U.S. regulators gave the nod to an imaging test from Eli Lilly and Co. that can for the first time helpdoctors detect brain plaque tied to Alzheimer’s disease, the company said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the radioactive dye, called Amyvid, to help doctors rule out whether patients have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, Lilly announced late on Friday.

The dye binds to clumps of a toxic protein called beta amyloid that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s. Doctors can then see the plaque light up on a positron emission tomography, or PET, scan.

Patients with Alzheimer’s always have some brain plaque, so its absence in the test would tell doctors to look for other causes of mental decline, such as depression or medications, Lilly has said.

But Lilly, which plans to sell the drug through its unit Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc, said the test should not be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s, since brain plaque can also be tied to other neurologic conditions and may occur naturally in older people with normal mental states.

An FDA advisory panel recommended against approving the dye last year, saying doctors might have trouble interpreting scans of the plaque, and the FDA rejected Amyvid last March.

Since then, Eli Lilly said it has worked to identify better ways of training doctors to use the test.

Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, CEO of Avid, said one in five patients who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s turn out not to have the disease after an autopsy.

“The approval of Amyvid offers physicians a tool that, in conjunction with other diagnostic evaluations, can provide information to help physicians evaluate their patients,” he said in the company’s statement from Friday.

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, a mind-robbing disease that affects more than 35 million people worldwide and gets worse with age.

But an early hint that something is wrong might improve the success of drugs meant to prevent or delay disease progression, researchers believe.

Avid has been in the lead in the race for imaging agents for Alzheimer’s, which are estimated to have a potential global market anywhere from $1 billion to $5 billion.

General Electric Co and Bayer AG are developing rival products.

Lilly, as well as Pfizer Inc, are the farthest along in developing experimental medicines to treat Alzheimer’s. Lilly expects to release final data for its contender, solanezumab, as soon as this summer.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The chief executives of General Motors , AIG, and Ally Financial had their 2012 compensation packages frozen for a second year in a row by the Treasury Department after they got “exceptional” bailout help during the financial crisis.

Treasury freezes pay for CEOs at Ally Financial

The Treasury said on Friday that all three were making progress at repaying the taxpayer funds given to them to keep them from collapsing during the 2007-2009 financial crisis but their pay practices remain under scrutiny of a “special master” until they do pay it back.
The top executives get a mix of cash, stock and stock options that together make up their overall pay packets.

“Although there has been some modification in the mix of stock, salary and long-term restricted stock for the CEO group, the overall amount of CEO compensation is frozen at 2011 levels,” Treasury said.

First and most significant, an online degree cost significantly lower than the traditional college degrees. The reason for this is 1 does not must pay the miscellaneous charges of the school and the instructor and student will not need to leave their homes and incur extra expenses whilst outside the house, like transportation and food. Another benefit is that students have the power more than their schedule. Aside from not having to take the time to travel to the campus, a students time is a lot more flexible; they are able to afford to take a part-time or full-time job to add to their savings and pay for their necessities, even their tuition. They also have the luxury of accomplishing their homework whenever its convenient for them and learn at their own pace. Aside from that, student could also avail of courses offered exclusively in a state, since geographic distance is meaningless when it comes towards the internet. It also provides convenience to those that are with disabilities or responsibilities and cant afford to leave their homes.

Lets not forget though, the disadvantages that come using the advantages: first, theres a social vacuum that opens up since the majority of the students that you simply will meet are via the internet. This is a major adjustment, especially for people who are more or less used towards the traditional way. There’s a level of dehumanization and the danger that a student will spend more time online than go out of the house for considerably needed exercise and fresh air. Also, significantly needed interaction with the professor and a one on 1 discussion with them about their feedback on your progress will solely rely on your internet connection and computer processor. Most feedback is going to be in text and be prone to misinterpretation and would constantly require clarification.

Thats not all; most companies have not quite warmed to the concept of an online degree so it may not have the same impact or bearing as a traditional degree would. 1 reason for this is you will find not enough checks and balances to ensure that the student did not simply cheat his approach to a diploma since there is minimum supervision from the professors. Another important disadvantage is the possibility of hardware failure. Since virtual classes rely on the internet and computer, once one of these fail, the student or instructor might be forced to learn how to troubleshoot them, a big adjustment especially if theyre not technologically savvy.

At the end, it all really boils down to individual preference: no matter whether you choose to take the traditional path or acquire an online degree.