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Researchers seek to defeat Alzheimer's disease by modifying mice's immune system

Using laboratory mice that had been bred to have brain changes similar to Alzheimer's disease, scientists were able to reduce two characteristic features of the disease by modifying the mice's immune systems with a special peptide (MOG45D) related to the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells and nerve fibers. As a result, anti-inflammatory cells were recruited from the blood into the brain, dampening the local inflammatory response.

7 Jan 2010

Excaliard Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase 2 trials of EXC 001

Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of three proof of concept Phase 2 trials of EXC 001, an antisense medicine that reduces fibrosis, for the amelioration of skin scarring and other fibrotic disorders.

6 Jan 2010

Bovie Medical's Resistick II coated electrodes receive FDA 510(k) clearance

Bovie Medical Corporation, a manufacturer and marketer of electrosurgical products, today announced the Company has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its line of coated blades, needles and ball electrodes used for cutting and coagulating soft tissues during surgical procedures. Resistick II is coating applied to stainless steel which resists eschar (scab or scar tissue caused by burning) during surgery. The coated electrodes continue the expansion of the Bovie line of electrosurgical disposables.

23 Dec 2009

PPI announces new Exotec Cubital Tunnel Splint

When staff from a leading orthopaedic group grew tired of struggling to apply the difficult to adjust and uncomfortable cubital tunnel splints available on the market, they enlisted Professional Products, Inc. (PPI) to develop a superior alternative. PPI, a leader and innovator in orthopaedic solutions for nearly five decades, responded with the revolutionary Exotec Cubital Tunnel Splint(TM) (cubitaltunnelsplint.com), which it announced today.

15 Dec 2009

ProChon Biotech announces expansion of BioCart Cartilage Regeneration System study

ProChon Biotech, Ltd., an innovator of tissue regenerative technologies that are being developed to relieve pain and restore the mobility and quality of life for sufferers of articular cartilage injuries, today announced a significant expansion of its clinical study of the BioCart™ Cartilage Regeneration System.

15 Dec 2009

Cell-enriched breast reconstruction procedure improves breast deformity in lumpectomy patients

Interim results from a European clinical trial, RESTORE 2, demonstrate that cell-enriched breast reconstruction achieved a high rate of patient and physician satisfaction and improvements in overall breast deformity in lumpectomy patients.

14 Dec 2009

Dermal stem cells may be useful for treating diabetic ulcers and neurological disorders

Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the skin that acts surprisingly like certain stem cells found in embryos: both can generate fat, bone, cartilage, and even nerve cells.

10 Dec 2009

Cardiologists receive K23 research grant from NIH

Brian H. Annex, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System, says he feels like the coach of a championship team. "Going three for three is truly extraordinary," he says with a mixture of pride and awe in his voice.

10 Dec 2009

USC Fetal Therapy Program achieves improved survival rate in TTTS fetal surgery

A Southern California fetal surgery institute, one of only a handful in the United States, has posted enormously successful rates in treating a dangerous disorder that affects 10 percent of unborn identical twins.

10 Dec 2009

New regenerative therapies for heart disease being developed

Bioengineers from University of California, San Diego are developing new regenerative therapies for heart disease. The work could influence the way in which regenerative therapies for cardiovascular and other diseases are treated in the future.

9 Dec 2009

Spectranetics receives FDA clearance for its new VisiSheath Dilator Sheath device

Spectranetics Corporation today announced it has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its new VisiSheathTM Dilator Sheath device. This expands the market for VisiSheath, which recently also received CE Mark approval in Europe.

3 Dec 2009

High-frequency ultrasound with elastography improves skin cancer diagnosis

High-frequency ultrasound with elastography can help differentiate between cancerous and benign skin conditions, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2009

Tulane University surgeon performs a new form of endoscopic surgery

Tulane University School of Medicine surgeon Dr. Emad Kandil is one of the first in the country to perform a new form of endoscopic surgery that uses a small incision under the arm to remove all or a portion of the thyroid or parathyroid glands without leaving a scar on the neck.

25 Nov 2009

Mesenchymal stem cells may be the key to healing diabetic foot ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers are the primary cause of hospital admissions for diabetics. Foot ulcers that heal improperly are at risk for infection, which can lead to amputation. According to the American Diabetes Association, one in four patients with diabetic foot ulcers will eventually require lower-limb amputation. Now science has found a way of mobilizing stem cells within the body to treat this health issue, which affects more than three million Americans annually.

10 Nov 2009

Study on asbestos-related diseases in Libby launched

Over nearly a century, thousands of residents and workers in Libby, MT, have been exposed to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore, leading to markedly higher rates of lung disease and autoimmune disorders, and causing to Libby in 2002 to be added to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's "National Priorities List."

4 Nov 2009

New improved enzyme could help facilitate spinal cord injuries

Researchers have developed an improved version of an enzyme that degrades the dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged. By digesting the tissue that blocks re-growth of damaged nerves, the improved enzyme - and new system for delivering it - could facilitate recovery from serious central nervous system injuries.

4 Nov 2009

Regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved: Study

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved in rats even when treatment delayed is more than a year after the original spinal cord injury.

29 Oct 2009

Adenosine deaminase enzyme therapy offers hope for priapism

For men coping with painful erections lasting for long periods of time, or priapism, new research published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) offers hope. That's because researchers from the United States and China show that the enzyme adenosine deaminase may prevent priapism from progressing to penile fibrosis, a condition associated with the build up of scar tissue and eventual impotence.

27 Oct 2009

New study on the factors that determine development of posttraumatic stress disorder

After exposure to extreme life stresses, what distinguishes the individuals who do and do not develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? A new study, published in the October 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry, suggests that it has something to do with the way that we control the activity of the prefrontal cortex, a brain region thought to orchestrate our thoughts and actions.

22 Oct 2009

Laser Spine Institute acquires Aspen Back & Body

After helping thousands of patients get their lives back through minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery at facilities in Tampa and Scottsdale and soon Philadelphia, the Laser Spine Institute (LSI) announces their acquisition of Aspen Back & Body, LLC (ABB), extending LSI's patient care capabilities into non-surgical areas for the first time.

22 Oct 2009