Health hot news

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vasovist Injection (gadofosveset trisodium), the first contrast imaging agent for use in patients undergoing magnetic resonance angiography, or MRA, a minimally invasive test for examining blood vessels.

Capsule endoscopy (CE), which is virtually a micro-camera, is a revolutionary diagnostic tool in diagnosing small bowel diseases, and CE can obtain 40-60 thousand images of the GI tract, though the number of the images for the lesions is smaller than 500 in most of the patients. The CE reader still has to scan ten thousands of the images one by one because the reader cannot make sure which images the lesions are in. So, it may be a big burden on the CE reader’s eyes and energy.

Researchers have developed a new generation of microscopic particles for molecular imaging, constituting one of the first promising nanoparticle platforms that may be readily adapted for tumor targeting and treatment in the clinic.

Cell phones have already revolutionized the way people around the world communicate and do business. Thanks to advances being made at UCLA, they are about to do the same thing for medicine. In the lab of UCLA electrical engineering professor Aydogan Ozcan, a prototype cell phone has been constructed that is capable of monitoring the condition of HIV and malaria patients, as well as testing water quality in undeveloped areas or disaster sites.

A Swiss cancer clinic is among the first in the world to use a new, faster radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) to treat a child patient. A 12-year-old girl with Hodgkin’s lymphoma was treated using Varian’s RapidArc™ technique at the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI) in Bellinzona.

Bioinformatics researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Genentech have developed a new, quicker way to sequence monoclonal antibodies - a process that is many times faster than the sequencing technology typically used by academic and industry researchers today. The breakthrough is detailed in the December 2008 issue of Nature Biotechnology, in an article titled, “Automated de novo protein sequencing of monoclonal antibodies.

Beckman Coulter, Inc. (NYSE: BEC), a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of products that simplify and automate complex biomedical testing, ushers in a new era of cellular analysis with the release of the UniCel(R) DxH 800 Coulter(R) Cellular Analysis System. Capturing 29 individual measurements per cell analyzed, the system provides improved sensitivity and specificity, which means more reliable assessment of abnormal cell populations.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics announced 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) for its VITROS(R) 3600 Immunodiagnostic System. This new high-capacity immunoassay system provides laboratories with a truly innovative solution to address their quality, labor and cost challenges. The VITROS(R) 3600 delivers high-quality and dependable results by offering a broad and comprehensive immunoassay menu based on world-class VITROS(R) technologies.

CPC of America, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CPCF.OB), a company focused on the development of therapeutic devices that enhance the quality of patient care in endovascular procedures, announced the addition of three medical and technical advisors to its team. Dr. Olexander Hnojewyj, Dr. James L. Rogers and Richard E.

Equivital™, the world’s most advanced and effective remote physiological monitoring system, has achieved compliance with the stringent CE medical device standard ISO 13485-2003 in accordance with directive 93/42/EEC.