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No Psychological Risk In Children Next-Born After Stillbirth
There is no evidence that children next-born after stillbirth are clinically at risk compared to children of non-bereaved mothers, according to a study published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. However, the study did find evidence of less optimal mother-child interaction.
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Genetic Variation Associated With Survival Advantage In African Americans With HIV
From the start of the HIV epidemic, it appeared that some of the people who were infected with the virus were able to ward off the fatal effects of the disease longer than others. Recent studies have begun to unravel the cause of this phenomenon, and new research suggests that African Americans with the disease have a unique survival advantage if they have both a low white blood cell count (known as leukopenia) and a genetic variation that is found mainly in persons of African ancestry. This study was prepublished online on July 20, 2009, in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
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Many U.S. Hospitals Fail To Report Physician Disciplinary Cases To National Databank
Many U.S. hospitals do not take sufficient disciplinary action against physicians for poor conduct or medical incompetence and fail to report such cases to the National Practitioner Data Bank, according to a report released Wednesday by Public Citizen, the Contra Costa Times reports. Congress established the databank in 1990 as a central repository for information about physicians whose hospital privileges had been withdrawn or limited for more than 30 days. The bank is closed to the public (Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 5/27).For the report, Public Citizen"s Health Research Group analyzed studies by the HHS Office of Inspector General and the Citizen Advocacy Center, as well as medical journal articles and recommendations made during an October 1996 meeting on under-reporting by hospitals (Stark/Hallihan, ABCNews.com, 5/27). According to the report, nearly half of U.S. hospitals did not submit one physician"s name in 17 years to the databank. One purpose of the databank is to provide hospitals with background information about physicians they were considering hiring at their facilities. Under the initial expectations of the databank, federal officials estimated that at least 5,000 disciplinary cases would be reported annually. However, on average, about 650 reports have been made annually since the databank was created, the report found (Contra Costa Times, 5/27). The group on Wednesday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that included recommendations to improve the efficacy of the databank. The letter said that the reporting numbers are "unreasonably low, compared with what would be expected if hospitals pursued disciplinary actions aggressively and reported all such actions." The letter urged Sebelius to ensure that hospitals are conducting necessary peer reviews and oversight of physicians, taking proper disciplinary actions and reporting them to the databank so that physicians" track records are available to all hospital administrators. Penalties also should be established for hospitals that fail to comply with the reporting requirements, the group said.Al Levine, the author of the report, said some hospitals had found ways to avoid their physician reporting responsibilities, such as by limiting restrictions on hospital privileges to fewer than 30 days or giving physicians a "leave of absence" in place of suspending their privileges. Levine said, "Even in states with high levels of reporting," it "seems to be concentrated in a few facilities" (Contra Costa Times, 5/27).In a statement responding to the report, the American Hospital Association said, "The premise that the number of reports received by the National Practitioner Data Bank correlates to jeopardized patient care is inaccurate," adding, "Hospitals are actively involved in a wide variety of efforts to continuously improve care and talk publicly about the care we provide" (ABCNews.com, 5/27).
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Perceptive Informatics Enhances Investigator Application Of New RECIST Version In Imaging-Based Oncology Trials

Perceptive Informatics, the industry"s leading eClinical solutions provider and a subsidiary of PAREXEL International Corporation (Nasdaq: PRXL), announced the launch of a website designed to help investigators apply the new 1.1 version of RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors) in medical imaging-based oncology trials. Medical imaging experts from Perceptive Informatics will be available at Booth #1881 during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, being held today through June 2, 2009 in Orlando, Florida, to discuss application of the new RECIST 1.1 criteria. These experts will address medical, scientific, and regulatory solutions to improve the use of medical imaging as a surrogate endpoint in oncology trials. "Independent review using RECIST is an essential part of pivotal oncology trials," said Kenneth G. Faulkner, Ph.D., Vice President of Medical Imaging, Perceptive Informatics. "With the release of the RECIST 1.1 toolset Perceptive Informatics maintains a leading position with respect to incorporation of the RECIST criteria into Independent Review Charters for regulatory approval of oncology treatments. Perceptive remains at the forefront of incorporating the new RECIST criteria into medical imaging services to meet immediate demand from clients sponsoring oncology trials." "Today, the majority of clinical trials evaluating cancer treatments for objective response or progression of disease in solid tumors use RECIST. The new version of RECIST will provide a number of benefits to sponsors including more robust data analysis for patients with certain disease indications as well as the ability to incorporate long-awaited enhancements to evaluate certain types of cancer treatments," said Oliver Bohnsack, M.D., Medical Director of Oncology for Perceptive Informatics. Perceptive Informatics offers a range of capabilities in the application of imaging techniques from early clinical development through late phase studies. The medical imaging team operates globally and services a wide range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, central nervous system, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and metabolism/endocrinology imaging. About PAREXEL International PAREXEL International Corporation is a leading global biopharmaceutical services organization, providing a broad range of knowledge-based contract research, medical communications and consulting services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Committed to providing solutions that expedite time-to-market and peak-market penetration, PAREXEL has developed significant expertise across the development and commercialization continuum, from drug development and regulatory consulting to clinical pharmacology, clinical trials management, medical education and reimbursement. Perceptive Informatics, Inc., a subsidiary of PAREXEL, provides advanced technology solutions, including medical imaging, to facilitate the clinical development process. Headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts, PAREXEL operates in 69 locations throughout 52 countries around the world, and has over 9,400 employees. This release contains "forward-looking" statements regarding future results and events. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "appears," "estimates," "projects," "targets," and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The Company"s actual future results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Important factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: actual operating performance; actual expense savings and other operating improvements resulting from recent restructurings; the loss, modification, or delay of contracts which would, among other things, adversely impact the Company"s recognition of revenue included in backlog; the Company"s dependence on certain industries and clients; the Company"s ability to win new business, manage growth and costs, and attract and retain employees; the Company"s ability to complete additional acquisitions and to integrate newly acquired businesses or enter into new lines of business, including, but not limited to, the successful business integration and anticipated synergy achievements in connection with the ClinPhone acquisition; the impact on the Company"s business of government regulation of the drug, medical device and biotechnology industry; consolidation within the pharmaceutical industry and competition within the biopharmaceutical services industry; the potential for significant liability to clients and third parties; the potential adverse impact of health care reform; and the effects of exchange rate fluctuations and other international economic, political, and other risks. Such factors and others are discussed more fully in the section entitled "Risk Factors" of the Company"s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 as filed with the SEC on May 8, 2009, which "Risk Factors" discussion is incorporated by reference in this press release. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company"s estimates as of the date of this release. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the future. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company"s estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. PAREXEL is a registered trademark of PAREXEL International Corporation, and Perceptive Informatics is a trademark of Perceptive Informatics, Inc. All other names or marks may be registered trademarks or trademarks of PAREXEL International Corporation, Perceptive Informatics, Inc. or their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. PAREXEL International Corporation


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