Atreo Services (Denver, CO) launched a line of four- and six-inch pneumatic tube system carriers. The carriers are used by hospital personnel for the safe and reliable transport of laboratory specimens, blood products, pharmaceuticals, and other patient-care items through a pneumatic tube system. The Atreo carriers feature a reinforced polycarbonate body, quick-replace slide bands, a flat-end design for vertical stacking (six-inch carriers only), and contoured finger slots and are available in a variety of colors.

Boston Scientific Corporation (Natick, MA) and The Medicines Company (Parsippany, NJ) signed a co-promotion agreement for the Boston Scientific Promus PREMIER™ Everolimus-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System. Under the agreement, The Medicines Company's acute cardiovascular care sales force will work with the Boston Scientific Interventional Cardiology sales force to provide promotional support for the Promus PREMIER Stent System in U.S. hospitals beginning January 1, 2014.

Cochlear Americas (Englewood, CO) received FDA (Silver Spring, MD) clearance for its Cochlear Baha 4 Attract System. The Baha 4 Attract System uses magnets to connect the sound processor to the titanium implant. The sound processor attaches to the external magnet which transmits the sound to the internal magnet hidden under the skin. The single-point of transmission through the osseointegrated implant and Cochlear's advanced sound processor technology enables efficient conduction of sound.

Henry Schein Inc (Melville, NY) announced it will donate $150,000 in support of relief efforts for victims of the typhoon that recently struck the Philippines. Henry Schein is working with its suppliers and non-governmental organization partners - AmeriCares, Direct Relief (Santa Barbara, CA), Heart to Heart International, and MedShare, to provide essential supplies for the ongoing relief efforts. Funds raised through the Henry Schein Cares Foundation will be donated to organizations providing urgent care to victims. The Philippines Relief Fund provides a way for Schein members and others interested in supporting relief efforts to contribute. Henry Schein matches all donations contributed to this fund by Team Schein Members. All proceeds of the fund are applied directly and completely to relief efforts. The fund remains open and individuals or companies wishing to contribute can make a financial or product donation.

McKesson Corp (San Francisco, CA) launched a voluntary public takeover offer for the outstanding shares of Celesio (Stuttgart, Germany) and tender offers for the outstanding convertible bonds of Celesio through its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary Dragonfly GmbH & Co KGaA, in connection with October 2013 announcement of McKesson’s agreement to acquire Celesio. Celesio shareholders can now accept the takeover offer and tender their shares in Celesio at the offer price of €23 per share. The acceptance period will end on January 9, 2014.

Medtronic Inc (Minneapolis, MN) presented seven-year clinical and radiographic outcomes of artificial disc replacement with PRESTIGE Cervical Disc compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) at the Cervical Spine Research Society (Rosemont, IL) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California. PRESTIGE Cervical Disc is a stainless steel artificial cervical disc that is FDA (Silver Spring, MD) approved for the treatment of single-level cervical disc disease (radiculopathy and/or myelopathy). According to a release, the results of the study indicate that significant improvements in pain and functional outcomes achieved by 1.5 months in both groups were sustained at seven years.

Northeast Purchasing Coalition LLC (NPC) (Braintree, MA) signed an agreement with aptitude LLC (Irving, TX), which bills itself as "the healthcare industry's first online direct contracting market," that will enable more than 100 hospitals in the New England area to execute and manage contracts for medical supplies, devices, and products via the online market. Northeast Purchasing Coalition selected aptitude for its cost savings through online contracting as well as the ability to source, bid, execute, and monitor contracts more efficiently.

Palomar Health (San Diego, CA) joined Mayo Clinic Care Network (Rochester, MN), becoming Mayo Clinic's first member health system in California. Through the network, Palomar Health physicians will have access to Mayo Clinic specialists for consult or advice on complicated or unusual cases. In addition, the network will provide resources to improve Palomar's clinical and business processes. Palomar Health will pay $700,000 annually to be part of Mayo Clinic Care Network, which is an initiative of Mayo Clinic Health System (Rochester, MN).

Celebrations by Seattle Seahawks football fans in Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints were so uproarious that they registered as minor earthquakes on a nearby seismometer. The excitement at CenturyLink Field was picked up by a seismometer at a local university. The most intense rumble reportedly measured between magnitude 1 and 2.

Two days before the end of his one-month sentence, a Swedish inmate at a minimum-security prison broke out to go see a dentist. Although his electronic tag went off after he escaped from the prison, jail staff were unable to locate him. The prisoner went to a local dentist, had an inflamed tooth removed, and then turned himself back in to the police. The man’s sentence was only increased by a day, as prison officials decided to discount the day of the incident from his time served. The man has since been released.

**"News of the Weird" is for entertainment purposes only. The Dail-E News does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information or content included in the "News of the Weird" section. Views expressed on linked websites do not represent MDSI, and MDSI is not responsible for any material found on linked websites.**

In this week’s TIPS FOR GREATER SUCCESS, Dan Nielsen, founder of the National Institute for Healthcare Leadership (www.nihcl.com), discusses the importance and value of fostering relationships with people who have different interests, beliefs, and values from ourselves. He shares the story of how his decision to interact with a complete stranger, who by outward appearances did not fit the mold of his normal circle of acquaintances, led to a lasting personal and professional relationship. Nielsen writes, “By seeking out and preferring ‘duplicates’ of ourselves, we inevitably exclude and pass over anyone who is too far outside our circle of comfort. And by doing so, we also pass up incredible opportunities, varied perspectives, new ideas, and much more.” To read this week's Tips, visit dannielsen.com/2013/12/05/give-different-a-chance/.

Quotes last updated at 12/5/2013 5:50:50 PM EST