Monthly Archives: February 2012

Drugs plot was 'like film script'

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

22 February 2012 Last updated at 07:25 ET Detectives have described a thwarted plan to bring five tonnes of cocaine to the UK from Colombia as being like a movie plot. Coded messages, trips to South America and drugs hidden in crates of fruit all featured in a plan masterminded from inside a Nottinghamshire prison. Had it worked, the men stood to make millions of pounds. Instead, three men are facing jail after being found guilty of conspiring to import cocaine at Birmingham Crown Court. Ringleader Russell Knaggs, 38, devised the elaborate scheme while serving a 16-year sentence for drugs offences at Lowdham Grange Prison in Nottinghamshire in 2009. Phillip Hadley, 52, of Conisbrough, Doncaster, and Robert Rich, 40, from Barnsley, were working on the outside. Cassim Koubari, 38, of HMP Rye Hill, David Phillips, 56, of HMP Doncaster, and Melvin Smit, 34, of Roermond, Holland, were found not guilty of conspiring to import cocaine. Anthony Perger, 51, from Sheffield, pleaded guilty to the charge at the start of the trial. Meetings with cartels The court heard Knaggs had obtained contact details for drug dealers in Colombia and had set about organising a deal for five tonnes of cocaine to … Continue reading →

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Wheeler Pharmacy draws in loyal customers, including students and Coach Cal

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

By Rachel Sarnovsky Patrons of Wheeler Pharmacy gathered for breakfast on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. Photo by Latara Appleby | Staff Welcomed by genuine employees and friendly neighborhood faces, Wheeler Pharmacy provides familiar service to dozens of customers every day. “It’s always been a neighborhood business,” owner and founder William Wheeler said. “Although we’re close to the university in some respects, it’s still mostly families that live around the neighborhood and not students.” Wheeler Pharmacy, an independent family-owned business in Lexington, offers necessities for everyday living as well as pharmaceutical needs. “I feel like we’re able to provide a little better customer service experience and provide some things that maybe the chains don’t provide,” employee Stuart Wheeler said. “As well as the fountain, which is a great place for people to hang out and meet new people.” One unique feature of the pharmacy is its 50s-style fountain lunch counter. It offers breakfast and lunch, opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. through the week and at 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Rick Queen, a regular customer of the pharmacy for 20 years, said he loves the traditional atmosphere of the fountain. Wheeler Pharmacy is one of a few pharmacies left … Continue reading →

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Pharmacy workers attack robber with bear spray

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

by KREM.COM KTVB.COM Posted on February 22, 2012 at 10:45 PM DEER PARK, Wash. -- Employees took matters into their own hands Tuesday after an attempted robbery at a Deer Park pharmacy. The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said a man walked into the Medicine Shoppe around 4:30 p.m. and demanded drugs, that is when employees then used bear spray on a man attempting to rob the store. The pharmacists at the Deer Park Medicine Shoppe say they have seen the suspect before. Sheriff deputies say 24-year-old Aaron Miller is a repeat pharmacy robber. He handed the pharmacists a note that said, "gun, all oxycoden, methadone, children and rent." Manager and pharmacist Susan Beller went to the back to grab the narcotics like she had done two times before when he hit them December 5th and 30th. "I made the choice I needed to make. Everyone else has to make their own choice," Beller said. Her decision was to fight back with grizzly bear pepper spray they keep behind the counter. All captured on surveillance, Beller grabbed it and sprayed Miller in the face. Miller took off, but deputies arrested him after friends called 911. He was in immense pain from … Continue reading →

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Pharmacy mix-up sends man to hospital

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

SEFFNER, Fla. - Bridget Greene is still caring for her very sick son Alex. She says following a hospital stay the 21-year-old picked up a prescription. But after taking the pills Tuesday he got violently ill. "I looked at the bottle that morning, and said 'who's medicine is this?" Bridget says their local pharmacy in Seffner gave her son two bottles of prescription pills that belonged to someone else. One for was for pain, the other a muscle relaxer. "He mixed two narcotics and it tore up his stomach," said Greene. Benjamin Benoit runs Medicine Shoppe International in Pasco County. It's not the pharmacy where this mix-up took place. But he says mistakes can happen, especially at pharmacies with a large number of customers. "It's hard to remember each patient that you get," said Benoit who has decades of experience. Beniot says carefully look over the bottle. And anytime you pick up a prescription make sure the pharmacist confirms your name and even your address. Although he says sometimes because customers are sick or distracted they may say yes to the wrong information. "Even with a good system there are things that slip through the cracks," said Benoit. Greene says … Continue reading →

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Scientists create potent molecules aimed at treating muscular dystrophy

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2012) — While RNA is an appealing drug target, small molecules that can actually affect its function have rarely been found. But now scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time designed a series of small molecules that act against an RNA defect directly responsible for the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. In two related studies published recently in online-before-print editions of Journal of the American Chemical Society and ACS Chemical Biology, the scientists show that these novel compounds significantly improve a number of biological defects associated with myotonic dystrophy type 1 in both cell culture and animal models. "Our compounds attack the root cause of the disease and they improve defects in animal models," said Scripps Research Associate Professor Matthew Disney, PhD. "This represents a significant advance in rational design of compounds targeting RNA. The work not only opens up potential therapies for this type of muscular dystrophy, but also paves the way for RNA-targeted therapeutics in general." Myotonic dystrophy type 1 involves a type of RNA defect known as a "triplet repeat," a series of three nucleotides repeated more times than normal in an individual's genetic … Continue reading →

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Value

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

AMARILLO -- Being able to move or even communicate clearly can be close to impossible for many Parkinson's Disease patients. An Amarillo man has made a huge improvement on both fronts thanks to a fairly new treatment. "Parkinson's is predominately a disease of movement. What it does is it makes people lose the ability to do certain movements such as your regular walking, talking, to a degree, as well as tremors and balance," Dr. Douglas Lewis, a local neurologist said. Lewis prescribes a program that helps patients regain those motor skills.  It's called Big and Loud. Ron Smith, 74, is one of Lewis' patients who participates. "I think it help. It's helped me," Smith said. He's graduated from the 'big' portion, but still does the exercises everyday. They're a series of exaggerated movements designed to target the muscles people affected by Parkinson's usually lose. "He had been shuffling, which is common symptoms of Parkinson's, just a shuffling gait and kind of stooping over and just not well balanced at all. I was just constantly worried about him falling and just after a few session with the physical therapist thing improved tremendously," Smith's wife, Judi, said. "Ron has done very well. … Continue reading →

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Moffitt chief to lead genetic research lab unit

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

By MICHAEL SASSO | The Tampa Tribune Published: February 23, 2012 Updated: February 23, 2012 - 12:00 AM TAMPA -- The man who served for the last decade as chief of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute is leaving his post to lead Moffitt's genetic research lab and its new Personalized Medicine Institute. The move is a new direction for Dr. William Dalton, rather than a promotion or demotion, he said. Dalton will focus on helping Moffitt capitalize on "personalized medicine" — finding ways to tailor cancer treatment to specific patients. Dr. Alan List, a Moffitt executive vice president who leads its physicians group, will take over as Moffitt's chief executive officer in July. "I just see it as a new journey for me at Moffitt," Dalton said. A self-proclaimed "desert rat" from Arizona, Dalton came to Moffitt in 1997 to help lead its clinical research. He left for a spell in the early 2000s to lead the University of Arizona's medical school but returned to Moffitt in August 2002 as chief executive, a bio on Moffitt's website says. Dalton has been very involved lately in Moffitt's innovative genetics lab, M2Gen, and his new post will let … Continue reading →

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Surgeons Urge Caution: Stem Cell Treatments Untested in Aesthetic Surgery

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

Doctors Haeck, Eaves, and Rohrich write joint ASAPS/ASPS statement calling for more research into stem cell facelift and stem cell breast augmentation. Dallas, TX (PRWEB) February 22, 2012 There is little evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of procedures, equipment and treatments that have been advertised using adult stem cells for aesthetic reconstruction, including plastic surgery and facial rejuvenation, according to physicians writing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Rod J. Rohrich, chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center and editor-in-chief of the journal, published a position statement on “stem cell facelifts” and “stem cell breast augmentation,” also known as “natural breast augmentation.” Dr. Felmont F. Eaves III of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Dr. Phillip C. Haeck of Seattle, Wash.,collaborated on the statement on behalf of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). “There are encouraging data from studies in laboratories to suggest that the use of adult stem cells is a very promising field and may produce beneficial medical therapies to treat a variety of diseases,” the doctors said in the statement. They emphasized that there is a lack of consistency in the way … Continue reading →

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AVI BioPharma Regains NASDAQ Compliance

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

BOTHELL, WA--(Marketwire -02/22/12)- AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII - News), a developer of RNA-based therapeutics, announced today that it received a letter from the listing qualifications department staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, stating that the Company has regained compliance with NASDAQ's minimum $1.00 per share bid price requirement. The letter received noted that for 10 consecutive business days, from February 6, 2012 to February 17, 2012, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock was $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) and the matter is closed. About AVI BioPharma AVI BioPharma is focused on the discovery and development of novel RNA-based therapeutics for rare and infectious diseases, as well as other select disease targets. Applying pioneering technologies developed and optimized by AVI, the Company is able to target a broad range of diseases and disorders through distinct RNA-based mechanisms of action. Unlike other RNA-based approaches, AVI's technologies can be used to directly target both messenger RNA (mRNA) and precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) to either down-regulate (inhibit) or up-regulate (promote) the expression of targeted genes or proteins. By leveraging its highly differentiated RNA-based technology platform, AVI has built a … Continue reading →

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Oman set to host first global autism conference

Posted: Published on February 23rd, 2012

MUSCAT - Oman?s first international conference on autism next month will look at the possibility of establishing a centre for the early diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. The event, on March 21, will bring together private and public sector organisations and individuals associated with the treatment, care, rehabilitation, education and training of affected people. Organised by the Language Centre Social Committee in collaboration with the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and to be inaugurated by Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat, the conference will involve a number of training workshops conducted by leading experts from within and outside the country. “Hopefully it will include a recommendation for the establishment of a centre for autism that will monitor the status of patients and activate the programme for their care, treatment and rehabilitation,” Anfal bint Nasser Al Wahibiyah, Executive Chairperson of the conference, said. She said the event, titled ‘Accepting Difference’, would cover four main themes — modern trends in the diagnosis and treatment of autism; education of affected children; the role of the society in caring for autistic children; and training of specialists in the field. She … Continue reading →

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