Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Exploring Mobility For Disabled Children
If your child needs to use a wheelchair, whether temporarily following illness or surgery or for longer-term disability, it is important they feel confident to move about safely. At this year"s national Mobility Roadshow that takes place at Kemble Airfield near Cirencester on 4, 5 and 6 June the Association of Wheelchair Children will be holding wheelchair skills workshops for children. In half hour sessions they will teach practical skills - ascending and descending kerbs, slopes, negotiating roads, moving backwards and forwards - empowering them with the ability to assess risk and to move safely and confidently about their homes and neighbourhoods. These sessions are equally useful for parents and carers.
generic viagra online
Results From Phase 1 Clinical Study Of PEG-PAL In PKU And Update On Phase 2 Clinical Study
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) announced results from the Phase 1 clinical study of PEG-PAL (PEGylated recombinant phenylalanine ammonia lyase) for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU). The company expects to initiate the Phase 2 clinical study in late June or early July, pending institutional review board (IRB) approval from the clinical trial sites. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the Phase II clinical trial protocol.
News of the day
Costliest Medicare Markets In Florida, New York, California
U.S. News & World Report examines cost, frequency, and outcomes studies on Medicare patients from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice : "The Dartmouth research is particularly relevant to older Americans because it is based to a large extent on Medicare data, involving patients ages 65 and older. The 2008 atlas, in particular, paints a devastating portrait of Medicare treatments based on an extensive study of Medicare recipients who died from one or more of nine chronic illnesses. Not only are chronic illnesses very expensive to treat, but they"re also the cause of most deaths in the United States. According to the 2008 atlas: More than 90 million Americans live with at least one chronic illness, and 7 out of 10 Americans die from chronic disease. Among the population that receives Medicare, the toll is even greater: About 9 out of 10 deaths are associated with just nine chronic illnesses: congestive heart failure, chronic lung disease, cancer, coronary artery disease, renal failure, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and dementia."
Endocrinology

How Immune Cells May Help Predict Alzheimer's Risk

What if you could test your risk for Alzheimer"s disease much like your cholesterol levels - through a simple blood test? UCLA scientists have discovered a way to measure the amount of amyloid beta that is being absorbed by immune cells in the blood. Amyloid beta forms the plaques considered the hallmark of Alzheimer"s disease, and if the immune system isn"t adequately clearing amyloid beta, it may indicate Alzheimer"s risk, according to the researchers. MP Biomedicals LLC, a global life sciences and diagnostics company dedicated to Alzheimer"s disease research, has received an exclusive, worldwide license to commercialize the UCLA technology and create a diagnostic blood test for public use to screen for Alzheimer"s risk. "Early diagnosis is the cornerstone of preventive approaches to Alzheimer"s disease," said Dr. Milan Fiala, lead author of the UCLA study and a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. "We are pleased that the process we"ve identified using immune cells to help predict Alzheimer"s risk will be further developed by MP Biomedicals." "We are excited by the opportunity to forward the UCLA science in creating a cost-effective blood test to screen for Alzheimer"s risk that could be used in any hospital or lab," said Milan Panic, CEO of MP Biomedicals. Dr. Miodrag Micic, vice president of research and development for MP Biomedicals, noted that other blood tests for Alzheimer"s diagnosis measure factors such as inflammation and infection, which are also present in other diseases like atheroclerosis and may complicate the interpretation of results. The recently published study on the process identified by UCLA, which uses the "innate" immune system present at birth, appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology. In the study, researchers took blood samples and isolated monocytes, which from birth act as the immune system"s janitors, traveling through the brain and body and gobbling up waste products - including amyloid beta. The monocytes were incubated overnight with amyloid beta, which was labeled with a fluorescent marker. Using a common laboratory method known as flow cytometry, researchers then measured the amount of amyloid beta ingested by the immune cells by assessing how much fluorescence was being emitted from each monocyte cell. The 18 Alzheimer"s disease patients in the study showed the least uptake of amyloid beta; the healthy control group, which consisted of 14 university professors, demonstrated the highest uptake. The method was able to distinguish with adequate sensitivity and specificity the Alzheimer"s disease patients. The results were found to be positive in 94 percent of the Alzheimer"s patients and negative in 100 percent of the university professor control group. In addition, the results were found to be positive in 60 percent of study participants who suffered from mild cognitive impairment, a condition that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer"s. "Patients and control subjects were also tracked over time to see if their immune response changed," Fiala said. For example, an Alzheimer"s disease patient over time showed declining results, while a university professor continued to demonstrate a high uptake of amyloid beta. Micic noted that the new method could be a flag for further testing and interventions. "Similar to screening patients for heart disease risk by a cholesterol test, a positive result for Alzheimer"s risk in some patients may suggest further interventions and advanced diagnostics, such as a brain PET scan and neurocognitive testing." The study was funded in part by MP Biomedicals LLC. Fiala is a consultant for the company and also served in the company"s speakers bureau. Rachel Champeau University of California - Los Angeles


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009