annual Report, AFIRM officials said that researchers sponsored by the organization had made substantial contributions to the scientific literature during the third year of the program, they published 152 articles in peer-reviewed journals and produced 250 presentations and non-peer-reviewed publications. AFIRM scientists have also been making novel patentable discoveries in the field of regenerative medicine during the third year of the program, they filed 20 invention disclosures and 14 government patent applications.

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online

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Cutting-Edge Regenerative Medicine Being Used To Help Injured Soldiers

Merck Announces New Phase III Data for Suvorexant, an Investigational Insomnia Medicine

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WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Merck (MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced new data for suvorexant, the investigational medicine Merck is developing for the treatment of insomnia. The new data are from one of the longest, continuously-dosed, placebo-controlled trials of a sleep medication ever conducted. This 12-month study was designed to assess the safety of suvorexant, while also evaluating its longer term efficacy. Merck presented new results from a two-month discontinuation phase that followed the 12-month study at the 21st Congress of the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS).

The methods used in this study allowed us to understand what happened when patients who had been taking suvorexant every night for a year were immediately switched to placebo, because what happens when patients stop taking a sleep medication is a key concern for both patients and healthcare professionals, said James K. Walsh, Ph.D., executive director and senior scientist, Sleep Medicine and Research Center, St. Luke's Hospital, and visiting professor, Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine. "We found that the patients who had been taking suvorexant for 12 months and were switched to placebo saw their insomnia return, but clinically meaningful withdrawal symptoms and rebound insomnia did not emerge. We also obtained efficacy data from patients who continued to take suvorexant through 14 months."

Specifically, results from the two-month discontinuation phase showed that, after daily use of a consistent dose of suvorexant for one year, patients who stopped taking the medicine experienced a return of their sleeping difficulties to levels similar to those reported by patients who received placebo over the course of the trial. Patients who continued to receive suvorexant for the additional two months experienced mean improvements in their ability to fall asleep and stay asleep that were consistent with those seen over the first 12 months compared to placebo. Adverse experiences reported in the two-month discontinuation phase were generally consistent with those reported during the 12-month study.

Merck researchers developed suvorexant to target and block orexins, chemical messengers that originate from the hypothalamus (an important sleep center in the brain) and help keep you awake. By blocking the actions of orexins, suvorexant helps facilitate sleep. Merck plans to file a New Drug Application (NDA) for suvorexant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012. If approved, suvorexant would be the first in a new class of medicines, called orexin receptor antagonists, for use in patients with difficulty falling or staying asleep. Merck anticipates that suvorexant will be evaluated by the Controlled Substance Staff of the FDA.

Suvorexant represents a new and different approach to treating insomnia, an area of significant unmet need, said Darryle D. Schoepp, Ph.D., senior vice president and head of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology franchise, Merck Research Laboratories. We are enthusiastic about the results of this long-term study, which provide important insights into suvorexant and the chronic nature of insomnia. Merck is continuing with plans to seek approval for suvorexant in the U.S. and in other countries around the world.

Study evaluated safety and efficacy of suvorexant in 12-month study and two-month discontinuation phase

In Mercks long-term, double-blind, Phase III trial, 781 patients with primary insomnia were randomized to receive a consistent dose of suvorexant (40 mg per night in patients 18-64 years of age or 30 mg per night in patients 65 years and older) (n=521) or placebo (n=258) over a 12-month treatment period. Patients who completed the entire 12-month study (n=484) continued into a two-month, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group discontinuation phase to evaluate both the effects of stopping suvorexant and switching to placebo (n=166), as well as the efficacy of continued suvorexant treatment at months 13 and 14 (n=156). Patients who took placebo during the initial 12-month study continued to take placebo (n=162).

There were no primary efficacy endpoints in the 12-month study, which had the main objective to evaluate the safety and tolerability of suvorexant for up to 12 months of treatment. Secondary efficacy endpoints in the 12-month study included mean change from baseline for suvorexant compared to placebo in patient-reported measures of time to fall asleep and total sleep time during the first month of treatment. Other efficacy endpoints measured at all other time points in the 12-month study and two-month discontinuation phase were exploratory, including assessment of time to return of sleeping difficulties.

Safety and tolerability were assessed by adverse event (AE) reports, laboratory values, electrocardiograms, physical exams, vital signs, withdrawal symptoms as evaluated by the Tyrer Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Questionnaire (a questionnaire used to record the symptoms patients experience when they stop taking medication) and patient-reported rebound insomnia (a worsening of sleep measures compared with pre-treatment levels). The primary time period for safety analyses in this study was the 12-month treatment phase. Safety endpoints in the discontinuation phase were secondary, with focus on evaluation of rebound and withdrawal effects.

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Merck Announces New Phase III Data for Suvorexant, an Investigational Insomnia Medicine

Einstein faculty receive grant to teach social media professionalism in medicine

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Public release date: 10-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Newman sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu 718-430-3101 Albert Einstein College of Medicine

September 10, 2012 (Bronx, NY) Social media is increasingly popular but engaging in its proper use can prove confusing and challenging especially in the medical and healthcare arenas. Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been awarded a two-year grant to educate faculty members and medical students on using social media appropriately and effectively. Einstein is one of four medical schools in the United States to be selected for the 2012 Education and Training to Professionalism Initiative by the Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.

According to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, 66 percent of online adults use social networking sites. Yet a survey of U.S. medical schools deans found that 60 percent of schools reported incidents of unprofessional content posted on the Internet by their students.

"The next generation of doctors needs to understand how social media can be a double-edged sword," said principal investigator Elizabeth Kitsis, M.D., M.B.E., who is director of bioethics education and assistant professor of epidemiology & population health and of medicine at Einstein. "On the one hand, it can be a great way to provide personalized medical education for patients. However, great attention must be paid to maintaining the principles of professionalism, such as privacy and confidentiality of the physician-patient relationship." Accordingly, the title of the grant is "Social Media and Medical Professionalism: Perfect Match or Perfect Storm?"

"Since the current generation of medical educators may not share the same familiarity with social media as our students, our program first focuses on bridging that gap with a comprehensive faculty development program on social networking," explained Martha Grayson, M.D., co-investigator and Einstein's senior associate dean for medical education. "But our overarching goal is to teach medical students how they can use social media in a way that will benefit patient care while maintaining professional standards."

As part of the core student curriculum, first-year medical students will analyze their social media footprints, noting on-line postings that could be perceived as unprofessional, such as improper photos or the use of inappropriate language. Second-year medical students will repeat the process, highlighting changes in their social media presence. As part of a clinical skills course on patient interaction and taking patient histories, first- and second-year students will learn how to respond to possible social networking situations, such as a patient asking to become "Facebook friends."

Third- and fourth-year medical students will interview Bronx community members in order to assess how the local patient population uses social networks and how online communication might help improve patient health.

"Ultimately, the research into how our patients use these tools will help us develop a social media curriculum that can be integrated into Einstein's medical education program," said Dr. Grayson.

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Einstein faculty receive grant to teach social media professionalism in medicine

Family Medicine Center Opens at West Kendall Baptist Hospital

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West Kendall Baptist Hospitals new Family Medicine Center is now open, providing area residents with high-quality primary and preventive care.West Kendall residents can now turn to the Baptist Health Medical Group Family Medicine Center for all routine care needs such as physical examinations, flu and allergy shots, non-emergency illnesses and injuries, chronic disease management and well-child visits. The opening of the Family Medicine Center is the next step toward our goal of creating a comprehensive health care community here, said Javier Hernndez-Lichtl, CEO ofWest Kendall Baptist Hospital. Residents already turn to us for inpatient care, surgeries, emergencies, and childbirth. Now we can serve their day-to-day care needs, as well.

Conveniently located on the first floor of the hospitals Medical Arts Building, the Family Medicine Center is designed to provide leading practices in education and compassionate care in a hightech and high-touch environment. The state-of-the-art facility includes six private exam rooms, an on-site laboratory, a group meeting room, a teleconference center and wireless computer tablets for patient registration. Current staff includes two physicians and a support team of medical assistants, patient representatives and care coordinators. More full-time physicians will join the center as the patient load increases. Beginning in 2013, four new physicians in training will join the staff each year for a three-year family medicine residency.

We invite West Kendall residents to call us to arrange a tour of our facility, said Dr. Agueda Hernndez, director of the Family Medicine Center. Our staff will be here to welcome you and assist in setting up your new care relationships and transferring records.

Dr. Hernndez and Dr. Manuel Torres, the staff physicians, have admitting privileges atWest Kendall Baptist Hospital as well as other facilities in the Baptist Health South Florida network. The Family Medicine Center will also function as the primary training ground for theWest Kendall Baptist Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, which will launch in the summer of 2013 in affiliation with Florida International Universitys Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

There is a critical shortage of primary care physicians across the country, and South Florida is no exception, said Dr. David Brown, chair of Family Medicine atWest Kendall Baptist Hospital and chief of Family Medicine at FIUs medical school. Our vision for the residency program is to attract and train highly skilled physicians, and then retain them to serve the community.

The Family Medicine Center is locate-d in the Medical Arts Building adjacent to West Kendall Baptist Hospital, 15955 SW 96th Street. The center accepts most major forms of health insurance, including Aetna, Florida Blue, United Health Plan, and Neighborhood Health as well as Medicare and Medicaid. For more information or to make an appointment, call 786-467-3140.

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Family Medicine Center Opens at West Kendall Baptist Hospital

TRENDING: Spoiler alert: Poll finds small following for Libertarian candidate

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Washington (CNN) Gary Johnson's poll numbers may not give him much-of-a shot at winning the presidency, but in the latest CNN/ORC Poll, he is registering enough of a following to possibly tip the balance in an increasingly close election.

Three percent of likely voters responded that they would vote for Johnson, the Libertarian Party's candidate for president, in November. That number is slightly higher among registered voters, with 4% identifying with the former governor of New Mexico.

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The poll also finds that Johnson's inclusion, along with the Green Party's candidate Jill Stein, hurts Republican candidate Mitt Romney more than it does President Barack Obama.

Obama leads Romney 52% to 46% when Romney and Obama are the only candidates in question, but Romney's support goes down three percentage points with the inclusion of the third party candidates. Obama's support only drops one point.

"The inclusion of the two minor-party candidates turns a six-point margin for President Obama into an eight-point lead," said Keating Holland, CNN's Polling Director. Since third party candidates are typically not on the ballot in all 50 states, those numbers can be slight deceiving when relating them to the support the candidates will receive on Election Day.

Johnson, who first ran as a candidate for the Republican Party, dropped out of the Republican race and accepted the nomination from the Libertarian Party on May 5, 2012.

The Johnson campaign says they don't see their candidacy as a Republican spoiler and argues that the Johnson's appeal is more important when looked at on a state-by-state.

"Generally, in places like Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada," said Joe Hunter, Johnson campaign spokesperson, "it appears that Governor Johnson's appeal comes from folks that supported Obama in 2008 and are now disillusioned with the president."

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TRENDING: Spoiler alert: Poll finds small following for Libertarian candidate

Libertarian candidate running for HD9 seat

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CHEYENNE -- Libertarian candidate Charles Kenworthy said lowering taxes would be his top priority if he is elected to the state Legislature.

Taxes are the biggest issue to me, he said. To me, taxes are no different than someone coming up to you with a gun and saying you owe me this and then taking it away from you.

Kenworthy is the Libertarian nominee in the House District 9 race.

The first-time candidate said he was reluctant to enter the race, but he said he joined when he was asked by the Libertarian Party state chairman.

He said he also wanted to ensure voters had a choice to vote for someone who would stop government from infringing into areas where government does not belong.

I believe Libertarians are something that are needed right now, he said. We are such a minor party, and some people dont even believe we are for real.

I believe the two-party system is not enough.

Kenworthy said one type of tax that could be reduced is personal property taxes on property other than real estate.

We pay taxes on things we buy, and usually that is a good thing, he said. But (other than real estate) you shouldnt have to continue paying taxes on those things every year.

But he said he doesnt oppose all taxes.

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Libertarian candidate running for HD9 seat