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EKOS launches two landmark clinical studies on pulmonary embolism

EKOS Corporation today announced the launch of two more landmark clinical studies named SEATTLE I & II, intended to further establish the safety and efficacy of its unique, ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis in treating patients with life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

3 May 2012

Study confirms that COX-2 inhibitors predispose people to cardiovascular disease

After nearly 13 years of study and intense debate, a pair of new papers from the Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania have confirmed exactly how a once-popular class of anti-inflammatory drugs leads to cardiovascular risk for people taking it.

3 May 2012

Maternal intake of choline could reduce risk of hypertension, diabetes in children

Pregnant women may have added incentive to bulk up on broccoli and eggs now that a Cornell University study has found increased maternal intake of the nutrient choline could decrease their children's chances of developing hypertension and diabetes later in life.

3 May 2012

FDA clears Angioslide’s new 3X100mm PROTEUS device

Angioslide Ltd. a provider of Embolic Capture Angioplasty solutions, today announced that it has received FDA 510(K) clearance for its new 3X100mm PROTEUS device for treating Peripheral Artery Disease in below the knee (BTK) vasculature.

3 May 2012

FDA approval of TDF/FTC as PrEP for HIV infection receives support

In public comments submitted this week, a group of 14 leading HIV/AIDS and health organizations stated their support for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of emtricitabine/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF/FTC or Truvada) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection in adult men and women.

2 May 2012

First anniversary of Capital BlueCross' Accountable Care Arrangement programs

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Capital BlueCross' launch of two Accountable Care Arrangements (ACA). Preliminary results demonstrate that this innovative care delivery model is improving care coordination, lowering the medical cost trend, and improving the member's management of chronic conditions and overall satisfaction with care.

2 May 2012

Optimum blood vitamin D levels to reduce risk of major medical events

In testing older patients' blood vitamin D levels, there's uncertainty about where the dividing line falls between enough and not enough. The threshold amount has become controversial as several scientific societies set different targets.

2 May 2012

It's never too late to take control of diabetes

"You could live a normal life." Those were the words that 15-year-old Steve Edelman kept hearing from the nurses when he was hospitalized following his type 1 diabetes diagnosis in 1970. He wondered why they kept repeating this to him.

2 May 2012

Blood services workers on strike in Michigan, Ohio

The American Red Cross is viciously attacking its workforce in the Midwest. More than 300 qualified, hardworking unionized blood services workers remain on strike over plans by Red Cross that would destabilize blood supply safety and strip workers of their collective bargaining rights.

2 May 2012

Fish oil may improve outcomes for kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis

Over the past decade, there has been a steady stream of information promoting the health benefits of fish oil capsules. According to Dr. Louise Moist, a Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute, fish oil may also improve outcomes for kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis.

2 May 2012

Endocrine Society and its Hormone Health Network release ‘Menopause Map’

Women going through menopause now have a first-of-its-kind interactive guide to help them better understand their menu of treatment options, including whether hormone therapy may be right for them. The Endocrine Society and its Hormone Health Network today released the "Menopause Map," an online tool to help women and their doctors discuss which hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options would be most effective and safe to relieve the sometimes debilitating symptoms of menopause.

2 May 2012

Copenhagen Consensus report argues for addressing chronic, NCDs in developing countries

In the second part of a series of Slate articles highlighting issues being examined by the Copenhagen Consensus Center, Bjorn Lomborg, director of the center, examines the global burden of non-communicable diseases, which "receive the smallest amount of donor assistance of all health conditions, having lost ground since 1990 relative to infectious diseases," he writes.

2 May 2012

Beta-carotene-derived molecules have opposite effect in the body

New research suggests that there could be health hazards associated with consuming excessive amounts of beta-carotene.

2 May 2012

Scientists are working out how sequencing the human genome can help treat disease

Though the human genome has been sequenced, scientists are still trying to figure out how the accomplishment can help people, for example, how it can be used to treat disease. As University of Massachusetts Amherst geneticist Jacob Mayfield notes, "It was easy to think of the human genome as the big prize, but what we realize now is, it's just a foot in the door."

2 May 2012

NIH study indicates safety of anti-HIV drug tenofovir during pregnancy

Infants born to women who used the anti-HIV drug tenofovir as part of an anti-HIV drug regimen during pregnancy do not weigh less at birth and are not of shorter length than infants born to women who used anti-HIV drug regimens that do not include tenofovir during pregnancy, according to findings from a National Institutes of Health network study.

2 May 2012

LifeCodexx completes PraenaTest clinical study on trisomy 21

LifeCodexx today announced the successful completion of the clinical validation study of its noninvasive test method for the detection of fetal trisomy 21 from maternal blood using Next Generation sequencing.

2 May 2012

CHR-3996 pill shows promise against advanced cancers

Scientists have shown that a brand new type of cancer pill that exploits the emerging field of epigenetics is safe for human use, according to a Phase I trial reported today in Clinical Cancer Research.

2 May 2012

Vessix V2 Renal Denervation System for hypertension receives CE Mark approval

Vessix Vascular, Inc., a developer of novel percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) balloon catheter technology for the treatment of hypertension, announced today that it has received Conformite Europeenne (CE) Mark approval for its V2 Renal Denervation System for the treatment of hypertension.

2 May 2012

Novel technique helps surgeons to remove 'inoperable' abdominal tumors

Abdominal tumors involving both roots of the celiac and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) are deemed unresectable by conventional surgical methods, as removal would cause necrosis of the organs that are supplied by those blood vessels.

2 May 2012

Most asthmatic youths still exposed to tobacco smoke

Despite longstanding recommendations for children with asthma to avoid tobacco smoke, many youths are still exposed to secondhand smoke and their health suffers because of it, according to a study to be presented Tuesday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.

2 May 2012