Paramus, NJ (PRWEB) May 15, 2012

There were 20,680 chin augmentations performed in the U.S. in 2011, a 71% increase over 2010. This is the largest increase of all plastic surgery procedures, out pacing increases for the most popular procedures such as breast augmentation, botox and liposuction.

There are several factors which are being credited with the dramatic increase. One is the increased use of video chat technology such as Skype, video conferencing with webcams, and FaceTime on iPhones. Also a considered factor is the increased popularity of Facebook, which now has over 900 million members. Individuals are more concerned with facial symmetry now that their faces are online for all acquaintances to see.

“Age is the overriding factor in this type of plastic surgery. The largest percentage increase in chin augmentation is 77% in the age 40-54 group. This age group is just beginning to see the effects of aging on the face with increased skin laxity. A chin implant can make an immediate dramatic improvement,” explained New Jersey plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul M. Parker.

The Parker Center for Plastic Surgery has examined their own statistics and found a 150% increase in patients seeking chin augmentation. New Jersey surgeon, Dr. Parker, uses a tapered silicone implant with a small incision in a procedure that takes about 30 minutes for his chin augmentation patients. Patients are amazed at how this small change can make such an extraordinary difference.

The Parker Center uses digital technology to show patients how they will look after their chin augmentation. New Jersey patients view these images to understand Dr. Parker’s treatment plan and to establish expectations about results.

Dr. Parker often combines a chin augmentation with other facial procedures such as rhinoplasty or liposuction of the neck. By combining these procedures, he is better able to create more natural and balanced symmetry to the face. For example, Dr. Parker can better balance the nose (the most prominent facial feature) with a chin implant resulting in less extensive rhinoplasty work. Overall this produces a much more natural, pleasing appearance.

“My problem was a double chin. I really felt it made me look older than I am, 36. Dr. Parker did a chin augmentation and liposuction on my neck. I’m really very pleased with the results and I don’t know why I waited so long to have it done” –Dave, New Jersey chin augmentation and neck liposuction patient.

Patients who undergo chin augmentation at the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery are given a local anesthetic in addition to intravenous sedation administered by a board certified anesthesiologist. A ¾’ incision is made under the chin and the tapered chin implant is inserted directly onto and adheres to the jawbone. Sutures are removed 4-5 days later and the incision area is virtually imperceptible. Patients of the Parker Center report very little to no pain, and any swelling or discoloration eases after the first several days post-op. Most return to normal activities within 3-4 days and exercise after 10 days.

“We’ve been using these extended anatomical chin implants for some time now, and they are very effective. Our patients love the natural look these anatomic implants create and they feel perfectly natural as well. They come in a variety of sizes to fit different individuals,” explained Dr. Parker.

A chin implant is a relatively straightforward procedure that can be easily done by a surgeon who is experienced, uses his or her best judgment, skills and aesthetic eye to create the balanced, symmetry that will best enhance your appearance.

The staff at the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery understands that the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery is intensely personal. Most patients are looking to make small but dramatic enhancements that are natural looking yet reduce the appearance of the signs of aging, which patients receive from a chin augmentation. New Jersey native, Dr. Paul M. Parker, is very popular among his chin augmentation patients.

“With the prevalence of the internet, most people who come to see me are very educated on the type of cosmetic procedure they are interested in. Our staff and surgical team work diligently every day to exceed their expectations. Patients often tell me that their New Jersey plastic surgery was ‘a wonderful experience’ and how warm, caring, and professionally everyone treated them. That’s our goal,” said Dr. Parker.

The Parker Center for Plastic Surgery has a fully accredited, state of the art, on-site surgical center, Surgiplex. Here, Dr. Parker has duplicated the safety of a hospital but in a beautiful, calm, more relaxed setting. The 2,300 sq. ft. facility was designed with patient safety in mind and includes a separate, dedicated HVAC system with a special air filtration system. The center also includes an emergency generator to provide power in the event of an outage. The operating room, lights, equipment and anesthesia are all state of the art.

About Dr. Parker

Dr. Parker is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, and the New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Parker Center for Plastic Surgery

Paul M. Parker, MD

122 East Ridgewood Avenue

Paramus, NJ 07667

201-967-1212

http://www.parkercenter.net

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Melbourne, Victoria (PRWEB UK) 14 May 2012

Despite building regulations requiring that all backyard pools have child safety barriers, figures from Life Saving Victoria (LSV) show drowning remains the most common cause of preventable death in children under five in Victoria. (source: Tough Glass Worx)

And while local councils are responsible for the ongoing inspection and enforcement of pool safety building regulations, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has called for additional safety protection measures to be explored.

The MAV has cited successful practices in Queensland, such as the provision of better information at pool and pool fence point-of-sale, along with the requirement for compliance certificates by pool and spa owners when their property is sold or leased, as modelling potential areas for improvement in Victoria.

Tough Glass Worx Director, Doug Graham has backed the MAV’s calls for increased education on the somewhat complicated building laws surrounding pool fencing in Victoria.

“To avoid tragic deaths of children in pools and spas it’s vital that owners better understand their

obligations under Victoria’s building laws and have compliant fences and gates installed and maintained in good working order,” said Mr Graham.

The Building Commission of Victoria states pool fencing reduces the risk of drowning to about one quarter of that of drowning in an unfenced pool. What remains unclear however is how many Victorian pools and spas are currently inadequately or incorrectly fenced.

“There are three sets of rules that apply to pool fencing in Victoria. Which rule is applicable depends on when your pool was built. The laws can be confusing which is why it’s important to discuss pool-fencing requirements with your builder or an experienced fencing specialist,” said Mr Graham.

“At Tough Glass Worx our high-quality glass pool fences provide owners with a fence that is as safe as it is stylish and our experienced pool-fencing specialists work to ensure every safety requirement is adhered to.

“Obviously no fence can never be as effective as the watchful eye of a parent or guardian, however our customers can have confidence that the glass fences they purchase through us are as safe and effective as building regulations require,” Mr Graham said.

Tough Glass Worx is an architectural glazing firm specialising in glass pool fencing in Melbourne and throughout Victoria. Their glass balustrade and fencing solutions meet all Victorian Building Regulations.

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Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin collects and processes more than 300,000 ounces of human donor milk a year

AUSTIN, TEXAS (PRWEB) May 11, 2012

As more doctors prescribe donor human milk to feed premature and ill infants, 10 regional hospitals and clinics across Texas are helping to meet the growing demand for donor human milk (aka donor breastmilk) by opening “milk depots” in their lactation centers and neonatal intensive care units.

These sites in greater Houston, greater Austin, the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, and north and west Texas are part of a growing list of healthcare providers that are collecting donor breastmilk on behalf of the two Texas nonprofit milk banks, the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin and the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas.

Together, these nonprofit milk banks pasteurize and distribute donor human milk by prescription to hospitals and families caring for premature or ill infants. Premature infants who are fed with human milk, either from their own mothers or a screened milk donor, decrease their risks of a serious and life-threatening intestinal infection known as necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC.

“Our new agreements with hospitals, WIC offices and even private pediatric practices are helping to ensure we continue to have enough donor milk to meet the growing demand,” says Kim Updegrove, Executive Director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin. “The power of a single ounce of breastmilk makes it more precious than gold,” Updegrove adds. “One ounce of donor human milk is three meals for a small, preterm infant, and it is our mission to meet all the needs of all of these medically fragile babies.”

Women across Texas and the United States who are currently breastfeeding infants under one year of age are eligible to be screened at no charge to become breastmilk donors. Nonprofit milk banks such as the ones in Austin and Fort Worth ensure donor human milk is safe and available to the infants who need it most.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin and the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas are among the largest suppliers of donor human milk to hospitals across Texas and in 18 states. In 2011, they collectively distributed more than a half million ounces of donor human milk, equal to more than 1.5 million feedings for medically fragile infants. The pasteurized breast milk dispensed is specifically processed to meet the needs of fragile and sick babies, serving babies with the greatest medical needs, regardless of family’s ability to cover the processing fees.

“These newest openings mean that there are now 40 milk depots in Texas, working with either the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin or the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, to collect much-needed breastmilk,” said Amy Vickers, Executive Director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. “These new milk depots make it easier for women to donate, and we are deeply grateful for them. Our breastmilk donors are truly lifesavers,” said Vickers.

The new milk depot locations include two Houston area hospitals, Memorial Hermann Katy, and Clear Lake Regional Medical Center; Central Texas’ St. David’s Hospital Georgetown; University Medical Center in Lubbock; and Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin and the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas are two of 12 milk banks who are members of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). HMBANA is a membership organization of health care providers and milk bank administrators that promotes, protects, and supports donor milk banking. It is the only professional membership association for milk banks in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and sets the standards and guidelines for donor milk banking in those areas.

About the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin

The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accept, pasteurize and dispense donor human milk by physician prescription, primarily to premature and ill infants. Women who are lactating can donate milk to The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin regardless of where they live. In 2011, the milk bank received donations from women in 26 states and 168 cities including 98 cities in Texas. Prospective donors across the U.S. may call toll-free 1-877-813-6455. Learn more at http://www.milkbank.com.

About the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accept, pasteurize and dispense donor human milk by physician prescription, primarily to premature and ill infants. Women who are lactating can donate milk to Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas regardless of where they live. Prospective donors across the U.S. may call toll-free 1-866-810-0071. Learn more at http://www.texasmilkbank.org.

###

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Seattle, WA (PRWEB) May 10, 2012

MedZilla Reports: April saw the unemployment rate continuing to fall, dipping down to nearly eight percent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 155,000 jobs were added to the economy; 19,000 of those being positions added in Healthcare alone. (bls.gov, 5/4/2012) The industry is expected to increase employment opportunities with over 4.2 million jobs before 2020, according to research from the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Albany, State University in New York.

The report concluded that the U.S. will be requiring workers to fill nearly seven and a half million new and existing positions in the next 7 years. (http://blog.rwjf.org, 4/17/2012) While experts may be conflicted over when the next economic boom may occur, the medical field is already steaming ahead, abounding with its own employment opportunities.

The Employment Situation Summary came back with good news for workers in Healthcare and other professional industry positions in April. Although some lawmakers were concerned that job creation is stalling, not all experts agree.

“There have been some concerns that the economy may be headed for a repeat of last year’s spring and summer slowdown. While job gains may indeed hit a lull in the coming months, we do not foresee a sudden upsurge in downsizing activity. Even with the increased job cuts in consumer products, retail and transportation, the monthly totals remain well below levels that would signal a reversal in the recovery,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. (challengergrey.com, 5/3/2012)

There have been other indications of the overall job situation picking up momentum. According to recent reports, relocation assistance, hiring bonuses and other incentives are starting to make a comeback for all levels and positions. (healthcareitnews.com, 5/4/2012)

“There are certain indicators you start to see when things are beginning to improve for job seekers. It’s been an incredibly competitive market recently. It’s nice to be able to show that when the opportunities start presenting themselves, they are quality opportunities that our applicants can be excited about applying for. It’s not just a job, it’s a relationship; and you want both the employer and the employee getting excited about that relationship building process. That’s what we find happening now and it’s a great sign for economy,” says John Burkhardt Managing Director of MedZilla.com

In Texas, clinics and hospitals are projecting they will need at least 10,000 Health Information Technology employees between now and 2013. This comes from an Employer Needs Assessment Report and according to the report’s executive summary, the number is actually quite conservative. The workers must support the state’s $ 103.6 billion dollar healthcare industry which has to implement the effective use of electronic medical records in order to comply with impending federal deadlines for EHR implementation. (healthcareitnews.com, 4/6/2012)

These HIT employees are in high demand nationwide for their unique combination of skills in both the medical and technological fields now more than ever. However, Health Information Technology is not the only field which is incorporating information technology skills into the science industry for the medical advancement of public health. Computational Biology or, Bioinformatics, has been a vital program for the Pharmaceutical Industry in furthering research and development for many years now. The need to find scientists skilled in Computational Mathematics with the intuition behind the Biological Sciences is a rare and important find.

According to Russ Altman, a professor of bioengineering, genetics, and medicine and director of the biomedical informatics training program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California these computational biologists “are being snapped up as soon as they graduate with lucrative salary offers.”

Some of Altman’s student’s agree. Joel Dudley is the founder of NuMedii, a Silicon Valley biotech company and a former protégé of Professor Altman. He says that other industries such as Google, Facebook and Netflix are hiring computational biologists to sift through their giant data sets as they may resemble the biotech industry’s. “There are other industries that have similar computational needs that have figured out that bioinformaticians are good at these things,” Dudley says. “We have a [computational biology] position open at NuMedii, and it’s been very difficult to fill. The start-up people here are having a hard time hiring anybody.” (http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org, 4/13/2012)

Del Johnston, Manager of Client Relations at MedZilla.com had this to say, “Finding qualified interdisciplinary people can be tricky, especially in the pure sciences. There may be positions when you can have an expert in one thing with a minor understanding in another and that can be considered ‘interdisciplinary’. However, when it comes to people’s medicine, that is simply not an option. Knowing the difference between the two is our job.”

Medzilla.com is one of the most notable and essential resources for accessing and finding healthcare, pharmaceutical, and bio-tech employment information on the internet. Their employment experts connect real qualified and skilled workers with top industry employers.

About MedZilla.com:

Established in mid-1994, MedZilla is the original and leading web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. The MedZilla jobs database contains about 7,500 open positions. The resume database currently contains over 295,000 resumes with 26,500 less than three months old. These resources have been characterized as the largest, most comprehensive databases of their kind on the web in the industries served.

MedZilla(R) is a Registered Trademark owned by MedZilla Inc. Copyright (C)MedZilla, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this text in its entirety, and if electronically, with a link to the URL http://www.medzilla.com. For permission to quote from or reproduce any portion of this message, please contact MedZilla, Inc. at press(at)medzilla(dot)com

©Copyright 1997-

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

HIT Sawgrass

Denver, CO (PRWEB) May 08, 2012

Brian Stern, Senior Vice President at Aventura, today will help an experienced room of hospital clinicians at the Healthcare IT Institute Conference in Sawgrass, Florida identify how to turn the tide on clinical computing. In his presentation, Clinical Computing: Friend or Foe—How Clinical Workflow Changes the Tide—Stern will discuss how to move the fix for healthcare IT away from using Band-Aids and toward a more comprehensive solution that changes the way clinicians work with healthcare information.

“As a nation, we’re spending a large bucket of funds on healthcare IT, and seeing limited results in improved care,” said Brian Stern, Senior Vice President at Aventura. “New technology mandates have driven 44% of healthcare facilities to increase their IT budgets in the past three years, yet hospital errors are on the rise. The challenge is that new clinical computing systems, which don’t support the clinician workflow, are becoming tools to document care activity rather than tools to enhance care. The only way to change the way doctors and nurses interact with healthcare tools—and therefore drive better care results—is to match the way they work with patients.”

Some of the points in Stern’s presentation include:

44% of healthcare IT budgets have increased over the past three years*
39% of that increase will go to implementing EMR systems, followed by 27% of spend on capital equipment**
$ 2.6T was the healthcare spend in 2010 compared to $ 256B in 1980***
Hospital errors occur in 1 in every 3 patients****

Computer sharing and long logon processes make it difficult to access the right information at the right time to drive critical care decisions. As a leader in using context- and location-aware computing in healthcare, Aventura presents patient information intelligently to the clinician based on location and credentials. Aventura’s clinician workflow solution gives clinicians desktop access to whatever information they need at the point of care in seconds rather than minutes.

About Aventura:

Aventura improves the workflow of doctors and nurses by providing the information they need, when and where they need it. Aventura’s context and location aware computing intelligence orchestrates technologies already in place, making them responsive to the user. Aventura provides tools that help clinicians practice more productively and effectively, allowing them to spend more time with patients. Aventura improves clinician satisfaction, increases EMR use at the point of care, and allows focus on the quality of care. Learn more at http://www.aventurahq.com.

*HealthLeaders Media Intelligence

**HealthLeaders Media Intelligence

***Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, National Health Care Expenditures Data, January 2012.

****Health Affairs Blog, New Health Affairs: Hospital Errors Ten Times More Common Than Thought? April 7, 2011. Chris Fleming.

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Nashville, TN (PRWEB) May 05, 2012

The general public has heard of cardiac arrest, but most do not know details about the disease. According the American Heart Association, 97% of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. AED.com, a national leader in AED (automated external defibrillator) distribution, recognizes this and is aiming to create mass awareness about the importance of early defibrillation with onsite AEDs. Part of this ongoing campaign includes the creation of an infographic on cardiac arrest.

The infographic, titled “What You Don’t Know Will Kill You – The Shocking Truth About Cardiac Arrest,” is a compilation of cardiac arrest facts that are mostly unknown to the public. The reader will learn the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, the timing necessary to save a victim of cardiac arrest, and how AEDs can save lives.

Director of Marketing, Justin Darby says, “With the rising prevalence of cardiac arrest, our goal is to spread awareness as much as we can. This condition takes more lives each year in American than breast cancer, prostate cancer, house fires, firearms, traffic accidents, and AIDs combined. The more people that know this, the more will hopefully take action to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

AED.com’s Infographic: http://www.aed.com/cardiac-arrest-infographic.html

To learn more, please visit: http://www.aed.com/

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) May 02, 2012

Academic and industry leaders in gene and cell therapy will be featured at a Media Event in Philadelphia, PA on May 15, 2012, immediately preceding the 15th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) on May 16-19, 2012. The event will focus on recent clinical developments in targeted biotherapeutics for various diseases.

Members of the media will also receive complimentary full-access registration to the ASGCT 15th Annual Meeting at the Pennsylvania Convention. To complete your registration to the Media Event and the Annual Meeting, please visit the ASGCT website.

2:00 pm – 2:20 pm: Gene and cell-based immunotherapy for cancer

Many cancers are known to acquire the ability to suppress anti-tumor immune responses in the host. The genetically modified cells developed and used in this clinical trial are designed to reawaken immune cells that have been suppressed by the leukemia and stimulate the generation of so-called “memory” T cells, which can provide ongoing protection against recurrence. Although long-term effectiveness of this novel treatment is not yet known, the doctors have found that months after infusion, the new cells had multiplied and continued their seek-and-destroy mission against cancerous cells throughout the patients’ bodies. The new paradigm provides a tumor-attack roadmap for the treatment of other cancers including lung, myeloma, ovarian cancer and melanoma.

Carl June, MD is currently the Director of Translational Research at the Abramson Cancer Center,, an Investigator of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, and a tenured Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.

2:20 pm – 2:30 pm: Question and answer period

2:30 pm – 2:50 pm: Gene therapy for hemophilia B

Hemophilia B is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of blood coagulation Factor IX, and patients need to be infused with the newly developed long-acting protein concentrates twice a month. Advances in gene therapy using intravenous infusion of an AAV vector expressing human Factor IX in a clinical trial on hemophilia patients have significantly improved circulation of Factor IX levels that transformed their disease from severe hemophilia to mild hemophilia. Other strategies are also under development that may confer the ability to correct the disease permanently by gene therapy.

Katherine High, MD is the William H. Bennett Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at the Children Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. High has pioneered safe and effective clinical translation of genetic therapies for inherited disorders including hemophilia B, and she is a Past President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.

2:50 – 3:00 pm: Question and answer period

3:00 pm – 3:20 pm: Gene and cell-based therapy for severe combined immunodeficiency

Severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID, a.k.a. “bubble boy disease”) is a rare disorder of immunity and without treatment; children affected with ADA-SCID will succumb to infections within the first two years of life. Over the past years >40 patients have been treated with gene-corrected hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which has led to the regeneration of immune cells and the reconstitution of immune function in >70% of the patients. While hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from a matched donor remains the therapy of choice for ADA-SCID, the results obtained by the current clinical trials have indicated that gene and cell therapy should be considered as the first treatment option in the absence of a matched donor.

Dr. Fabio Condotti, MD is a tenured faculty at the National Human Genome Research Institute where he currently leads the Disorders of Immunity Section of the Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch. Dr. Candotti’’s research and clinical interests are in the field of genetic defects of immunity with particular focus on adenosine deaminase deficiency, reticular dysgenesis and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.

3:20 – 3:30 pm: Question and answer period

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Coffee Break

4:00 pm – 4:20 pm: Gene therapy for vision disorders

Gene therapy has the potential to reverse disease or prevent further deterioration of vision in patients with incurable inherited retinal degeneration. In patients with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis due to mutations in the RPE65 gene, a single subretinal injection of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector expressing human RPE65 led to improved vision/retinal function. We have now demonstrated the recovery of retinal and visual function after re-administration of the vector to the second eye. Cortical responses are observed soon after gene delivery but take approximately three months to plateau. There does not appear to be an age limit to rescue, although the extent of disease- (and age-) related retinal degeneration influences characteristics of the responses.

Jean Bennett, MD, PhD is the F.M. Kirby Professor of Ophthalmology and Cell and Developmental Biology and a Senior Investigator in the F. M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Bennett has pioneered gene transfer and gene therapy strategies for eye diseases over the past two decades.

4:20 pm – 4:30 pm: Question and answer period

4:30 pm – 4:50 pm: Oncolytic virotherapy for cancer

Engineered animal viruses that selectively replicate in cancer cells but not in normal cells are under development as novel bio-therapeutics for a variety of solid tumors, which is collectively known as oncolytic virotherapy. We have designed a targeted and transgene-armed vaccinia virus product (JX-594) to combine attractive features of both oncolytic virus and gene therapy approaches with improved IV potency. The past year has shown two breakthroughs: 1) reproducible dose-dependent IV targeting of widespread metastases and 2) an overall survival benefit in a randomized Phase 2 dose-ranging trial in patients with advanced liver cancer. A Phase 2b trial is underway in end-stage liver cancer patients comparing survival with JX-594 vs placebo.

David Kirn, MD is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Jennerex Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, CA. He is a global leader in the clinical research and development of oncolytic viruses for cancer. He designed and led clinical development programs and trials with over 10 different agents, and with over 10 different companies and leading academic programs, involving hundreds of patients (Phase 1-3).

4:50 pm – 5:00 pm: Question and answer period

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Networking and interview opportunities with the speakers (light hors d’oevres)

The press event will take place in Salon K, located on the 5th floor of the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Please note that only registered members of the media will be admitted to the press event. Thank you for your understanding.

The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) is a professional nonprofit medical and scientific organization dedicated to the understanding, development and application of genetic and cellular therapies and the promotion of professional and public education in the field. For more information on ASGCT, visit its website, http://www.asgct.org.

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

New York, New York (PRWEB) May 02, 2012

Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the legal rights of people injured by metal-on-metal hip replacement implants and other defective medical devices, reports that bellwether trials could commence later this year in the DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation currently underway in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio (MDL No. 2197). According to Parker Waichman LLP, bellwether trials are used when a large group of plaintiffs have filed suit based on the same theory or claim. Verdicts in these key trials will help gauge how juries might rule in thousands of similar DePuy ASR hip replacement lawsuits pending in the litigation.

According to a report from Bloomberg News, DePuy and Johnson & Johnson have been named in more than 4,200 lawsuits in the federal MDL, while another 2,000 cases are pending in state courts throughout the country. During an MDL status conference held yesterday in Florida, attorneys representing both plaintiffs and defendants told U.S. District Judge David Katz that they had agreed that bellwether trials should be scheduled. [bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-01/j-j-hip-patients-will-take-bellwether-cases-to-trial-1-.html]

Parker Waichman LLP is representing numerous plaintiffs in the DePuy ASR hip implant MDL. Lawsuits pending in the litigation allege that minute particles of chromium and cobalt shed from the metal-on-metal hip implants can cause a variety of health problems, including tissue death, dangerous levels of metal ions in the bloodstream, pain, infection and the need for revision surgery, according to the firm.

DePuy Orthopaedics issued a global recall of the ASR Hip Resurfacing System and ASR Acetabular System in August 2010, after data from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales showed that 1 out of every 8 patients (12%-13%) who had received the devices had to undergo revision surgery within five years of receiving it. According to Parker Waichman LLP, more than 93,000 metal-on-metal DePuy ASR hip implants were sold worldwide prior to their recall. [depuy.com/asr-hip-replacement-recall]

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is currently conducting a safety review of metal-on-metal hip implants, including the DePuy ASR devices. Last May, the agency directed 21 companies that market all-metal hip replacements, including DePuy, to conduct post-market studies of their products to determine if they were shedding dangerous amounts of metallic debris in patients. The FDA recently announced that its Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel will meet on June 27 and 28 to discuss the risks and benefits of metal-on-metal hip systems, and make potential patient and practitioner recommendations for their use. – http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241604.htm

In March, a group of researchers writing in The Lancet called on doctors to stop using metal-on-metal hip implants after a study they conducted found that there is a 6.2 percent chance that patients with such devices will need a replacement within just five years. The month prior, a report in the British Medical Journal warned that hundreds of thousands of people around the world may have been exposed to dangerously high levels of toxic and potentially cancer-causing metals from failing metal-on-metal hip implants. [helancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2960353-5/fulltext; bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1410]

Parker Waichman LLP continues to offer free legal consultations to victims of DePuy ASR hip implant injuries. If you or a loved one experienced premature failure of your implant or other health problems associated with a recalled DePuy ASR Hip Implant, please contact their office by visiting the firm’s DePuy ASR hip implant injury page at http://www.yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1 800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636).

For more information regarding defective hip implant lawsuits and Parker Waichman LLP, please visit: http://www.yourlawyer.com or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

Contact:

Parker Waichman LLP

Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney

(800) LAW-INFO

(800) 529-4636

http://www.yourlawyer.com

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Mary Chapin Carpenter

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) April 30, 2012

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter will showcase her stunningly beautiful new album when she returns to the Taft Theatre this August. The troubadour’s new Ashes and Roses album ranks as her most powerful in years, perhaps even her strongest ever.

Reserved tickets, $ 42.50 & $ 30.00 (plus applicable fees), go on sale this Friday May 4 at 10 AM at http://www.ticketmaster.com, http://www.tafttheatre.org, the Taft Theatre Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores. Charge by phone at 1.800.745.3000.

“They say that the worst, the most traumatic things that people can go through in their lives are a divorce, the loss of a parent and catastrophic illness,” she says. “All of those things have happened to me in the last few years. “So these are the songs that came about when I started to write. To try and push them away, or write about something else, wouldn’t have been authentic. Songwriting is what I do. This is how I make sense of things, it’s how I seek connection and make my way through the world. “Ashes and Roses is a record about grief and loss, but it has an arc. It does go from night into day. I feel like it travels through some of the hardest, most difficult territory to a place of renewal. It speaks to that journey as it tries to describe what is seen and felt and experienced along the way. And one does get to the other side. I’m not entirely convinced that I’m through it all, but I am walking and talking and moving on with my life.”

Yes, Ashes and Roses can be heard as a “sad” recording. But that would be denying its immense beauty as well as its shining song craftsmanship. The experiences leading to this album’s creation began in 2007, when Mary Chapin Carpenter suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. “It’s still hard to talk about. It was the most terrifying experience. The health crisis itself was enough to paralyze you and the subsequent depression that followed was so difficult. They wave goodbye to you at the hospital, and they don’t tell you—or they didn’t tell me—‘Now be aware that the next few months it’s going to be really rough, and it’s not just because you don’t feel well.’ I was completely unprepared for it.”

Eventually, her marriage ended. “A divorce is like a death,” she comments. And then, real death came. Following a lingering illness, her father died last October. “Before he passed away, I wrote him a letter that thanked him for everything that he had done for me in my life. He made me feel as if it was a noble thing to want to be an artist in the world. And I wanted him to know how grateful I was for that.” Her father, Chapin Carpenter Jr., worked for as an executive for Life magazine. Mary Chapin was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but spent some time growing up in Japan, where the magazine sent him. Eventually, the family settled in Washington, D.C. From an early age, she was fascinated with music. Her parents had an extraordinary record collection that had everything from Bach to Basie to the Beatles in it.

“I was writing songs when I was in the second grade,” she recalls. “I played my Mom’s little bass ukulele and graduated to her gut-string guitar. It was just something I loved to do. I was always writing songs. It wasn’t until I was playing little local clubs in D.C. that I got the courage to play some of my own music. Until then, I was fervent about playing other people’s things. I came late to the idea that I could take (songwriting) somewhere. Writing was important to me, but it wasn’t something I imagined making a living from.”

After she graduated from Brown University she began strongly emphasizing her original songs in those D.C. venues. Her talent perked up ears in Nashville, America’s songwriting capital. In the 1990s, her folk-pop style was enthusiastically embraced by country radio. She won five Grammy Awards and was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1992 and 1993.

A string of Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums yielded a bounty of self-penned hits including “Never Had it So Good,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “Down at the Twist and Shout,” “I Feel Lucky,” “I Take My Chances,” “Shut Up and Kiss Me” and “Tender When I Want to Be.” Her songs have also been recorded by such diverse artists as Joan Baez, Wynonna, Maura O’Connell, Mary Black, Cyndi Lauper, Shawn Colvin, Dianne Reeves, Betty Buckley, Tony Rice and Trisha Yearwood.

In 2006, she signed with Rounder Records and began issuing collections on its Zoë imprint. These have included the critically applauded and Grammy nominated The Calling (2007), Come Darkness Come Light: 12 Songs of Christmas (2008) and her most recent Grammy nominated album, The Age of Miracles (2010).

“Ashes and Roses is the most acoustic record I’ve made in years,” Carpenter observes. “The arrangements evolved around my playing. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them ‘arrangements.’ The gentlemen (at the Nashville recording sessions) are all so talented. They’d hear me play the song, and then we all just assumed our positions and played. It was very organic.

“It was harrowing writing these songs, shut away in my little back office these last few years, but I was so grateful to be recording them with these dear, dear people. They were so supportive, because recording this was not easy. There was many a day where we’d listen back to what we’d done, and I’d just be weeping quietly at the (recording-studio) board, reliving (the emotions). They never made me feel embarrassed. It’s still very close to the bone.

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False Widow Spider

Mannheim, Germany (PRWEB) April 26, 2012

The Life, Earth and Health Sciences Magazine publishes insights into subjects in all areas of natural sciences including biology, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, geography, environment and health. Drawing from this pool of scientific disciplines, it provides articles, reviews and insights on natural sciences topics. While the Life, Earth and Health Sciences Research Category contains over 36 million references, most of the insights are included in the Life, Earth and Health Sciences Keyphrase Category, the Life, Earth and Health Sciences Review Category, and the Life, Earth and Health Sciences Keyword Category of the online magazine. The latter category now includes two newly published insights into False Widow Spider and Glabella.

The Life, Earth and Health Sciences Magazine insight into False Widow Spider covers Latrodectus as a genus of spiders in the family Theridiidae which contains 31 recognized species. The common name widow spiders is applied to members of the genus due to the behavior of the female of eating the male after mating. The Life, Earth and Health Sciences Magazine review shows that Australian spider bite causes minor effects in most cases and is unlikely to cause necrotic ulcers, allergic reactions or infection. Redback spider bite causes prolonged pain, and antivenom could have been used more frequently. Scorpion sting is the most important arachnid envenomation causing adult morbidity and paediatric mortality. Important groups of spiders include the false widow spiders, the recluse spiders, and two spiders confined to single countries: the Australian funnel web spider and the armed spider from Brazil. There are four false widow spider antivenoms available, including the Australian redback spider antivenom and the American black widow antivenom. Despite good in vitro animal work demonstrating effective neutralization with these antivenoms, and cross-reactivity between many species, there continues to be a reluctance to use them in some countries. Toxin-related disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in the tropical and subtropical continents. Spider bite is far less of a problem, and the majority of medically important cases can be attributed to false widow spiders and recluse spiders. Marine-related envenomations are common, but severe effects are less so.

In humans, the Glabella is the space between the eyebrows and above the nose. It is slightly elevated, and joins the two superciliary ridges. It is the most forward projecting point of the forehead in the midline of the supraorbital ridges and is also called mesophryon. The Life, Earth and Health Sciences Magazine insight into Glabella presents results of studies on Glabella reflex. Abnormal glabella reflex and deficits in verbal memory, attention and complex executive functions seem specifically to be related to schizophrenia-spectrum disorder among children at genetic risk for psychosis, while neurobehavioral deficits in general characterized children at heightened genetic risk for psychosis, with no relation to schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The authors of this study found that ribidity, stooped posture, graphesthesia, neglect of simultaneous tactile stimuli, and snout, grasp, and glabella reflexes were present significantly more often in patients with AD than in control subjects. The insight also provides information on respiratory insufficiency resulting from prominent Glabella. An infant which died of respiratory insufficiency showed microcephaly of the propositus, prominent glabella, broad bridge of the nose, ocular hypertelorism, poorly differentiated and low-set ears, bilateral palatoschisis, and micrognathia.

The Life, Earth and Health Sciences Magazine was launched in November 1998 as the online version of the French science magazine “Eurêka – Le magazine des sciences” published since 1995. During the past decade, it has emerged as a comprehensive aggregator of information on biology, on the applied life sciences agriculture, horticulture and forestry, on the earth sciences, on the environmental sciences, and on the health sciences.

The site delivers its content through a number of RSS feeds including an EurekaMag.com “Most Shared Content” RSS Feed, an EurekaMag.com “Life Traffic Feed”, and an @EurekaMag Twitter account. The @EurekaMag Twitter account currently features 56,324 tweets and 1,164 followers. The site also provides an EurekaMag.com portal for mobile viewing at m.eurekamag.com. The site accepts advertisements through the Google AdWords system.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.