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Fluidigm announces universal sample prep workflow for single-cell DNA sequencing

Fluidigm Corporation today announced a universal sample prep workflow for single-cell DNA sequencing that runs on its C1TM Single-Cell Auto Prep System. This workflow streamlines targeted, whole exome and whole genome sequencing in heterogeneous cell populations and enables researchers to discover and screen somatic mutations, such as SNP, small indels, and translocations.

24 Dec 2013

Concordia Healthcare acquires Pinnacle Biologics

Concordia Healthcare Corp., an integrated, specialty healthcare company focused on the acquisition of legacy pharmaceutical products and medical devices and the acquisition and/or development of orphan drugs, announced today that it has acquired Pinnacle Biologics, Inc., a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in legacy pharmaceuticals which have the potential for development as orphan drugs to treat cancer indications in addition to those for which they have previously been approved.

24 Dec 2013

Dynasil announces sale of Navigator Gamma Medical Probe product line to Dilon Technologies

Dynasil Corporation of America, a developer of sensing, detection and analysis technology for homeland security, medical and industrial applications, today announced the December 23, 2013 sale of the assets of its Navigator Gamma Medical Probe product line to Dilon Technologies, Inc. of Newport News, Virginia.

24 Dec 2013

Holiday reads: Squabbling families, the psychology of Santa, holiday stress and chocolate chip cookies

[T]his time of year the Internet is ripe with lists on how to avoid or mitigate family conflicts. At big gatherings, familiarity may not always breed contempt, but it sure can breed festering emotional wounds. Leonard Felder, a Los Angeles psychologist, has found that about three-quarters of us have at least one family member who annoys us. But why is it that the same minor jabs and annoying tics that are harmless coming from friends prompt epic screaming matches when uttered by relatives? ... Here are four theories as to why our families drive us nuts, and it would be nice of you to pay attention for once in your life (Olga Khazan, 12/23).

24 Dec 2013

Healthcare workers' hands contaminated with C. difficile after routine care, study shows

A new study finds nearly one in four healthcare workers' hands were contaminated with Clostridium difficile spores after routine care of patients infected with the bacteria. The study was published in the January issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

24 Dec 2013

Actavis' subsidiary receives FDA complete response letter for progestin-only patch NDA

Actavis plc today confirmed that the Company's subsidiary has received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its New Drug Application for a progestin-only transdermal contraceptive patch (Norethindrone Transdermal Delivery System) for use by women to prevent pregnancy.

24 Dec 2013

Planmeca to co-develop CAD/CAM products with E4D Technologies

Planmeca, the world's largest privately owned dental imaging company and equipment manufacturer, announced today that it has made a non-controlling, strategic investment in E4D Technologies, LLC, developer of the E4D CAD/CAM Restorative System. This strategic investment reinforces Planmeca's on-going commitment to help dental providers improve patient care by offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated digital dental solutions for dentists and dental laboratories.

24 Dec 2013

Capsules: Catastrophic Obamacare policies prove hard sell so far; explaining Obama's move to allow some 'catastrophic' health coverage plans

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Phil Galewitz examines catastrophic insurance policies: "The Obama administration's decision this week to allow people to buy catastrophic-level policies if their individual health plans had been canceled comes amid reports that few people have bought these less expensive policies sold in new online insurance marketplaces" (Galewitz, 12/20).

24 Dec 2013

AmpliPhi BioSciences completes sale of $18M of common stock in private placement financing

AmpliPhi BioSciences Corporation, the global leader in the development of bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapies to treat drug resistant infections, announced today that it has completed the sale of approximately $18 million of common stock in a private placement financing. The Company has issued an aggregate of 72,007,000 shares of the Company's common stock at a price per share of $0.25. Net proceeds from the placement are approximately $16.9 million.

24 Dec 2013

Asthma link to mood disorders strengthened

Results from a prospective study support a relationship between asthma in adolescence and future diagnosis of mood disorders.

24 Dec 2013

Young women more likely to have negative urodynamics experience

Research from the USA suggests that while urodynamic testing is well-tolerated by women on the whole, patients who are younger, or have anxiety or depression may have more negative experiences of the procedure than other patients.

24 Dec 2013

Duration of common pediatric respiratory infections estimated

An international research team has systematically reviewed the literature to formulate up-to-date estimates of the duration of common childhood respiratory tract infections.

24 Dec 2013

Schizophrenia brain marker matches genetic risk

Polygenic risk for schizophrenia correlates with neural inefficiency in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, say researchers.

24 Dec 2013

Treating depression fails to reverse cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder

Successful treatment of depression with total sleep deprivation does not improve neuropsychologic deficits in bipolar patients, despite improving clinical symptoms, Italian researchers report.

24 Dec 2013

Low testosterone levels linked to nocturia in men

Research from South Korea indicates that low testosterone levels are associated with nocturia in men, independent of both age and prostate volume.

24 Dec 2013

Older age linked to poor inhaler technique

Poor metered dose inhaler technique is common among older patients with asthma and is associated with reduced controller medication adherence, prospective study findings show.

24 Dec 2013

Japanese FIRST tool assesses vulnerability to insomnia

The Japanese version of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test has been validated and confirmed as a reliable tool for assessing vulnerability to insomnia in healthy individuals.

24 Dec 2013

Genotyping strategy could boost celiac screening efficacy

Genotyping for human leukocyte antigen followed by biopsy is a sensitive strategy for detecting histopathologic lesions in the close relatives of people with celiac disease, research indicates.

24 Dec 2013

Paired exchange and incompatible kidney transplant program launched by UAB

Ann Marie Reynolds, a 32-year-old who has been in and out of hospitals fighting chronic kidney disease since she was a teenager, had a less than 1 percent chance of receiving a kidney without the University of Alabama at Birmingham's groundbreaking organ donation system that helped her and two other hard-to-match patients get kidneys in a three-way, incompatible kidney exchange earlier this year.

24 Dec 2013

Young adults remain a focus of insurance marketplace outreach

The success of the Affordable Care Act's online marketplaces may depend on people like [26-year-old] Lizzie Bunnen. If healthy adults her age don't sign up, the risk is that predominantly older and sicker members will drive up costs and threaten the portals' future. With the Dec. 23 deadline approaching for January coverage, and at the end of March for all 2014 enrollment, the clock is ticking on what many believe is one of the health law's biggest challenges.

24 Dec 2013