This and That On dot Net

After years of planning, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are ready to begin enrolling participants in the National Children’s Study, which will examine the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and adult health. The National Institutes of Health-led study is the largest of its kind ever conducted in the U.S. The project, already under way in some states, ultimately will follow 100,000 participants from birth to age 21, tracking information on health issues including asthma, birth defects, diabetes, heart disease and obesity…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/A1cSrbpjYeg/3BLt

One of the UK’s leading bariatric surgeons has expressed serious concern about the extremely poor levels of aftercare being provided to many weight loss surgery patients by private hospitals who offer ‘cut-price’ surgery both here and abroad. Consultant laparoscopic and bariatric* surgeon David Kerrigan, the Royal College of Surgeons’ representative who advised the government on the NICE obesity guidelines in use today, said the lack of follow up care provided by some hospitals was ’shocking’ and could put patients’ lives at risk…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/KYz3OcLQmzs/3ww4

GE Healthcare, a business unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), announced today a commitment to reduce the average energy consumption of new ultrasound products by 25 percent by 2012*. With support from the European Union (EU) Commission, GE Healthcare and a group of ten other medical device manufacturers within the European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT industry (COCIR), have proactively committed to a self-regulatory initiative for the energy efficient design of medical imaging equipment…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/SzACxHmUkWo/3BLc

Repsol YPF SA, Spain’s largest oil company, is seeking to raise about $4 billion from an initial public offering of its Brazilian business, valuing the unit at about $10 billion, two people familiar with the plan said.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-30/repsol-said-to-seek-4-billion-for-ipo-of-brazil-unit.html

Foreign Policy/The Washington Post: The State Department is attempting to change how it handles mental health services for employees with high-stress jobs, “but there’s still a great deal of stigma attached to seeking this kind of help,” an internal report says. The State Department’s Office of Inspector General is calling on the department to “remove the stigma by issuing a high-level statement encouraging returning diplomats to use the mental health tools at their disposal.” Several programs and many mental health professionals wait for employees to take advantage of the programs…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/rEmrYrSBS4k/3H5p

Senator Jack Reed, a senior Democrat on the Banking Committee, said he is “optimistic” lawmakers will pass a measure overhauling U.S. financial regulations even as panel chairman Christopher Dodd said negotiations with Republicans were blocked.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-05/reed-says-he-s-optimistic-u-s-regulatory-overhaul-will-pass.html

Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said he’s concerned a Senate bill to overhaul Wall Street regulation would make consumer protection a higher priority than the need to preserve banks’ financial stability.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-17/comptroller-dugan-says-he-s-concerned-about-dodd-bill-update1-.html

Xe Services LLC, the security company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, brought in BlackArch Partners as an adviser as founder Erik Prince seeks a buyer for the business.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-03/xe-hires-blackarch-as-blackwater-founder-seeks-sale.html

New research from the UK and Sweden suggests that men with prostate cancer have an increased risk of developing thromboembolisms or blood clots, particularly if they are undergoing hormone therapy; the researchers believe they are the first to find such a link and hope this results in increased monitoring of prostate cancer patients…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/eSgfDmTCaa4/3Bgg

What is the role of proteins called polycystins in patients with polycystic kidney disease? A team of researchers from CNRS and INSERM, led by Eric Honore from the Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IPMC, Universite de Nice Sophia Antipolis/CNRS) has elucidated the molecular and cellular mechanisms linked to polycystin malfunctions that cause this common hereditary disease.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/_doNcSDbeZE/170050.php