The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has granted marketing approval for ATS Medical’s Open Pivot® AP360™ mechanical heart valve (aortic sizes 16mm to 28mm). According to its manufacturers, the 3 main considerations taken into account for designing the device include its implantability, hemodynamics, and thromboresistance. The solid pyrolytic carbon and a band of intensifying cobalt-chrome alloy, MP35N, provide exceptional durability to the valve.

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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) consists of a combination of vascular risk factors and metabolic abnormalities comprising of central obesity, dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides and decreased high-density lipoproteins), hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The prevalence of MetS is worldwide and increasing consistently, with an age-adjusted prevalence of around 34.5% among US adults between 1999 and 2002. MetS increases the risk of vascular disease by promoting atherosclerotic vascular disease and development of type II diabetes mellitus. But now there is fresh evidence that MetS is an important risk factor for ischemic stroke, with differential effects by sex and race or ethnicity (Stroke, 2007).

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Parkinson Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting over 1% of the population over 65 years of age, and rising to 2% after the age of 80 years. It is important to differentiate idiopathic PD (IPD) from other conditions that present with symptoms similar to IPD, such as multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal ganglionic degeneration, and drug-induced parkinsonism. In the latest issue of the Archives of Neurology, Dr. Uwe Walters from the Department of Neurology, University of Rostock, Germany, and colleagues have reported that transcranial brain sonography (TCBS) may help in differentiating IPD from parkinsonism.

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Sunitinib, an orally administered, small-molecule, multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor, was the first anticancer drug simultaneously approved for two different indications, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Sunitinib has become the standard of medical care for both these cancers, and is currently being studied for the treatment of many other tumors. However, in a recent study published in The Lancet, a team of researchers from the Harvard Medical School and the Jefferson Medical College, USA, have reported significant cardiotoxicity associated with sunitinib use.

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In the latest issue of the British Medical Journal, researchers at the Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, have reported the possibility of reducing neonatal respiratory morbidity associated with elective cesarean section by delaying the delivery until 39 completed weeks of gestation.

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At the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) held recently at Atlanta, Georgia, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Boston, have presented their study which reports a high response rate using a 3-drug combination in the front-line treatment of multiple myeloma.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory polyarthritis with an estimated prevalence of 1-2%, worldwide, and an average annual incidence in the United States of 70 per 100,000. RA is a highly disabling condition, and recent studies have demonstrated an increased risk of mortality in rheumatoid patients, with a shortening in the median life expectancy by an average of 7 years for men and 3 years for women, in comparison to the normal population. Mattey et al have now reported that serum levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR) can predict mortality risk in RA, and may be useful in identifying patients at increased risk of early death (Arthritis and Rheumatism, 2007).

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In a research article published in the latest issue of the Cell, researchers Jan Munch and Frank Kirchhoff from the Institute of Virology, University Clinic of Ulm, Germany, and their colleagues have reported that amyloid fibrils in human semen significantly enhance the infectivity of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

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Our Worldwide Biotech Tracker program follows the leading biotechnology companies across the globe. We cover all the information and intelligence required by decision makers, strategic consultants, market analysts, and sales executives from this booming industry. We track deals, mergers and acquisitions, biotech product launches, and approvals, among other vital information.

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Our Worldwide Pharma Tracker program follows the leading pharmaceutical companies across the globe. We cover all the information and intelligence required by decision makers, strategic consultants, market analysts, and sales executives. We track deals, mergers and acquisitions, product launches, and approvals, among other vital information.

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