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Penn Medicine Purchased Even More Licenses of Upgraded DICOM Calibration Software PerfectLum

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Australian Universities Defend Alternative-Medicine Teaching

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ADHD medicine shortage frustrating patients, parents

CALGARY — For four days, Tim Elliott of Medicine Hat, Alta., had almost $25 million hidden in the corner of his wallet and he didn't even know it.

While picking up oil rig parts two weeks ago, he bought four lottery tickets from a southeast Calgary gas station.

That Saturday, the winning numbers were announced, but Elliott wasn't paying attention to the multimillion-dollar jackpot announcement. Instead, he went about his job as a rig manager, continuing a training course near Edmonton.

On his way home, he stopped for gas in Leduc, just south of Edmonton. That's when everything changed.

“I freaked out,” he said. “I was shaking. I had to get the hell out of the store, I had to leave,” he said Friday from Medicine Hat.

“I went back to my hotel . . . and phoned my wife. She didn't believe me,” he said.

“I had to state it a number of times that I'd won before she kinda believed me.”

Then he quit his job.

Elliott's wife, Kendy, had no reason to doubt their good luck on Friday when the pair was handed a giant cheque for the winnings in Medicine Hat.

The couple plans to buy two houses, one in the south for winter and another in the B.C. Okanagan for the summer.

“I'm not going to buy a Ferrari or anything stupid like that, it's not for me,” he said.

As for travel, well, Elliott has already spent time abroad through his work. He's not quite sure how he'd like to spend the money yet.

“I did OK for myself and have pretty much anything I wanted.”

The cash should take the pressure off their retirement savings, Elliott said. But he and his wife are wary of the pitfalls of their new-found luck.

“I'm sure there's going to be all kinds of crap I never, ever expected,” he said. “With that kind of money, many weirdos may be coming out of the woodwork, friends I haven't seen in 20 years.”

Elliott said he's going to enjoy his free time, for now.

“I love my job and I'll probably end up going back working for (my company) in one position or another. At this point in time, winning $25 million, I have no need to be dealing with work, whatsoever.”

Still, the former manager said he's spoken to the vice-president of his old company.

“He said any time I want to come back, I can.”

Calgary Herald

jgerson@calgaryherald.com

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

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Medicine Hat couple wins $25 million lottery jackpot

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Methodist Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Specialists Named Among 2011-2012 Texas Super Doctors — Featured in Texas …

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Medicine shops raided

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire -02/02/12)- TriMarkPublications.com cites in its newly published “Companion Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine and Cancer” report that the companion diagnostics market will explode as the personalized medicine market catapults to $42 billion by 2015. For more information, visit: http://www.trimarkpublications.com/products/Companion-Diagnostics-in-Personalized-Medicine-and-Cancer-Therapy.html.

Companion diagnostics is the use of genetic variation (e.g., SNPs, gene expression variability and other molecular signatures) to detect different patient responses to particular drugs or biologic agents in order to understand and correlate their individual differential responses to pharmaceutical agents. Companion diagnostics can be deployed clinically to stratify patients based on their response to certain therapeutic agents, known as personalized medicine, and companion diagnostics will also play an increasingly important role in cancer treatments over the forecast period.

The “Companion Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine and Cancer” report covers:

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Assay, Individualized Warfarin Therapy and other uses of companion diagnostics in clinical situations IVDMIA, Irinotecan and UGT1A1, Tyrosine Kinase and other cancer biomarker tests MGMT Methylation Assay and other pharmacogenomics tests Recurrence prediction tests Blood-based technologies Proteomics Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)

The “Companion Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine and Cancer” report examines companies manufacturing companion diagnostics equipment and supplies in the world. Companies covered include: 20/20 GeneSystems, Abbott, Affymetrix, Agendia, Agilent, Almac, AMDL, Applied, Asuragen, Aureon, BD, Beckman Coulter, BioCurex, Biomarker, Biomedical, Biomerica, bioMérieux, Biomira, BioModa, Clarient, Claros, Correlogic, CytoCore, Cytogen, Dako, DiaDexus, DiagnoCure, DRG, EDP, Eisai, EXACT, Exagen, Gene Logic, Genesis, Genomic, Health Ikonisys, Illumina, Incyte, InterGenetics, Ipsogen, Johnson & Johnson, LabCorp, Life, Matritech, Miraculins, Monogram, Myriad, NimbleGen, Northwest, Nycomed, Oncotech, Oncothyreon, Orion, Oxford, Polymedco, Power3, Prometheus, Proteome, Qiagen, Roche, SensiGen, Siemens, SuperArray, Tosoh, TrimGen, Upstream, Veridex, Vermillion and Vertex.

Detailed charts with sales forecasts and marketshare data are included. For more information, visit: http://www.trimarkpublications.com/products/Companion-Diagnostics-in-Personalized-Medicine-and-Cancer-Therapy.html.

About TriMarkPublications.com

TriMarkPublications.com is a global leader in the biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences market research publishing. For more information, please visit http://www.trimarkpublications.com.

Important Notice

The statements contained in this news release that are forward-looking are based on current expectations that are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially.

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Companion Diagnostics Market to Explode as Personalized Medicine Market Catapults to $42 Billion by 2015

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NYU School of Medicine Launches New Department of Population Health

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Federal government funds research into 'personalized medicine'

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Foundation Medicine, Inc., a molecular information company that brings comprehensive cancer genome analysis to routine clinical care, today announced certification from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988 for its genomic sequencing laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This certification follows receipt of a Massachusetts State license and allows the company to accept clinical samples from most U.S. states.

“Foundation Medicine has been dedicated to exceptional standards of operational performance from day one, and that quality commitment was evident in our clinical laboratory certification process,” said Kevin Krenitsky, M.D., chief operating officer of Foundation Medicine. “CLIA certification is a critical step that enables us to accept and report on clinical samples as we scale for full commercial launch later this year.”

Foundation Medicine achieved Massachusetts State licensing in October 2011, enabling the company to begin processing clinical samples from most states. The company has begun accepting clinical samples and expects to commercially launch its fully informative genomic profile for all patients with solid tumors in mid-2012.

Mandated by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 42 Part 493.2), the CMS manage and conduct inspections of CLIA laboratories. The regulation was enacted to ensure consistent, accurate, and reliable clinical test results reporting from laboratories across the country used for the diagnosis, treatment, and/or prognosis of disease in human subjects. CLIA applies to all clinical laboratories operating in the U.S. and its territories and encompasses more than 200,000 clinical testing sites.

About Foundation Medicine’s Comprehensive Cancer Genomic Test

Foundation Medicine’s comprehensive cancer genomic test uses next-generation sequencing to analyze routine clinical specimens (i.e., small amounts of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tumor tissue) for all classes of genomic alterations (point mutations, copy number alterations, insertions/deletions, and select rearrangements) in approximately 200 cancer-related genes. The test is optimized for clinical-grade analysis of tumor tissues, overcoming multiple complexities (such as purity, ploidy, and clonality) inherent to tumor genomes. Results are designed to serve as a helpful decision-support tool for physicians to evaluate cancer treatment approaches tailored to each patient’s molecular subtype. Each patient report is reviewed and annotated by a molecular oncologist and consists of scientific and medical literature relevant to that patient’s genomic alterations and includes information on targeted therapies and clinical trials supported by scientific and medical research.

About Foundation Medicine

Foundation Medicine is dedicated to improving cancer care through the development of comprehensive cancer diagnostics that will help physicians inform treatment decisions based on an individual patient’s molecular cancer subtype. Foundation Medicine’s first laboratory developed test, based on a next-generation sequencing platform, is designed to accommodate a broad landscape of cancer genome information and a growing repertoire of targeted treatments and clinical research opportunities. Foundation Medicine’s test will assist physicians to make prompt and informed determinations about the best cancer treatments and clinical trial options for each patient, taking into account each patient’s unique cancer-associated alterations alongside publicly available scientific and medical information. The company’s founding advisors are world leaders in genome technology, cancer biology and medical oncology; they, alongside clinicians, biotech and molecular diagnostics industry leaders, are working to harness emerging technologies to develop unparalleled tests that will identify and interpret an ever-growing set of actionable genomic alterations, truly enabling personalized cancer medicine. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.foundationmedicine.com.

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Foundation Medicine Receives CLIA Certification for Its Genomic Sequencing Laboratory

The sad fact is that none of these regulators did anything to stop the infiltration of the mainstream. The Quality Assurance Agency has ticked its boxes and rubber-stamped these dubious courses. The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority has allowed the misleading labelling of quack medicines. Trading Standards has been useless. The Department of Health has vacillated, and will not allow Nice (the National Institute for Clinical Excellence) to investigate, despite many requests to do so. Parliament has been unhelpful (perhaps not surprising, when one MP, David Tredinnick, got into trouble for buying astrology software on expenses).

The only organisation that has done anything sensible is the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has said – for example – that advertisements placed by homeopaths cannot name particular diseases that they purport to treat. The ASA also reprimanded Boots for misleading claims on its homoeopathic “remedies”.

The true villains of the piece, however, are the vice-chancellors, who must take responsibility for what is taught at their university. In 2008, I wrote to the then vice-chancellor of the University of Wales, Marc Clement. I asked him, as a physicist, what his opinion was of this statement: “Implosion researchers have found that if water is put through a spiral, its field changes, and it then appears to have a potent, restorative effect on cells.”

This was written by the course leader for an MSc in “Nutrition” run by the Northern College of Acupuncture, but validated by the University of Wales. The validation committee did not appear to have noticed it. And Prof Clement did not reply to my request for an opinion about the wonders of “spiralised water”. The consequence of this, and hundreds of other “validations” conducted by the University of Wales, was that it was abolished, thanks to Welsh education minister Leighton Andrews. Yet action was only taken after the scandal was flagged up first by bloggers, and then in two programmes by BBC Wales. There is, surely, something very wrong when academic standards have to be maintained by online amateurs and local broadcasters.

What is encouraging, however, is that the tide appears to have turned. At the beginning of 2007, 16 universities offered 45 BSc degrees in make-believe medicine. There were even five degrees in homoeopathy (the medicine that contains no medicine). Now there are none. Likewise, degrees in naturopathy, reflexology and aromatherapy have all vanished from Britain’s universities. “Nutritional therapy” has almost gone, too.

This is especially good news, since the people who deal sensibly with nutrition are called dieticians. Anyone can be a self-styled “nutritionist”: the terms “nutritional therapy” or “nutritional medicine” usually refer to an individual who claims to be able to cure almost anything by diet, but whose aim is to sell you expensive and unnecessary – or even harmful – supplements. This practice was exposed in a recent investigation by Which? magazine, in which 14 out of 15 consultations were deemed “fails” and six out of 15 gave dangerous advice.

There are two obvious reasons for this welcome return to sanity. One is that the Freedom of Information Act allows anyone to find out what’s being taught to students. Universities have fought tooth and nail to hide the information, but they were overruled by the Information Commissioner, who decided that taxpayers should be able to see how their money was spent. The internet has also been a factor: vice-chancellors don’t like it when Googling their names produces references to “yin energy”.

But a more positive explanation may be that we seem at last to be emerging from the age of what we can call the “endarkenment”. People are less willing to believe things that aren’t true – whether it’s the presence of WMD in Iraq, the effectiveness of bankers’ derivatives, or the power of homoeopathy. They are also less willing to pay for them. The huge rise in tuition fees will cost the taxpayer money (through the loan scheme), but at least it may put the last nail in the coffin of quackery. Vice-chancellors seem remarkably insensitive to the contents of what’s taught, but they care a great deal about the money.

In terms of the remaining degrees, the courses that are predominantly in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Chinese remedies are almost completely untested, and they are frequently contaminated and dangerous. They also contribute to the slaughter of rhinos, tigers and bears.

Acupuncture is more interesting. There is no doubt that it has had, in the past, greater acceptance by the medical establishment than other forms of alternative medicine. One welcome consequence is that there has been a lot more research into this practice than others. However, almost all of it points to the conclusion that it is no more than a theatrical placebo.

If you get yourself poked with needles, and the next day you feel better, there are two possible reasons. One is that you are experiencing a placebo effect. The other is the “get better anyway” effect or, in scientific parlance, “regression to the mean”. Acupuncture might sit at the respectable end of the fruitloopery spectrum, but I believe it has no place in a university, other than as a good example of how easy it is to fool yourself.

Over the past few years, bloggers and campaigners have made an enormous contribution to the resurgence of rational thinking. It is a shame that the official bodies that are supposed to protect us from the snake-oil salesmen have not done such a good job.

David Colquhoun is professor of pharmacology at University College London

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Complementary medicine courses in universities: how I beat the varsity quacks

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Bionest and PMC Address Optimization of Personalized Medicine Strategies

A Federal Government-funded study at Adelaide University has
found traditional Chinese herbal medicine to be more effective
in the treatment of female infertility achieving, on average, a
60 per cent pregnancy rate over four months compared with 30
per cent achieved with standard Western drug treatment or IVF
over 12 months.

The study, called the Efficacy of Traditional CHM in the
Management of Female Infertility: A Systematic Review, also
found that Chinese herbal treatment tailored to the
individual's Chinese medicine diagnosis was a key to successful
treatment.

When you see a Chinese medicine practitioner they will ask a
series of questions about your general health condition
seemingly unrelated to the reason you are seeking help.

But it is this individualised history and current snapshot of
your health that allows Chinese medicine practitioners to grasp
a potential cause of the difficulty you are experiencing.

The myriad tests given by your GP or specialist can also
identify crucial information in cases of infertility.

For those who are having difficulty conceiving, it is clear
Chinese medicine offers an alternative worth considering.

A stumbling block to choosing whether to try Chinese medicine
has been the lack of Federal Government standards. Referrals
from friends and family have been one avenue to selecting a
practitioner.

Australia's peak Chinese medicine body also has a referral
service (aacma.com.au). However, from July 1 Chinese medicine
practitioners and acupuncturists will be registered by the
Federal Government.

Another difficulty has been preparing and drinking the herb
teas. Chinese herbs are described in China as a bitter brew.

In the past, it was a cumbersome process to boil packets of
leaves and twigs twice a day. The smell permeated the house and
the taste was difficult to take.

Technology has come to the rescue and Chinese herbs are now
available as granulated products.

Follow this link:
Tackling infertility with Chinese herbal medicine

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Four Top Functional Medicine Doctors Appear on “Dr. Oz’s Disease Detectives”

By CHRIS LAINE
claine@journalregister.com;
Twitter: @topherlaine

Dr. Howard Dworkin, chief of Nuclear Medicine at Beaumont
Hospital in Royal Oak for more than 30 years, passed away
Friday, Jan. 27, of complications from pneumonia.

A pioneer of nuclear medicine at Beaumont Hospital and
longtime resident of Waterford Township has died.

Dr. Howard Dworkin, chief of Nuclear Medicine at Beaumont
Hospital in Royal Oak for more than 30 years, passed away
Friday, Jan. 27, of complications from pneumonia.

The native of Brooklyn and Mayopac, N.Y., received his degree
in chemical engineering from Worcester Polytechnical
Institute in Massachusetts and his degree in medicine from
Albany Medical College in New York.

The Waterford resident did his nuclear medicine residency at
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he also
received a master’s degree in radiation biology.

Dr. Dworkin served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War
where he held the rank of commander and served as director of
nuclear medicine at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Virginia
during that time.

In 1970, Dr. Dworkin relocated to metro Detroit where he
helped start Beaumont Hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department
and its residency program.

He held many titles over the years, some of which included
president of the American College of Nuclear Physicians in
1978 and 1979, chair of the American Board of Nuclear
Medicine in 1983 and representative to the American Board of
Medical Specialties in 1983 and president of the Society of
Nuclear Medicine from 1986 to 1987.

Dr. Dworkin also was fundamental in the education of nuclear
medicine by serving on the Accreditation Council for
Continuing Medical Education in the 1990s where he also
served as vice chair and chair of the organization in 1997
and 1998. The longtime doctor of nuclear medicine retired
from Beaumont in 2007.

Dr. Gina Gora, Dr. Dworkin’s spouse, commented on her
husband’s commitment to nuclear medicine education and the
way he inspired many throughout his life.

“He was an enthusiastic educator and mentor,” Gora said. “He
trained hundreds of nuclear physicians, radiologists and
technologists. He was always pushing and inspiring people to
follow their goals and dreams.” Continued…

Gora also said that other physicians, not just doctors of
nuclear medicine, trained under her husband.

“Even veterinarians came to his department to receive his
training,” she said. “Howard also inspired many of his
friends from the Navy and Bethesda who worked alongside him
to come to Beaumont.

Dr. Dworkin enjoyed many pastimes outside of the hospital. He
enjoyed watching University of Michigan football, sailing,
water and snow skiing, kayaking, scuba diving and traveling.

Gora added that her husband had a warm sense about him.

“Not only was he a brilliant physician but also a warm and
humble person with a great sense of humor,” she said.

Dr. Dworkin is survived by his wife Dr. Gina Gora; children
Edward, Joseph, Paul, Steve and Rhonda Zmuda. A memorial
service is scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. today, Jan. 30, at
Dorfman Chapel, 30440 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills.

Jan. 30, 2012

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Beaumont Hospital nuclear medicine chief Dr. Howard Dworkin dies from pneumonia

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Approximately one-third of all
high-tech imaging performed in the United States proves
medically unnecessary. Specialty benefits management provider
HealthHelp announced today the
launch of a new program designed to reduce unnecessary radiation
exposure and to promote cost-effective treatment
planning for the best possible outcome. The education-based
program targets emergency departments in particular, where
utilization remains high because of defensive medicine
practices and a lack of standardized high-tech imaging
protocols.

The Emergency Medicine Program will work to improve ordering
patterns of emergency department physicians.
Participants will learn more about radiation exposure and the
potential harm associated with high-tech imaging, as well as
about the best uses for the technology and the importance of
timing in relation to patient management. The program will
focus on five indications commonly handled in the emergency
department.

“This program will help emergency department physicians
determine the right test to order to obtain the necessary
clinical information, resulting in a more accurate diagnosis
that will positively impact patient management and reduce
unnecessary radiation exposure,” explained HealthHelp
president and CEO Cherrill Farnsworth. “As with any
quality/safety initiative, the reduced cost to the hospital
system or health plan will result in savings.”

Physicians will earn continuing medical education (CME)
credits for their participation in the program.

The Emergency Medicine Program joins HealthHelp’s existing
suite of innovative and successful specialty benefits
management programs for radiology, cardiology, and oncology.
To learn more visit

http://www.healthhelp.com/specialties/.

About HealthHelp®

HealthHelp, a leader in specialty benefits management,
generates significant savings and return on investment for
health care payers by enhancing physician knowledge,
improving quality of care, and reducing unnecessary radiation
exposure. Each of its programs addresses a different aspect
of radiology, cardiology, oncology, emergency medicine,
musculoskeletal, and sleep care. The clients of Houston-based
HealthHelp administer local, statewide, and national health
care plans across the country. For more information about
HealthHelp’s programs, visit

http://www.healthhelp.com.

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HealthHelp Launches Emergency Medicine Program

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New medicine: Electronic tattoos

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Society of Hospital Medicine Anniversary Meeting Focused on Collaboration and Improving Patient Care