Diagnostic News and Research

RSS

Researchers discover new gene involved in severe childhood epilepsy

A European consortium of epilepsy researchers has reported the discovery of a new gene involved in severe childhood epilepsy. Using a novel combination of technologies, including trio exome sequencing of patient/parental DNA and genetic studies in the tiny larvae of zebrafish, the EuroEPINOMICS RES consortium found that mutations in the gene CHD2 are responsible for a subset of epilepsy patients with symptoms similar to Dravet syndrome - a severe form of childhood epilepsy that is in many patients resistant to currently available anti-epileptic drugs.

23 Jan 2014

Proper good night's sleep promotes both mental and physical health

Getting a good night's sleep means more than you probably think. "I would say the importance of sleep is definitely underestimated by the general public," said Dr. Sandhya Kumar, assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and medical director of its Sleep Center.

23 Jan 2014

Rice University scientists create new technique to widen bottleneck for pharmaceutical, other industries

Rice University scientists have created a way to fine tune a process critical to the pharmaceutical industry that could save a lot of time and money.

23 Jan 2014

Targeting symptoms, rather than disorders, might help reduce work impact of mental health issues

Symptoms such as insomnia and emotional distress account for much of the work impact of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, reports a study in the February issue of Medical Care.

23 Jan 2014

Hispanic women twice as likely as white women to be affected by vulvodynia

Hispanic women surveyed in the metro Detroit area were twice as likely as white women to be affected by vulvodynia, unexplained vulvar pain that can make sex, tampon use or even sitting excruciating. Meanwhile, the condition affected half as many black women, new University of Michigan research shows.

23 Jan 2014

Overdiagnosis concerns raised for CT lung cancer screening

People participating in any future computed tomography lung cancer screening program would face a significant risk for overdiagnosis, US researchers caution in JAMA Internal Medicine.

22 Jan 2014

Xpert MTB/RIF test quickly detects TB and resistance to rifampicin

A second systematic review of a diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has confirmed the accuracy of the test. The updated review assessing the accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF includes new studies published since the original Cochrane Review was published in January last year.

22 Jan 2014

ASA's recommendations to help patients avoid unnecessary tests for chronic pain

Not prescribing opioids first or as a long-term therapy for chronic, non-cancer pain and avoiding MRIs, CTs and X-rays for low-back pain are among the tests and treatments identified by ASA that are commonly ordered but not always necessary.

22 Jan 2014

Clues of "silent thief of sight”: Glaucoma

Glaucoma is sometimes called the "silent thief of sight" because it slowly damages the eyes and can cause irreparable harm before there is any vision loss. But this disease is stealthy in more ways than one.

22 Jan 2014

Diagnostic microRNA panels in blood may help in early detection of pancreatic cancer

Researchers have identified diagnostic microRNA panels in whole blood that had the ability to distinguish, to some degree, patients with and without pancreatic cancer, according to a study in the January 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Jan 2014

Mesothelioma patients treated with radiation before surgery experience speedier recovery

Results of clinical research that treated mesothelioma with radiation before surgery show the three-year survival rate more than doubled for study participants afflicted with this deadly disease, compared to treating with surgery first.

21 Jan 2014

University of Liverpool awarded £3.2 million to develop new diagnostic tests for cancers

The University of Liverpool has been awarded -3.2 million to develop new diagnostic tests for cervical, oesophageal and prostate cancer patients.

21 Jan 2014

Study: Probability of blindness due to glaucoma has decreased by nearly half

The probability of blindness due to the serious eye disease glaucoma has decreased by nearly half since 1980, according to a study published this month in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The researchers speculate that advances in diagnosis and therapy are likely causes for the decrease, but caution that a significant proportion of patients still progress to blindness.

21 Jan 2014

PLSG reaches significant landmark in direct investments into life sciences companies

Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, the region's only pure life sciences investment firm, and managing member of the PLSG Accelerator Fund, announced today it has made a $65,000 investment into Cohera Medical, Inc. which launches the organization into a $20 million milestone in total investments since the company's inception in 2001.

21 Jan 2014

Illumina inks multi-year supply agreement with LabCorp

Illumina, Inc. today announced it has entered into a multi-year supply agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings. The agreement gives LabCorp expanded rights to use Illumina next-generation sequencing and microarray equipment and supplies to develop, validate and introduce laboratory-developed tests to clinicians in the United States and Canada.

From Illumina, Inc. 21 Jan 2014

Affymetrix gets FDA clearance to market CytoScan Dx Assay

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its CytoScan Dx Assay. This assay is intended for the postnatal detection of DNA copy number variants in patients referred for chromosomal testing. CytoScan Dx Assay is designed to help physicians diagnose children's developmental and intellectual disabilities more comprehensively by enabling a high-resolution genome-wide analysis of genetic aberrations. High resolution analysis can reveal small aberrations not readily seen using traditional techniques.

21 Jan 2014

New Microlab® NIMBUS® Select workstation with Ranger Technology launched by Hamilton Robotics and Coastal Genomics

At the annual Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) meeting Hamilton Robotics has announced a partnership with Coastal Genomics to launch the new Microlab® NIMBUS® Select workstation with Ranger Technology. The new automated workstation provides a faster and more economical automated solution to agarose gel selection of DNA fragments, generating high-quality material for downstream use in next-generation sequencing (NGS), cloning and gene synthesis applications.

20 Jan 2014

Cerebral pressure measurable anytime with hydrocephalus sensor

If the pressure in a patient's brain is too high, physicians implant a system in the head that regulates the pressure. A sensor can now measure and individually adjust brain pressure. The sensor system is approved for use as a long-term implant.

20 Jan 2014

Going barefoot contributes to hookworm infections

Going barefoot in parts of Africa, Asia and South America contributes to hookworm infections, which afflict an estimated 700 million of the world's poor. The parasitic worm lives in the soil and enters the body through the feet. By feeding on victims' blood, the worms cause anemia and, in children, stunted growth and learning problems.

20 Jan 2014

New discovery provides insight into body's rejection process during transplantation

In 2009, the first face transplant was performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and lead surgeon, Dr. Bohdan Pomahac has been pioneering the procedure since.

20 Jan 2014

Diagnostic News and Research

Researchers discover new gene involved in severe childhood epilepsy

Proper good night's sleep promotes both mental and physical health

Rice University scientists create new technique to widen bottleneck for pharmaceutical, other industries

Targeting symptoms, rather than disorders, might help reduce work impact of mental health issues

Hispanic women twice as likely as white women to be affected by vulvodynia

Overdiagnosis concerns raised for CT lung cancer screening

Xpert MTB/RIF test quickly detects TB and resistance to rifampicin

ASA's recommendations to help patients avoid unnecessary tests for chronic pain

Clues of "silent thief of sight”: Glaucoma

Diagnostic microRNA panels in blood may help in early detection of pancreatic cancer

Mesothelioma patients treated with radiation before surgery experience speedier recovery

University of Liverpool awarded £3.2 million to develop new diagnostic tests for cancers

Study: Probability of blindness due to glaucoma has decreased by nearly half

PLSG reaches significant landmark in direct investments into life sciences companies

Illumina inks multi-year supply agreement with LabCorp

Affymetrix gets FDA clearance to market CytoScan Dx Assay

New Microlab® NIMBUS® Select workstation with Ranger Technology launched by Hamilton Robotics and Coastal Genomics

Cerebral pressure measurable anytime with hydrocephalus sensor

Going barefoot contributes to hookworm infections

New discovery provides insight into body's rejection process during transplantation

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Latest News