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Arzerra drug approved by FDA for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Arzerra (ofatumumab) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

27 Oct 2009

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements do not improve levels of depression in heart disease patients

Contrary to the findings of some studies, new research indicates that augmenting antidepressant therapy with an omega-3 fatty acid supplement does not result in improvement in levels of depression in patients with coronary heart disease, according to a study in the October 21 issue of JAMA.

26 Oct 2009

Sickle cell disease can be treated with resveratrol extract, according to researchers

An extract in red grape skin may be a new treatment for sickle cell disease, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

23 Oct 2009

Progenika to provide blood group genotyping reference laboratory services to ARUP

Progenika, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with ARUP Laboratories (ARUP) of Salt Lake City, UT, to provide blood group genotyping reference laboratory services to ARUP to determine patient red blood cell antigen profiles when serology has logistic and functional limitations.

22 Oct 2009

Study reveals a dramatic increase in TTB cases

Babesiosis is a potentially dangerous parasitic disease transmitted by ticks and is common in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. Babesia lives inside of red blood cells, meaning it can also be transmitted through a blood transfusion from an infected but otherwise asymptomatic blood donor.

21 Oct 2009

Durham VA Medical Center receives Daxor's BVA-100 Blood Volume Analyzer

Daxor Corporation, a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, today announced the receipt of a signed trial agreement from the Institute for Medical Research at the Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center of Durham, North Carolina.

19 Oct 2009

Findings may reveal new treatments for people suffering from chronic hemoglobin levels

A gene with a significant effect on regulating hemoglobin in the body has been identified as part of a genome-wide association study, which looked at the link between genes and hemoglobin level in 16,000 people.

12 Oct 2009

Susquehanna Health acquires a Daxor blood volume analyzer

Daxor Corporation, a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, today announced the receipt of a signed trial agreement from Susquehanna Health of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This will provide Susquehanna Health with a Blood Volume Analyzer-100 (BVA-100), an instrument which enables semi-automated measurement of a patient's total blood volume, red blood cell volume and plasma volume.

8 Oct 2009

Researchers show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role for cancer stem cells

During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation.

7 Oct 2009

Measures taken by Memorial Blood Centers to stay prepared for the spread of H1N1 virus

Memorial Blood Centers today outlined steps the organization is taking to stay prepared for the spread of the H1N1 virus and to ensure a safe experience for blood donors and an ample blood supply for our communities.

7 Oct 2009

New study reports PRP treatment and its use in sports medicine

Platelet -rich plasma (PRP) is currently used as an alternative treatment method for several common orthopaedic-related sports medicine conditions.

3 Oct 2009

Professor's research to transform mobile phones into powerful medical devices

Cell phones have come a long way in the last decade. Today, one can talk, text message, shoot photos and video, send and receive e-mail, and even access the Web. Now imagine a cell phone that can be used to monitor diseases like HIV or malaria and to test water quality after a major disaster like a hurricane or earthquake.

3 Oct 2009

Latest optical and laser technology in medicine displayed at FiO meeting

From scopes that help premature babies breathe to techniques for imaging live neurons and beating hearts as they develop, the latest optical and laser technology being deployed in medicine and the biosciences will be on display at the Optical Society's (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO), which takes place Oct. 11-15 at the Fairmont San Jose Hotel and the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, Calif.

1 Oct 2009

Researchers find new ways to treat Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers are one step closer to finding new ways to treat Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a bone marrow disease that strikes up to 15,000 people each year in the United States, and that sometimes results in acute myeloid leukemia.

30 Sep 2009

Universal bilirubin screening can reduce jaundice incidence in newborns

Screening all newborns for excessive bilirubin in the blood can significantly decrease the incidence of severe jaundice which, in extreme cases, can lead to seizures and brain damage, according to researchers at UCSF Children's Hospital and Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, CA.

28 Sep 2009

Research to develop small-molecule drug that blocks excess iron absorption

Excess iron in the body, if left unchecked, can form toxic deposits in major organs leading to serious conditions including heart failure, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, arthritis, and even infertility. Iron overload can be a consequence of a genetically mutated gene known as hereditary hemochromatosis, or a consequence of red blood cell transfusions, required as life saving treatments, for patients with diseases such as thalassemia.

25 Sep 2009

EPO and growth factor therapy safe for anemic MDS patients

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of blood disorders that can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in some patients, often cause severe anemia (when the body lacks a sufficient number of functional red blood cells).

18 Sep 2009

Stem cells - the answer to autoimmune diseases and cancer in the future

Stem cells are multipotent cells of the immune system. Scientists hope to use them for curing autoimmune diseases, cancer and innate genetic defects in the future.

16 Sep 2009

Disruption of the spectrin-actin network leads to lens cell in the eye to lose their shape: Study

A network of proteins underlying the plasma membrane keeps epithelial cells in shape and maintains their orderly hexagonal packing in the mouse lens, say Nowak et al. The study will appear in the September 21, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (online September 14).

15 Sep 2009

Development of noninvasive imaging and treatment of the heart chronicled in a new article

Fifty-one years ago the average American home cost $30,000, Elvis Presley wooed listeners with Hard Headed Woman, and the hula hoop was introduced. That same year, 1958, a team comprised of a groundbreaking engineer -- Dean Franklin -- in concert with two exceptional physicians -- Drs. Robert Rushmer and Robert Van Citters - was laying the foundation for what would eventually become a radical new approach to health care: the noninvasive imaging and treatment of the heart.