A poverty-stricken football team in Georgia won the state championship with the help of a federally-funded nutrition program.
Go here to see the original:
CBS Evening News - Nutrition program revitalizes Ga. HS football team - Video
38) Nutrition: Healthy Holidays :) – Video
Hello wonderful YouTube people!! I missed everyone...I hope y'all will have a marvelous Christmas time with family and friends! Safe travels if you are going anywhere fun!! Make sure to keep track of your meals and keep moving..Exercise will keep that metabolism running which will keep you burning all those goodies. Thank you to EVERYONE that has subbed!! I appreciate every single one of you guys!! Be blessed!! **Warning: This video is part of the whispering community/whisperverse, hence the soft voice**
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38) Nutrition: Healthy Holidays 🙂 - Video
Secrets to Santa's Longevity – Video
On this segment of Girl Talk, Mary Beth discusses secrets to Santa's health...
The rest is here:
Secrets to Santa's Longevity - Video
Kaplan USMLE Step 1 HD Video Behavioral Science 2010 Edition – Video
Here's a sample of the latest KAPLAN USMLE Step 1 Lecture Videos, 2010 edition.
See more here:
Kaplan USMLE Step 1 HD Video Behavioral Science 2010 Edition - Video
Common Heart Dysfunction Can Help Bring on Heart Failure
(HealthDay News) -- A common form of heart trouble called diastolic dysfunction appears to worsen over time and may lead to an increased risk of heart failure, new research shows.
In people with diastolic dysfunction, which often comes with advancing age, the heart's left ventricle fills with blood in an abnormal way and is accompanied by elevated filling pressures.
The new study included more than 2,000 people aged 45 and older who participated in Minnesota's Olmsted County Heart Function Study. They were assessed from 1997 to 2000, and their diastolic left ventricular function was graded as being normal or having mild, moderate or severe dysfunction.
Participants were invited back for a second examination between 2001 and 2004, and more than 1,400 of them underwent follow-up testing for new-onset heart failure between 2004 and 2010.
Between the first and second examination, the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction of any degree increased from about 24 percent to more than 39 percent. Moderate or severe diastolic dysfunction rose from 6.4 percent to 16 percent. Read more...
Immunice for Immune Support
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REFCOR Chooses mScope for National Expert Pathology Panel
Aurora will supply the French Expert Network for the Diagnosis of Rare Otolaryngology (ENT) Cancers (REFCOR) for their medical multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTMs) and their case reviews by the national pathology expert panel
MONTREAL (CANADA), December 22, 2011 - Aurora Interactive Ltd., the world leader in digital pathology communications, announced today that the company has signed a contract for the supply of its mScope clinical communications platform following a request for proposal from the REFCOR group for the establishment of a national telepathology network to implement: information sharing; case management; and the viewing and analysis of diagnostic pathology images. The system allows for remote diagnostics and collaboration among expert pathologists and clinicians.
"REFCOR’s goal is to improve the management of treatment for patients with rare head and neck cancers including those of the paranasal sinuses, salivary glands, ears and rare cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract. The mScope network will provide us with a communication tool for the submission of cases to the national MDTM or the national pathology expert panel,” said Dr. François Janot of the Gustave Roussy Cancer Institute.
Pierre Le Fevre, President and CEO of Aurora Interactive, said: "We are very proud to have won this contract and to have earned the trust of the REFCOR group's leaders and their partners in this project. We are also very pleased to partner with a project that is at the forefront of the use of digital pathology to advance the science relating to rare head and neck cancers.”
About Aurora Interactive
Aurora Interactive has developed the leading Web-based software platform (mScope) for simplification, productivity and ease of pathology communications. mScope’s Universal Web Viewer has collaborative tools to view medical slides and images anytime, anywhere, regardless of file format. The software has four applications to aid digital pathology web based communications needs: mScope Education, mScope Clinical, mScope Research and mScope Universal Viewer. Aurora’s mission is to improve patient outcomes and help members of the medical community achieve their full potential by eliminating the learning, diagnostic and collaborative restrictions imposed by time and space. http://www.aurorainteractive.com
The French Rare Head and Neck Cancer Expert Network (REFCOR)
Created in 2008 under the patronage of the Société Française ORL (French Society of Otolaryngology), REFCOR’s objective is the improved management of medical treatment for patients with rare head and neck cancers. The first four objectives of REFCOR are: The publication of reference national recommendations on the four main types of rare head and neck cancers; The creation of a national database referencing cases and incorporating epidemiological, clinical and anatomic and cytopathology data; The establishment of reference centres including the ability to coordinate medical multi-disciplinary team meetings to review "rare head and neck cancers" at the regional level while providing an efficient network for national collaboration; and the organizing of tumor banks / serum banks / tissue banks, the standardization of methods for the collection and systematic storage of samples taken from targeted patients. REFCOR currently organizes national MDTMs for the most difficult cases and a system of case review by pathologists specializing in these cancers.
Source:GOP Poised to Postpone Doc Pay Cut
As I mentioned in a recent prior note, the show that never ends - the issue of professional reimbursement from Medicare for physicians has gone through one more year and the result is another short-term patch with no long-term permanent fix, correction, adjustment or controls...
From Medscape Medical News
December 22, 2011 — In what some see as a capitulation in the face of mounting pressure in and outside the party, House Republican leaders reached an agreement this evening that, among other things, would postpone the 27.4% cut in Medicare physician reimbursement schedule to take effect on January 1.
Along with delaying the cut until March 1, the deal, if pushed to a successful full vote of the House, would also extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for the same period. Each of these provisions is outlined in a Senate bill that House members rejected on Tuesday by a vote of 229 to 193.
In return for their compromise on the Senate bill, House GOP leaders will ask their Senate counterparts to appoint members of a conference committee to work out longer-term solutions for the doctor pay cut, as well as the payroll and unemployment benefits issues.
The American Medical Association (AMA) and other physician groups have made no secret of their impatience for what they call "short-term patches" to the formula for determining physician Medicare compensation.
"Congress had the entire year to repeal the broken physician payment formula and provide stability for the millions of seniors and military families who rely on Medicare and TRICARE but has hailed to act," said AMA President Peter W. Carmel, MD, on Tuesday, the day the House voted down the Senate bill.
The AMA and other physician groups want the SGR — or sustainable growth rate formula — fixed once and for all in order to avoid the year-end "brinksmanship" that has become a recurring feature of Washington political theater.
In light of this, physician reaction to the latest compromise — which GOP leaders must still sell to many restive House members — is likely to be muted.
Authors and Disclosures
Posted: 12/22/2011
Medscape Medical News © 2011 WebMD, LLC
Send comments and news tips to news@medscape.net.
Source:New eBook on Companion Diagnostics Worth a Look
Many thanks to Digital Pathology Insights for the tip on a book published on "Companion Diagnostics - The Future of Medicine". Just a brief glance of the book on my Kindle - the book starts with a case study making the case for companion diagnostics and therapeutics and follows with the story of HER2 and Herceptin therapy. Looks like regulatory issues and other approaches to personalized diagnoses and cure follow in the glance I took.
The piece from FiercePharma mentions:
"The balanced perspective offered in this unique work is both daunting and refreshing. Tracy outlines the many problems with these sorts of treatments in today's insurance company-ruled healthcare industry. Reimbursement for experimental drugs, terminology and marketing strategy are among those hurdles facing this burgeoning field. There is light at the end of the tunnel, though, and not just the light provided by the scientists working to break these boundaries: The FDA likes personalized medicine and has encouraged companion diagnostics research.
This book pursues truth and possibility in the promise of increased knowledge. These practices could change the future for all of us."
Courtesy of Digital Pathology Insights:
From the editor: FiercePharma Senior Editor Tracy Staton published an insightful ebook on companion diagnostics last week. It’s suggested reading for anyone interested in the promises of companion diagnostics, the obstacles on the way towards their widespread adoption and suggestions for their most effective development. The FDAs policy and the recent draft guidance on companion diagnostics (also see earlier post) receive particular attention and are very well put into context. It’s no big news that co-development of drugs and companion diagnostics will be required. However, the author’s broad discussion includes valuable thoughts on why the required efforts are challenging and how early partnerships between drugmakers and diagnostics companies can help meeting these challenges. Personalized medicine is still a somewhat distant goal but we’re starting to understand better how to get there. Click here to read the article on Fierce Biotech News or get the ebook.
Read more: Kindle readers: Download our ebook 'Companion Diagnostics: The Future of Medicine' ($4.99) - FierceBiotech http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/kindle-readers-download-our-ebook-companion-diagnostics-future-medicine-499/2011-12-16?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss#ixzz1hHfFe1A8
Subscribe: http://www.fiercebiotech.com/signup?sourceform=Viral-Tynt-FierceBiotech-FierceBiotech
Source:ATA: Telehealth ‘birthing networks’ could save Medicaid $186M
Via FierceMobileHealthcare by Sara Jackson
No doubt a study such as this could show positive savings for "high-risk" pathology cases.
Medicaid could save $186 million over the next 10 years if it uses telehealth services for high-risk pregnancies, according to a new analysis commissioned by the American Telemedicine Association. And that's a conservative estimate, researchers say. Conducted by Washington, D.C.-based health research company Avalere Health, the new study analyzed Medicaid's costs for pre-term babies, NICU admissions and unplanned physician visits by Medicaid patients. Researchers then applied analytical tools--like those used by the Congressional Budget Office--to create projects that legislators might be more likely to accept, it seems. The proposal doesn't say exactly which telehealth services the ATA recommends, but it does suggest a series of "birthing networks" similar to one in use by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The 10-year-old program--Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System (ANGELS) network--offers:
And it's a hefty program. The network provides upward of 150,000 OB support calls to patients and 2,100-plus telehealth visits per year, university officials say. It also earned the university the ATA's President's Institutional Award for the Advancement of Telemedicine this year. The main goal of the program is to prevent pre-term labor, which ranges from 20 to 45 percent of Medicaid patients, the study reports. Pre-term infants have more costly deliveries, spend more time in the NICU and require more unplanned physician visits than babies that make it to full- or near-full term, researchers explain. Applying telehealth technology like at-home fetal monitoring and telehealth consults to the problem could help lengthen high-risk pregnancies to closer to 32 weeks, when NICU services and intensive physician follow-up are less likely, researchers note. To learn more: Related Articles: Read more about: ATA, maternal-child health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, UAMS |
Source:Different Christmas, Same Story
Around this time of year wonder if my work will be reimbursed at 30% of what it was the year before or not. Historically, not. Actually small raises. Now tangled up with an oil pipeline...Predict a cut on order of less than 10% if any...
December 20, 2011 — Medscape — The House today voted to reject a Senate bill postponing a 27.4% cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians from January 1 to March 1, and to try to meld conflicting legislation through a House–Senate conference committee.
The tortured Congressional proceedings increase the odds that the cut will take effect New Year's Day.
The fight is not over physician compensation, but larger issues that have taken it hostage. The drama dates back to last Tuesday, when the Republican-controlled House voted 234 to 193 to approve a 2-year "doc fix" to the Medicare reimbursement crisis that would have given physicians a 1% raise in 2012 and 2013. This provision was a sideshow in a larger bill that would extend a temporary reduction in the Social Security payroll tax for 1 year, continue unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, and force President Barack Obama to make a decision within 60 days on a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, which the GOP views as a giant jobs creator. The Obama administration had delayed the decision until 2013 to give it more time to study environmental concerns.
The Democrat-controlled Senate answered the House on Saturday by approving a 2-month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, along with a 2-month doc fix. The bill also includes a hurry-up timetable for the pipeline. In contrast to its counterpart in the House, the Senate measure passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan colors in an 89 to 10 vote.
CMS to Suspend Claims Processing in Early January
In tonight's vote, House Republicans followed the lead of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who said earlier today that the Senate's short-term payroll tax cut extension "causes uncertainty for job creators." Tax policy conducted "2 months at a time" is the kind of Congressional decision-making, he added, that "has put our economy off its tracks." Just 2 days before, Boehner had called the Senate bill a "good deal." Democrats attribute his reversal to Tea Party pressure.
The differences over the legislation go beyond the timeframe. Senate Democrats would like to pay for a 1-year payroll tax cut extension and other provisions in part by raising taxes for millionaires. House Republicans prefer offsets such as freezing the pay of federal workers, raising Medicare premiums for high-income beneficiaries, and defunding portions of healthcare reform.
For the time being, Democrats and Republicans are in a holiday season stand-off. Just because the House Republicans voted today to take their payroll tax dispute to a bicameral conference committee does not oblige Senate Democrats to sit down at the table with them. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said yesterday that he will not reopen negotiations about a long-term version of the payroll tax cut extension until the House passes the Senate's 2-month deal, forged with Senate Republican leadership at Boehner's request, Reid noted.
This impasse leaves physicians with the prospect of members of Congress going home for the holidays without averting the 27.4% reduction in Medicare reimbursement set for January 1. Congress could postpone it retroactively when it goes back to work on January 17. Anticipating such an outcome, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that it would instruct its claims processing contractors to hold physician claims for the first 10 business days of January, or through January 17.
By putting claims in suspended animation, CMS can avoid paying them at the drastically reduced rate and wait for a more benign rate to kick in. CMS predicts that the interruption will have "minimal impact" on physician cash flow because a correct electronic claim cannot be paid until 14 calendar days after receipt anyway. Organized medicine counters that the CMS hold on claims processing still creates a financial hardship for practices that have payrolls to meet.
Source:Real-time Colon Polyp Histopathology
Technologies Are Advancing But Face Some Hurdle
by Gabriel Miller - Gastroenterology and Endscopy News
I was going along with story and understand the background, need and data to biopsy what amounts to normal or minimally abnormal tissue of no clinical significance until the author appropriately mentioned the key issue here for adopting this in the 3rd to last paragraph of the story. We are not talking about missing a signifcant lesion that could be a precursor to a colon cancer down the road. I undertand this even more if imaging technologies improve to appreciate at the in-vivo level what would be anticipated by histologic examination and predictive of morphology and hence clinical behavior and outcome.
I also recognize that of the millions of colonoscopies that generate millions of biopsies, fewer biopsies means less cups of specimens, blocks, slides, images and of course, money. My pathology brethren and I will look at more abnormal biopsies but fewer overall. The percent of "normal colonic mucosa" diagnoses for colonoscopies goes down. OK with all of that. Also recognize that the savings of all the formalin, wax, glass, staining and printing equipment and supplies could save millions if not the billion in the article below. That is good news too. Medicare might yet be around for me when I need it.
Unless I missed it I don't see a pathologist referred to in here or interviewed or quoted about any of the downstream economic impact but that is OK too. We all have a responsibility to control costs and the gastroenterologists here can do their part. If it means saving lives and improving quality of life without unnecessary pathology, radiology, surgery or GI follow-ups, so be it.
Of course there is a small problem here. Particularly for gastroenterologists that employ pathologists in their own in-office laboratories (IOL) and share in the revenue from collecting and producing a glass slide (technical services), if not part or all of the pathologist's professional services.
If an endoscopist with a IOL with the intent of processing biopsy specimens in a high-quality, under one roof, integrated clinicopathologic sign-out, etc... which are all possible and probable AND there more biopsies you do and the more tissue you process and the more money the endoscopist makes, you need one thing - the biopsies.
So, I am Dr. Rectum, a gastroenterologist who made the investment in space, equipment, supplies, probably some form of a AP laboratory information system and personnel, technical and professional, to provide full-service laboratory services, then I am probably not going to change my practice to doing fewer biopsies. There are gains to be made in cost savings with increasing volume with histology processing. If you have to run the machines and buy the pink and blue dyes, you can do so as effectively with more tissues and slides than you can with fewer.
For the record, I am not suggesting for a minute (though some have with some data from CMS and others) that IOLs cause a spike in the number of biopsies being performed or parts being collected on a single case. All I am saying is the community guys, particularly those with IOLs or other billing schemes that where fewer biopsies is a disincentive and hits their left hip rather than someone elses are not going to go for this.
Chicago—After the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) released a key position statement in March, the concept of voluntarily not submitting certain diminutive colon polyps to histopathology took one step closer to becoming clinical practice, moving from academic centers to community endoscopy suites.The ASGE’s position paper, “Preservation and Incorporation of Valuable Endoscopic Innovations (PIVI) on Real-time Endoscopic Assessment of the Histology of Diminutive Colorectal Polyps,” establishes a priori diagnostic and/or therapeutic thresholds for endoscopic technologies that will allow endoscopists to better determine which polyps pose a risk to patients (Rex DK et al. Gastrointest Endosc 2011;73:419-422).
The document states that provided a technology is 90% accurate in predicting surveillance intervals compared with standard histopathology, endoscopists can “resect and discard” polyps that are less than 5 mm based on their real-time assessment of histology. Alternatively, endoscopists can choose to leave suspected rectosigmoid hyperplastic polyps that are less than 5 mm in place.
“The general approach taken by the ASGE is that if a given technology meets the criteria with regard to performance, then the ASGE would endorse it,” explained Douglas Rex, MD, professor of medicine and director of endoscopy at Indiana University, in Indianapolis, who is first author of the ASGE position statement and chair of the PIVI committee.
Real-time Technologies in the Running
There are many ways to classify the available technologies for real-time polyp histologic evaluation, but two main groups emerge. One group, called virtual histology, comprises the imaging technologies that most closely mirror an actual histopathologic analysis, including endocytoscopy and confocal laser microscopy. These are capital-intensive, small-field, difficult-to-learn technologies, and may be less likely to gain a following in the market.
Endocytoscopy uses ultra-high magnification (450-1,125×) through a catheter-type endoscope that can be used in combination with chromoagents. Although endocytoscopy cannot reach a depth beyond superficial cell layers, it is considered virtual histology because it can provide an “optical biopsy,” similar to looking at a slide under a microscope.
Confocal laser microscopy can acquire high-resolution optical images at selected depths and creates a three-dimensional reconstruction of the interior of a specimen. The technology is currently available to physicians in the United States.
“Of these technologies, [confocal laser microscopy] is the best-studied; it provides real virtual histology; and I think it’s very effective at answering the simplest question, the one that the PIVI suggests is the greatest clinical need: ‘Is a polyp an adenoma or is it hyperplastic?’ ” Dr. Rex said.
Confocal laser microscopy comes with several downsides, however. The confocal laser microscope is a separate attachment to an endoscope and is relatively expensive compared with other real-time technologies. It also requires specialized training to accurately identify polyps, and perhaps most importantly, requires the endoscopist to take additional time during the colonoscopy to assess the image and make a judgment.
“I think it’s unlikely to be taken up on a widespread basis unless there is reimbursement for it, and I don’t think the reimbursement issues are clarified well enough,” said Dr. Rex.
The second group of real-time technologies uses less expensive, easy-to-use and readily available technologies, known as large-field or “push-button.” These technologies are now standard on the latest-generation colonoscopes. The large-field technologies include narrow-band imaging (Olympus), i-Scan (Pentax) and FICE (Fuji). Although each of the technologies is different, the principle behind them is the same: By passing a number of unique, filtered wavelengths of light through tissue, the images can be reconstructed to produce clearer, more distinct pictures of the mucosal surface, particularly the vasculature. By analyzing the “pit,” or vascular patterns, of polyps, endoscopists can determine whether they pose a risk to patients.
From Academic Centers to Community Endoscopy Suites
Presently, the biggest question is whether these technologies will translate to the gastroenterology community at large.
“In academic centers or those dedicated to this kind of research, the accuracy for predicting polyp types is very good, so the next real hurdle is how to get that into the broader community where the vast majority of colonoscopies are done,” said Michael Wallace, MD, professor of medicine and director of research for medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla., where he studies advanced endoscopic imaging technologies.
Many of the technologies are well studied in research environments. The PIVI statement, for example, cites more than four dozen studies, most within the last 10 years, looking at the accuracy of real-time technologies. Most of the studies have demonstrated an accuracy rate in the low 90th percentile, with rates dipping slightly for push-button, filtered-light technologies and often hitting 99% in studies of confocal laser microscopy.
Although actual data are lacking on how well the technologies perform in community settings, there is evidence that at least some of the techniques can be quickly learned. In a study published last year in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Raghavendra M et al. 2010;72:572-576), Dr. Rex and colleagues demonstrated that “narrow-band imaging can be learned in 20 minutes” among a group of endoscopists that included medical students and fellows as well as faculty. A short teaching session describing the differences in appearance between photos of hyperplastic and adenomatous polyps increased accuracy from 47.6% to 90.8% (P=0.0001) and raised interobserver agreement to a kappa score of 0.69.
Amit Rastogi, MD, has led similar studies with fellows at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, in Kansas, the findings of which were also published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Rastogi A et al. 2009;69:716-722).
“I have a feeling that community gastroenterologists can easily learn these patterns,” he said. “Can it be learned and put into practice? Yes, absolutely.”
Another important advantage to voluntarily withholding certain diminutive polyps from histopathology is the substantial savings this will allow. One study reported that if endoscopists stopped sending diminutive polyps for histopathology, the health care system would save as much as $1 billion annually, said Dr. Rastogi, director of endoscopy at the Kansas City VA Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at the University of Kansas. A more conservative estimate was $33 million annually, still a significant savings (Hassan C. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2010;8:865-869).
“Although the costs [per colonoscopy] are relatively low, when you multiply them by the number [of specimens] removed and by 14 million colonoscopies, the numbers become substantial,” said Dr. Wallace. Specifically, he said, roughly 14 million colonoscopies are done annually in the country each year, and about 50% of those generate a pathology specimen.
The Final Hurdles
The large-field, push-button technologies are now standard on new colonoscopes, but real-time histologic assessment has not become standard practice. Although real-time histologic technologies seem poised for widespread adoption, there are market forces, at least on an individual level, aligning against it.
“It’s very difficult to change practice,” said Dr. Rastogi. “As colonoscopists, we are used to removing all the polyps that we detect and sending them to pathology to get a diagnosis. We were trained to do that; that’s how we think we prevent colon cancer.”
One reflection of this mindset, at least for the time being, is that a “resect and discard” approach goes against the published policies of many hospitals as well as national colonoscopy guidelines.
“A lot of hospitals have a policy that if you remove tissue you are required to send it to pathology,” said Dr. Rex.
Currently, the national guidelines suggest that all significant polyps should be removed and subjected to histologic examination, so any other approach might be considered noncompliant, Dr. Wallace added. However, if studies confirm that real-time analysis is accurate in the community setting, these published policies will likely change as the prominent gastrointestinal societies endorse the new approach.
An issue in confirming the accuracy of real-time analysis in the community setting is that in vivo assessments take time. It may not be incredibly time-consuming on a per-polyp basis, but over the course of a day of colonoscopies, it can add up.
“You’re now asking the physician to spend an extra minute or two and sometimes a little more to diagnose a polyp and make a call,” Dr. Wallace said. “Physicians are already being pushed to do everything we do faster and more efficiently, see more patients, do more procedures. And this is yet another task that is not reimbursed at all.”
A bigger challenge, perhaps, comes from fear of medicolegal problems.
“In the minds of the endoscopists, there will be a medical-legal angle to this,” Dr. Rastogi said. “What if you leave behind a polyp that you thought was hyperplastic but actually the patient goes on to develop cancer? That lurking fear in the mind of the endoscopist can be a deterrent that prevents them from adopting this [practice].”
Dr. Wallace added, “If some untoward event occurs, the patient gets cancer in the next five or 10 years, the [patient] could look back and say you didn’t follow the guidelines.”
One more financial hurdle has to do with the perceived conflict of interest among gastroenterologists who employ pathologists in their surgery centers. There is a natural incentive to generate pathology in these settings. “Although I think physicians are ethical, there is an incentive in that setting, because you’re reimbursed for the pathology costs, not to change that practice,” Dr. Wallace said.
So, with these downsides, what would motivate a busy gastroenterologist to incorporate these technologies into his or her practice?
“That’s a valid philosophical question,” said Dr. Rastogi. “There might not be any immediate gain to the endoscopist, but I think if you look at it from a broader perspective you are saving a lot of health care dollars. The main advantage is cost savings to the health care system and all of us share some responsibility for that, especially in these troubled economic times.”
Dr. Rastogi disclosed having a commercial relationship with Olympus America. Dr. Rex reported relevant financial or other commercial relationships with American BioOptics, Avantis Medical Systems, Braintree Laboratories Inc., Check-Cap, Epigenomics AG, Given Imaging, Olympus America and Softscope Medical Technologies. Dr. Wallace reported relationships with Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, Fujinon, Mauna Kea Technologies and Olympus America.
Source:PathXL BioBankâ„¢ – a global solution for biobanking
Belfast, Northern Ireland: December 2011
Earlier this year, PathXL announced it had been commissioned to develop digital pathology software for the Northern Ireland Biobank.
Biobanks play a crucial role in diagnosis and the development of the new targeted treatments and stratefied therapies for cancer and other diseases, so PathXL has further developed it’s biobank solution and today is introducing PathXL Biobank™ to the global market.
PathXL Biobank™ is a fully web-enabled workflow management solution for biobanks. It provides a comprehensive platform for biosample management including the ability to create new sample records, manage patient consent, track sample preparation, store sample location, coordinate applications to the biobank and release of samples to researchers. Designed by pathologists, scientists, researchers, technicians and research nurses, PathXL Biobank™ provides an easily integrated web-based solution for new and well established biobanks.
Introducing Digital Pathology
PathXL Biobank™ allows the easy integration of digital slides and virtual microscopy for tissue section and tissue microarray storage.
Web-based access and viewing of digital slides allows researchers to select the correct samples for their studies and provides tools for sample sharing and remote biomarker evaluation.
PathXL has a longstanding reputation in digital pathology management and workflow – and they now bring this experience to biobanking.
The diagram illustrates the features of the PathXL Biobank™ workflow management solution. The secure, web-enabled platform provides an interface for key Biobank staff to manage the selection, collection, tracking, storage and distribution of samples.
The system integrates digital pathology and virtual microscopy allowing slides and TMAs to be shared online with researchers, and enabling data integration from other repositories.
Dr Jackie James explains some of the benefits of working with PathXL;
“The PathXL Biobank system supports the developing biosample collection strategy for the NI Biobank. In addition to managing sample collection, tracking and distribution, the system integrates digital pathology allowing web-based access to digital slides of the samples and tissue microarray management. This is going to be important to our stratified medicine and biomarker discovery programmes at Queen's University, enabling researchers to view and assess samples before they make their applications.”
PathXL Biobank™ can be installed and configured to local needs in a matter of days, so no delays waiting for the IT project to complete. The software reduces errors in sample collection and retrieval and handles all the process and management aspects, allowing biobank staff to concentrate on sample preparation and high quality specimen collection. Researchers can remotely and securely identify correct samples for their studies allowing controlled sample sharing locally, nationally and internationally.
Professor Peter Hamilton, Chief Scientific Advisor with PathXL;
“Biobanks may differ in their requirements according to their sample set and research needs, so PathXL Biobank™ has been designed flexibly to facilitate the creation of a tailored system for each specific customer.”
About PathXL
PathXL specialises in web-based software and workflows for Digital Pathology. Its PathXL™ Manager product provides a robust, secure and open web-based platform to enable digital pathology users across all fields to manage, view and collaborate around virtual slides easily and efficiently. In addition, PathXL provides a range of applications and workflows on top of PathXL™ Manager to deliver specific solutions to pathologists, scientists and students in Education, Research, Clinical and Biobanking settings.
PathXL also provides a full range of supporting services, including scanning, hosting, image analysis and consultancy. PathXL operates in the UK, Europe and North America.
PathXL is a privately owned company, headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Source:Mel Gordon on The Grand Guiginol: Theatre of Fear and Terror: Episode 8 of The Midnight Archive!
Episode eight of The Midnight Archive--the web-based documentary series centered around Observatory--has just been uploaded and can be viewed above. This episode is one I am personally very excited about; it is based on the work of my all-time favorite rogue-scholar Mel Gordon, specifically on his research into The Grand Guignol as explored in his classic Grand Guiginol: Theatre of Fear and Terror. It was shot in The Morbid Anatomy Library the night of his recent Observatory lecture on the same topic and features dozens of amazing images and even film footage (!!!) of a circa 1960s Grand Guignol performance, as well as a fascinating conversation with Mel Gordon. Check it out (highly recommended!) by hitting play above, or by clicking here.
Film maker Ronni Thomas--the creator of The Midnight Archive--has this to say about The Grand Guignol:
I have to admit - before i began this whole thing - i had no idea what the Grand Guignol theater was... I was raised on a magnificent diet of blood and gore as a kid. (For Christ's sake - i gave up my career as an adjunct professor to work for less than minimum wage at Troma films...) But - as always - the unsung bastard of this artform was a sleazy theatre in paris where eyes were gouged out - faces were burnt off - and torturous agony was displayed before some of the wealthiest and most affluent aristocrats while visiting the fabulous city of blights... (lights). In this episode - Mel Gordon - the man who LITERALLY wrote the book on the Grand Guignol gives us a brief explanation of what it was and what it meant to society, the world and all those other things i could care less about... I knew nothing about the theater before i started this as i've stated - and i've learned about 3 minutes more than that as i hope you will... enjoy... and please consider chopping up your neighbor as a fun tribute.
For more on the series, to see former episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list so as to be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and thus be alerted--by clicking here.
Source:
http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
Study Compares Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Methods
(HealthDay News) -- A less-invasive method of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair reduces the short-term risk of death, according to a new U.S. study.
The interim findings are from a nine-year multicenter trial comparing patient outcomes after endovascular and open surgical repair of AAA. The report included postoperative outcomes of up to two years (average 1.8 years of follow-up) for 881 patients, aged 49 or older, who had endovascular repair (444) or open repair (437).
Endovascular repair is performed through a catheter inserted into an artery. Open repair involves an abdominal incision. Of the 45,000 patients in the United States who undergo elective repair of an unruptured AAA each year, more than 1,400 die in the perioperative period -- the first 30 days after surgery or inpatient status. There's limited data available about whether short-term survival is better after endovascular repair compared to open repair. Read more...
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Bite-Sized Biochemistry #21 – Control of Metabolism / Glycolysis I – Video
(11/15/10) Lecture by Kevin Ahern of Oregon State University discussing Biochemistry Basics in BB 450. See the full course at oregonstate.edu This course can be taken for credit (wherever you live) via OSU's ecampus.
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Bite-Sized Biochemistry #21 - Control of Metabolism / Glycolysis I - Video
Genetic Engineering: Science Fiction becoming Science Fact – British Science Festival – Video
Dr Jim Boyne tells us about genetics, research, teaching at Bradford and much more.
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Genetic Engineering: Science Fiction becoming Science Fact - British Science Festival - Video
#06 Biochemistry Protein Purification Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 – Video
Alecture by Kevin Ahern of Oregon State University to his BB 450/550 General Biochemistry class. A lecture by Kevin Ahern of Oregon State University to his BB 450/550 class. See the full course at oregonstate.edu This course can be taken for credit (wherever you live) via OSU's ecampus
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#06 Biochemistry Protein Purification Lecture for BB 450/550 Fall 2011 - Video
Stem Cell Treatment Diabetes – Video
http://www.StemCellTreatment.org This is a testimonial of a diabetes condition patient George.
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Stem Cell Treatment Diabetes - Video
Stem Cell Therapy – Cerebral Palsy Treatment || Holly Catalano Update – Video
Stem Cell Treatment email update from Holly Catalano's mother, Carolyn to the Stem Cell Institute's CEO, Pablo de la Hoya. Holly was treated for periventricular leukomalacia, a disorder that is similar to cerebral palsy
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Stem Cell Therapy - Cerebral Palsy Treatment || Holly Catalano Update - Video
Sarah Harper: Extreme Longevity – Video
http://www.iq2if.com Sarah Harper is Oxford University Professor and world-expert on ageing. In this talk she asks whether we want to enter a world where we live for 200 years?
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Sarah Harper: Extreme Longevity - Video