Medical News

RSS

Genzyme accepts CMS decision for delaying Renvela administration to dialysis patients

Genzyme Corp.today said it welcomed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' decision not to include oral medications without IV equivalents in Medicare's End Stage Renal Disease patient benefit. According to the final rule, these medications, including Genzyme's Renvela (sevelamer carbonate), will not be included in the bundle until January 1, 2014.

28 Jul 2010

NYU Langone opens vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy trial to men with localized prostate cancer

NYU Langone Medical Center has begun a clinical trial offering vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy to patients with localized prostate cancer. This novel, minimally invasive procedure uses a light-activated drug to deliver light energy waves by way of laser fibers in order to destroy prostate cancer cells.

28 Jul 2010

National health campaigns make men less likely to choose cancer screening: Study

In Germany, several national health campaigns promote cancer screening by announcing that only one in five German men gets screened. This is supposed to motivate men to have an examination. But a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that this well-meaning message has the exact opposite effect: it makes men less likely to choose to get screened.

28 Jul 2010

GSK awards NCCN $4 million grant for study of ofatumumab and pazopanib

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has been awarded two individual $2 million grants from GlaxoSmithKline to support clinical studies of ofatumumab (Arzerra®, GlaxoSmithKline) in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and pazopanib (Votrient®, GlaxoSmithKline) in the treatment of solid tumors.

28 Jul 2010

Mediomics receives additional $460,000 in STTR Phase II grant for PINCER protein assay development

Mediomics, LLC has received an additional $460,000 in a renewal of its 2nd year STTR Phase II grant (R42GM079891) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Since 2007, Mediomics has received over one million dollars of STTR funding to develop its quick and sensitive homogenous PINCER™ protein assay. The major goal of the second year project is to further increase the sensitivity of the biosensor.

28 Jul 2010

LLS collaborates with Shape Pharmaceuticals to advance treatment for CTCL

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Shape Pharmaceuticals announced today that they have entered into a partnership to advance Shape's novel, topical treatment for cutaneous T-Cell lymphoma (CTCL) into clinical development. The compound, SHP-141, is a first-in-class topical histone deacetylase inhibitor with the potential to treat both early- and late-stage CTCL.

28 Jul 2010

Medicare to bundle payments for end-stage renal care, reward quality

Medicare payment for end-stage renal disease care may soon be tied to performance and quality measures if a new proposed rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is finalized. "If the rule is finalized, ESRD providers that do not meet set standards" - two measures for anemia management and one for hemodialysis quality - "could have their Medicare payments lowered by up to 2 percent starting January 2012, the CMS said" (McKinney, 7/26).

28 Jul 2010

Teenage boys more likely to develop high blood pressure in early adulthood, researchers reveal

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers reveal in a new, large-scale study that "normal" blood pressure at age 17 can still predict hypertension at early adulthood and that teenage boys are three to four times more likely to develop high blood pressure in early adulthood than girls.

28 Jul 2010

CvergenX acquires global rights to InterveneXRT technology for individualization of radiation therapy

Moffitt Cancer Center and CvergenX, Inc., announced today that they have entered into a licensing agreement under which CvergenX has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to a technology platform that individualizes radiation therapy, InterveneXRT™. Researchers at Moffitt have used gene expression analysis and systems biology to create a radio-sensitivity classification index for individual tumors.

28 Jul 2010

Late preterm births risk infant respiratory illness: Study

Babies born between 34 weeks and 37 weeks gestation are much more likely to have respiratory illness compared to infants born at full term, and their risk of respiratory illness decreases with each additional week of gestation until 38 weeks, researchers report.

28 Jul 2010

Affymetrix to develop, commercialize Axiom Chinese myDesign Genotyping Array

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced that it will develop and commercialize the Axiom Chinese myDesign Genotyping Array, the first product that provides maximum power for genome-wide association studies specifically on Chinese populations.

28 Jul 2010

Insurers test at-home technology, monitoring devices to help cut heart failure hospitalizations

Technology that aims to keep congestive heart failure patients out of the hospital is gaining traction. The idea is for heart patients to take readings like their weight, blood pressure and other key metrics using wireless and other technologies; the data are then transmitted to a case manager or medical care giver.

28 Jul 2010

U.S. Marshals seize FastSize Extender devices and FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitor devices

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today seized $346,954.43 worth of FastSize Extender devices and FastSize EQM™ Erectile Quality Monitor devices, as well as component parts used in the manufacture of the FastSize Extender. The FastSize Extender and the FastSize EQM™ Erectile Quality Monitor are manufactured and distributed by FastSize, LLC of Aliso Viejo, Calif.

28 Jul 2010

New study reveals potential role of TGF-β1 in kidney disease

Fibrosis in the kidney is one of the key causes of progressive renal failure. High levels of the inflammatory molecule TGF-β1 in the kidney tubules due to tissue damage can cause fibrosis as well as nephron degeneration, resulting in loss of kidney function. To clarify the mechanisms regulating TGF-β1-mediated renal fibrosis, Koesters et al expressed high levels of TGF-β1 in renal tubules of mice. Nephron degeneration in this system was mediated by decomposition of the tubular cells. These data suggest that TGF-β1 may play a novel role in cell death of renal cells, thus contributing to renal fibrosis.

28 Jul 2010

At summit, AU leaders discuss funding challenges for maternal, child health

African leaders focused on the theme of the 15th African Union (AU) Summit on Sunday: maternal and infant mortality on the continent, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports (7/26).

28 Jul 2010

Scientists develop laser activated carbon nanoparticles for drug, gene delivery

Using chemical "nanoblasts" that punch tiny holes in the protective membranes of cells, researchers have demonstrated a new technique for getting therapeutic small molecules, proteins and DNA directly into living cells.Carbon nanoparticles activated by bursts of laser light trigger the tiny blasts, which open holes in cell membranes just long enough to admit therapeutic agents contained in the surrounding fluid. By adjusting laser exposure, the researchers administered a small-molecule marker compound to 90 percent of targeted cells - while keeping more than 90 percent of the cells alive.

28 Jul 2010

FDA clears IL's new point-of-care total bilirubin assay

Instrumentation Laboratory (IL) today announced that it has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the first-ever, rapid point-of-care, lab-quality blood test for measuring total bilirubin (tBili) in newborns.

28 Jul 2010

Delirium increases risk of death in older patients

A review and analysis of previous research indicates that delirium in elderly patients is associated with an increased risk of death, dementia, and institutionalization, independent of age, co-existing illnesses or illness severity, according to a study in the July 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Jul 2010

Cancer survivor to celebrate 100th birthday

Loyola University Hospital cancer patient Mary Cipolla was 89 years old when she underwent one of the most extensive operations in surgery, known as the Whipple procedure.

28 Jul 2010

AB SCIEX collaborates with CDC to improve laboratory hormone testing technique

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced a collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation to facilitate the use of mass spectrometry technologies in clinical laboratories for hormone testing. This collaboration is intended to help support the CDC's Hormone Standardization Project for improving the reliability of laboratory results used to help assess disease risk and monitor treatment.

28 Jul 2010

Medical News

Genzyme accepts CMS decision for delaying Renvela administration to dialysis patients

NYU Langone opens vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy trial to men with localized prostate cancer

National health campaigns make men less likely to choose cancer screening: Study

GSK awards NCCN $4 million grant for study of ofatumumab and pazopanib

Mediomics receives additional $460,000 in STTR Phase II grant for PINCER protein assay development

LLS collaborates with Shape Pharmaceuticals to advance treatment for CTCL

Medicare to bundle payments for end-stage renal care, reward quality

Teenage boys more likely to develop high blood pressure in early adulthood, researchers reveal

CvergenX acquires global rights to InterveneXRT technology for individualization of radiation therapy

Late preterm births risk infant respiratory illness: Study

Affymetrix to develop, commercialize Axiom Chinese myDesign Genotyping Array

Insurers test at-home technology, monitoring devices to help cut heart failure hospitalizations

U.S. Marshals seize FastSize Extender devices and FastSize EQM Erectile Quality Monitor devices

New study reveals potential role of TGF-β1 in kidney disease

At summit, AU leaders discuss funding challenges for maternal, child health

Scientists develop laser activated carbon nanoparticles for drug, gene delivery

FDA clears IL's new point-of-care total bilirubin assay

Delirium increases risk of death in older patients

Cancer survivor to celebrate 100th birthday

AB SCIEX collaborates with CDC to improve laboratory hormone testing technique

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

Latest News