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Gen-Probe to acquire Prodesse for $60 million in cash

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Prodesse, Inc., a privately held leader in molecular testing for influenza and other infectious diseases, for approximately $60 million in cash. Gen-Probe's purchase price could increase to up to $85 million if Prodesse achieves certain financial and regulatory milestones in 2010 and 2011.

7 Oct 2009

Parents should watch out for flu warning signs, says Minnesota physicians

Minnesota's physicians are urging parents to watch for the warning signs that their child is having a severe case of H1N1 and to seek out the H1N1 vaccine for their child when it becomes available.

7 Oct 2009

Clinical trial of gene transfer therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is embarking on a research study for advanced Parkinson's disease using a state-of-the-art treatment called gene transfer.

7 Oct 2009

Study: Patients experience sleep apnea after opharyngeal cancer treatment

Nearly all patients who underwent surgery to treat oropharyngeal cancer experienced some degree of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

7 Oct 2009

Cochrane Systematic Review finds Abatacept effective against rheumatoid arthritis

Abatacept, a member of a new class of drug that targets immune cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is effective against RA, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The review examines recent trials to assess safety and efficacy of the drug.

7 Oct 2009

Patients increasingly charged 'facility fees'

Kaiser Health News/The Washington Post reports that patients are increasingly being charged "facility fees," which are "the result of an obscure change in Medicare rules that occurred nearly a decade ago.

7 Oct 2009

Research to explore diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases

The National Institutes of Health announced today a second phase of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) including funds for 19 research consortia.

7 Oct 2009

Renaissance Laser and Vein Institute offers the new Titan Procedure for firming up sagging skin

The Renaissance Laser and Vein Institute offers patients the new Titan Procedure to treat stretch marks and sagging skin like never before. Thanks to recent advances in laser technology, there is a new wave of impressive skin care lasers in the dermatological and cosmetic skin care world. Among this new wave of highly effective laser treatments is the Titan Procedure.

7 Oct 2009

Hope for deadly smoking addiction; federal Tobacco Act amendment on the anvil

The Canadian Lung Association today congratulated Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and all Parliamentarians on the passage of Bill C-32, an Act to Amend the federal Tobacco Act. The passage of the Act is a key win in the fight against smoking and the tobacco industry.

7 Oct 2009

Clinical Genomics extends collaboration with CSIRO

Sydney-based Clinical Genomics Pty Ltd and CSIRO have entered into a new phase in their collaboration to develop improved diagnostics for cancers of the colon and rectum (bowel cancer).

7 Oct 2009

Researchers show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role for cancer stem cells

During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation.

7 Oct 2009

New ultrasound probe effective for treating kidney stones

A relatively new ultrasound probe procedure has the highest success rate for breaking down kidney stones in the lower "funnel" area of the kidney, rather than the shock wave treatment used for many years, according to a review of studies.

7 Oct 2009

Most likely cause of operating room fires are lasers and electrosurgical devices: Study

While operating room fires can occur in a variety of clinical settings, it is the use of lasers and electrosurgical devices that are most likely to cause them. Those are the findings in new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

7 Oct 2009

Senate Finance Committee vote delayed; House Republicans prepare to meet Sebelius

The Senate Finance Committee will delay its vote on health care reform — and, likely the bill's move to the Senate floor — as members await cost estimates by the Congressional Budget Office.

7 Oct 2009

Skin cancer patients may benefit from smaller surgical margins

Many skin cancer patients fare just as well when surgeons remove about one inch of normal-looking tissue around the lesion instead of a larger safety margin, according to a new systematic review.

7 Oct 2009

Obama seeks 'broadest coalition possible' but finds greater success outside beltway

In an effort to assemble "the broadest coalition possible" in its push for health reform, the administration has ventured outside the beltway, the New York Times reports.

7 Oct 2009

IDF announces new social networking online website for people with PIDD

People with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD) and their families will now be able to connect with one another and share their experiences through a new multidimensional social networking initiative, the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) announced today. Primary immunodeficiency diseases are a group of rare, chronic illnesses, caused by hereditary or genetic defects in the immune system.

7 Oct 2009

Late-onset sepsis in very low birth-weight newborns may be prevented with supplemental milk protein

Very low birth-weight newborns who received the milk protein lactoferrin alone or in combination with a probiotic had a reduced incidence of late-onset sepsis, according to a study in the October 7 issue of JAMA.

7 Oct 2009

Reuters examines health effects of climate change in Africa

Reuters examines how floods, droughts and rising temperatures, thought to be caused by climate change, are compromising African farm lands and leading to health problems for already vulnerable populations - a topic discussed at the "first pan-African climate hearings."

7 Oct 2009

Combination of leukemia and breast cancer drugs inhibits cancer progression

When breast cancer spreads or metastasizes, it crashes through the body's protective fences. The disease becomes fatal when it travels outside the mammary ducts, enters the bloodstream and spreads to the bones, liver or brain.

7 Oct 2009