Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Blood / Hematology News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/blood/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120524.php Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) and Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced the initiation of the first clinical trial of TYSABRI® (natalizumab) in oncology. The first dose of TYSABRI was administered yesterday in the trial. The objectives of this Phase I/II study are to evaluate the safety and potential anti-tumor activity of TYSABRI in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Lymphoma / Leukemia Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120523.php Inverness Medical Physician Diagnostics Group, a division of Inverness Medical Innovations, announced the launch of the INRatio®2 PT/INR Monitoring System, a portable device that measures blood-clotting time, also known as prothrombin time, using one drop of blood from a patient's finger. Blood / Hematology Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120438.php AspenBio Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPY) an emerging bio-pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel drugs and diagnostics for humans and animals, reported enrollment levels are approaching fifty percent in the ongoing FDA 510(k) clinical trial for AppyScore(TM), the world's first blood-based diagnostic tool for human appendicitis. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120417.php EKOS Corporation announced the launch of the EkoSonic™ Endovascular System (EkoSonic ES) with Rapid Pulse Modulation (RPM) for the dissolution of vascular blood clots. EkoSonic ES is the only endovascular system that can deliver microsonic energy and thrombolytic drugs simultaneously, providing a safer, faster and more complete way to remove clots by accelerating dissolution. The EkoSonic ES recently received FDA clearance. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120313.php The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO) announced the presentation of a new analysis of data from the HORIZONS-AMI trial demonstrating that major bleeding contributes to more deaths at 30 days than repeat heart attack, or re-infarction, in severe heart attack patients treated with angioplasty. This analysis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients was presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Munich, Germany. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120300.php A recent study (doi:10.1016/j.clim.2008.06.009) published in Clinical Immunology, the official journal of the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS), describes a new method enabling the detection of multiple parameters of single human cells. The report demonstrates the characterization of specific blood cells from an individual with type 1 diabetes, providing information about the role these cells might play in the development of the disease and during therapy. Immune System / Vaccines Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120222.php OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSUR), a market leader in oral fluid diagnostics, today announced that an evaluation by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research of the OraQuick® HCV Test, currently in clinical development by OraSure Technologies, was recently released at the Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care meeting, sponsored by the Department of Defense. Blood / Hematology Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120110.php Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) reported initial topline results from an ongoing randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of its TRAIL receptor antibody HGS-ETR1 (mapatumumab) in combination with bortezomib (Velcade) in patients with advanced multiple myeloma. The initial data from the multiple myeloma study show that HGS-ETR1 was well tolerated and suggest that disease response was comparable for this combination vs. bortezomib alone. Blood / Hematology Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120046.php In conjunction with clinical assessment and the ECG, simple and rapid blood tests have become the standard for the detection of myocardial infarction. Starting in the year 2000, recommendations by the European Society of Cardiology and other major cardiology societies worldwide have begun to state uniformly that a rise in cardiac troponins - sensitive and specific markers for dying cells in the heart - is a prerequisite for the clinical diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119992.php Data from a Phase II study of an investigational drug designed to block formation of blood clots show potential for added protection against a second heart attack or stroke among patients who are already taking state-of-the-art prevention therapy, according to researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119906.php Celgene International Sàrl (Nasdaq:CELG) announced the publication of peer-reviewed data from a Phase II study of REVLIMID in relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. According to the data, REVLIMID, as an oral monotherapy, demonstrated activity in patients at an advanced stage of the disease who had received a median of four prior treatments and had limited treatment options. Lymphoma / Leukemia Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119828.php How do blood vessel cells understand that they should organise themselves in tubes and not in layers? A research group from Uppsala University shows for the first time that a special type of "instructor" molecule is needed to accomplish this. These findings, published in the scientific journal Blood, might be an important step towards using stem cells to build new organs. Stem Cell Research Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119829.php The findings underline the importance of precautions against vCJD transmission, such as the Government decision in 2004 to ban blood donations from anyone who had received a blood transfusion since 1980. The study published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, looked at BSE transmission between sheep through infected blood with the aim of quantifying how vCJD - the human form of BSE - could be spread through transfusions. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119711.php Everybody loves the way breakfast eggs conveniently slide off of Teflon without leaving any pesky pieces of egg in the pan. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in clothing, lubricants, refrigerants, anesthetics, semiconductors, and even blood substitutes. But the very strength of the C-F bond that makes it useful in so many applications also gives it formidable greenhouse gas effects that persist in nature. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119734.php Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered the earliest form of human blood stem cells and deciphered the mechanism by which these embryonic stem cells replicate and grow. They also found a surprising biological marker that pinpoints these stem cells, which serve as the progenitors for red blood cells and lymphocytes. The biochemical marker, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), is well known for its role in the regulation of blood pressure, blood vessel growth, and inflammation. Stem Cell Research Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119786.php Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) and Affymax, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFY) today announced their agreement to suspend co-development of Hematide™ to treat chemotherapy-induced anemia and to focus all development efforts for Hematide™ on the treatment of chronic kidney disease related anemia. Blood / Hematology Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119670.php Yale University researchers have found a new method to create lasting genetic changes within human cells, opening up the possibility of new treatments for inherited diseases like sickle cell anemia. The researchers corrected a specific defect within a human gene that causes the blood disorder thalassemia, researchers reported in a study to be published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Blood / Hematology Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119666.php Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions. CJD / vCJD / Mad Cow Disease Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119676.php Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions. Blood / Hematology Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119611.php Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company announced the publication of results from the 682 patient, randomized, Phase III VISTA(1) trial in this week's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The results showed a significant survival benefit and a 30 percent complete remission (CR) rate with VELCADE, melphalan and prednisone (VcMP) compared to 4 percent for melaphalan and prednisone (MP) alone in previously untreated multiple myeloma patients. Blood / Hematology Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119552.php SCC Soft Computer's blood bank product, SoftBank® II, version 23.2 received market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 12, 2008. SoftBank II version 23.2 was designed to have the added capability to print ISBT-compliant labels for modified blood products. The functionality of the predicate device, SoftBank II version 23. Blood / Hematology Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119515.php Scientists at the University of York have discovered a new role for a population of white blood cells, which may lead to improved treatments for chronic infections and cancer. Natural Killer (or NK) cells are abundant white blood cells that were recognised over 30 years ago as being able to kill cancer cells in the test tube. Blood / Hematology Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119381.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Nplate (romiplostim), the first product that directly stimulates the bone marrow to produce needed platelets in patients with a rare blood disorder that can lead to serious bleeding. The condition, which usually develops in adults, is known as chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a disease that results in a low number of platelets, the blood components that help with clotting. Blood / Hematology Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119374.php According to a report published in the August 27 issue of JAMA, a drug that lowers uric acid levels, allopurinol, also seems to lower blood pressure in adolescents with newly diagnosed hypertension (high blood pressure). Hyperuricemia - a condition characterized by higher than normal blood levels of uric acid (a chemical found in urine and blood that results from normal bodily processes) - is commonly associated with hypertension. Hypertension Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119302.php Roche Diagnostics announced the launch of a new blood gas analyzer in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, South Africa), Asian and Latin American markets. The cobas b 121 (BGE) system meets expectations for a low cost, reliable instrument for the rapid determination of blood gases and electrolytes. The cobas b 121 (BGE) system supports clinical laboratories in facing the challenge of increasing cost pressure on health care. Blood / Hematology