Copyright 2009 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 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172244.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172244.php The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is pleased to recognize the following abstract presenters with the highest scoring abstracts in the categories of undergraduate student, medical student, graduate student, resident physician, and post-doctoral fellow. Merit Award winners receive a $500 honorarium plus annual meeting travel reimbursement. Blood / Hematology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172247.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172247.php The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world's largest professional society of blood specialists, will recognize a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the national spokesperson for the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis for their efforts to promote biomedical research. The Public Service awards will be announced in conjunction with the Society's Blood / Hematology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172175.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172175.php The Medical College of Georgia is leading an initiative that could result in a paradigm shift in the care of patients with sickle cell disease. Blood / Hematology Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172185.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172185.php Gloucester Pharmaceuticals announced multiple presentations from clinical and preclinical studies of ISTODAX® (romidepsin) at the upcoming 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, December 5 - 8, 2009. ISTODAX, a novel histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, was recently approved by the U.S. Blood / Hematology Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172181.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172181.php The recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody produced by LFB Biotechnologies received orphan drug status for the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). This approval from the EMEA's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) was handed down on last October 7th. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia represents 30% of cases of leukemia in adults in Europe. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172179.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172179.php Chronic kidney failure, also known as chronic renal failure, chronic renal disease, or chronic kidney disease, is a slow progressive loss of kidney function over a period of several years. Eventually the patient has permanent kidney failure. Chronic kidney failure is much more common than people realize, and often goes undetected and undiagnosed until the disease is well advanced and kidney failure is fairly imminent. Urology / Nephrology Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172046.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172046.php Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells. By exploiting this mechanism, researchers have been able to powerfully suppress tumor formation in lab testing and in animal models. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172065.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172065.php By studying blood samples from patients recovering from bone marrow transplants, Australian scientists have been able to extract information that could help us fight certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. B cells, the immune cells that produce antibodies, start their development in the bone marrow and complete it in peripheral blood and tissues. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172066.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172066.php UK scientists have generated the first mouse model of 5q- syndrome, a human blood disorder, demonstrating the feasibility of creating chromosomal deletions in mice in order to study the genetic origins of such conditions. The researchers, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and the University of Oxford, aimed to track the development of 5q- syndrome, defined by the deletion of a section of chromosome 5. Blood / Hematology Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171954.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171954.php The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, are launching "Explore the Mystery of Blood," a dynamic science curriculum designed to spark interest in the fields of science and medicine, in addition to exposing students to exciting career opportunities in hematology. Blood / Hematology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171836.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171836.php A simple blood test corresponding to the follicular phase (days 3-14) of a normal menstrual cycle can aid in optimal scheduling of breast MRI exams in premenopausal women with irregular cycles - possibly reducing the number of repeat scans and non-diagnostic tests patients experience and providing clearer images on which doctors make their recommendations, according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Breast Cancer Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171717.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171717.php A team led by Penn State's Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has taken a large step toward unraveling how regulatory proteins control the production of gene products during development and growth. Working with collaborators including Drs. Mitchell Weiss and Gerd Blobel at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, they focused specifically on the complex process of producing red blood cells (erythrocytes). Genetics Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171746.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171746.php Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral industry were associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia, according to a new study published online November 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies have shown excess mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer in anatomists, pathologists, and funeral industry workers, all of whom may have worked with formaldehyde. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171726.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171726.php For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder. Mendelian disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, are the result of one or more mutations in a single gene, typically a gene that makes a protein. All of the regions that code for proteins taken together are called the exome. Cystic Fibrosis Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171601.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171601.php Afexa Life Sciences Inc. ("Afexa" or the "Company") (TSX:FXA) maker of COLD-FX announced the launch of a pilot clinical trial of a new formulation, LIP-01 that has shown promise in reducing blood lipids - including cholesterol. Cholesterol can stick to the walls of arteries, causing atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries." This, in turn, can ultimately lead to a heart attack or stroke. Cholesterol Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171555.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171555.php Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response on the companies' applications for Rituxan® (rituximab) plus fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for the treatment of people with previously untreated and previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171505.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171505.php Patients should avoid using the stomach acid reducer Prilosec/Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) with the anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Nov. 17. New data suggest that when patients take both Prilosec and Plavix, Plavix's ability to block platelet aggregation (anti-clotting effect) may be reduced by about half. "Both of these drugs, when used properly, provide significant benefits to patients. Blood / Hematology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171290.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171290.php Fenwal, Inc., a global medical technology company focused on improving blood collection, separation, safety and availability, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Verax Platelet PGD® test as a quality control test to detect bacterial contamination in whole blood-derived, pooled platelets prior to transfusion. Fenwal is the exclusive global distributor of the test, which was developed by Verax Biomedical of Worcester, Mass. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171296.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171296.php Jin-Woo Kim, a biomedical engineering researcher at the University of Arkansas, is part of a cutting-edge nanotechnology research group that has discovered a way to capture tumor cells in the bloodstream. The work could dramatically improve early cancer diagnosis and prevent deadly metastasis. The discovery was published Nov. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171283.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171283.php A new study that examines the value of maternal blood biomarkers will help identify and monitor patients at risk of developing preeclampsia and is set to change the way expectant mothers are cared for in prenatal clinics around the world. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171215.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171215.php Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced that the FDA's Blood Products Advisory Committee (BPAC) rendered a positive opinion on the proposed hemostatic efficacy and safety endpoints for a potential U.S. Phase III clinical trial of the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets. Blood / Hematology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171198.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171198.php Judging from the number of juices and teas advertised as containing antioxidants, consumers are aware of the dangers of oxidative stress. But what is the best way to measure it - and fight it? Doctors at Emory University School of Medicine have identified a substance in the blood that may be useful in predicting an individual's risk for heart disease. The substance is cystine, an oxidized form of the amino acid cysteine and an indirect measure of oxidative stress. Heart Disease Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171208.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171208.php When modern medicine finds a way to treat a medical condition, people often think that the problem is solved. But we also have to find ways to get that treatment into the hands of those who need it. For example, new research from North Carolina State University shows that much more needs to be done to help get existing treatment to hemophilia patients in the developing world, and that the current lack of treatment there is costing lives. Blood / Hematology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171039.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171039.php From November 14th through 21st, Canadian Blood Services' stem cell program, the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, is marking National Stem Cell Awareness Week with its Partners Uniting Lives campaign. Sadly, only 30 per cent of patients in need of a stem cell transplant will find a match within their own family - the rest turn to OneMatch. Stem Cell Research Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170899.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170899.php First reported interim data from the Evaluation of patients with acute hypertension and intracerebral hemorrhage with intravenous clevidipine treatment (ACCELERATE) trial were presented today at the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) 2009 Annual Meeting, showing that Cleviprex (clevidipine butyrate) effectively and safely reduces blood pressure in patients with acute, non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). According to Dr. Carmelo Graffagnino M.D. Blood / Hematology