Blood Weekly articles from September 2001

Blood Weekly archives from September 2001

High Tumor CD38 Expression Linked To Poor Prognosis.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States suggest that CD38 expression on malignant blood cells should be used to identify high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia...

Elderly Patients Can Benefit From Stem Cell Autotransplants.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Elderly patients suffering from hematological malignancies such as leukemia or lymphomas can be safely and effectively treated with stem cell...

Skin Identified As Source Of Several Cell Types.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study from the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) of McGill University has identified a noncontroversial source of stem cells that can produce a number of different cell types, including...

Chemotherapy Regimen Affects Ph-Negative Stem Cell Yields.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The choice of chemotherapy regimen for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients can affect the amount of Ph-negative stem cells available for...

Malaysian Boy Undergoes Landmark Procedure.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A five-year-old Malaysian boy has likely been cured of a rare disease after receiving blood from a baby's umbilical cord by doctors who said that the transplantation is the first of its kind in the...

Fibrosis Associated With Viral Hepatitis Linked To Thrombocytopenia.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - New research points to hepatic fibrosis as a source of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. A study of splenomegaly,...

PCR Measurements Can Determine Treatment After Stem Cell Grafts.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Real-time measurement of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) levels can help health care providers treat patients who develop EBV-related malignancies after stem cell...

Death Risk Higher In Patients With Hepatitis C, Cirrhosis Cited.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Hemodialysis patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have significantly lower survival rates than those without HCV infections. The reason may be...

Erythrocyte-Delivered Drug Can Protect Macrophages.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Italy have developed a novel method for delivering protective drugs to macrophages at risk of HIV infection. "Monocyte-derived...

Antiretroviral Treatment Response Improves Chemotherapy Response.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Patients with HIV or AIDS-related lymphoma are more likely to achieve benefit from chemotherapy if they undergo successful antiretroviral treatment,...

Patch Is Preferred Fix.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Thousands of Americans have a weak spot on the body's largest blood vessel that could burst and kill almost instantly. Their options: grueling abdominal surgery or new patches that doctors thread...

Survey Suggests Few HIV Patients Are Aware Of Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Awareness of the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV related anemia among people living with HIV remains alarmingly low, according to the results of a small, first-of-its-kind survey of 669...

Company Says Its IGIV Product Is Readily Available.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ZLB Bioplasma Inc.'s supply of immune globulin intravenous (human), or IGIV, is more than adequate to meet its current demand, the company says. ZLB Bioplasma Inc. is a new provider serving the...

Storage Shows Record Sales Even As Benefits Questioned.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An increasing number of parents who want to do everything possible for their children's health are paying more than US$1300 each to have umbilical cord blood, which is rich in stem cells, stored in...

Stem Cell Research Is A Call To Arms In Washington, D.C.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Christian Medical Association (CMA) delivered to U.S. President Bush a petition signed by over 600 medical leaders across the country, urging the President to uphold the ban on federal funding...

Stimulating Innate Human Immune System May Retard Disease Progression.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research published in the August 2001 issue of the journal Experimental Hematology presents laboratory findings that could lead to an antibody-based medication that prevents or attenuates the...

Blood Pressure Control Can Trigger Diabetic Nephropathy Remission.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Focused treatment to reduce high blood pressure can also reduce kidney dysfunction in type 1 diabetics, researchers in Denmark argue. "Diabetic...

Blood Transfusions Do Not Affect Outcome.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Blood transfusions have no significant effect on the outcome of cadaveric kidney transplantations, researchers in France report. "The beneficial effect...

Fas Mutations Linked To Heightened Risk.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - People who carry mutations in the genes coding for the Fas receptor are more likely to develop a wide range of lymphomas, researchers report. "Fas...

Loss Of Two Key Proteins Results In Blood Vessel Clotting, Researchers Find.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in the U.K. and U.S. have reported results of a study in children that may explain why patients with meningococcal septicemia develop widespread clotting within blood vessels leading to...

Cerebrospinal Fluid CD23 Levels Can Mark AIDS-Related Disease.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Levels of soluble CD23 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of AIDS patients can be used to diagnose AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has spread to the...

Dysfunctional Cytotoxic T Cells Underlie Pathogenesis.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe have shown that functional deficits in some immune cells may be a factor in the development of AIDS-related lymphomas. "Acquired...

Gemcitabine Effective But Toxic For Relapsed Patients.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The nucleoside analog gemcitabine can be an effective single-agent therapy for drug-resistant non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but the drug's high risk of severe side...

Donor Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Mutations Affect Risk.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Polymorphisms affecting the production of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) may reduce the severity of graft-versus-host disease after sibling bone...

Pig Is Animal Of Choice For Supplying Organs For Humans.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unlikely as it sounds, one solution to the shortage of organs for transplant could be the miniature pig, an animal that is already a lot like us and getting more so in the hands of genetic...

Some Fear Animal Organ Transplants Might Unleash New Infections.
September 6, 2001... 2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- One worry about putting pig hearts and kidneys into people is that the organs might carry along a dangerous germ, perhaps even one that could later spread from person to person. In many ways,...

Recombinant Factor VIIa Safe, Effective For Patients With Inhibitors.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Recombinant factor VIIa can be safely and effectively used to treat patients with severe hemophilia complicated by anticlotting factor antibodies,...

Hormone Replacement Therapy May Put Elderly Women At Risk.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Hormone replacement therapy to ameliorate the effects of menopause may increase the risk of thrombotic disorders for elderly women, researchers in the...

Mitochondrial Depolarization Sensitivity Affects Drug Susceptibility.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe say that the sensitivity of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) mitochondria to membrane depolarization can determine chemotherapy...

Magnetic Fluid Seal Effective With No Power Consumption.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Japan have developed a magnetic fluid seal for rotary blood pumps, which they say performs safely and effectively with no power...

Kenyan Study Could Help Other African Countries Improve HIV Blood-Transfusion Strategies.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A 1994 study that highlighted the problem of HIV-1 transmission from blood-transfusion programs in Kenya, and which resulted in positive government action, could help other African countries...

New Recommendations Aim To Reduce Possible Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Transmission Risk.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft revised guidance to the blood industry intended to further reduce the risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)...

IL-11 Allows Effective Pediatric Stem Cell Mobilization After Chemotherapy.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that the ICE chemotherapy regimen followed by interleukin (IL)-11 treatment enables clinically useful stem cell...

Many Patients With Thalassemia Exposed To Hepatitis G.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Almost two-thirds of Italian patients who received blood transfusions for thalassemia were found to been exposed to hepatitis G, the results of a new study...

Hydroxyurea May Reduce T-Cell Responses.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The DNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea may depress some T-cell-based immune responses, researchers in the United States report. "Hydroxyurea (HU) is...

Indinavir Inhibits Lymphocyte Cell Cycle, But Not Apoptosis.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Contrary to some reports, researchers in the United States say that the protease inhibitor indinavir does not prevent programmed cell death of white blood...

Antibody-Mediated Thrombosis Binding Site Located.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company announced the publication of a study confirming the binding site of the disease-causing antibodies responsible for antibody-mediated thrombosis. Using a new...

Mechanized Microfluidic Device Interacts With Red Blood Cells.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Silicon microteeth that open and close like jaws have been developed at Sandia National Laboratories, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy. The microjaws fit in a microchannel about...

U.S. Government Begins Day-To-Day Tracking Of Blood Supply.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For the first time, the U.S. government is starting a day-to-day tracking system to monitor the nation's blood supply and sound an alarm when shortages loom. It comes none too soon: a tight...

New Enrollment Increases After U.S. President Bush Statement.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the wake of President Bush's decision regarding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, the Cord Blood Registry, the world's largest umbilical cord blood bank, reports the highest...

Hemodiafiltration Can Reduce Plasma Exchange Morbidity.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Plasma exchange treatment for patients with liver failure should be accompanied by hemodiafiltration to maximize safety and effectiveness, researchers in...

Current Lines May Get FDA's Approval.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The fact that colonies of human embryonic stem cells are grown with the help of mouse cells won't block their eventual use in people as long as scientists meet well-known federal safety rules,...

Fertility Clinic To Give Embryos To Harvard University For Research In Major Deal.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A fertility clinic will give embryos to Harvard University in a deal that could make the university one of the world's top suppliers of embryonic stem cells. Boston IVF, an organization of...

Health Officials Identify 10 Stem Cell Labs Eligible For U.S. Research Funds.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. National Institutes of Health has identified 10 companies and research laboratories with embryonic stem cell colonies that the Bush administration says are eligible for federal research...

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Fuels Controversy.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- David Stevens, MD, of the Christian Medical Association (CMA) warned that some biotech firms are methodically weaving a tangled web of embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and money. ...

Cyclophosphamide-Based Chemotherapy Provides Limited Benefit.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy regimen can provide some benefit for patients suffering from HIV related non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but their outlook...

IEV Regimen Effective For Stem Cell Mobilization.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The IEV chemotherapy regimen can be used to help collect stem cells for autotransplantation in patients with high-risk lymphoma, according to researchers...

Ultrasonography Can Aid Subtype Determination.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Ultrasonography can be used to help differentiate different subtypes of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to researchers in Japan. Satomi...

First Peer-Reviewed Study Of Thalidomide Published Recently.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first peer-reviewed study evaluating the potential use of Thalomid (thalidomide) to treat myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) was published recently. The study, titled "Thalidomide produces...

DICE Chemotherapy Effective For Drug-Resistant Patients.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The DICE chemotherapy regimen can be effectively used to treat relapsed or drug-resistant non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients, according to researchers in...

New Hope Available For Children With This Painful Disorder.
September 13, 2001... 2001 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- There is new hope for the 70,000 Americans currently living with sickle cell disease: the use of hydroxyurea, a drug that for the past 30 years has been used to treat certain types of cancer. ...

Pure Clotting Factor Products Do Not Carry Extra Inhibitor Risk.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Despite reports to the contrary, clotting factor products that have undergone extensive antiviral purification are safe for hemophilia patients, according...

Arsenic Trioxide With Ascorbic Acid Shows Promise.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Arsenic trioxide may be useful for treating multiple myeloma patients who have drug-resistant disease, especially when it is combined with ascorbic acid,...

Aggressive Treatment Not Recommended For Elderly Patients With Relapsed Disease.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Italy report that most elderly patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia do not receive enough benefit from aggressive chemotherapy to...

Technique Allows New Plasma Product Testing In Broader Patient Group.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - New product developers could include a broader range of individuals with hemophilia in their testing groups by incorporating a strategy developed by...

High Blood Pressure Linked to Nitric Oxide Deficiency.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When high blood pressure isn't controlled, it doesn't stay at one high level. Instead, it spirals higher and higher, greatly increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. According to an...

Paclitaxel With Topotecan Effective For Patients With Relapsed Disease.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Chemotherapy using two novel drugs derived from tree bark can help patients with high-risk lymphoma, oncologists in the United States report. "Used as...

Hyper-Interleukin-6 Effective With Stromal Support.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Germany report hyper-interleukin (H-IL)-6, a fusion protein combining elements of IL-6 and its receptor, augments stem cell proliferation in...

Porous Hydrogel Can Be Used For Controlled Anticoagulant Release.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have developed a novel system for the controlled release of anticoagulant medication to dissolve pathologic blood clots....

Porcine Thymus Tissue Can Aid Immune Recovery.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Thymic tissue from swine can support the expansion of blood progenitor cells in humans, researchers in Massachusetts report. "Transplantation of swine...

New Drug Shows Promise In Prevent Blood Clots.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An experimental agent that prevents the formation of blood clots earlier in the coagulation process than other agents has cleared its first hurdle in becoming a potential new treatment for patients...

America's Blood Centers Announces Plan For Potential Blood Crisis.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- America's Blood Centers presented their plan to the Greater New York Hospital Association detailing how its membership will provide 75,000 units of blood to help the New York Blood Center prevent a...

Hemopure Meets Primary Safety And Efficacy Endpoints.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biopure Corporation announced that the primary safety and efficacy endpoints were met in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial comparing the company's oxygen therapeutic Hemopure [hemoglobin glutamer...

Microscopic Cantilever Aids Assay For Prostate Cancer.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A clever technique for detecting proteins by inducing them to stick to and bend a microscopic cantilever - essentially a diving board the size of a hair - is sensitive enough to serve as a...

Injections, Sexual Practices Heighten HBV Risk In Bangladesh Truckers.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Male truckers and truck depot workers in Bangladesh, who are considered to be high-risk candidates for exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, are more...

Signaling Pathway Blockade May Prevent gp120-Induced Neurological Damage.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers say that shutting down part of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway might help prevent HIV related neurological...

Recipient - Second In The Nation - Gains Feeling In His New Left Hand.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patient Jerry Fisher, the second person in the United States to receive a hand transplant, continues to do well and has gained hot and cold sensation in his new left hand. Fisher marked his...

Researchers Study Icefish For Human Blood Disease.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- It's mid-July and professor Bill Detrich of Northeastern University's department of biology hasn't seen the sun in days. Situated at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula during the height of...

Avigen Begins Testing Its Liver Delivery Of Gene Therapy.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Avigen, Inc., announced that the first patient has been treated in a second Phase I clinical trial using its gene therapy product for hemophilia B, a blood clotting disorder caused by a deficiency...

Experimental Drug Decreases Age-Related Blood Vessel Stiffening.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An experimental drug may reverse stiffening of the cardiovascular system that occurs with aging, according to a national study led by Johns Hopkins University physicians. In a group of older...

Home Monitoring More Effective For Diabetic Patients.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in England say that blood pressure measurements for type 2 diabetics are more accurate when done by the patient at their home. Dr. Mike...

ECRI Releases Sharps Safety And Needlestick Prevention Guide.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ECRI, an independent, nonprofit health services research organization, announced the upcoming availability of Sharps Safety and Needlestick Prevention, a comprehensive new guide for evaluating and...

PI-3, Akt Signaling Needed For Stem Cell Damage Prevention.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Cytokine-based protection of stem cells after radiation therapy requires phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI-3K) and Akt signaling, according to researchers in...

Nitric Oxide Levels Can Predict Graft-Versus-Host Risk.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Plasma levels of nitric oxide shortly after stem cell transplantation are a prognostic factor for graft-versus-host disease, researchers in Hong Kong...

Skin Test Can Help Predict Graft-Versus-Host Disease Risk.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe say that skin explant testing can help physicians determine the risk of graft-versus-host disease in pediatric patients receiving...

Horizon Medical Products Introduces New Triumph VTX Port.
September 20, 2001... 2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Horizon Medical Products, Inc., announced an expansion of its line of vascular access ports featuring the proprietary Vortex (VTX) technology, with the introduction of the new titanium Triumph VTX...