Blood Test News and Research

RSS

Important facts about colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the U.S., with about 143,000 new patients diagnosed last year. But thanks to increased awareness about screenings, the death rate from colorectal cancer has been dropping for more than 20 years.

6 Mar 2014

OPKO Health consolidated revenues increase about 30% to $20.7 million in Q4 2013

OPKO Health, Inc., a multi-national biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company, today reported operating and financial results for its 2013 fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2013.

4 Mar 2014

Research roundup: Medicaid peer support; doctor Jokes; ACA's asset rules for coverage

Since 2009, the eight states (Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin) participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Maximizing Enrollment program have worked to streamline and simplify enrollment systems, policies, and processes for children and those eligible for coverage in 2014. ... States [focused] on five key areas: 1) applications, 2) eligibility determinations, 3) renewals and transfers, 4) notices, and 5) business processes.

3 Mar 2014

New prostate cancer screening method combines existing tests to increase accuracy

Northwestern Medicine- is the first health care provider in the country to offer a new non-invasive blood test for prostate cancer that is nearly three times more accurate than the current standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Known as the Prostate Health Index (phi), the new test's accuracy will effectively remove the need for many men who test positive for elevated PSA levels to undergo a biopsy to achieve a reliable diagnosis.

27 Feb 2014

New blood test can detect heart attacks hours faster than current gold-standard blood test

A new blood test can detect heart attacks hours faster than the current gold-standard blood test, according to a study led by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers.

26 Feb 2014

Lone star tick bites are likely the cause of severe red meat allergies

Lone star tick bites are likely the cause of thousands of cases of severe red meat allergies that are plaguing patients in Southeastern states including Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia and spreading up the Eastern Seaboard along with the deer population.

21 Feb 2014

New biologic drug to prevent growth of ovarian cancer cells

Researchers at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island have developed a biologic drug that would prevent the production of a protein known to allow ovarian cancer cells to grow aggressively while being resistant to chemotherapy. This would improve treatment and survival rates for some women.

20 Feb 2014

AlloMap test can be used to assess risk of dysfunction or rejection of a transplanted heart

A new UCLA-led study shows that a blood test commonly used to determine whether heart transplant recipients are rejecting their new organ can also predict potential rejection-related problems in the future.

19 Feb 2014

Study: 85% of patients who have heart attacks after surgery do not experience traditional symptoms

Without administering a simple blood test in the first few days after surgery, 85 percent of the heart attacks or injuries patients suffer could be missed, according to a study in the March issue of Anesthesiology.

19 Feb 2014

New combination MRI-ultrasound imaging system improves treatment for prostate cancer patients

A new combination MRI-ultrasound imaging system can result in fewer biopsies and better treatment decisions for prostate cancer patients.

10 Feb 2014

New research aims for better monitoring, treatment for chronic kidney disease

Detailed structural and functional 'maps' of the human kidney made using advanced scanning technology are to be developed by scientists at The University of Nottingham.

10 Feb 2014

Glimmer of hope for Alzheimer’s disease sufferers

Hope may be on its way for sufferers of Alzheimer’s Disease as the Griffith Health Institute seeks participants for new research.

7 Feb 2014

Researchers recommend FIT as screening tool for colorectal cancer

Tests that require patients to collect a single stool sample at home and then send it to a lab for analysis will detect about 79 percent of colorectal cancers, according to a new evidence review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

4 Feb 2014

Treating peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes DNA of immune cells

Treating a peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes the DNA of the patient's immune cells, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. The DNA change could serve as the basis for a simple blood test to monitor the long-term effectiveness of the allergy therapy.

31 Jan 2014

Researchers discover simple blood test that can predict diabetes risk much earlier

An estimated 25.8 million Americans have diabetes. Another 79 million are thought to have "prediabetes," meaning they are at risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

28 Jan 2014

OBGYN.net to present new research and topics related to cervical health

UBM Medica US announces that OBGYN.net, a leading online community for medical professionals specializing in women's health, will present new research and topics over the coming weeks related to cervical cancer and cervical health in honor of January being Cervical Health Awareness Month.

23 Jan 2014

Diagnostic microRNA panels in blood may help in early detection of pancreatic cancer

Researchers have identified diagnostic microRNA panels in whole blood that had the ability to distinguish, to some degree, patients with and without pancreatic cancer, according to a study in the January 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Jan 2014

Research findings suggest possible blood test to identify cancer-related DNA defects

Some surprising research findings from scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggest it's possible a simple blood test could be developed to determine whether gene mutations associated with pancreatic cancer exist without the need of locating and testing tumor tissue. This appears possible following the discovery that tiny particles the size of viruses called 'exosomes,' which are shed by cancer cells into the blood, contain the entire genetic blueprint of cancer cells. By decoding this genomic data and looking for deletions and mutations associated with cancer, the research team believes this discovery could be translated into a test that helps physicians detect cancer and treat patients.

9 Jan 2014

Researchers find inhibition of basic cellular process that contributes to schizophrenia

Surprisingly little is known about schizophrenia. It was only recognized as a medical condition in the past few decades, and its exact causes remain unclear. Since there is no objective test for schizophrenia, its diagnosis is based on an assortment of reported symptoms.

30 Dec 2013

UC San Diego Sulpizio listed in “100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs”

UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center (SCVC) has been featured in the latest Becker's Hospital Review list of "100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs."

20 Dec 2013