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Strokes more likely to occur early morning and early evening

Japanese scientists have found that strokes are most likely to occur during certain two-hour periods; one in the morning and the other in the evening.

20 Aug 2006

FDA approves Plavix for STEMI heart attacks

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the use of Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate) for patients who have had a type of heart attack called acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), who are not going to have coronary artery repair (angioplasty).

17 Aug 2006

New laser test screens for Hepatitis B

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for a device, called Cell-Dyn Ruby, which uses laser optics and provides diagrams showing changes in white and red blood cells and platelets.

20 Jul 2006

Leukemia gene normally has mammary gland function

A gene critical for normal mammary gland function during nursing helps trigger highly lethal leukemias when it undergoes a mutation that fuses it to another gene, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

19 Jul 2006

FDA approval for Gemzar for ovarian cancer

Eli Lilly and Company announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gemzar (gemcitabine HCl) for use in the treatment of women living with recurrent ovarian cancer.

18 Jul 2006

Potential permanent genetic cure for hemophilia A

A discovery by Medical College of Wisconsin and BloodCenter of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee may be a key to a permanent genetic cure for hemophilia A patients, including a subset who do not respond to conventional blood transfusions.

3 Jul 2006

First drug treatment for late-stage cervical cancer approved

FDA has approved a combination of Hycamtin (topotecan hydrochloride) and cisplatin for use as the first drug treatment for women with late-stage cancer of the cervix.

18 Jun 2006

Discovery of protein associated with severe preeclampsia

Researchers have identified a second protein which, in combination with sFlt1, escalates preeclampsia to a severe - and life-threatening - state.

6 Jun 2006

Costly IVIg could be replaced with synthetic blood product

Patients suffering from a life-threatening bleeding disorder are closer to having access to a more effective treatment.

1 Jun 2006

No link between low air-pressure on long-haul flights and DVT

Researchers simulating conditions of reduced cabin pressure and reduced oxygen levels, such as may be encountered during an 8-hour aeroplane flight, found no increase in the activation of the blood clotting system among healthy individuals

17 May 2006

DVT and long haul flights - air pressure and oxygen levels not the culprits

According to new research from the UK the reduced air pressure and oxygen levels experienced by travellers on long flights are not responsible for the formation of deadly blood clots often referred to as "economy class syndrome".

17 May 2006

Sildenafil improves blood flow after heart attack in an animal model

Dogs treated with sildenafil, a drug most commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction, had better blood flow in coronary arteries than control animals, following an induced artery obstruction and treatment that modeled a heart attack and standard medical care given to people

13 Apr 2006

MPD Foundation funds research for incurable blood disorders

The Myeloproliferative Disorders Foundation has awarded $750,000 to establish the MPD Research Alliance, a collaboration of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic to accelerate drug development for incurable, progressive bone marrow disorders.

11 Apr 2006

Aspirin therapy offers equal heart-protection to both men and women

Previous studies have suggested that when it comes to using aspirin as a preventative for heart attacks, it is less effective in women than in men.

27 Mar 2006

Benefit of fish oils under question

In a turn up for the books, experts are now saying that contrary to the widely held belief that the omega 3 fats found in oily fish help prevent heart disease, this has not been proven.

26 Mar 2006

Low-dose aspirin lowers potential for clot-forming blood cells - in both men and women

In what is believed to be the first direct comparison of blood cell testing in both sexes of 81 milligrams of acetyl salicylic acid a day, Hopkins researchers found aspirin therapy prevents the clumping together of these clot-forming cells, called platelets.

23 Mar 2006

Scientists identify microRNAs that appear to play a role in the development of platelets

Scientists have identified a handful of microRNAs (miRNAs) that appear to play a significant role in the development of platelets - blood cells critical to the body's ability to form clots following an injury.

21 Mar 2006

Thrombocytosis: A clinical marker of tumor aggressiveness in renal cell carcinoma

Molecular and serum markers of prognosis in renal cell carcinoma have remained elusive. In large part, tumor (TNM) stage, Fuhrman grade, and patient performance status have stood the test of time as the most valuable factors in predicting patient outcome following surgery.

15 Mar 2006

Study recommends treatment change for pre-leukemia disease

A new study finds that longer courses of a mild form of chemotherapy may help patients with a bone marrow disease only recently considered a form of cancer.

14 Mar 2006

Decitabine improves myelodysplastic syndrome treatment

A potent member of a new class of drugs increases survival in some patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and may become the new standard of therapy for this group of pre-cancer disorders

14 Mar 2006