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Angiotech to suspend Vascular Wrap clinical trials

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has elected to suspend enrolment in its U.S. and EU human clinical trials for its Vascular Wrap product candidate in patients undergoing surgery for hemodialysis access, pending a safety review to evaluate an imbalance of infections that have been observed between the two study groups.

21 Apr 2008

Theranostics Health to commercialize microdissection technology from NIH

Theranostics Health announced that it has received an exclusive license from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to commercialize microdissection including Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) combined with protein analysis for cancer diagnostics and companion diagnostics.

21 Apr 2008

MaxCyte introduces large scale transfection technology - accelerates cell-based assay development

MaxCyte has announced the introduction of its ITF Inline Transfection System, a validated platform for preparative transfection, based on unique flow electroporation technology.

21 Apr 2008

Scalp or neck melanomas most dangerous

People with scalp or neck melanomas die at nearly twice the rate of people with melanoma elsewhere on the body, including the face or ears, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found.

21 Apr 2008

Migraine exacerbates skin sensitivity or pain

People with migraine are more likely to experience exacerbated skin sensitivity or pain after non-painful daily activities such as rubbing one's head, combing one's hair and wearing necklaces or earrings, compared to people with other types of headache, according to a study published in the April 22, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Apr 2008

Number of general surgeons in the U.S. declines

The number of general surgeons per 100,000 Americans has declined by more than 25 percent during the past 25 years, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Surgery.

21 Apr 2008

Patients arriving at hospitals in daytime hours get faster, better care compared to off hours

Patients hospitalized with heart attacks tend to get faster and more comprehensive care if they arrive during daytime hours, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

21 Apr 2008

Developmental changes during the teenage years raise men's heart disease risk

Normal developmental changes during the teenage years leave young adult men at higher risk of heart disease than their female counterparts, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

21 Apr 2008

Skin lesions larger than 6 millimeters more likely to be melanomas

Skin lesions larger than 6 millimeters in diameter appear more likely to be melanomas than smaller lesions, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology. The findings suggest that the diameter guidelines currently used by dermatologists to screen for melanoma are useful.

21 Apr 2008

Nasal surgery improves quality of life for those with obstructive sleep apnea

Nasal surgery to remove obstructions from the airway is associated with improvements in quality of life for patients with obstructive sleep apnea and symptoms of nasal blockages, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

21 Apr 2008

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should undergo heart tests before treatment with stimulant drugs

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should get careful cardiac evaluation and monitoring - including an electrocardiogram (ECG) - before treatment with stimulant drugs, a new American Heart Association statement recommends.

21 Apr 2008

Neuroimaging helps improve quality of life for brain tumor patients

A new neuroimaging study at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University aims to ensure the highest quality of life for patients by assessing their cognitive skills before, during, and after brain tumour surgery. This is done by mapping the important functional brain areas surrounding the tumour in order to decrease the risks during surgery.

21 Apr 2008

Brain may be hard-wired to treat fairness as a reward

The human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate, UCLA scientists report. Being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry.

21 Apr 2008

Below inflation pay awards very disappointing, say Northern Ireland's doctors

Northern Ireland's doctors are again to receive a below inflation pay award; indeed many will in effect receive a pay cut. Dr Brian Patterson, Chairman of the BMA's NI Council, said that this is very concerning for the medical profession and disappointing in the extreme for thousands of doctors here.

21 Apr 2008

Gene mutation helps protect against malaria

New research suggests that not everyone who is bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito develops life threatening health problems according to scientists at the University of Toronto.

21 Apr 2008

New technology tracks medication adherence in patients with HIV/AIDS

Most of us have missed a dose of antibiotic or forgotten to take a daily vitamin. But when the stakes are higher - as they are for people with HIV/AIDS - a skipped pill could mean the difference between health and hazard for the entire population.

21 Apr 2008

CocoaVia dark chocolate bars lower cholesterol and systolic blood pressure

The results of a University of Illinois study have demonstrated an effective way to lower cholesterol levels - by eating chocolate bars.

21 Apr 2008

First comprehensive look at treatment practices for nonepileptic seizures

A new nationwide clinician survey provides the first comprehensive look at what is community care or 'treatment as usual' for nonepileptic seizures (NES), laying the groundwork for clinical trials aimed at identifying effective treatments for this neuropsychiatric disorder.

21 Apr 2008

Researchers describe key molecule responsible for the immature state of the tumor vasculature

Immune therapies are considered very promising in cancer medicine: Tumor-fighting immune cells are supposed to invade tumor tissue and eliminate cancer cells right there. Although this works well in the test tube, clinical application often fails because immune cells are unable to get into the tumor tissue from the bloodstream in sufficient numbers.

21 Apr 2008

Discovery of fundamental mechanism of how tumour cells communicate

A new fundamental mechanism of how tumour cells communicate has just been discovered by the team of Dr. Janusz Rak at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in collaboration with Dr Guha from the University of Toronto.

21 Apr 2008