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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

Aperio receives patent for image viewing technology

Aperio Technologies, Inc., (Aperio), a global leader in digital pathology for the healthcare and life sciences industry, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company patent No. 7,738,688 entitled, "System and Method for Viewing Virtual Slides."

28 Jul 2010

BMJ News reports on Russia's $15.1B health care overhaul

Russia will undergo a $15.1 billion overhaul of its health care sector, including changes to its medical insurance system as well as health care delivery across the country, according to BMJ News. It is "the biggest reform of its troubled healthcare sector - described by Vladimir Putin, the prime minster, as 'deplorable.'" Russian MPs approved the legislation calling for the change in a preliminary vote in in July.

28 Jul 2010

ITelagen to host, support and manage EHR for Allergy and Asthma Associates

ITelagen, a leading provider of electronic health record (EHR) hosting and management announced that it was selected by Allergy and Asthma Associates of Northern California, San Jose, CA to host, support and manage EHR for their medical practice. The solution includes hosting of patient data in ITelagen's SAS-70 Type II certified datacenter and unlimited IT support for staff members.

28 Jul 2010

CIHR grants $2.5 million to probe impact of physical activity on breast cancer

Over the next five years, a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of researchers led by Dr. Kerry Courneya of the University of Alberta and Dr. Christine Friedenreich of Alberta Health Services will conduct a series of five large research projects to probe the impacts of physical activity on breast cancer thanks to a $2.5 million team grant over five years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

28 Jul 2010

AirStrip Remote Patient Monitoring solution receives FDA marketing clearance

AirStrip Technologies, a pioneer in mobile medical software applications, today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market the AirStrip Remote Patient Monitoring solution (RPM), including AirStrip RPM CRITICAL CARE and AirStrip RPM CARDIOLOGY.

28 Jul 2010

Dengue fever emerges as major health threat in Gulf coast cities

Several cases of dengue fever, a potentially fatal viral disease transmitted by the bite of urban dwelling Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, have recently been reported in the continental United States. Prevalent in Central America and the Caribbean, dengue fever's most common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and body aches lasting several days. The disease's more threatening form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause internal bleeding, loss of blood pressure, and death. Over the past five years, outbreaks of both forms of the disease have been reported in Texas and Florida.

28 Jul 2010

State governments expect tax collections to grow but still face budget gaps

The Wall Street Journal: "State governments expect tax collections to grow for the first time in two years as tax increases and a recovering economy lead to higher collections. But states are still likely to face at least two more years of financial troubles and about half will see gaps in this year's budgets if Congress doesn't extend special Medicaid payments that were part of the 2009 stimulus act, according to a report expected to be released Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

28 Jul 2010

Cell Therapeutics closes $4.06 million private offering

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the successful closing of its previously announced sale of $4.06 million of securities to an accredited investor in a private offering pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The sold securities consist of 4,060 shares of Series 6 preferred stock, no par value per share, together with warrants to purchase an aggregate of 5.8 million shares of common stock.

28 Jul 2010

Analyzing PSA level not sufficient for treatment decisions: Report

A new report published in the July 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine claims many men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer undergo aggressive therapy, even when they have low PSA scores and low-risk disease, saying "these results underscore the fact that PSA level, the current biomarker, is not a sufficient basis for treatment decisions."

28 Jul 2010

Merck, Sinopharm sign statement of mutual intent for cooperation on HPV vaccine

Merck, known outside the U.S. and Canada as MSD, and Sinopharm today announced the signing of a statement of mutual intent. Under the statement, Sinopharm and Merck will cooperate on HPV vaccine and other mutually-selected vaccine products in China, and will also discuss the potential for promoting and marketing Merck's pharmaceutical products in China.

28 Jul 2010

BioImagene collaborates with ten new academic medical centers to develop digital pathology solutions

BioImagene, Inc., the leading provider of innovative digital pathology solutions has added ten new academic medical centers to its roster of collaborators during the last quarter. Many of these collaborators have been named "America's Best Hospitals 2010-2011: The Honor Roll" by U.S. News and World Report.

28 Jul 2010

Abortion, other issues continue to stoke the politics surrounding health reform

Politico reports that "the issues of health care and abortion" are making the campaign tough for some Democrats. Among the vulnerable Democrats are Reps. Kathleen Dahlkemper, D-Pa.; Steve Driehaus, D-Ohio; and Indiana Reps. Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth, who is running for Senate. "'We are going to do everything we can to point out that Democrats who said they were pro-life caved on the big one,' said Marilyn Musgrave, a former Colorado congresswoman.

28 Jul 2010

NIH awards Akonni $435K to develop point-of-care diagnostics for multi-drug resistant strains of MTB

Akonni Biosystems a molecular diagnostics company focused on developing and manufacturing rapid, high multiplex solutions for infectious disease testing, today announced receipt of a $435K grant from the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health. The award will enable Akonni to accelerate development of its hands-free, sample-to-answer system for identifying a broader range of multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

28 Jul 2010

DIATHERIX Laboratories opens rapid response diagnostic panels for STD, HSV

DIATHERIX Laboratories ,adds a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) panel and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) panel to its line up of highly sensitive, rapid response diagnostic panels. The HSV panel identifies herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 and the STD panel identifies 10 sexually transmitted diseases simultaneously, many of which cannot be accurately identified by current testing methods. These STD organisms, if not appropriately treated, can cause diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoeae, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, etc. and may lead to blindness, infertility or complications during pregnancy.

28 Jul 2010