OLDSMAR, Fla., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL) (the "Company"), the world's first private cord blood bank to separate and store stem cells in 1992, today announced results for its fiscal year 2011. "Cryo-Cell fiscal 2011 results are indicative of a company that is in the process of making many organizational and operational improvements," stated David Portnoy, Cryo-Cell's Chairman and Co-CEO. "Although the implementation of these steps is still in the early stages, we are encouraged in our belief that our goals will be achieved." Mark Portnoy, Cryo-Cell's Co-CEO, added, "With the transition of the new Board of Directors last year, the Company made significant changes over the last six months. We are continuing to improve the IT systems and website, and have embarked on a major rebranding/marketing effort. Although these efforts have increased our expenses, we have balanced that somewhat with cost reductions. We feel these are appropriate and necessary investments for the Company's future. In addition, the Company has implemented its previously announced stock repurchase plan, and to date, has repurchased 415,117 shares on the open market and in private transactions." Financial Results Consolidated revenues for fiscal year ended 2011 were approximately … Continue reading →

SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, announced today Goldman Small Cap Research has reissued its buy recommendation on Nuvilex with a short term price target of $0.50 per share. According to the research report prepared by Goldman, The current share price represents but a fraction of its true value, in our view. With recently increased interest and valuation in the pancreatic cancer treatment arena, we believe that Nuvilex is worth $0.20 just on the oncology therapies alone and that the shares will reach $0.50 in the next six months. Looking ahead, as milestone events occur, $1.00 per share is within reach over the next 12-18 months. Goldman bases this value projection, in part, on the pending acquisition of SG Austria assets, and with it complete control over the cell encapsulation technology that forms the backbone of Nuvilexs planned biotechnology development. The report states in part the following: Following execution of the SG Austria asset acquisition, we expect to see a flurry of events and progress on the development side which will serve as catalysts, including when management submits its protocol for the next stage pancreatic cancer trial. We would … Continue reading →

By David Cyranoski of Nature magazine With Texas pouring millions of dollars into developing adult stem-cell treatments, doctors there are already injecting paying customers with unproven preparations, supplied by an ambitious new company. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any such stem-cell treatment for routine clinical use, although it does sanction them for patients enrolled in registered clinical trials. Some advocates of the treatments argue, however, that preparations based on a patient's own cells should not be classed as drugs, and should not therefore fall under the FDA's jurisdiction. There are certainly plenty of people eager to have the treatments. Texas governor Rick Perry, for instance, has had stem-cell injections to treat a back complaint, and has supported legislation to help create banks to store patients' harvested stem cells. One company that has benefited from this buoyant climate is Celltex Therapeutics, which "multiplies and banks" stem cells derived from people's abdominal fat, according to chairman and chief executive David Eller. Its facility in Sugar Land, just outside Houston, opened in December 2011 and houses the largest stem-cell bank in the United States. Celltex was founded by Eller and Stanley Jones, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed Perry's … Continue reading →

Its a misconception that women with epilepsy have difficulties conceiving, having healthy babies and that epilepsy worsens during pregnancy. File Photo: K.R. Deepak Being a woman and an epileptic is not easy in our country. But take away the myths and the woman can have a normal healthy family life says Dr.Sanjeev V. Thomas Go girl go. Live life to the fullest in spite of epilepsy. That is what Dr.Sanjeev V. Thomas and his team of doctors at Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology have been propounding. He is responsible for founding the Kerala Registry for Epilepsy and Pregnancy in 1998. One of just five Registries in the world, KREP treats women with epilepsy and related issues. One of the most important conclusions this body of research has reached is that a woman (or man) with epilepsy can live a full and satisfying life. Dr. Thomas, who is currently the Secretary of the Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN) had positive words for patients at the 13th Annual Conference of the Indian Epilepsy Association and The Indian Epilepsy Society, in Kochi. There are no gender differences in how epilepsy manifests in men and women, but women with epilepsy … Continue reading →

Public release date: 29-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Ian Evans i.evans@elsevier.com 44-186-584-3584 Elsevier New York, February 29, 2012 A revealing study published in Epilepsy & Behavior provides evidence that the perception of epilepsy is not faring well in social media. Kate McNeil and colleagues from Dalhousie University in Canada analyzed data collected from Twitter to provide a snapshot of how epilepsy is portrayed within the twitter community. Twitter, a social networking platform launched in 2006, allows its users to communicate through posting of "tweets" limited to 140 characters. Twitter has gained worldwide popularity since its inception, with approximately 110 million tweets per day from 200 million users worldwide counted in January 2011. Twitter's role in a number of revolutions, including the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the 2010-2011 Tunisian protest, has confirmed its ability to influence culture and perceptions on a global scale. In their study McNeil and colleagues analyzed 10,662 tweets collected during one week in April 2011 mentioning the word "seizure" or "seizures". They found that 41% of these seizure-related tweets were considered to be derogatory in nature. Fortunately there were a few tweets that spoke out against mocking those with seizures. For instance, "Why do … Continue reading →