ALSO NOTED: General Electric ends Abbott buyout plan; Tobacco interests get states to cut back on anti-smoking ads; and much mo

> General Electric Co. has ended its effort to acquire Abbott Laboratories' in-vitro and point of care diagnostics businesses, which had 2006 sales of $2.7 billion. Article

> Of late, the tobacco industry has been working to convince states to spend less on anti-smoking promotions. In some cases, tobacco interests have managed to convince states to let the companies handle anti-smoking campaigns on their own, with dubious results. Article

> Louisiana is making it clear that while New Orleans providers seeking incentives for remaining in the area must accept Medicare and Medicaid--plus offer a sliding scale fee--they don't have to dedicate 30 percent of their practice to such patients. Article

> Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has dished out $560,000 in grants to a variety of medical programs across the state. Article

> If physicians begin responding to patient requests via email rather than seeing patients in their office, it could cut their practice revenues, according to one study. FierceHealthIT

And Finally...  Sure, jogging is good. iPods are good. But sometimes they're not a good mix. Article