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Exaggerated responses of immune system explain elders’ susceptibility to viral infections

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people. Published in the November 19 Cell Host & Microbe, the study bucks the general belief that declining immune responses are to blame for susceptibility to viral infections.

19 Nov 2009

Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial for pulmonary hypertension, a rare but deadly disease

We often hear about the perils of high blood pressure, but many Canadians are unaware that high blood pressure in the lungs - known as pulmonary hypertension (PH) - can also have fatal consequences. This month, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada hopes to raise awareness about PH - a rare but serious disease that can strike at any time and has no regard for race, age or gender.

19 Nov 2009

Updated clinical guidelines on Effient treatment for ACS patients

Effient® (prasugrel) tablets, a new antiplatelet medicine, was added as a treatment option in two clinical guideline updates: one for patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and a second one for patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), or severe heart attack.

19 Nov 2009

Treatment of iron deficiency can improve symptoms and quality of life in CHF patients

Intravenous (I.V.) iron treatment with ferric carboxymaltose to reverse iron deficiency can significantly improve symptoms, exercise tolerance and quality of life for chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, researchers said in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

19 Nov 2009

Continuous flow heart pump improves survival rates in heart failure patients than current pulsating models

A new, continuous flow heart pump, or left ventricular assist device (LVAD), delivered better two-year survival in advanced heart failure patients than the current pulsatile model, researchers reported in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

19 Nov 2009

Microarray analysis can identify chromosome abnormalities in children with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome

Researchers at Signature Genomic Laboratories, which performs diagnostic genetic testing of chromosome abnormalities in individuals with unexplained physical and developmental disabilities, recently showed that microarray analysis can identify small DNA alterations in individuals with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, a rare and poorly characterized genetic disorder.

19 Nov 2009

System to help identify patients at high risk of developing delirium

A specialist in caring for elderly patients, Turner-Hubbard is a geriatric nurse practitioner trained to quickly spot the sudden changes in mental status that signal the onset of the sudden, severe confusion known as delirium. She knows the hospital “triggers” that can bring on fluctuations in behavior: blood loss during surgery, anesthesia, pain medications and anti-anxiety drugs, infections, dehydration, IV lines and catheters, as well as being immobilized for an extended period of time.

19 Nov 2009

PanGenex expands clinical trial sites of its Calci-CLEAR system

PanGenex Corporation announced that due to promising pre-clinical results from its clinical trial at the Cardiovascular Institute of the South (http://www.cardio.com/site1.php), the Company will extend its trial to two additional sites.

19 Nov 2009

Report on unexplained liver haemorrhage after metastasis radiofrequency ablation published

Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the world. Approximately one in four of these patients have metastases at diagnosis, liver being the most common site involved. Although historically it was considered that liver metastases meant a very poor prognosis, today, due to improved systemic therapy, many patients will be candidates for local hepatic treatments such as surgery or less aggressive radiofrequency ablation.

19 Nov 2009

Diagnosing patients with syndrome similar to neurofibromatosis type 1 may be difficult

An analysis of patients with a syndrome similar to the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis type 1, indicates that diagnosis may be difficult because of shared clinical findings, such as certain pigmentary characteristics, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA.

19 Nov 2009

USP releases new CRMs for carbamazepine, phenytoin, and theophylline

To help bring greater certainty to the measurement of medication levels in a patient's bloodstream for three drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is releasing new certified reference materials (CRMs).

19 Nov 2009

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than youth when exposed to secondhand smoke

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than other youth when exposed to secondhand smoke, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

19 Nov 2009

FDA: Plavix-Prilosec combination may reduce anti-clotting effect

Patients should avoid using the stomach acid reducer Prilosec/Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) with the anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Nov. 17.

19 Nov 2009

Joint project focuses on finding ways to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer's disease

Every two years, 2,000 senior Group Health patients check in with the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study. The joint project between Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington (UW) focuses on finding ways to delay or prevent dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, and declines in memory and thinking.

19 Nov 2009

New radical approach to test chemo drugs for potential toxic effects

Jackson Laboratory Professor Gary Churchill wants to change that. With a new two-year, $1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, Churchill is launching a radical new approach to testing three chemotherapeutic drugs for potential toxic effects.

19 Nov 2009

Researchers develop new device with nano-sized features to grab cancer cells

Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor.

19 Nov 2009

Opiate-based painkillers can increase tumor-cell proliferation, says new study

Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells.

19 Nov 2009

Protein content of women's saliva changes with advancing age, describe scientists

In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, scientists are describing how the protein content of women's saliva change with advancing age.

19 Nov 2009

Sildenafil drug improves cardiac performance in young adults with congenital heart disease

Heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation following treatment with sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

19 Nov 2009

Chronic hepatitis B seems to progress faster in men, report scientists

Scientists in China are reporting discovery of unusual liver proteins, found only in males, that may help explain the long-standing mystery of why the hepatitis B virus (HBV) sexually discriminates -- hitting men harder than women. Their study has been published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication.

19 Nov 2009

Blood News and Research

Exaggerated responses of immune system explain elders’ susceptibility to viral infections

Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial for pulmonary hypertension, a rare but deadly disease

Updated clinical guidelines on Effient treatment for ACS patients

Treatment of iron deficiency can improve symptoms and quality of life in CHF patients

Continuous flow heart pump improves survival rates in heart failure patients than current pulsating models

Microarray analysis can identify chromosome abnormalities in children with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome

System to help identify patients at high risk of developing delirium

PanGenex expands clinical trial sites of its Calci-CLEAR system

Report on unexplained liver haemorrhage after metastasis radiofrequency ablation published

Diagnosing patients with syndrome similar to neurofibromatosis type 1 may be difficult

USP releases new CRMs for carbamazepine, phenytoin, and theophylline

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than youth when exposed to secondhand smoke

FDA: Plavix-Prilosec combination may reduce anti-clotting effect

Joint project focuses on finding ways to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer's disease

New radical approach to test chemo drugs for potential toxic effects

Researchers develop new device with nano-sized features to grab cancer cells

Opiate-based painkillers can increase tumor-cell proliferation, says new study

Protein content of women's saliva changes with advancing age, describe scientists

Sildenafil drug improves cardiac performance in young adults with congenital heart disease

Chronic hepatitis B seems to progress faster in men, report scientists

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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