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New treatments for heart disease

Two studies published in the latest issue of Cell Transplantation (18:12) may lead to new treatments for the treatment of heart diseases. The first study, carried out by a team of Brazilian researchers, found that cell transplantation of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) directly into the heart benefited patients suffering from refractory angina.

24 Feb 2010

Avizent Benefit Re health benefits captive program available for self-funded employers

National claims and risk management service provider Avizent announced today the creation of an innovative health benefits captive program for self-funded employers.

24 Feb 2010

New Barts Cancer Research UK Centre launched

A new cancer centre, launched today, puts London at the forefront of cancer research.

23 Feb 2010

Trial for lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross begins in California

The insurer "refused to pay for" customer Ephram Nehme "to get a liver transplant in Indiana because the company wanted to save money, a lawyer for the patient told jurors Monday," the Los Angeles Times reports. "But a lawyer for the state's largest for-profit insurer argued that the patient, Ephram Nehme, was not sick enough to qualify for an exception to his policy's requirement that transplants be performed in Blue Cross-contracted hospitals in California.

23 Feb 2010

Menssana Research develops 85% accurate breath test for pulmonary tuberculosis

A new breath test can detect active pulmonary tuberculosis, according to a report to be published in the journal "Tuberculosis."

23 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 23, 2010

Today's headlines focus on President Obama's revamped health reform proposal, what it includes and how Democrats, Republicans and the insurers are reacting to it.

23 Feb 2010

FDA issues approval for Gileads's Cayston for respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Cayston® (aztreonam for inhalation solution) as a treatment to improve respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cayston’s safety and efficacy have not been established in pediatric patients below the age of 7, patients with forced expiratory volume in one second of less than 25 percent or greater than 75 percent predicted, or patients colonized with Burkholderia cepacia.

23 Feb 2010

Belgian Hospital completes certification training for SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart implant

On Feb. 25 & 26, the surgical team from Onze Lieve Vrouw (OLV) Hospital Aalst, led by surgeons Ivo Deblier, MD, and Karl Dossche, PhD, and accompanied by anesthesiologist Koen De Decker, MD, will become the first hospital in Belgium and the 50th hospital in the world to complete the first phase of certification training to implant the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart.

23 Feb 2010

Black women are more prone to peripartum cardiomyopathy around childbirth time

A study examining the incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in women who gave birth at a Medical College of Georgia's teaching hospital between July 2003 and July 2008, showed that while 55 percent of the women were white, 93 percent of those who developed cardiomyopathy were black, said Dr. Mindy B. Gentry, an MCG cardiologist.

23 Feb 2010

Heartware completes patient enrollment for ADVANCE clinical trial

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced the conclusion of patient enrollment under its "ADVANCE" clinical trial.

23 Feb 2010

DSAEK cornea transplant offers potential long-term benefits

One year post-surgery, patients who underwent Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty experienced greater cell loss overall compared to those who underwent penetrating keratoplasty, according to a new analysis of data collected from the Cornea Donor Study Investigator Group's 2008 Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study.

23 Feb 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals initiates ALN-RSV01 Phase IIb trial in adult lung transplant patients for RSV infection

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has initiated a Phase IIb trial in adult lung transplant patients with ALN-RSV01, an RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. RSV infection in lung transplant patients represents an important unmet medical need; the condition is associated with significant morbidity, including the development of acute lung transplant rejection in 10% to 20% of infected patients.

22 Feb 2010

Insurer allegedly, automatically denies request for liver transplant: Trial commences on 22nd Feb

A trial beginning Monday targeting the nation's largest health insurer, WellPoint Inc., and its California subsidiary, Anthem Blue Cross, for allegedly automatically denying requests for out-of-network liver transplants will help shed light on the need for stronger health reform than is currently being considered, according to Consumer Watchdog. The group urged President Obama, White House representatives, and the national news media to follow the trial.

22 Feb 2010

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Johns Hopkins Children's Center neurovirologist Robert Yolken, M.D., and collaborators from the Stanley Medical Research Institute have developed a large repository of brain and tissue samples to advance the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

20 Feb 2010

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

Georgia’s kidney care community today praised the Georgia State Senate for unanimously passing important legislation (S.B. 316) to secure access to needed health insurance for approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure. The bill, which was originally introduced by Senators Don Thomas (R-Dalton) and Ed Harbison (D-Columbus), has received support from across the patient advocacy community and legislators alike.

20 Feb 2010

Polyphor discovers new class of antibiotics effective against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria

Today, Polyphor Ltd published the discovery of a new class of antibiotics with a novel mode of action (Science, VOL 327, ISSUE 5968). This proprietary new class of antibiotics is effective against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria, opening up new treatment options for serious and often life-threatening infections. The most advanced drug candidate in this new class, POL7080, selectively kills the dangerous bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

19 Feb 2010

Mayo Clinic's first DCD lung transplantation performed in 59-year-old Illinois man

Lung transplantation is a well-known therapy for patients with end-stage lung disease, but, as with other patients waiting for organs for transplantation, there are more recipients waiting than donors available. A potential solution for patients with end-stage lung disease is donation after cardiac death (DCD). Mayo Clinic reports its - and Minnesota's - first lung transplantation from DCD in the February issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

19 Feb 2010

Steroids and weight loss products can accelerate hair loss, says hair loss expert

In a study due to be released next month, the world's leading hair transplant and hair loss expert Dr. Larry Shapiro will show that men and women have been losing their hair from using popular weight loss and work out products that contain whey protein isolate- and it's not just their genes that are to blame.

19 Feb 2010

Gen-Probe board authorizes $100M stock repurchase plan

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million of the Company's common stock over the next year.

18 Feb 2010

Isotechnika Labs amends Isodiagnostika sales agreement with Paladin Labs

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Isotechnika Labs, has amended its agreement with Paladin Labs Inc. concerning its remaining stake in the revenue stream from the Isodiagnostika business sold to Paladin on June 18, 2009. Under the agreement, Isotechnika Labs was entitled to receive a revenue stream equivalent to 88 percent of the net profits of Isodiagnostika through to June 18 2016.

18 Feb 2010

Transplant News and Research

New treatments for heart disease

Avizent Benefit Re health benefits captive program available for self-funded employers

New Barts Cancer Research UK Centre launched

Trial for lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross begins in California

Menssana Research develops 85% accurate breath test for pulmonary tuberculosis

First Edition: February 23, 2010

FDA issues approval for Gileads's Cayston for respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis

Belgian Hospital completes certification training for SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart implant

Black women are more prone to peripartum cardiomyopathy around childbirth time

Heartware completes patient enrollment for ADVANCE clinical trial

DSAEK cornea transplant offers potential long-term benefits

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals initiates ALN-RSV01 Phase IIb trial in adult lung transplant patients for RSV infection

Insurer allegedly, automatically denies request for liver transplant: Trial commences on 22nd Feb

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

Polyphor discovers new class of antibiotics effective against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria

Mayo Clinic's first DCD lung transplantation performed in 59-year-old Illinois man

Steroids and weight loss products can accelerate hair loss, says hair loss expert

Gen-Probe board authorizes $100M stock repurchase plan

Isotechnika Labs amends Isodiagnostika sales agreement with Paladin Labs

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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