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In brief: Gas giant eyes ResMed, Gaymar buys Sunset

In brief: Gas giant eyes ResMed, Gaymar buys Sunset

POWAY, Calif. - Newspapers in ResMed's native Sydney, Australia, reported last week that German industrial and medical gases giant Linde Group is courting the manufacturer. When Philips Electronics bought ResMed competitor Respironics for $5.1 billion in December, key players in the sleep market and analysts predicted ResMed and Fisher & Paykel would be next. ResMed released the following statement in response to reports in The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review newspapers: "The company confirms that it is not aware of any information that would require disclosure to the ASX (Australian Securities Exchange) in terms of listing rule 3.1. Further, the company has a policy of not commenting on market rumors." Linde, which already has a CPAP product in its healthcare business, believes ResMed would beef up its portfolio, the newspapers reported. ResMed may be seeking to diversify away from the U.S. market, where sales are constrained by sky-high healthcare costs, they reported. Gaymar: Here comes the sun ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Gaymar Industries has acquired the assets of Alpine, Utah-based Sunset Manufacturing, a manufacturer of specialty gel components, it announced last week. Gaymar, a provider of medical solutions for pressure ulcer and temperature management, was Sunshine's largest customer. As part of the deal, Gaymar has obtained a new license agreement that gives it exclusive worldwide rights to new gel technologies. The acquisition will help Gaymar meet its objectives of providing a wide range of pressure ulcer management products to address its customer support surface needs. Gaymar is owned by Nautic Partners, a private equity firm. Roho beefs up Web site BELLEVILLE, Ill. - After spending hours of research and discussion, the Roho Group launched a renovated Web site in early July that's more user friendly, the company stated is a release. The new site has three key entrances from the home page: Medical Products, Comfort Products and the Roho Institute. Users can navigate between these categories to find a wide variety of information on its mattress and cushion products, ordering information, case studies, warranty information and more. Type 2 diabetes rates continue to skyrocket WASHINGTON - Nearly 8% of the U.S. population has diabetes, says a June 24 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's an increase of more than 3 million--mostly Type 2 diabetes--in two years. The numbers, which are based on 2007 data, show that another 57 million people have pre-diabetes. The highest rates are among Native Americans and Alaska natives (16.5%), followed by blacks (12%), Hispanics (10%), Asian Americans (7.5%) and whites (6.6%). Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. "It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," stated Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, in a release. Oxygen loss leads to memory loss SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Obstructive sleep apnea could cause memory loss, say researchers from the University of California Los Angeles in the June 27 issue of the journal Neuroscience Letters. Researchers did MRIs on brain tissue called mammillary bodies and discovered that 43 OSA patients had smaller mammillary bodies than 66 study participants without the disease. The continuing lack of oxygen causes serious brain tissue damage that can lead to memory loss, say researchers. The memory problems continue even after patients receive sleep apnea treatment.

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