Medical Devices and Surgical Technology Week

HIV/AIDS Therapy - Simultaneous HPLC assay for several HIV protease inhibitors suitable for use with children

HLA Testing - Services company announces planned sale of diagnostics unit

Head and Neck Cancer - PUMA does not appear to be target of inactivation in head, neck tumorigenesis

Hearing Loss - New device to screen newborns for hearing loss

Hearing Loss - Radiotherapy-induced ear injuries remain under-evaluated and under-reported

Heart Disease - ALERT Companion II used in first U.S. case

Hematology - Superparamagnetic labeling enables stromal cell tracking

Hemodialysis Access - Transhepatic dialysis catheters should only be used as a last resort

Hepatitis B - Prophylactic therapy makes renal transplantation safe for hepatitis B patients

Herniorrhaphy - Demographic, socioeconomic aspects of hernia repair in U.S. in 2003 reviewed

Herniorrhaphy - Laparoscopic repair of groin hernias reviewed

Herniorrhaphy - The Kugel repair for groin hernias discussed

Herniorrhaphy - Types of hernia repairs, prosthetic materials are evaluated

Hypoxemia - Increased use of centralized pulse oximetry monitoring reported

Imaging - PoleStar N20 launched for intraoperative MRI

Imaging Agents - New packaging provides convenience and safety for diagnostic products

Information Technology - 510k application submitted to FDA to market VeriChip's applications

Information Technology - CDC will use Unisys data center to support public health, safety functions

Information Technology - Cardiovascular device manufacturer migrates to electronic systems

Information Technology - Medstat launches Patient Safety Expert

Infusion Pump - New Accufuser pain management kits address orthopedic and plastic surgery

Insulin Delivery - Thinnest insulin syringe needle available in U.S.

Joint Replacement - New total replacement prosthesis for finger metacarpo-phalangeal joint developed

Lung Transplants - Modified lung donor standards increase donor pool, decrease mortality

Lung Tumor - Persistent dry cough may be only sign of rare malignant glomus lung tumor

Lymphoma Therapy - High-dose radioimmunotherapy may be superior to standard follicular lymphoma treatment

Malaria Therapy - Bioanalytic blood test accurately measures piperaquine levels

Market Analysis - Data will increase usage of ADME/Tox, stimulate market expansion

Market Data - Research company launches real-time, on-line survey capability

Maxillary Bone Grafts - Branemark vs. ITI dental implants are compared in bone-grafted maxilla

Medicare - Payment increase announced for hospital outpatient services

Melanoma - Standardized positioning proposed for whole body cutaneous photography

Meningioma - Thallium-201 brain SPECT can be used to diagnose aggressiveness of meningiomas

Mergers and Acquisitions - Inamco announces the completions of multimillion dollar acquisitions

Mergers and Acquisitions - Mentor acquires practice management software company

Mergers and Acquisitions - Orthopedic implant firm invests in Altiva

Nervous System Disorders - State funds to create brain neuromodulation center

Nocturnal Enuresis - Completion of formulation optimization reported for Desmopressin buccal tablets

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - Therapies under development promise improved NHL relief

Obstetrics - New ACOG opinion addresses elective cesarean controversy

Obstetrics - Oxytocin in prefilled injection devices is convenient for home deliveries

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - High sampling rate of Masimo SET will lead to improved diagnosis

Ophthalmology - Lesser amount of patching effective for treating lazy eye in children

Oral Implant Research - Hydroxyapatite ceramics are selective in cell recruitment from the bone marrow

Oral Restoration - Lifecore signs agreement for exclusive distribution of dental products in France

Organ Transplant - New drug may prevent organ transplant rejection with fewer side effects

Ovarian Cancer - Loss of cables is common in ovarian serous and endometrioid carcinomas

Oxygen Therapeutic - Company to respond to FDA's questions on Hemopure

Pain Management - I-Flow agrees to sell Spinal Specialties subsidiary for approximately $6 million

Pancreatic Cancer - Multidetector CT may have therapeutic relevance in pancreatic cancer

Patents - Micro Therapeutics announces Dutch Court patent decision

Patents - Patent issued for technology enabling antibiotic structure-based drug design

Patents - U.S. patent issued on method for promoting hair growth

Personnel - Daniel Gold, PhD, named chief scientific officer; Michael L. Eagle joins board

Personnel - Electroporation-focused company names David J. Pyrce chief business officer

Personnel - Gregory Martin named president of customer-care division

Personnel - Immunoassay company changes board of directors

Personnel - Products company announces R&D management changes

Personnel - Ralph Germscheid named VP, sales, medical device company

Personnel - Richard N. Linder, Jr., named vice president of sales and marketing

Prostate Cancer - IMRT gives potential to escalate dose in treatment for prostate cancer

Prostate Cancer - Myc-driven murine prostate cancer shares molecular features with human tumors

Prostate Cancer - Permanent interstitial brachytherapy for prostate cancer reviewed

Prostheses - Advantages of direct skeletal attachment have led to improvements in comfort

Psoriasis - FDA approves Raptiva for chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis

Pulmonary Medicine - Laser treatment eradicates endobronchial endometriosis

Radiation Therapy - FDA clearance granted for Elekta Synergy

Radiography - CRystalView cleared by FDA

Radiotherapy - Tiny gold shells may help battle cancer

Reproductive Medicine - Social inequality is deeply rooted into the practice of assisted reproduction

Restenosis - Positive Liprostin results reported from new studies

Retinal Detachment - Pseudophakic retinal detachment is discussed

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Follow-up phase II Rituxan data show durability of response at 48 weeks

Rheumatology - Bone loss often accompanies the early formation of rheumatoid arthritis

Salmonella - Serogroup-specific PCR assay for Salmonella enterica O:6,14 developed

Shoulder Arthroplasty - Results of shoulder arthroplasty in the young patient reviewed

Spinal Cord Injury - Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor encourages spinal cord recovery

Staph Infection - New anti-microbial agent destroys MRSA biofilm

Staph Infections - Quebec company submits new diagnostic test for MRSA to Health Canada and the FDA

Stem-Cell Research - A functional assay for epidermal stem cells should open up research options

Stem-Cell Transplantation - Quantitative real-time PCR improves post-SCT CMV detection

Supply Agreements - Antibody-manufacturing agreement signed with BioE

Tibial Amputation - Walking in a vacuum-assisted socket shifts the stump fluid balance

Total Hip Arthroplasty - 500 cGy radiation effective in preventing heterotopic ossification after THA

Total Hip Arthroplasty - Digital subtraction arthrography is useful before revision hip arthroplasty

Total Hip Arthroplasty - Early dislocation rate of posterior approach THA is evaluated

Total Hip Arthroplasty - Use of uncemented, straight femoral stems cautionary in revision hip surgery

Total Joint Arthroplasty - Comorbid conditions, abnormal lab values related to poor outcomes of TJA

Total Joint Implants - CoCrMo or Ti6Al alloys do not initiate carcinogenesis in the human organism

Transfusion Medicine - Intraoperative autologous transfusion device expensive but ineffective

Transfusion Safety - Strategic alliance to market Donor-ID and Transfuse-ID

Transplant Medicine - Donor-transmitted malignancy highlights a need for organ procurement vigilance

Transplant Medicine - Large B-cell malignancy, Castleman disease involve HHV-8, EBV post-transplant

Transplant Medicine - Piggyback transplant involving liver may risk post-transplant pulmonary embolism

Transplant Medicine - Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders are mostly caused by EBV

Transplant Medicine - Sensitive PCR assay will allow monitoring of human herpesviruses 6A, 6B, and 7

Tuberculosis Diagnostics - No more than two sputum smears needed for effective pulmonary TB diagnosis

Tuberculosis Diagnostics - Nucleic acid tests for tuberculous meningitis have limited use

Type 2 Diabetes - Study: LANTUS allows more patients to achieve treatment success compared to NPH

Vascular Lesions - Phototherapy system receives FDA approval to treat vascular lesions

Vector Development - A nanoparticle formulation enhances the delivery of antisense VEGF

Vulval Cancer - Imaging in vulval cancer assesses nodal disease

Wound Dressing - Launch of HydroMed wound and burn dressing initiated

Wound Repair - Artificial skin acts as a scaffold for reparative healing of sacral ulcers

Wounds - Gel that halves wound healing times wins Medical Futures award