Panasonic Unveils Three Types of Digital Hearing Instruments, Including a New “MP3 Player” Style for Improved Comfort and Usability

Panasonic announced that Panasonic Hearing instruments have been delivered to the U.S. market. The company is debuting three types of digital hearing instruments, including a new form factor that resembles the style of an MP3 player, a receiver-in-canal and behind-the-ear models. Panasonic is currently establishing a distribution network throughout the U.S.

“We are thrilled to bring three new Panasonic digital hearing instruments to the U.S. and make products available from a brand that is associated with quality sound. Panasonic digital hearing instruments deliver the same high-quality, reliability, and innovation that our customers have grown to appreciate from our audio products. We manufacture our own digital signal processors and have developed a unique algorithm to enable precise sound reproduction,” said Yoshi Yuasa, Senior Vice President, Panasonic Corporation of North America. “Panasonic is known as one of the leaders in acoustic science, and is committed to provide innovative hearing solutions through advanced technology.”

Panasonic digital hearing instruments are designed for the patient and provide the features, convenience and performance requested by hearing care professionals and their patients. They are attractive, comfortable to wear, easy to use and have a unique circuit design for high performance and long battery life.

Panasonic introduces the JZ Series, a newly-styled digital hearing instrument that resembles the style of an MP3 player. This palm-sized unit features an LCD screen and a stereo binaural headset (earphone with microphones), created for increased usability and designed to be comfortable for long hours of wear. Read the rest of this entry »


Study finds gender-specific total knee prostheses provide no clinical benefits compared to standard prostheses in women

A gender-specific total knee prosthesis was developed to more closely match the anatomy of the female knee, aiming to be a better fit resulting in better outcomes for women. However, a recent study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that 85 women who received a gender-specific implant in one knee and a standard prosthesis in the other knee found no clinical benefits of the gender-specific knee.

“We conducted this study to investigate whether women derive less benefit, or perhaps less predictable benefit, from total knee replacement using a standard conventional total knee implant,” said Young-Hoo Kim, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon and lead author of the study.

After receiving knee implants – one gender-specific and one standard prosthesis – the women were assessed for at least two years after surgery. The knees with the gender-specific implant and the knees with the standard implant had similar knee scores and similar range of motion while lying down (125 degrees for the knees with standard implants and 126 degrees for the knees with gender-specific implants). All patients except three were able to bend their knees at least 90 degrees.

Additionally, patient satisfaction with the implants was similar (8.3 points for the standard implants and 8.1 points for the gender-specific implants). A rating of 6 to 8 meant “satisfied,” and a rating of 9 to 10 meant “fully satisfied.” Read the rest of this entry »


Cleveland Clinic has finalized the agenda for the 8th Annual Medical Innovation Summit, which will be held Nov. 1-3 on the Clinic’s campus. The Summit draws 1,000 attendees each year, and includes panel discussions with some of the industry’s top CEOs and thought leaders.

This year’s summit will highlight breakthrough technologies for diagnosing and treating obesity and diabetes. Top executives, investors, entrepreneurs, clinicians and technologists will gather to share ideas on how to combat this devastating epidemic.

“Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled in the United States, not only increasing the likelihood of diabetes, but also a number of other significant health risks,” said Chris Coburn, Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations. “This year’s summit brings together the decision makers who are developing new technologies to diagnose, treat and manage these diseases. We have assembled the top executives, highest impact technologies, most active investors and leading clinicians to highlight the issues and opportunities for this important area of medical innovation.”

The 2010 Medical Innovation Summit will feature more than 40 international leaders including: CEOs Bill Weldon (Johnson & Johnson), Chris Viehbacher (Sanofi-aventis), John Lechleiter (Eli Lilly), Kevin Sharer (Amgen), John Hammergren (McKesson), William Hawkins (Medtronic), Stephen MacMillan (Stryker), Rich Meelia (Covidien), Angela Braly (Wellpoint), and Tim Ring (Bard); best-selling author and host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” Dr. Mehmet Oz; media moderators Maria Bartiromo (CNBC) and Ron Winslow (Wall Street Journal); CEOs of more than a dozen emerging technology companies; and the Commissioner of the Patent and Trademark Office. Read the rest of this entry »


New Hope in Finding Cure for Yellow Fever

Tamir Biotechnology (formerly Alfacell Corporation) announced that scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) confirmed that testing of three (3) of our company’s compounds showed in vitro results rarely seen before by the U.S. government for yellow fever.

In order to determine the effectiveness of a compound, NIAID uses a Selectivity Index (SI). The SI measures EC50 (50% virus-inhibitory (effective) concentration and EC90 (90%) cell inhibitory (cytotoxic) concentration determined in stationary cells. SI= (CC50 divided by EC90). The SI scores of our three (3) compounds tested for yellow fever virus were 100, 267 and 287. According to the scientists who conducted the testing, rarely have they seen an SI above 10.

It’s been over 100 years since the United States sent three doctors, led by renowned American Army surgeon Dr. Walter Reed to Cuba to study the work of Carlos Finlay, Cuban physician and scientist who first proposed proof in 1881 that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes rather than direct human contact. It’s been seventy-three (73) years since Max Theiler, working at the Rockefeller Foundation, discovered the 17D vaccine for yellow fever. Despite the medical advances of the twentieth century, this tropical disease remains incurable.

“Due to these compelling results, the government has informed us they will be conducting studies in animal models in the near future. This study expands the potential use of our compounds (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=197044) against other viruses and other life threatening diseases with the strong possibility of development of a new class of therapies. We intend to use all resources that are available to us by the government in our pursuit of discovering other viral targets for our compounds. We have only begun to see the effectiveness of our compounds outside the field of oncology. This is truly an exciting time for our company and our loyal shareholders,” stated Charles Muniz, Chief Executive Officer of Tamir.


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