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Preliminary results from GE Healthcare’s flutemetamol Phase 3 studies on AD

GE Healthcare today announced the preliminary results of two Phase 3 studies of its investigational PET amyloid imaging agent, [18F]flutemetamol, where both studies met their primary endpoints. One study, in terminally ill patients who agreed to undergo brain autopsy, showed strong concordance between flutemetamol PET images and Alzheimer's disease-associated beta amyloid brain pathology.

12 Apr 2012

Study: Stem cells from pelvic bone marrow may help hearts beat stronger

Stem cells from the pelvic bone may help hearts beat stronger. Doctors and other clinicians at the Orlando Health Heart Institute are researching the use of stem cells from pelvic bone marrow to restore tissue and improve heart function after muscle damage from heart attacks.

12 Apr 2012

Biogen Idec launches FAMPYRA in Canada

Today, Biogen Idec Canada announces that FAMPYRA (fampridine sustained release tablets or fampridine SR) is now available for prescription for patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Canada.

12 Apr 2012

ST2 more specific than BNP for heart failure diagnosis

Critical Diagnostics today announced publication in the latest issue of the Journal of Heart Failure results of a study involving 995 patients who presented to the emergency room (ER) with chest pain. The study concluded that in this undifferentiated, symptomatic patient population ST2 was more specific for acute heart failure than BNP and that ST2 is independently predictive of future death and/or heart failure and has incremental utility in combination with BNP.

12 Apr 2012

Transcription factors do not act like an 'on-off' switch

A UNC-led team of scientists has now shown that transcription factors don't act like an 'on-off' switch, but instead can exhibit much more complex binding behavior.

12 Apr 2012

Mayo Clinic to offer novel device for patients with GERD

Mayo Clinic in Florida will be one of the first health care institutions in the United States to offer a newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The condition, also known as acid reflux disease, can lead to serious health problems.

12 Apr 2012

Researchers discover a lead on the origin of chronic lymphatic leukaemia

Up until now the causes of the development of chronic lymphatic leukaemia, the most common form of cancer of the blood in Europe, have been unknown. At present a cure is not possible. A research group at the MedUni Vienna led by Christoph Steininger of the University Department of Internal Medicine I has now however discovered a lead on the origin of this disease. Says Steiniger: "This could influence the therapy approach taken in treating chronic lymphatic leukaemia."

12 Apr 2012

Boston Scientific launches Z Flex-270 Steerable Sheath in the U.S.

Boston Scientific Corporation announces the U.S. market launch of its Z Flex-270 Steerable Sheath. The device is intended for use in a wide range of electrophysiology (EP) procedures to facilitate the introduction and placement of diagnostic and therapeutic catheters within the heart.

12 Apr 2012

MacuCLEAR to initiate MC-1101 Phase III studies on early-stage AMD

MacuCLEAR, Inc., a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel solutions for vascular disorders of the eye, announced today it is beginning Phase III studies for its lead compound, MC-1101, for early-stage (Dry) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), based on positive feedback during the company's end-of-Phase II meeting with the FDA.

12 Apr 2012

Lung cancer screening could be cost effective: Study finds

A new study shows that screening longtime tobacco users for lung cancer would be less costly than the widely accepted practice of screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers and would reduce the death toll of lung cancer by an estimated 15,000 lives a year.

11 Apr 2012

Dementia burden on the Australian economy raises concerns

The report by the World Health Organization and Alzheimer's Disease International added that policy priorities should include raising awareness of the disease ensuring timely diagnosis. It estimates the global cost of dementia is more than $600 billion per year.

11 Apr 2012

Computer modeling supports theory that many dementias spread like prion diseases

A new technique for analyzing brain images offers the possibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the rate of progression and physical path of many degenerative brain diseases, report scientists at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

11 Apr 2012

TAVI improves heart function, exercise capacity in patients with aortic stenosis

German researchers report success with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis-a special form of aortic stenosis that is difficult to treat. Results published in the April issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), show that while all-cause mortality was high within the first six months, TAVI significantly improved heart function and exercise capacity in surviving patients.

From Medtronic 11 Apr 2012

Losartan may not increase risk of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients

Although observational studies have suggested that losartan, a drug used primarily for the treatment of hypertension, may be associated with an increased risk of death among patients with heart failure compared with other medications in the same class of drugs (angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs]), an analysis that included nearly 6,500 patients found that overall, use of losartan was not associated with increased all-cause death or cardiovascular death compared with use of the ARB candesartan, according to a study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Apr 2012

SomaLogic, HUNT Biosciences partner to advance clinical use of cardiovascular biomarkers

HUNT Biosciences and SomaLogic, Inc., today announced a new collaboration to advance the clinical use of protein biomarkers, with an initial focus on the validation of biomarkers for the prediction of cardiovascular events such as strokes, heart attacks, and heart failure.

11 Apr 2012

Scientists map physical architecture of intelligence in the brain

Scientists report that they have mapped the physical architecture of intelligence in the brain. Theirs is one of the largest and most comprehensive analyses so far of the brain structures vital to general intelligence and to specific aspects of intellectual functioning, such as verbal comprehension and working memory.

11 Apr 2012

Breast cancer cells that metastasize to the lung express higher level of PRDX2

Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have shown that breast cancer cells that metastasize to the lung express a higher level of the protein peroxiredoxin 2 (PRDX2). The study suggests that the modulation of the levels of this protein could be a new therapeutic strategy to prevent lung metastases.

11 Apr 2012

Amyloid precursor protein appears to regulate its own production

A research team led by the University of South Florida Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences has found that a fragment of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) -- known as sAPP-α and associated with Alzheimer's disease -- appears to regulate its own production.

11 Apr 2012

CLYD gene serves as crucial negative regulator in pulmonary fibrosis

An international team of researchers led by Georgia State University scientists have found a key component in the pathological process of pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal disease for which there is currently no cure.

11 Apr 2012

Majority of Michigan oncology practices follow treatment guidelines for common cancers

A majority of Michigan oncology practices participating in a statewide consortium followed treatment guidelines for common cancers, but had gaps in managing symptoms and end-of-life care, according to a new study.

11 Apr 2012