Blood Weekly articles from April 2000

Blood Weekly archives from April 2000

Automated System as Accurate as Manual Systems.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- by Jeff Bryan, Staff Medical Writer -- Blood bank tests performed by the fully automated ABS2000 blood typing system match manual procedures in accuracy, researchers say. S.G. Sandler and colleagues...

TT Virus Common in U.S. Blood Donors.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that exposure to TT virus, a novel, nonenveloped, single-stranded, circular DNA virus, may be common in blood donors in the United States. To investigate the prevalence of TTV in...

Doxycycline May Reduce Monocyte/Macrophage Expression.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found evidence that doxycycline (Dox) reduces monocyte/macrophage expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 mRNA and suppresses activation of proMMP-2 after translation. MMPs, which...

Risk Factors Separate Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Dialysis Patients.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Both diabetic and non-diabetic hemodialysis patients suffer an equal rate of septicemia and associated mortality. However, there are risk factors for acquiring septicemia in diabetic patients that are...

Findings May Permit Enhanced Delivery of Growth Factors.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers from the United States explored techniques that may permit delivery of mutant growth factors to areas of vascular intervention. "Site-directed mutagenesis is an important technique that can...

Virus Seen in Italian Blood Donors.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- TT virus has been found in Italian blood donors with both high and low levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). "A novel non-enveloped DNA virus, called TT virus (TTV), has been reported to be associated...

Gene Mutations Associated with Higher Risk during Pregnancy.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Prothrombin and factor V gene mutations each are associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy, according to a report from Germany. Venous thromboembolism is a primary cause of...

Bioengineered Blood Thinner Tested as Possible Substitute for Heparin.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Heparin has been used for decades to help keep blood from forming clots, which can cause heart attacks and strokes and are a major reason angioplasty procedures sometimes fail. But because heparin has some...

Hemopure Stabilizes Hemorrhagic Shock Better than Standard Fluid Resuscitation.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Biopure Corp., Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced that its investigational oxygen therapeutic, Hemopure (hemoglobin glutamer - 250 (bovine)), stabilized severe hemorrhagic shock better than standard fluid...

Monoclonal Antibody Has Multiple Therapeutic Applications.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- American Biogenetic Sciences, Inc. (ABS), announced that it is seeking a partner to humanize the company's patented anti-fibrin monoclonal antibody MH-1. This antibody has proved to be a safe, rapid, and...

Additional Patent Issued for Adeno-Associated Virus Gene Therapy Technology.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2000... 2000 APR 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cell Genesys, Inc., Foster City, California, announced that it has been issued a U.S. Patent (No. 6,037,177) covering methods of production of its proprietary adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene delivery...

Hydrostatic Pressure Used to Inactivate Viruses in Plasma.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Viruses in plasma and related components may be inactivated by with high-pressure treatment, researchers say. D.W. Bradley and colleagues tested the method of virus inactivation through hydrostatic...

Iron Overload Results in Hepatic Dysfunction.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Patients being treated for leukemia may eventually suffer from iron overload as a result of successful chemotherapy, according to a report issued in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. "Our data...

Reinfusion Is Safe Procedure.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Peripheral blood progenitor cell reinfusion can be a safe procedure for patients with malignant disease and who are undergoing high-dose chemotherapy, according to researchers in Italy. In some patients...

Taxol Is Useful in Mobilizing Stem Cells.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using taxol with recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) was effective in mobilizing stem cells and collecting CD34(+) cells, researchers working in Spain reported. J....

Nitric Oxide May Be a Vasoactive Mediator of Cerebral Blood Flow in Meningitis.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that acute early onset upper-limit impairment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation induced by group B streptococcal (GBS) meningitis correlates to an increase in nitric oxide...

Nitric Oxide from Neuronal Sources May Be Factor in Erythrocyte Velocity Increase.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that the increase observed in capillary erythrocyte velocity during isovolemic hemodilution may be partially due to nitric oxide of neuronal origin. "Based on findings in hypoxemia,...

Link to Autosomal Loci and Y Chromosome Interactions Found.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Interactions between autosomal loci and the Y chromosome may partially determine the stress response, researchers say. Because the stress response has been observed to follow familial patterns, P. Dumas...

Five Mutations of LDL Receptor Gene Identified.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A thalassemia trait appears to be associated with low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which may retard both the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in individuals with familial...

T-Cell Loss Drives Pathogenesis.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists reported at the recent symposium on Cellular Immunity and Immunotherapy of Cancer that a loss of functional Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) CD8(+) T cells is the driving force behind AIDS-related...

Genetic Trait Affects How Patients Metabolize Blood Thinner.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- More than a million Americans may be at risk for bleeding problems due to a genetic characteristic that affects how they metabolize the anticoagulant drug warfarin. The same genetic variation affects...

Cross-Linked Hemoglobin Enhances Local Tissue Oxygen Tension.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin (DCLHb) was effective in enhancing microvascular perfusion and local tissue oxygen tension of striated skin muscle, according to a recent conference report. DCLHb is a...

Monoclonal Antibody Appears to be Safe Treatment.(trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A monoclonal antibody may be helpful for trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock, according to a recent conference report. N. Vedder and colleagues previously reported their findings in animal models which...

Collaboration Announced for Delivery of Human Artificial Chromosomes.(Athersys Inc. and Gene-Cell Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Athersys, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, announced the formation of a collaboration with Gene-Cell, Inc. to deliver Athersys' Synthetic Microchromosome (SMC) vectors into human stem cells using Gene-Cell's automated...

Assay Developed to Detect Histamine-Receptor mRNA in Peripheral Blood.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, have developed an reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction technique capable of detecting human histamine (H[1])-receptor mRNA in...

GST Activity Is Better Marker than Alanine Aminotransferase Activity.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was more helpful than alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in quantifying reperfusion activity in liver transplantation, according to researchers in Germany. ...

Hypertonic-Hyperoncotic Volume Substitute Reduces Injury.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- The use of a perioperative hypertonic-hyperoncotic solution for volume substitution was associated with reduced reperfusion injury in an animal study. In liver transplantation ischemia and reperfusion...

Asymmetric Dimethylarginine and Coronary Artery Disease Linked.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A newly discovered molecule found in blood plasma, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), is known to inhibit the ability of nitric oxide to expand the blood vessels. This response is crucial to normal blood...

Link Between Heart Disease-Associated Blood-Clotting Factors, Estrogen Levels Found.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Levels of two blood factors associated with heart disease risk vary during the course of a woman's menstrual cycle, according to new research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 49th annual...

Lab Results in Ten Seconds, Without Drawing Blood.(reflectance spectroscopy)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- In less than a year physicians will be able to determine key characteristics of a patient's blood in 10 seconds, without drawing blood. The secret lies in analyzing the blood cells using reflectance...

Human C1 Inhibitor Therapy To Be Co-Developed.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- The Hyland Immuno division of Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Glendale, California, and Pharming Group NV, Leiden, The Netherlands, announced an agreement to collaborate on the development of recombinant human...

U.S. Patent Announced for Platelet Count Assay.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Response Biomedical Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia, announced that U.S. Patent No. 6,027,900 was issued to University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers to provide a method for evaluating the blood's...

Free Hepatitis C Screenings for Veterans Conducted.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- In response to growing evidence that U.S. veterans are at increased risk for hepatitis C, the American Liver Foundation, in conjunction with several Veterans Service Organizations in select cities, conducted...

Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator Treatment Yields Favorable Outcomes.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- The results of a recent study found that tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke, produces favorable outcomes and low...

Fibrin Sealant Agreement Receives British Government Approval.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2000... 2000 APR 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Haemacure Corporation announced that a manufacturing agreement reached in 1999 with Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) has received British government approval. The agreement calls for BPL to manufacture...

Novel Component Found in Human Platelets.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- by Jeff Bryan, Staff Medical Writer -- Researchers have found a novel procoagulant component produced by platelet stimulation with thrombin and collagen. "Factor V (FV) present in platelet alpha-granules...

Haplotype-Shared Blood Transfusions Prolong Cardiac Allografts.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Transfusions in which the donor and recipient share haplotype result in a longer survival of cardiac allografts in F1 mice, according to researchers. The degree of success of pregraft blood transfusions...

Phase I/II Trial of AlloMune Cancer System Initiated.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- BioTransplant Inc. (BTRN), Charlestown, Massachusetts, announced that enrollment and treatment has begun in a multi-center Phase I/II trial of the AlloMune Cancer System under an Investigative New Drug for...

Allogeneic Platelet Transfusion Reduced By Reinfusion of Autologous Platelets.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Sequestering autologous platelets before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), then reinfusing them, results in reduced allogeneic platelet transfusion, researchers say. Because nonsurgical bleeding after CPB is...

Osteomalacia Associated with Increased Bone Strontium.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that osteomalacia is associated with increased bone strontium concentrations in hemodialysis-treated end-stage renal failure patients. P.C. Dhaese and colleagues histologically...

Verapamil Reduces Diastolic Velocity to Healthy Levels.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Verapamil decreases diastolic blood flow velocity to healthy levels in asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, according to researchers. To study the effect of verapamil treatment...

Cell Counters Overestimate at Perfluorocarbon Concentrations in Thrombocytopenia.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Automated cell counters overestimate platelet counts at perfluorocarbon concentrations in thrombocytopenic blood samples, according to researchers. Because it is known that perfluorocarbon emulsions...

Absence of Xmn I Polymorphic Site Observed.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- A 7.0 kb fragment of the Xmn I polymorphic site is frequently absent in Yemeni patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to researchers. M.A.F. Elhazmi and A.S. Warsy studied the molecular basis...

Thrombocytopenia Associated with Dysmegakaryocytopoiesis.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found an association between thrombocytopenia observed in thrombocytopenia and absent radii (TAR) syndrome and a dysmegakaryocytopoiesis. R. Letestu and colleagues investigated TAR...

Diagnosis Aided by Rapid Whole-Blood Assay.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- In critically ill patients, a rapid whole-blood assay for the semiquantitative detection of circulating D-dimer could be a diagnostic tool for excluding venous thromboembolic disease, researchers say. ...

Imaging Techniques Useful for Diagnosis.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Magnetization transfer imaging and contrast enhanced imaging are useful methods for predicting hemorrhagic transformation (HT), according to researchers. "We evaluated hemorrhagic transformation with and...

Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates among Canadian Practitioners Could Be Higher.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- More health care professionals in Canada should practice what they preach, suggested investigators from the University of Western Ontario in Canada at the 4(th) Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial...

Platelet Aggregation Contributes to Ischemic Lesion Development.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment with monoclonal antiplatelet integrin (alpha)IIb(beta)3 antibody reduced ischemic lesions after embolic stroke, researchers from the United States reported. "We have produced a hamster...

Finger-Stick Device Transmits Hepatitis C Virus to Patients.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers recently reported on a cluster of patients who acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) from a finger-stick device. Patients who became infected via this method of transmission were all treated at the...

Precautions Against Hepatitis C Crucial for Radiology Centers.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study presented at a recent conference on nosocomial infections suggests that health care workers who work in radiology wards or centers should be particularly vigilant about taking preventive precautions...

New Initiative Launched on World Health Day Rallies the Americas on Blood Safety.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Unsafe blood and blood shortages threaten the health of people who need blood transfusions in some countries of the Americas, and a new initiative is being launched to encourage more blood donations and raise...

WHO Blames Lack of Governments' Support for Unsafe Blood Supply.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- The World Health Organization said on April 7, 2000, that more than half of the world's countries fail to perform full tests on donated blood, increasing the risk of spreading AIDS and other diseases. ...

Products for Intravascular Oxygen Delivery to be Developed.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SNUS), Bothell, Washington, announced the signing of an agreement with The State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY/UB) to work together in developing blood substitute...

Progress in Gene Therapy Announced.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Genetronics Biomedical Limited (GEB; Toronto), San Diego, California, reported results of the extension of its platform technology, electroporation, into gene therapy. The company announced the signing of...

Oncology Nurses Focus on Lung Cancer Fatigue.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Lung cancer survivor Ken Giddes avoids business trips on the third through fifth days after chemotherapy, because those are the days when he is hit by extreme fatigue. As a mentor to other cancer...

Oncogene Breakpoint Fusion Peptide Vaccine Generates Specific Responses.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vaccination with bcr-abl oncogene breakpoint fusion peptides generated specific immune responses in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, reported a study from the United States. "Chronic...

Single-Dose Supplemental Antithrombin Adequate For Bypass Surgery.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers writing in Anesthesia and Analgesia presented new information on the pharmacokinetic qualities of antithrombin. "Adequate levels of antithrombin (AT) III are essential for anticoagulation...

Blood Thinner for Irregular Heartbeat in Elderly May Help in Prevention.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using a blood-thinning drug in elderly people with an irregular heartbeat may provide stroke-preventing benefits that had previously been found only in younger people, according to a report in the April 2000...

Clogged Vessels Seen in AIDS Patients with Risk Factors.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2000... 2000 APR 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- A multi-center study led by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that the advent of thrombosis in AIDS patients is associated with certain risk factors. The...