ATS Medical, Inc (ATSI) Reports Preliminary Revenue Results for the First Quarter of 2008.

ATS Medical, Inc, a company that provides innovative products and services focused on cardiac surgery, announced first quarter 2008 revenue results. ATS expects revenue for the first quarter 2008 to be between $14.6 and $14.8 million, which is approximately 6% more than the revenue generated for the first quarter 2007.

Revenues from ATS's mechanical heart valves are expected to exceed $5.0 million and represent about 34% of total revenue during the first quarter of 2008. The company expects to release its first quarter results on May 5, 2008.

Michael Dale, Chairman, President and CEO of ATS said, "The first quarter was a strong start to 2008, with higher revenue across all our business segments. ATS CryoMaze(TM) surgical ablation revenue was especially strong, up approximately 160% over the prior year’s first quarter. We were also pleased with the continued increase in revenue from mechanical heart valves internationally, up approximately 32% from last year."

Mr. Dale continues to say, "While we continue to seek FDA approval of our ATS 3f® Aortic Bioprosthesis tissue valve, we have maintained our focus on growing revenue in each of our other businesses, and witnessed sequential growth in every business segment, both domestically and internationally. We were also able to sequentially grow U.S. mechanical heart valve sales by over 10%, the second consecutive quarter of growth, due in part to a positive reception of our new ATS Open Pivot® AP360(TM) mechanical valve. We believe our diverse and highly differentiated product portfolio will be the key catalyst to continuing our growth throughout 2008, and are pleased that this quarter’s results reflect our execution across all segments."

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Online Auction Rage

UK-based online auction site eBid.co.uk commissioned the survey which takes a look at some of the habits of the increasing number of British online auction users who are in search of a bargain or looking to raise cash by selling goods online.
Mark Wilkinson of eBid.co.uk commented: "Auctions can be very stressful environments, whether you are online or in an actual auction room.
"There is a real adrenaline rush associated with the bidding process and when you end up empty handed it can cause some people to flip."
The condition is not limited to males only. Females are more likely to be infuriated when losing out on a bid.
Younger adults are also more likely to be seething behind their keyboards. 42% of respondents aged 16-29 have at some stage felt their blood boiling at failing to secure an item online.
Adults in the North East and Yorkshire are the worst for having a hot temper. Two fifths of those surveyed have admitted to becoming irate at losing out to somebody offering more cash.
The world of online auctions is not all about temper tantrums and computer cursing. On a brighter note, close to a third of those Brits quizzed said they have been put in a good mood thanks to a dose of online auction retail therapy.
eBid.co.uk is a UK-based competitor to eBay. It was one of the first ever online auction sites to be launched and regularly boasts over 600,000 items for sale at any time including toys and games, electrical appliances, home entertainment items and fashion brands.

Nilaam.pk - Pakistan’s #1 Auction Site

Atlanta, GA - Nilaam, a newly launched auction web site, is poised to bring the rich benefits of e-commerce to Pakistan's growing base of Internet users.

"Nilaam will make social commerce a reality in Pakistan," says Akber Mithani of Mithani Capital Partners, the U.S. private investment firm that is launching the web site. "We want to expand economic opportunities in Pakistan by fostering an emotionally satisfying experience for Pakistanis to explore, learn, shop, share and talk with each other."

Nilaam will be launched on April 15, 2008, at http://www.nilaam.pk, with the intention of transforming Pakistani shops and business owners into e-commerce enterprises and entrepreneurs. Nilaam will offer a wide selection of electronics, apparel, automobiles, real estate, gaming, jewelry, music, clothing, and other services.

Nilaam will offer its users many of the features of eBay, such as seller reviews, seller feedback, seller history, buy-now options, and bidding options. The web site will primarily reach out to individuals looking to dispose of goods they no longer want, and as well as small business owners. Shop owners or business owners in Lahore can now sell to buyers not just in close proximity but to anyone even as far away as Karachi or the United Arab Emirates.

"Pakistan has grown from 133,000 Internet users in 2000 to over 18 million today," says Mithani. "There are no Wal-Marts, No Home-Depots, No Remax’s, No Japanese car dealerships, But now there will be Nilaam, which will bring buying and selling to the consumer's desktop."