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Rituximab provides new hope for people with lupus

Rheumatologists at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Vienna, Austria heard today (Thursday 9 June) that rituximab is the first drug in a quarter of a century that is making a real impact, and an alternative to previous standard treatments of high-dose steroids, and chemotherapy.

9 Jun 2005

Risk factors for tuberculosis in the United States overlap with many of the risk factors associated with persistent homelessness

...including being male or having a history of incarceration or substance abuse, according to a report in the June 8 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on tuberculosis.

8 Jun 2005

Simple blood test can quickly identify type of congestive heart failure

A simple blood test can quickly identify what type of congestive heart failure (CHF) a patient has, improving diagnostic accuracy; eliminating the need for extensive diagnostic tests, such as heart muscle biopsy or exploratory surgery; and enabling the patient to be treated sooner, according to a study published in the June 7 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

6 Jun 2005

Biophan issued new patent for solution to enhance image quality of magnetic resonance imaging

Biophan Technologies has announced that the U.S. Patent No. 6,902,290 has been granted to the Company. The patent teaches the placement of an electronic sensor within medical devices that can offset the image artifacts that interfere with the quality of MRI imaging.

6 Jun 2005

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have chronic sleep deprivation

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have a common ailment: chronic sleep deprivation. But some tired teens may actually have a medical condition such as depression, insomnia, narcolepsy or sleep apnea, warns a new report in Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Scientists develop vaccines against the Ebola and Marburg viruses

Scientists from the Public Health Agency of Canada - with assistance from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases - have developed vaccines against the Ebola and Marburg viruses that have been shown to be effective in non-human primates.

5 Jun 2005

Introgen wins European patent decision on p53 gene therapeutic

Introgen Therapeutics has announced that it was successful in winning the decision regarding its opposition of European Patent 0 390 323 before the European Patent Office (EPO) in which all claims directed to therapeutic applications of the p53 gene, the active component of Introgen's Advexin molecular therapy, were finally revoked by the EPO's Technical Board of Appeals.

3 Jun 2005

Consumers may make more judgments based on quick thinking rather than lengthy contemplation

Imagine a shiny new BMW sitting in your driveway. Now, imagine a shiny new Hyundai. Now, come up with one reason why you should drive that BMW. How about ten reasons? What about the Hyundai? A little bit harder isn't it?

3 Jun 2005

Genesis Bioventures signs agreement for control of Mad Cow diagnostic company

Further to a Letter of Intent previously reported, Genesis Bioventures today announced that it has entered into a binding agreement with Efoora Inc. and Prion Developmental Laboratories, Inc. to buy all of Efoora's majority interest shares owned or pledged in PDL thereby gaining controlling interest of PDL. A Form 8-K has been filed with the SEC in this regard. Prior to the Agreement, GBI had one-third equity interest in PDL.

1 Jun 2005

Diagnostic test for Lou Gehrig's disease

Bowser is director of the ALS Tissue Bank and an Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who is using a key piece of biomarker discovery equipment known as SELDI to find new ways to identify and eventually treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease.

1 Jun 2005

'Complicated Grief' far worse than depression and doctors want it recognised

Doctors in the U.S. are hoping that a condition they refer to as 'Complicated Grief' which goes far beyond depression, will soon be recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.

1 Jun 2005

African HIV subtypes identified in Minnesota

Public health researchers in Minnesota recently identified 83 persons infected with subtypes of HIV-1 that are not common in the United States, according to a report published in the June 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

31 May 2005

Targepeutics issued new U.S patent

Targepeutics has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,884,603 for its genetically modified, mutated Interleukin 13 (IL-13) technology platform for the treatment of malignant glioma, a brain tumor (17,500 people annually; $200 million annual market).

31 May 2005

West Nile virus more of a threat than previously thought

West Nile has traditionally only been considered a serious problem for the elderly and frail, and more of a nuisance illness for everyone else. But a surprising number of patients show the virus is more threatening than widely believed.

31 May 2005

Even limited training improves communication with patients from other cultures

Simple classroom lectures about different religious holidays, such as the Muslim tradition of fasting during Ramadan, or Spanish language lessons focused on common medical terms really work to help physicians and nurses connect with patients from different cultures and improve patient satisfaction, according to a pair of reports from Johns Hopkins researchers.

25 May 2005

Practice of defensive medicine widespread among physicians in specialties at high risk of lawsuits

More than 90 percent of surveyed physicians in Pennsylvania reported defensive medicine practices such as over-ordering of diagnostic tests, unnecessary referrals and avoidance of high-risk patients, according to a study in the June 1 issue of JAMA.

25 May 2005

Newly developed treatment for severe grief shown more effective than standard therapy

A recently developed method for treating complicated grief, which includes discussing certain aspects of the death of a loved one, was found more effective than a standard therapy for depression, according to a study in the June 1 issue of JAMA.

25 May 2005

Pharmaceutical industry faces multiple challenges - future lies in drug pipeline sustainability

High clinical development costs coupled with declining drug discovery success rates are causing productivity levels to fall in the global pharmaceuticals industry. The imminent patent expiry of several major blockbuster drugs and the related rise of cheaper generic alternatives is further exacerbating the situation.

25 May 2005

Researchers have isolated two biomarkers for interstitial cystitis (IC)

The discovery of these biomarkers could lead to a definitive test for IC and have the potential to lead to new therapies. Results of two studies are being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in San Antonio, and are published in abstracts 69 and 80 of the AUA proceedings.

22 May 2005

Cystatin-C, a new blood test for kidney function, is a better predictor of death and cardiovascular risk among the elderly

Investigators for NHLBI's Cardiovascular Health Study compared the two measures of kidney function, cystatin-C and the standard test creatinine, as predictors of death from all causes, death from cardiovascular causes, and incidence of heart attack and stroke among 4,637 elderly participants in the study.

20 May 2005

Diagnostic News and Research

Rituximab provides new hope for people with lupus

Risk factors for tuberculosis in the United States overlap with many of the risk factors associated with persistent homelessness

Simple blood test can quickly identify type of congestive heart failure

Biophan issued new patent for solution to enhance image quality of magnetic resonance imaging

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have chronic sleep deprivation

Scientists develop vaccines against the Ebola and Marburg viruses

Introgen wins European patent decision on p53 gene therapeutic

Consumers may make more judgments based on quick thinking rather than lengthy contemplation

Genesis Bioventures signs agreement for control of Mad Cow diagnostic company

Diagnostic test for Lou Gehrig's disease

'Complicated Grief' far worse than depression and doctors want it recognised

African HIV subtypes identified in Minnesota

Targepeutics issued new U.S patent

West Nile virus more of a threat than previously thought

Even limited training improves communication with patients from other cultures

Practice of defensive medicine widespread among physicians in specialties at high risk of lawsuits

Newly developed treatment for severe grief shown more effective than standard therapy

Pharmaceutical industry faces multiple challenges - future lies in drug pipeline sustainability

Researchers have isolated two biomarkers for interstitial cystitis (IC)

Cystatin-C, a new blood test for kidney function, is a better predictor of death and cardiovascular risk among the elderly

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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