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Ortho Kinematics' KineGraph Vertebral Motion Analyzer receives FDA 510(k) clearance

Ortho Kinematics‚ a private company focused on revolutionizing spine motion analysis, announced receiving 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the KineGraph VMA (Vertebral Motion Analyzer) system. The KineGraph VMA system is designed to improve a test routinely prescribed by spine surgeons—the flexion/extension x-ray.

11 Jan 2012

Cancer cells feed on sugar-free diet

Cancer cells have been long known to have a “sweet tooth,” using vast amounts of glucose for energy and for building blocks for cell replication.

10 Jan 2012

NanoInk launches new automated protein NanoArray assay platform

The Nano BioDiscovery™ Division of NanoInk®, Inc. announced today the release of a new automated platform for the analysis of its protein NanoArray assays. NanoInk’s NanoArray Assay System™ enables detection, identification, and quantitation of clinically relevant, low abundance proteins from a wide variety of sample types for applications such as biomarker analysis, translational medicine, and toxicology.

10 Jan 2012

Starpharma receives FDA Special Protocol Assessment for bacterial vaginosis phase 3

Starpharma today announced that it has received final written agreement from the FDA on the design of its Phase 3 clinical studies of VivaGel® for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) under the FDA’s Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) scheme.

10 Jan 2012

New fibrosis classification improves accuracy of diagnosis in Hepatitis C

A new classification for diagnosing fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) has shown to be as accurate as currently used algorithms, but required no further liver biopsy. The study appearing in the January issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, details a method that synchronously combines two fibrosis tests, providing a non-invasive and more precise fibrosis diagnosis.

10 Jan 2012

Cirrhosis burden expected to climb in frail population

New research shows that older Americans with cirrhosis have significantly worse health status and greater functional disability compared to those without this potentially deadly disease. In fact, findings now published in Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that elderly patients with cirrhosis require twice the amount of informal caregiving and contribute added strain on the health care system. Given the increase in obesity and aging of those with hepatitis C (HCV), researchers expect the prevalence of cirrhosis to climb in this frail population.

10 Jan 2012

Nicotine patch may help those with mild dementia

The nicotine patch designed to help people quit smoking can also improve memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, a small clinical trial found.

10 Jan 2012

Statins may raise type 2 diabetes risk

A new study suggests statin medications used to lower cholesterol may raise the risk of diabetes to a slight extent. Study authors advise patients not to stop taking their medications without talking to a doctor, because statins' proven power to prevent heart attacks and strokes outweighs any potential increase in type 2 diabetes risk.

10 Jan 2012

Grief and heart attacks linked: Study

Researchers have found that grief might actually break ones heart. A new study shows that people grieving the death of a close loved one could have a heart attack risk that is 20 times higher than normal.

10 Jan 2012

ADHD diet: Review of studies

A new review finds that some foods may not be good for children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Fast foods, red meat, processed foods, soft drinks, high fat dairy foods and potato chips may not be right.

10 Jan 2012

Anxiety and depression linked to computer games

A new study shows that people who spend more than 33 hours a week playing computer games suffer 15 per cent more anxiety and 25 per cent more depression than those who play for 21 hours.

10 Jan 2012

Questions raised over nicotine replacement therapy: Study

Smokers have been advised a host of choices for nicotine replacement like gums, patches and nasal sprays to help them quit. But a new U.S. study says that these do not help people quit cigarettes over the long term any better than going it alone.

10 Jan 2012

Now cannabis mouth spray to help ‘pot’ addicts quit

To help smokers quit there are nicotine patches and heroin users have methadone. However till date cannabis users have little choice except stop abruptly to quit. Cannabis withdrawal symptoms include severe insomnia, pot cravings and mood swings. “Although these are not life-threatening, they are significant enough to cause marked distress and lead people to go back to using the drug,” said lead researcher Jan Copeland.

10 Jan 2012

Shire acquires rights to develop and market Resolor in the U.S.

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has acquired the rights to develop and market Resolor (prucalopride) in the United States (US) in an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

10 Jan 2012

Majority of middle-income Americans are extremely satisfied with Medicare

A vast majority (82 percent) of our nation's middle-income Americans on Medicare say that they are extremely or very satisfied with Medicare's access and quality of healthcare, according to a new study conducted by the Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center for a Secure Retirement.

10 Jan 2012

END7 campaign aims to combat seven major NTDs by 2020

Launched today, the END7 campaign is dedicated to eliminating seven major neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as a public health threat to poor communities by the end of 2020.

10 Jan 2012

Telormedix raises 7.5 million CHF

Telormedix, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on TLR7 agonists in the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced that it has raised 7.5 Million CHF from existing investors Aravis Venture and Proquest Investments.

10 Jan 2012

Study finds no support for primary pathogenic role of LBs in PD

The pathology of Parkinson's disease is characterized by a loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (SN), an area of the brain associated with motor control, along with the development of α-synuclein (αS) protein in the form of Lewy bodies (LB) in the neurons that survive. The spread of LB pathology is thought to progress along with the clinical course of Parkinson's disease, although recent studies suggest that they are not the toxic cause of cell death.

10 Jan 2012

EHR adoption may efficiently improve nursing care, patient safety

With the prodding of new federal legislation, electronic health records (EHRs) are rapidly becoming part of the daily practice of hospital nurses - the frontline providers of care. In the first large study of its kind, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing determined that nurses working with EHRs consistently reported more improvements to nursing care and better health outcomes for patients than nurses working in hospitals without this technology.

10 Jan 2012

Researchers produce multifunctional films from whey protein

Convenience foods are growing in popularity, and the food they contain is usually protected by films based on petrochemicals. Now researchers have not only developed a biomaterial from whey protein, they have also come up with a commercially viable method of producing multifunctional films on an industrial scale.

10 Jan 2012