A row erupted yesterday after MPs said homeopathic treatments should no longer be funded on the NHS. There is no scientific evidence that the remedies work and using public money on them cannot be justified, concluded the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. It said they were no more effective than placebo, adding: "There has been enough testing of homeopathy and plenty of evidence showing it is not efficacious."  But supporters of the 200-year-old system accused the committee of being selective with evidence and failing to hear vital testimony.

An imaging exam of the heart using the latest generation of CT technology exposes patients to as much as 91 per cent less radiation than standard helical CT scanning, researchers have found.

“Coronary CT angiography has generated great enthusiasm in recent years, due to its diagnostic accuracy in assessing patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease,” said Andrew J. Einstein, Assistant Professor of clinical medicine in radiology and director of cardiac CT research at Columbia University Medical Centre. “However, that enthusiasm has been tempered by concern about the potentially high radiation dose received by patients,” he added.

3DIcon Corporation (OTCBB:TDCP), the developer of volumetric, three-dimension projection and display technologies, today provided a status report and announced several significant steps it is pursuing as a part of its business plan.  3DIcon (www.3DIcon.net) believes that its technology is the next step in the development of the 3D industry as the field moves from the current 3D-on-2D, popularized in such venues as the motion picture Avatar, to true, volumetric 3D and its many applications in entertainment, medical imaging, commercial display, baggage and cargo scanning, the military, and numerous other applications.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. announced today its wireless PressureWire(TM) Aeris technology, which aids in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery blockages by measuring Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR), will now be available to hospitals using the McKesson Horizon Cardiology Hemo(TM) solution. Through a new agreement with McKesson, physicians will have greater access to the market's only wireless FFR measurement system.

Tuesday reported its fiscal first-quarter profit more than tripled on higher margins and growing license revenue, as the software provider also lifted its fiscal year target.

Following the results, which easily topped expectations, shares jumped 7.4% to $16.90 in after-hours trading. The company also sees second-quarter earnings of 14 cents to 20 cents on revenue of $235 million to $245 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected 20 cents and $234 million, respectively.Parametric Technology also sees full-year earnings of $1 on revenue of $1.02 billion, up from its view earlier this month of earnings of 96 cents and revenue of about $980 million.

U.S. stocks rose Tuesday, led by the technology sector following strong earnings from Apple, while investor sentiment was boosted by a better-than-expected reading on consumer confidence.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 55 points, or 0.5%, at 10251, in recent trading. Earlier in the session, the Dow had been off as much as 41 points. Alcoa was the measure's best performer, up 4%, after metals futures reversed prior losses. Travelers was also strong, up 3.6% as the insurer's fourth-quarter earnings jumped 60% to its highest quarterly profit since going public in 2002. American Express and Caterpillar also helped lift the Dow, up more than 2% each.