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Health Reform: Good For Small Business, According To President's Economic Advisors
A report from President Obama"s Council of Economic Advisers finds that "health care reform would be good for small businesses because it would enable them to obtain better insurance coverage for less money," The Denver Business Journal writes. "Small businesses pay up to 18 percent more than large businesses do for the same coverage because of high broker fees, administrative costs and adverse selection, according to the CEA"s report." Christina Romer, chair of the CEA, "said the health care reform bills moving through Congress are specifically designed to address the burden the current health care system places on small businesses. The legislation would create insurance exchanges, where individuals and small businesses could "choose among a multitude of plans that would provide better coverage at lower costs than they could find in the current small group market," the report said." But, The Journal notes: "Many small business groups also doubt that health insurance would be cheaper under the House bills or the Senate HELP Committee bill. Including a government-run plan in the insurance exchange would undermine private insurers, ultimately driving premiums higher, they contend. Not all small businesses would be able to access the exchange. Plus, the bills call for the federal government to establish minimum coverage levels for insurance plans, which could be pricier than what small businesses now provide. (Hoover, 8/3).

IOM Comparative Effectiveness Research Priorities Report
A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends 100 health topics that should get priority attention and funding from a new national research effort to identify which health care services work best. It also spells out actions and res needed to ensure that this comparative effectiveness research initiative will be a sustained effort with a continuous process for updating priorities as needed and that the results are put into clinical practice.
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Medtronic And Abbott Laboratories Resolve Global Vascular Patent Disputes
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced global resolution of all outstanding intellectual property litigation with Abbott Laboratories.
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Major Award From NIH For Further Exploration Into The Mechanisms Of Obesity

Timothy J. Bartness, Regents" Professor of Biology at Georgia State University, has received a multi-million dollar award from the National Institutes of Health to further research into the biological mechanisms of obesity. The prestigious Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases will provide long-term for his lab"s investigation into the communication loop between fat cells and the brain, which Bartness has researched for the past 26 years with NIH support. "I am delighted to have received this award," Bartness said. "The support provided through the MERIT program will allow us to be more innovative in our research, and will aid in increasing our understanding in the field of obesity and metabolic diseases." "These awards reflect highly of the reputation and quality of Dr. Bartness" research," said Robin Morris, vice president for research at Georgia State University. "The NIH gives these awards very sparingly, and the awards are for researchers like Dr. Bartness who have a long track record of doing cutting-edge and quality work. Georgia State is very proud to have him as a member of our research faculty." MERIT is among the most selective research grants given by the NIH, with less than 5 percent of NIH-funded investigators selected as recipients. Previously, 10 researchers from institutions within the University System of Georgia have been selected for MERIT awards. Bartness is the first recipient of the MERIT award at Georgia State. The MERIT award extends NIH support under Bartness" current 5-year grant to 10 years. Recently, Bartness, with C. Kay Song of Georgia State, and Gary J. Schwartz of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found that fat cells give feedback to the brain in order to regulate fat burning, much the same way as a thermostat sends information to the furnace or air conditioner to regulate temperature inside a house. Using viruses to trace communications in the nerves of Siberian hamsters, they found that the brain uses part of the nervous system used to regulate body functions, called the sympathetic nervous system, to initiate fat burning and then sensory nerves, in turn, communicate back to the brain cells to continue or stop the fat burning depending upon the information the brain receives from the fat. Other research goals include the study of mechanisms underlying the melatonin-induced changes in body fat and its involvement in the seasonal control of total body. Among others in his lab"s team, Bartness credits Song, a research scientist, with greatly facilitating progress in his research across the past 15 plus years. "It"s been fun and hard work, and I"ve had a good team," he said. "This doesn"t happen with me alone, and across the years, her exceptional abilities and continuous work have assisted me in this endeavor." Jeremy Craig Georgia State University


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