— The health care protestor who was caught on video heckling a man with Parkinson’s disease (see our post here) apologized last week. Christopher Reichert, of Ohio, initially denied verbally assailing and throwing dollar bills at Robert Letcher, a former nuclear engineer who held a sign in support of health care reform. Reichert reportedly now admits, however, that he “snapped,” and vows to never attend another political rally. (Columbus Dispatch)

— Researchers have determined the structure of a key binding region in the insulin receptor. A previous study had yielded the overall conformation, but discovery of the insulin binding site might lead to diabetes treatments that better target the receptor. (ScienceDaily)

— Teva, the world’s largest generic drug maker, gave big pharma firms a run for their money during the year ending September 2009. The Israeli company was No. 1 in terms of rising revenues with a 12.3% growth rate; revenues surged to $15.7 billion, putting the company at No. 11 on the list of the world’s top drug makers (FiercePharma). For more on Teva, check out our Q&A with chief executive Shlomo Yanai in this month’s issue of Nature Medicine.

— If your phone makes you jump a little every time it rings, you may be surprised by the latest craze in Japan: therapeutic ring tones. The Japan Ringing Tone Laboratory claims its jingles can, for example, help those trying to diet, or dislodge pollen from the noses of allergy sufferers. For some science-minded folks, however, it may not hit all the right notes. (BBC)

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