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First hospital in Mexico to use GORE HELEX Septal Occluder for transcatheter closure of ASD

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced that Instituto Nacional De Cardiologia in Mexico City, Mexico, is the first hospital in the country to use the GORE® HELEX Septal Occluder for the transcatheter closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD). Department Chief, Dr. Carlos Zabal and Dr. Jose Garcia Montes of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, in Mexico City, achieved the milestone procedure in March, 2010.

14 Jun 2010

New path involving "innocent spectators" to defeat systemic sclerosis

There is a new path to defeat systemic sclerosis, also called scleroderma because of the hardening of the skin of the patients (from Greek skleros, "hard", and derma, "skin"). This path involves the B-cell of the immune system, so far only considered "innocent spectators," as Catholic University rheumatologist Gianfranco Ferraccioli, among the authors of the important research, puts it.

14 Jun 2010

Programs try cash incentives to get forgetful patients to take meds

The New York Times reports on a new approach to getting patients to take their medications consistently: financial incentives. "One-third to one-half of all patients do not take medication as prescribed, and up to one-quarter never fill prescriptions at all, experts say. Such lapses fuel more than $100 billion dollars in health costs annually because those patients often get sicker. Now, a controversial, and seemingly counterintuitive, effort to tackle the problem is gaining ground: paying people money to take medicine or to comply with prescribed treatment."

14 Jun 2010

Upsher-Smith commences global USL255 Phase III clinical trial for management of epilepsy

Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. today announced the initiation of a global Phase III clinical trial for USL255 (extended-release topiramate), an internally developed program for the management of epilepsy in adults, using the company's proprietary formulation technology. USL255 is designed to provide convenient once-daily dosing and reduce fluctuations in topiramate blood levels observed with currently available topiramate options.

14 Jun 2010

'Micro-ear' to screen for malaria, sleeping sickness

A team of researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford, and the UK's National Institute of Medical Research at Mill Hill, are developing a 'micro-ear' which may help develop medicines and screening for diseases such as malaria and sleeping sickness in Africa. The project is in two parts, explains Professor Jon Cooper, a bio-engineer at University of Glasgow.

14 Jun 2010

New research evaluating substantial disease burden of PNH presented at European Hematology Association

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced new research evaluating the substantial disease burden of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, an ultra-rare blood disorder, in patients worldwide. The International PNH Registry, involving 580 patients from 99 sites in 14 countries as of May 2010, found that the debilitating symptoms and life-threatening complications of PNH are similar across patient populations around the world.

14 Jun 2010

IMF concludes first-of-its-kind inaugural Myeloma Summit

The International Myeloma Foundation, the oldest and largest foundation dedicated to improving the life and care of myeloma patients, has concluded the first-of-its-kind inaugural Myeloma Summit meeting - nearly 70 of the world's leading experts in myeloma and related blood cancers charting the future of myeloma treatment and care.

14 Jun 2010

TF12 antibody targets EGP-1 expressed in epithelial cancer: Immunomedics

Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that TF12, in combination with radiolabeled peptides, produced specific, fast, high-contrast imaging and pretargeted radioimmunotherapy of epithelial cancers that include cancers of the prostate and the ovary.

14 Jun 2010

New book provides perspective on contributions made by nurses

The quiet actions of unsung heroes from the rainforest of Guatemala to the city streets of Harlem will be celebrated during the 2010 International Year of the Nurse in the new book, Giving through Teaching: How Nurse Educators are Changing the World (Springer Publishing).

14 Jun 2010

Nurse with enhanced clinical skills detects same breast abnormalities as surgeon

UK researchers have developed an Initiative that could help hospitals prevent delays to the two-week cancer target, following the reduction in junior doctors' working hours due to the European Working Time Directive. A specially trained nurse practitioner and consultant breast surgeon who examined 126 women referred to a symptomatic breast disease clinic picked up the same breast abnormalities in 92% of cases.

14 Jun 2010

People under 25 contribute 38% of voluntary blood donations

People under the age of 25 contribute an estimated 38% of reported voluntary blood donations, according to new global data from the WHO, released on World Blood Donor Day, 14 June.

14 Jun 2010

Astrocytes involved in regulation of signalling between neurons: Study

Astrocytes are the most common type of cell in the brain and play an important role in the function of neurons - nerve cells. New research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that they are also directly involved in the regulation of signalling between neurons.

14 Jun 2010

ARBs increase risk of cancer: Study

University Hospitals Case Medical Center cardiologists have uncovered new research showing an increased risk of cancer with a group of blood pressure medications known as angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs).

14 Jun 2010

National MS Society commits over $2.4M to support 7 CCSVI research projects

Over $2.4 million has been committed by the National MS Society (USA) and the MS Society of Canada to support 7 new research projects focusing on the role of CCSVI in MS.

14 Jun 2010

Children born after ART at increased risk of congenital malformation

Couples considering undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment should be informed about the increased risk of congenital malformation posed by the use of ART, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Monday). Dr. G-raldine Viot, a clinical geneticist at the Maternit- Port Royal hospital, Paris, France, will say that she believed that most doctors working in ART clinics in France only told couples about such risks if they were asked specific questions.

14 Jun 2010

Discarded livers have potential to be reengineered into usable replacement organs: Researchers

A team led by researchers from the Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a technique that someday may allow growth of transplantable replacement livers. In their report that will be published in Nature Medicine and is receiving early online release, the investigators describe using the structural tissue of rat livers as scaffolding for the growth of tissue regenerated from liver cells introduced through a novel reseeding process.

14 Jun 2010

In vitro fertilization ups the risk of birth defects: study

Researchers have found from a large scale study that in vitro fertilization of IVF is associated with an increased risk of birth defects in the baby. They urge doctors treating patients with infertility to routinely warn them about these risks. The study involved 33 centers for IVF in France and covered over 15,000 births from 2003 to 2007. This study is the largest till date.

14 Jun 2010

NIH researchers' findings about malaria parasites in bloodstream could lead to development of new drugs

NIH researchers have "identified two previously unknown steps in the spread of the malaria parasite in the bloodstream" and found a way to interfere with one stage of the process, which could lead to the development of new malaria drugs, United Press International reports (6/10). The study was published online in Current Biology, according to an NIH press release (6/10).

14 Jun 2010

FRC praises decision of federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability

Family Research Council praised today's decision by the federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability to reject any change in current blood donation rules. Current policy provides that men who have had sex with men at any time since 1977 are permanently "deferred" from acting as blood donors, because of the high rates of HIV infection in that population. The panel, which offers non-binding advice to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, voted 9-6 on Friday afternoon against recommending any immediate change in the policy.

14 Jun 2010

Telmisartan reduces hypertension, cardiovascular risk in ACE-intolerant patients: Boehringer Ingelheim

Telmisartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, is one of the best researched drugs worldwide. It has been studied in clinical trials in more than 50,000 patients. Its positive safety profile has been confirmed also in a market exposure of 34.5 million patient years. Convincing safety data for patients with a high cardiovascular risk were collected in the three long-term outcome trials ONTARGET, PRoFESS and TRANSCEND which followed some of the patients for up to five years.

14 Jun 2010

Blood News and Research

First hospital in Mexico to use GORE HELEX Septal Occluder for transcatheter closure of ASD

New path involving "innocent spectators" to defeat systemic sclerosis

Programs try cash incentives to get forgetful patients to take meds

Upsher-Smith commences global USL255 Phase III clinical trial for management of epilepsy

'Micro-ear' to screen for malaria, sleeping sickness

New research evaluating substantial disease burden of PNH presented at European Hematology Association

IMF concludes first-of-its-kind inaugural Myeloma Summit

TF12 antibody targets EGP-1 expressed in epithelial cancer: Immunomedics

New book provides perspective on contributions made by nurses

Nurse with enhanced clinical skills detects same breast abnormalities as surgeon

People under 25 contribute 38% of voluntary blood donations

Astrocytes involved in regulation of signalling between neurons: Study

ARBs increase risk of cancer: Study

National MS Society commits over $2.4M to support 7 CCSVI research projects

Children born after ART at increased risk of congenital malformation

Discarded livers have potential to be reengineered into usable replacement organs: Researchers

In vitro fertilization ups the risk of birth defects: study

NIH researchers' findings about malaria parasites in bloodstream could lead to development of new drugs

FRC praises decision of federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability

Telmisartan reduces hypertension, cardiovascular risk in ACE-intolerant patients: Boehringer Ingelheim

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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