Monthly Archives: May 2012

When drugs meet crime

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

Illustration: Andrew Dyson. Being tough on criminals may be a vote-winner, but putting addicts behind bars only causes other problems. EACH country gets the drugs problem it deserves.'' This is the view of Antonio Maria Costa, the former head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. His explanation is blunt: countries that rely primarily on law enforcement to deal with drug addicts and their associated crimes, rather than treating users as sufferers, perpetuate an expensive cycle of addiction, crime, incarceration and recidivism. By that measure, Australia deserves its big problem with drugs. Illicit drugs cost the national economy some $9 billion a year. Three-quarters of that is spent on law enforcement of drug offences and crimes committed by drug users. Prevention, treatment and harm reduction account for 10 per cent, 7 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. ''Drug addiction is a health condition,'' says Costa. ''It's a pathology that needs to be addressed not in prisons, therefore not by incarceration of the addict, but in hospitals. Prevention, treatment, rehabilitation programs, and then reintegration into society work better than the criminal justice system.'' Advertisement: Story continues below He is not alone in campaigning for a tectonic shift in … Continue reading →

Posted in Drugs | Comments Off on When drugs meet crime

Policy on drugs endangers youth

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

By Vivienne Moxham-Hall. First published in The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 May 2012 Drugs have become so normalised in today's youth culture the penalties just don't matter as much, writes Vivienne Moxham-Hall. When you get to high school, you are taught that drugs are ''bad''. The teachers show you pictures and tell you the horror stories about drugs, but at that age, you can never really believe that something which looks like a sugar pill can wreak all that damage and the stories never really quench any curiosity. The kids at my high school, and others, started experimenting with drugs about the age of 16, when most of us were in year 9. It was mainly cannabis that they would smoke after school and it was usually the ''cool'' kids. But in years 10 and up, the appeal of drugs widened. Whole groups of friends were made around the rave culture and moved towards harder drug experimentation. Raving is where large groups of young adults of varying ages would dance to electronic beats while ''pinging''. The locations of these raves were often released the same day they occurred to avoid detection. These kids would practice their rave moves in their … Continue reading →

Posted in Drugs | Comments Off on Policy on drugs endangers youth

PetMed Express Improves Database and Application Performance by 400 Percent

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kaminario, a leading provider of high performance all solid-state (SSD) SAN storage solutions, today announced that PetMed Express (Nasdaq:PETS - News), Americas leading online pet pharmacy, has chosen the Kaminario K2 to accelerate its operational processes and daily reporting. After installing the K2, PetMed Express saw a 400 percent performance improvement in its report processing and operational processes. PetMed Express needed to resolve I/O-intensive database issues that were slowing down its warehouse operations and call center reporting capabilities. The company needed a solution that would enable it to keep its current storage infrastructure but improve storage performance by at least 50 percent. Cautious about the issues around SSD reliability, PetMed Express looked for a high performance SSD storage solution that would also provide high availability and data protection. I/O wait issues caused by high drive latency prevented the PetMed Express database from performing as expected, and the company was faced with the decision of continuing to add more drives or replacing the entire storage system. To speed up reporting and daily operation processes, the business required a leading-edge storage system that combined the speed of a high performance SSD SAN with high availability and data protection capabilities. … Continue reading →

Posted in Online Pharmacy | Comments Off on PetMed Express Improves Database and Application Performance by 400 Percent

Comings & Goings: Rockford pharmacy fills custom orders

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

ROCKFORD Rock Valley Compounding Pharmacy makes custom medications to meet unique physician and patient needs. The pharmacy opened last month in a 2,000-square-foot space at 811 S. Perryville Road. Its owned by Jon Lehan, a pharmacist who has grown up in the industry his father, Tim, owns Lehan Drugs in DeKalb, and his brother, Jim, is the new pharmacys business director. Lehan recognized an opportunity to help Rockford-area health care providers and patients with custom medication needs and to help fill orders when providers experience nationwide drug shortages, which have become more common in recent years. The pharmacy also specializes in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, pain management and filling compounding requests from veterinarians, dentists and dermatologists. The pharmacy features a state-of-the-art compounding lab, a sterile clean room and a private consultation room. Medications can be prepared in several formats, including lozenge, lollipop, cream or ointment. On Friday, Alia Birdwell, a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Illinois-Rockford, ran a small amount of vitamin B12 through a machine that smoothes out the usually grainy pink substance. Doing that allows the vitamin to be made into a cream or ointment. A sterile room allows staff to make eyedrops and IV fluids. … Continue reading →

Posted in Pharmacy | Comments Off on Comings & Goings: Rockford pharmacy fills custom orders

Millennium Laboratories Partners With CompPharma to Control Cost of Pharmacy in Workers' Compensation

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

SAN DIEGO, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Laboratories has joined CompPharma, LLC, a consortium of workers' compensation pharmacy benefit management (PBM) firms, as its first affiliate member. In addition, Millennium will be the Prime Sponsor, the highest sponsorship level, at the organization's annual meeting. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120515/LA08193LOGO) Comprised of the nation's largest workers' compensation PBMs, CompPharma identifies and prioritizes challenges facing the industry, and then seeks and implements solutions members can cost-effectively share.One of its missions is to educate and assist public policy makers who are responsible for regulating the workers' compensation marketplace. Millennium will share its industry and public affairs expertise to advance CompPharma's initiatives. "Today's workers' compensation payers face unique challenges resulting from the rise in the use of prescribed medications. Millennium, in its role as CompPharma's first affiliate member, welcomes the opportunity to closely work with the PBMs to identify innovative solutions to meet these challenges," said Howard Appel, President of Millennium Laboratories. "Together, our partnership will support the fundamental goal of both organizations; to improve outcomes for workers' compensation claimants and help them get back to work to resume productive, healthy lives." "We look forward to bringing our unique perspective as a clinical diagnostic company to … Continue reading →

Posted in Pharmacy | Comments Off on Millennium Laboratories Partners With CompPharma to Control Cost of Pharmacy in Workers' Compensation

Bradford Exchange Collaborates with Autism Society on New Jewelry Design

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

Niles, IL (PRWEB) May 21, 2012 The Bradford Exchange is pleased to announce an exclusive jewelry design that offers customers a unique way to honor and support those whose lives are affected by autism. The My Hero Personalized Autism Pendant, which features a sculpted heart with a design resembling 4 interlocking puzzle pieces, includes custom personalization with a name of the purchasers choice. The pendant also includes a charm of the multi-colored puzzle ribbon, the Autism Societys globally recognized symbol for autism awareness. According to Leslie Joyce, Vice President of The Bradford Exchange, As with all of our products, we are committed to providing our customers with a purchase that makes a personal connectionone that is meaningful to them in some way. Not only does this beautiful, customized pendant honor their own personal hero, it is also a viable way to support the awareness and treatment of autism. We are proud to be a part of this very important initiative. For over four decades, The Bradford Exchange has been recognized as a premier source for unique art-based collectibles, limited editions and fine gifts. The fine jewelry product line is known particularly for its personalized, relationship jewelry. With this latest collaboration, … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Bradford Exchange Collaborates with Autism Society on New Jewelry Design

Editorial: Wake treatment to heal warriors should make us proud

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

Technology developed at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center that promises to dramatically advance the treatment of traumatic brain injury is yet another breakthrough by local researchers that could lead to better treatment of injured soldiers. The technology, called mechanical tissue resuscitation, was developed as part of a three-year, $1.5 million study funded by the Department of Defense, the Journal's Richard Craver reported. The results of the study were published recently in the journal Neurosurgery. The new treatment joins cutting-edge advances in recent years at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, where scientists have grown new organs and other body parts using patients' cells. Researchers hope to improve treatment of burn injuries and grow replacement parts for injured soldiers. The institute also receives funding from the DOD. The Wake Forest Baptist technology uses a device to remove fluid and other toxins from an injury site in the brain. When the brain is injured, cells are damaged and die, releasing toxins that cause swelling and more cell death. The device removes the fluid and toxins and reduces swelling. In tests on rats, 50 percent more brain tissue was preserved and function returned faster than with untreated animals. The research team was … Continue reading →

Posted in Brain Injury Treatment | Comments Off on Editorial: Wake treatment to heal warriors should make us proud

Weigh pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

Menopause, often called "the change," affects all women eventually. Menopause is a term used to describe the cessation of menses, when the ovaries stop producing hormone cycles. This signals the end of the fertile phase of a woman's life. This time of a woman's life usually comes with a variety of troublesome symptoms that might include hot flashes, night sweats, sleeping problems, mood swings and weight gain. Exercise has been shown to greatly decrease menopausal symptoms. Some turn to herbs (black cohash or evening primrose oil), phyto-estrogens found in some foods and acupuncture for relief. A woman might consider hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Traditional hormone replacement therapy replaces the declining estrogen levels after menopause. Progesterone also is replaced in women who have not had hysterectomies. Another form of HRT is bioidentical hormones, laboratory-made female hormones based on compounds found in plants, usually soy beans or wild yams. Bioidentical hormones are processed by a compounding pharmacist who provides medications that have a customized formulation to meet a patient's specific needs. These hormones come in various forms including tablets, under-the-skin pellets, creams, gels and nasal sprays. The decision to take HRT should not be make lightly. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Hormone Replacement Therapy | Comments Off on Weigh pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy

Cellectis stem cells today proudly announces the launch of the world’s very first human iPS cell-derived hepatocyte …

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

GOTHENBURG, Sweden--(BUSINESSWIRE)-- Regulatory News: Cellectis stem cells, a Business Unit of Cellectis Group (Alternext: ALCLS), a premier provider of stem cell derived products and technologies, today announces the launch of a human iPS derived hepatocyte product, hiPS-HEPTM. The hiPS-HEPTM demonstrate high reproducibility, homogeneity and a long life span of stable CYP activity, making them the ideal platform for various in vitro applications including drug discovery, toxicity testing and vaccine development. The hiPS-HEP are human hepatocyte-like cells derived from human induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells under strict quality controlled and ethically approved procedures. "Due to their high relevance in various industrial applications it makes the hiPS-HEP a really promising system for research and development," said Johan Hyllner, CSO of Cellectis stem cells. "The pharmaceutical industry has a great need for better and more clinically relevant models early in the drug development process to predict hepatotoxicity, find new drug targets and develop new vaccines." "This novel product is the fruition of Cellectis strategy to become the global market leader for stem cell-based in vitro models and related technologies. It illustrates our ambitions and the momentum of our future development in this field," said Andr Choulika, Chairman and CEO of Cellectis. About Cellectis … Continue reading →

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on Cellectis stem cells today proudly announces the launch of the world’s very first human iPS cell-derived hepatocyte …

Registry bid to tackle devastating condition

Posted: Published on May 21st, 2012

Registry bid to tackle devastating condition 8:00am Saturday 19th May 2012 in News By Barry Nelson, Health Editor THOUSANDS of people affected by a form of muscular dystrophy are being invited to sign up to a new national registry based in the North-East which could help lead to a treatment or cure. The initiative is being backed by Blaydon MP Dave Anderson, who has lost his sister, brother, niece and nephew to myotonic dystrophy. He said: To tackle myotonic dystrophy effectively, we need the thousands of families affected to speak up. Until now, no database has been available to researchers of people in the UK affected by myotonic dystrophy, an inherited condition, which causes muscles to waste, weaken and stiffen, often leading to increasingly severe disability, learning difficulties and shortened life expectancy. The new Newcastle-based registry, funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign and the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group, will allow clinicians and researchers to speed progress towards a treatment by enabling them to contact people faster, recruit for clinical trials and to better understand the condition. The charities are appealing to the estimated 6,000 people in the UK thought to have Type 1 myotonic dystrophy to come forward and add … Continue reading →

Posted in Muscular Dystrophy Treatment | Comments Off on Registry bid to tackle devastating condition