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Study reveals elevated cTnT levels in post-CABG patients

Levels of a biomarker used in the diagnosis of heart attacks are almost universally elevated in patients who have undergone coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) and, when markedly elevated, are powerfully prognostic, a team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Center has found.

5 Sep 2009

New protein fragments identified for anthrax vaccine development

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine.

4 Sep 2009

Shire receives FDA approval for INTUNIV extended release tablets

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for INTUNIV(TM) (guanfacine) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years.

4 Sep 2009

Researchers identify new molecular switch that produces cancer cells

A team of Syracuse University researchers discovered a second molecular switch within the Mixed Lineage Leukemia protein complex that they believe could be exploited to prevent the overproduction of abnormal cells that are found in several types of cancer, including leukemia.

4 Sep 2009

rPA anthrax vaccine and its Valortim anthrax anti-toxin program data presented

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that data from the Company's third generation recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine program and its Valortim((R)) anthrax anti-toxin program were presented at the Bacillus - ACT 2009 meeting, August 30 - September 3, 2009, organized by the American Society for Microbiology.

4 Sep 2009

94-year-old crusader seeks ban on trans fats in the American diet

Fred Kummerow, a 94-year-old University of Illinois veterinary biosciences professor emeritus who still conducts research on the health effects of trans fats in the diet, filed the petition with the FDA last month. The petition is now posted on the FDA Web site, and public comments are invited. (See below for information on viewing the petition and making a comment.)

4 Sep 2009

Periurethral suspension technique results in greater continence rates after RALIP

The September issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article and a video in the Surgery in Motion section by Vipul R. Patel et al, showing that the periurethral suspension technique results in significantly greater continence rates at 3 months after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP).

4 Sep 2009

World should contribute $23B to increase women's access to contraception, UNFPA says

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Tuesday "appealed for the world to contribute more to improve women's health and access to contraception," Agence France-Presse reports.

4 Sep 2009

FDA approves new xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 39 Kit v2 from Luminex

Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new cystic fibrosis (CF) test: the xTAG® Cystic Fibrosis 39 Kit v2.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 4 Sep 2009

U.S. Army awards AWR certification for the Masimo Radical-7 and Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters

Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low-Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that its Radical-7 and Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters have achieved Airworthiness Release (AWR) Certification from the United States Army.

4 Sep 2009

Insects may guide in building better artificial tissues and organs

Insects are about to be analyzed in a new way by a host of Virginia Tech engineering faculty. They will be using some fancy state-of-the-art equipment, such as a kilometer-long synchrotron x-ray light source, which might be enough to scare any bug. And first up will be beetles, grasshoppers and silk moths because they have some endearing characteristics.

4 Sep 2009

AgaMatrix launches Kroger Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems

AgaMatrix, Inc., the makers of the WaveSense(TM) line of blood glucose monitoring products, announced today the launch of the Kroger(R) Blood Glucose Monitoring System (BGM). The Kroger BGM is found exclusively at almost 2,000 Kroger and Kroger-brand stores, including Dillons, Fry's, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Smith's and Ralphs.

4 Sep 2009

Lab Express to offer Blood Typing for $8

Local medical laboratory Lab Express is offering to help the public know their blood type. Forty percent of the general public doesn’t know their own blood type or that by knowing their blood type can help to save their life and the lives of others. During the month of September Lab Express is offering Blood Typing for $8, which includes a laminated medical card stating the patient's blood type to be carried with them in case of emergencies.

4 Sep 2009

BF STEM tomography allows to visualize fine details of cell structure

Scientists in the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science have developed a new technique that allows researchers to visualize fine details of cell structure three-dimensionally in thick sections, thus providing greater insight into how cells are organized and how they function. The work is described in a report published online this week in Nature Methods.

4 Sep 2009

New treatment for vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell patients

GlycoMimetics, Inc. (GMI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing a new class of glycobiology-based therapies for a broad range of indications, today announced that a pilot study of the company’s lead candidate, GMI-1070, is underway in sickle cell patients. The first patients in this pilot study were treated at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland in California.

4 Sep 2009

First artificial heart implant successfully performed by a AUBMC medical team

A medical team at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) has successfully performed the first artificial heart implant in Lebanon, saving the life of a 37-year-old man suffering from terminal heart failure.

4 Sep 2009

NCI renews SPORE grant for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer

National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed a $11.5 million Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, which supports multidisciplinary research at Fox Chase Cancer Center and the University of Pennsylvania. First approved in 1999, this marks the third five-year term for the Fox Chase-Penn Ovarian SPORE.

4 Sep 2009

Brain screening tests may do more harm than good

Researchers warn that paid-for brain scans - increasingly popular with healthy people who want to allay fears about undiagnosed brain cancer and stroke - may do more harm than good.

4 Sep 2009

Type 2 diabetic people not consuming healthy diets

People with type 2 diabetes are not consuming sufficiently healthy diets and could benefit from ongoing nutritional education and counseling, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

4 Sep 2009

Two new antibodies for targeting HIV virus discovered

Researchers at and associated with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), at The Scripps Research Institute, and at the biotechnology companies Theraclone Sciences and Monogram Biosciences have discovered two powerful new antibodies to HIV that reveal what may be an Achilles heel on the virus. They published their work in Science this week.

3 Sep 2009