pSivida in nanotechnology index

Global bio-nanotech company pSivida (Boston/Perth, Australia) reported that it has been included in a new nanotechnology index established by The Nanotech Co. (San Diego).

The Nanotechnology.com Small Technology Index is composed of 30 international, publicly traded companies and is expected to become the industry standard.

The Nanotech Co., headed by Darrell Brookstein and Erkki Ruoslahti, MD, PhD, designed the Small Technology Index to mimic the portfolio of a sophisticated fund manager with $30 million to place in the area of small tech and nanotechnology. The index is diversified by geography, industry sector, type of small tech, market capitalization and other criteria. The index does not include Fortune 500 companies with relatively insignificant small-tech product revenue. Rather, the index focuses on companies that are primarily involved in the nanotech space, such as pSivida.

Half of medical mistakes considered misdiagnosis

Isabel Healthcare (Reston, Virginia), developers of the web-based diagnosis decision support system to improve the quality of healthcare, released the results of a national survey on medical mistakes. The survey revealed that half of all the mistakes reported were considered misdiagnosis.

According the survey results, one in six U.S adults, 35% of respondents, said that they had experienced a misdiagnosis either directly or through a friend or relative over the last five years and one-quarter of those medical mistakes resulted in permanent harm or death.

The online survey, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the Isabel Medical Charity , included 2,201 respondents and was carried out in November 2005. Survey results further showed that the main concern of 55% of people when seeing their family practitioner was being correctly diagnosed and this also remains a key concern for 23% of people when being seen in hospital.

More than two-thirds (70%) of those questioned for the survey agreed that they would approve or be reassured if their physician referred to a specialized computer system that could remind them of likely diagnoses.

Cleveland Clinic establishes Canadian unit

Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland) reported formation of a new corporation called Cleveland Clinic Canada , opening with a new center, the Toronto Health and Wellness Centre, to be jointly owned and operated by the clinic and the Copeland Group of companies.

The Toronto Health and Wellness Centre, on the 30th floor of the BCE Tower, will provide executive physicals, as well as health and wellness consulting in the areas of nutrition, prevention, exercise and stress management.