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U.S. FDA announces link between breast implants and ALCL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a possible association between saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a very rare type of cancer.

27 Jan 2011

ASPS, FDA collaborate to establish national breast implant registry

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is establishing a national registry for breast implants in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The registry is being developed in response to reports of a rare lymphoma--Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL)—in a very small number of women with breast implants.

27 Jan 2011

LDR announces submission of Mobi-C cervical artificial disc PMA to FDA

LDR, a privately held medical device company offering innovative spinal implants for both non-fusion and fusion applications, announced the January 14th submission of its single-level Mobi-C cervical artificial disc PMA to the FDA.

26 Jan 2011

Microvisk secures £6 million to launch world's first diagnostic SmartStrip

Microvisk Technologies, the developer of a handheld system to monitor the blood clotting status of patients taking the drug Warfarin, has raised £6 million through a rights issue to existing investors in an oversubscribed round. This is the third successful funding round for Microvisk, which has secured £10.5m in the past 12 months - the largest amount raised by a UK life science company**.

26 Jan 2011

Weighty problem: 127kg man trying to put on weight

When Darin McCloud, 45 from Portsmouth, was told he did not qualify for a gastric bypass, he planned to get fatter to tip the scales at more than 133kg - the weight deemed necessary by his local NHS primary care trust. At present he is eating three-quarters of a loaf of bread, four packets of crisps and bacon rolls each day to put on the weight. He also has diabetes ad he believes that the surgery could get him off the insulin injections.

26 Jan 2011

Survival following transplant surgery for liver cancer not impacted by HIV-positive status

French researchers determined that infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) impaired results of transplant surgery for liver cancer, with more HIV infected patients dropping off the transplantation wait list. The team found that overall survival and recurrence-free survival was not impacted following liver transplantation in patients with controlled HIV disease.

25 Jan 2011

Johnson & Johnson fourth quarter sales decreases 5.5% to $15.6 billion

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $15.6 billion for the fourth quarter of 2010, a decrease of 5.5% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. Operational sales declined 5.1% and the negative impact of currency was 0.4%. Domestic sales declined 8.1%, while international sales declined 3.1%, reflecting an operational decline of 2.3% and a negative currency impact of 0.8%.

25 Jan 2011

California jury awards $2.2 million in defective laparoscopic device case

Encision Inc. – A California jury awarded $2.2 million to a patient in a personal injury, product liability, defective laparoscopic device case against a competing medical device company; as reported in the Daily Journal.

25 Jan 2011

80% of NFL lineman back in game after disc surgery

NFL linemen can recover from back surgery and return to their spine-bruising careers, so can you get back into your "game" of horsing around with your kids or working out at the gym after back surgery.

25 Jan 2011

Rodman & Renshaw announces Healthcare Reform Panel Discussion

Rodman & Renshaw, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rodman & Renshaw Capital Group, Inc., a leading full service investment bank for growth oriented companies today announced that on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011, Rodman will host a Healthcare Reform Panel Discussion

25 Jan 2011

Study results presented at ASCO-GI reinforce value of Genomic Health's Oncotype DX Colon Cancer test

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced presentation of three studies at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium, including one finding that high tumor grade was not a marker of higher recurrence risk in stage II colon cancer, suggesting that other markers, such as the Oncotype DX® Recurrence Score® (RS) test as well as T-stage and mismatch repair (MMR) status, should be considered by physicians during the treatment decision-making process.

25 Jan 2011

UH researchers to discuss computational surgery at MITIE

More than a dozen University of Houston (UH) researchers will be making presentations, ranging from robot-assisted surgery techniques to improving heart and breast surgery procedures, at the third annual international conference in computational surgery Jan. 26-28. The symposium will be held at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (TMHRI) in Houston.

25 Jan 2011

Researchers show shunt operation can help patients with dementia

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital are the first in the world to show that an operation can help patients with dementia caused by white matter changes and hydrocephalus.

25 Jan 2011

Octapharma supports development of 'Diagnosis and Management of von Willebrand Disease' CE supplement

An unrestricted grant from Octapharma USA supported the development of a Continuing Education (CE) initiative entitled the "The Diagnosis and Management of von Willebrand Disease," a program of the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA).

25 Jan 2011

Male celebrities admit to undergoing hair restoration surgery

An interesting statistic: more than half of hair loss sufferers would be more inclined to consider having a hair transplant if celebrities or public figures were more open about hair restoration surgery, and men are more likely to be influenced than women.

25 Jan 2011

LHSC performs complicated aortic valve bypass surgery using Correx AVB device

Doctors at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) are the first in the world to use a new implantable surgical device that promises to revolutionize aortic valve bypass surgery.

25 Jan 2011

American Red Cross urges all eligible donors to donate blood

Severe winter weather throughout much of the eastern half of the United States in recent weeks has already caused the cancellation of more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations through the American Red Cross. With more winter weather and a possible coastal storm predicted, the Red Cross is urging all eligible blood donors to help boost its blood supply back up to sufficient levels.

25 Jan 2011

Patients with chronic depression can benefit from pioneering neurosurgical treatment

Pioneering neurosurgical treatment, a world first in Bristol, which very accurately targets brain networks involved in depression, could help people who suffer with severe and intractable depression.

25 Jan 2011

Laparoscopic grasp instrument can reduce complications in keyhole surgery

The number of complications following keyhole surgery can be reduced by giving the surgeons a better feeling of how hard they are grasping the tissue with their operating instruments. This is made possible by designing the instrument in such a way that it sends tangible feedback signals to the handle held by the surgeon.

24 Jan 2011

Weighty matters

The Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) has launched the “Healthy Weight Week”. The DAA says that 61 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of Australian children are either overweight or obese. At present there are really no drugs that provide long term weight loss. The only resort is surgery.

24 Jan 2011