Internists Note 'Close Alignment' With Policies In America's Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009
The president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) told the chairmen of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees that America"s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, H.R. 3200, is "closely aligned" with ACP policies on coverage, workforce, and payment and delivery system reform.
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Statement by APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD On Tuesday, June 30, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research released their recommendations on comparative effectiveness research priorities that should be funded by the $1.1 billion made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). I am pleased to report that many of the priorities outlined by IOM and the council include research that
will draw conclusions about physical therapy intervention as compared with pharmaceutical and medical management. 
More than 40 scientists, bioethicists, lawyers and science journal editors are calling on their colleagues, policy makers and the public to begin developing guidelines for the research and reproductive use of stem cell-derived eggs and sperm, even though such use may be a decade or more away. "Science has always moved faster than social debate or society"s ability to grapple with these issues," says Debra Mathews, Ph.D., lead author of a paper published in
the July issue of Cell Stem Cell and assistant director of science programs at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. The paper calls for all parties to begin engaging in open discussion and debates, and describes the need for informed social policy well in advance of the eventual use of eggs and sperm derived from pluripotent stem cells. 
UCLA researchers have found that embryonic stem cells and skin cells reprogrammed into embryonic-like cells have inherent molecular differences, demonstrating for the first time that the two cell types are clearly distinguishable from one another. The data from the study suggest that embryonic stem cells and the reprogrammed cells, known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, have overlapping but still distinct gene expression signatures. The differing signatures were evident
regardless of where the cell lines were generated, the methods by which they were derived or the species from which they were isolated, said Bill Lowry, a researcher with the Broad Stem Cell Research Center and a study author. "We need to keep in mind that iPS cells are not perfectly similar to embryonic stem cells," said Lowry, an assistant professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology. "We"re not sure what this means with regard to the biology of pluripotent stem cells.
Ikaria Holdings, Inc. and BioLineRx Ltd. (TASE: BLRX) announced that Ikaria has entered into an agreement to obtain a worldwide exclusive license to BioLineRx"s BL-1040, a potential breakthrough treatment for preventing pathological cardiac remodeling following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). BL-1040, currently in a phase I/II clinical trial, is administered via the coronary artery during standard catheterization and flows into the damaged heart muscle, where it forms
a protective "scaffold" that enhances the mechanical strength of the heart muscle during recovery and repair. BL-1040 is the first program to graduate from the BIJ (BioLine Innovations Jerusalem) incubator subsidized by the Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist. Under the terms of the agreement, BioLineRx will receive upfront and milestone payments. BioLineRx will also receive royalties on annual net sales. Ikaria will be responsible for completing clinical development and commercialization efforts.