Blood Weekly back issues from February 2001:
Reducing Plasma Cholesterol Levels Improves Blood's Ability to Carry Oxygen.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Lowering plasma cholesterol levels can enhance the ability of blood to deliver oxygen to tissue by reducing the thickness of red blood cell membranes, according to researchers writing in the journal ...
High-Biocompatible Filters Reduce Hepatitis C Transmission Risk.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An study from Italy has demonstrated the benefits of using high-biocompatibility, high-permeability filters for reducing the risk for hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission to individuals who must undergo routine hemodialysis. Medical ...
Genotype of Asymptomatic Patients Related to Disease Severity.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in New York have presented evidence that the genotype of asymptomatic patients suffering from hereditary hemochromatosis (HHC), a disorder in which excessive iron absorption can cause organ damage and mortality, often varies among ...
Carotid Artery Diameter Can Be Useful Prognostic Factor.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An enlarged carotid artery may portend high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disorders, at least in a Japanese population, cardiologists report. "Few studies have examined whether there is a relationship between carotid arterial ...
Liver Function Tests Parallel Liver Appearance after Transplantation.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Although chronic hepatitis C can be a problem for kidney transplant patients, analysis performed by researchers in Instanbul, Turkey, shows that more often than not liver tissue appearance in kidney transplant patients is consistent with liver ...
Apoptosis, Liver Injury More Common in Genotype Ib Hepatitis C Post-Transplant.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Viral recurrence of hepatitis C is a well-known problem faced by patients who receive liver transplants for chronic hepatitis C. Often those with hepatitis C genotype Ib suffer more liver damage than those with alternative genotypes. Scientists now ...
Gene Therapy Improves Graft Function.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have found a way to reduce oxygen radical production in fatty livers after transplantation. "Oxygen-derived free radicals play a central role in reperfusion injury after organ transplantation, and fatty livers are ...
PAHO Grants Funds to Improve Transfusion Safety.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The safety of blood used for transfusion in the Americas is set to improve as a result of a three-year grant for $4.9 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will enable the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to set up a regional ...
Thousands Contract HIV in China After Selling Their Blood.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An article in the Washington Post newspaper reported that thousands of people in China, who sold their blood to dealers, acquired HIV because the dealers reused needles to collect blood, then mixed blood products, separated out plasma, then ...
Kidney Model Ready for Use.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Before computer simulation, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in the U.S. had no tool for estimating the effects of potential organ allocation changes. While UNOS will always rely upon the best judgment of its committees and ...
FDA Proposes New Rules for "Good Tissue Practice".
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a new regulation on current good tissue practice (GTP), which includes the methods, facilities, and controls used for the manufacture of human cellular and tissue-based products. This ...
Understanding Developmental Changes Necessary for Future Use.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from England, umbilical cord blood CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells go through developmental changes in adhesion molecule expression during different stages of gestation. "The purpose of this study was ...
Infestation by Parasitic Worms May Increase Susceptibility to HIV Infection.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients infected with parasitic worms, or helminths, can suffer from increased susceptibility to infection with the HIV virus, researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases warn. "Because helminth ...
Conventional Warfarin Response Markers Adequate.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Monitoring patient response to the anticoagulant warfarin by conventional methods provides the most consistent results, although alternative methods can be useful in some circumstances, researchers in Portugal report. "Warfarin is a ...
High-Dose Epoetin Alfa Regimen Optimally Reduces Need Following Total Hip Arthroplasty.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A high-dose regimen of the hamster-derived glycoprotein epoetin alfa is the best way to prevent the need for allogeneic blood transfusion during hip joint repair surgery, researchers in Canada say. "The optimum regimen of epoetin alfa ...
Uninfected Monocytes Have Preventable Apoptotic Response to Infected "Bystander" Cells.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Exposure to HIV infected cells can cause uninfected blood cells to destroy themselves after ramping up production of substances related to cytokine signaling, immunologists in Italy report. "Persistent activation of the immune system is ...
Bicyclic Lactam-Based Thrombin Inhibitors Show Promise for Treatment.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- A new class of thrombin inhibitors based on bicyclic lactams has great potential for the treatment of both venous and arterial thrombosis, researchers reported in the journal Thrombosis Research. ...
Transforming Growth Factor-(beta) 1 Role Examined.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in Brazil have found that patients with some forms of leprosy show elevated levels of the cell-growth-inducing polypeptide transforming growth factor-(beta) 1 (TGF-(beta) 1), caused by increased secretion of TGF-1 from blood monocytes. ...
Protein C Replacement Effective for Septicemia.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Protein C replacement therapy is a safe and effective treatment for severe meningococcal blood poisoning complicated by multiple organ failure and purpura fulminans, according to researchers writing in the journal Blood. "Activated ...
Antioxidants Aid Granulocytopenic Newborns.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pediatricians in Taiwan have presented evidence showing that antioxidants may be able to prevent the endotoxin-mediated granulocyte damage commonly seen in infants with blood poisoning. "Neonates with septicemia tend to develop ...
Anti-Factor Xa Compound Can Be Effective Alternative to Heparin.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers writing in the journal Circulation report that a new synthetic compound, which blocks the coagulatory action of factor Xa, appears to be a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from deep vein thromboembolisms. ...
Prostacyclin Therapy Improves Related Hematologic Factors.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Treatment with the vasodilator prostacyclin can improve the levels of coagulation-regulating substances in the blood of hypertensive patients, possibly negating the effects of endothelial trauma. "Thrombosis in situ related to ...
Vitamin-E-Coated Membrane Can Reduce Oxidative Stress.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new high-flux dialysis filter coated with vitamin E reduces the destructive effect of free oxygen radicals in the blood, researchers reported in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. "Oxidative stress has been shown in ...
Lentiviral Vectors Effective in Targeting Hematopoietic Stem Cells.
Feb 01, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hematologists in Sweden have presented evidence showing that lentiviral gene vectors can be effectively used to target human blood-producing stem cells. N.B. Woods and colleagues at the University of Lund described their study, performed ...
Post-Grafting Telomere Loss Not Significant.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Telomere shortening observed after stem cell transplantation is limited to a relatively brief period after the procedure and should have little if any clinical impact, a new study suggests. ...
Neutrophil Respiratory Burst Not Crucial for Migration.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Contrary to conventional wisdom, stem cells do not seem to require neutrophil signals to trigger their migration from bone marrow, according to hematologists working in The Netherlands. ...
Hormone Replacement Therapy Does Not Increase Risk.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and progestin does not alter the risk of stroke in postmenopausal women with heart disease. Researchers with the Heart and Estrogen-progestin Replacement Study (HERS) found that the ...
Scientists Suggest Therapy Targets Tissue Damage Prevention.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), La Jolla, California, along with their colleagues at Henry Ford Health Sciences Center, Detroit, Michigan, reported findings suggesting a therapeutic target that appears to prevent ...
Atrial Fibrillation Can Lead to Thromboembolic Morbidity.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Atrial fibrillation is relatively common in patients requiring hemodialysis and is associated with high risk of thromboembolisms, researchers in Spain warn. "The consequences of ...
Excessive Sympathetic Nervous System Activity Dangerous in Some Patients.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- The sympathetic nervous system can induce dangerous hemostatic dysfunction in patients predisposed to such conditions, researchers in the United States warn. "Overactivity of the ...
Mitochondrial Dysfunction Implicated in Blood Cell Apoptosis.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Hematologists in Switzerland have presented evidence showing that dysfunctional mitochondria are at least partly responsible for the suicide of red blood cell precursors observed in patients ...
No Unexpected Long-Term Consequences After Bone Marrow Transplantation.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Bone marrow transplantation does not carry a substantial risk of long-term adverse effects when employed in the treatment of severe aplastic anemia, researchers in the United States report. ...
Drug Decreases Blood Vessel Stiffness in Older Primates.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A drug that breaks down vascular collagen bonds in the body significantly decreased the stiffness of blood vessels in older non-human primates, according to a study conducted by U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) scientists and ...
Keratinocytes Can Help Predict Graft-Versus-Host Disease.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Hematologists in The Netherlands have shown that skin cells can be used to predict the risk of graft-versus-host disease in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. ...
Routine Graft-Versus-Host Disease Therapy May Be Unnecessary.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Prophylactic therapy to prevent graft-versus-host disease after bone marrow transplantation is often unnecessary and may impair graft efficacy, hematologists in the United States argue. ...
New Methods Identifies Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Response to HCV in Blood.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins researchers have announced that hepatitis C virus specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes can be identified in peripheral blood when their new technique is used ....
Shear Force Modulates Metalloproteinases and Hyperplasia within Veins.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- Vascular research suggests that changes in blood flow can cause an overgrowth of cells on the internal surfaces of veins. Shear force, report research investigators, regulates matrix ...
Poor, Minority Children Less Likely to be Screened.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Many young children - particularly those who are African American or Medicaid-eligible - have not received blood lead screenings and may be at risk for dangerously elevated levels of the toxic ...
Autologous T Lymphocytes Specifically Recognize Leukemic B Cells.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- According to a study from Sweden, the spontaneous immunity found in some chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients could be harnessed in a vaccine. "This study analyzed a ...
Interferon-(alpha) Therapy Gets a Boost.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- The addition of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to interferon-(alpha) therapy may augment its effectiveness in some leukemia patients, oncologists in Germany suggest ....
Vincristine Selectively Targets Malignant Cells for Apoptosis.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Hematologists in Finland have shown that the antitubulin alkaloid vincristine selectively attacks malignant cells in patients with some forms of leukemia. J.A. Vilpo and colleagues ...
DNA Immunization Induces Protective Immunity Against Plasmodium falciparum.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- Can a DNA vaccine against malaria work? Researchers in France say yes. "DNA-based immunization of mice by Plasmodium falciparum liver-stage antigen 3 (PfLSA3), a novel ...
Bone Marrow Transplant Still Best Option.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Despite advances in immunosuppressive treatments, bone marrow transplantation is still the safest and most effective treatment modality for pediatric severe acquired aplastic anemia (SAAA) ...
Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator Mutants Shed Light on Fibrinolysis Regulators.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Using mutant forms of tissue-type plasminogen activator, hematologists in Scotland have elucidated some of the mechanisms by which the body controls blood clot removal. L.A. Robbie ...
Oral Formulations May Reduce Heart Attacks and Death.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Taking aspirin reduces the risk of heart attacks and death in patients suffering from unstable angina, a disease characterized by attacks of intense chest pain when blocked arteries keep the heart from getting the oxygenated blood it ...
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte Precursor Frequency Can Help Predict Safe HLA-Mismatches.
Feb 15, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors can be used to determine low-risk human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches for patients requiring bone marrow transplantation, according to hematologists in ...
Aprotinin is Still Okay to Prevent Blood Loss During Surgery.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- Despite its reported association with kidney damage, the drug aprotinin remains an appropriate choice for preventing blood loss in patients undergoing liver transplant surgery, researchers say. ...
Cell Membrane Plays Role in Releasing Nitric Oxide.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, reported that the membranes of red blood cells are actively involved in storing and releasing nitric oxide, which regulates blood flow and oxygen delivery in ...
Hemofiltration Can Reduce Primed Blood Risks for Newborns.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Researchers in Japan have found that filtering blood used for bypass surgery priming can help minimize the risk to newborns. "Primed blood might have some deleterious effects on ...
Short-Term, Substantial Yields Possible with New Technique.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Researchers writing in the Annals of Epidemiology described how their efforts to improve the yield of usable DNA from stored blood suggests that good yields of high quality DNA are possible ...
Progenitor Cells Sensitive to Growth-Factor Induced Maturation.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Leukemic stem cells are markedly more sensitive than healthy progenitor cells to the effects of growth factor hormones, according to hematologists in California. R. Bhatia and ...
Expansion Protocol is Evaluated.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Hematologists in France have provided information that may help doctors and patients get the most benefit out of blood progenitor cells. L. Douay and colleagues at Hospital Armand ...
Cardiopulmonary Bypass Circuit Can Reduce Platelet Loss.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Researchers in Belgium have developed a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, which can minimize interoperative platelet damage and transfusion requirements. "Platelet count and function ...
Strategy Can Minimize Blood Loss During Burn Surgery.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Blood transfusion requirements can be profoundly reduced for patients undergoing surgery for severe burn trauma, with no impact on outcome, researchers in Canada say. "Significant ...
Synthetic Gene Delivery Safely Targets Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- Synthetic peptide vectors may be a safe way to deliver therapeutic genes to help prevent allograft rejection. "Chronic rejection is now the major cause of allograft failure," wrote ...
Low-Level Conditioning Regimens Increase Risk of Protein-Related Rejection.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Experimental forms of bone marrow transplantation that use minimal immunosuppressive conditioning regimens run a serious risk of Ly5-related complications, researchers in the United States warn ....
Melphalan/Purine Analog Regimen Can Increase Feasibility.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- A low-intensity myeloablative regimen involving melphalan and a purine analog can make stem cell transplantation possible for patients otherwise unable to undergo this treatment. ...
Blood Thinner Helps Treat Clots in Legs and Lungs.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Giving patients a daily injection of the blood thinner enoxaparin sodium, a low-molecular weight heparin, appears to be just as safe and effective in treating blood clots as twice daily. What's more, once-a-day injections ...
Stem Cell Transplantation Enables Move Towards a Cure.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from Harvard University have developed a tool in the fight against diabetes. Currently, 16 million Americans are afflicted with diabetes; this number is expected surpass 22 million by the year 2025. One approach ...
Researchers Produce Cell with Universal Myeloid Differentiation Capacity.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Hematologists in the United States have developed a human blood cell line with a surprisingly mercurial nature: it is able to differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages in proportions ...
HIV Patients Display Reduced Vascular Reactivity.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- In addition to other vascular morbidities, HIV infected patients are resistant to increased blood flow following physiological hyperemia triggers, researchers in France have shown. ...
Vascular Agent Analogs Inhibit Vascular Remodeling.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- Two prostacyclin analogs, iloprost and cicaprost, may be the reason for limited vascular remodeling in the pulmonary artery of humans, researchers report in the journal Circulation. ...
(beta)-Chemokines Appear to Inhibit Bone Marrow Infection.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Hematologists in Pennsylvania investigating how bone marrow cells fight HIV infection, have found that (beta)-chemokines appear to be pivotal in resistance. "The resistance of human ...
Phase I Data on Troxacitabine Indicate Therapeutic Activity.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioChem Pharma Inc. (BCHE; BCH), Laval, Quebec, Canada, announced the publication of a paper regarding Phase I leukemia data on Troxatyl (troxacitabine). Troxatyl is BioChem's investigational compound currently in Phase II ...
Immortomouse Hepatocytes Evaluated for Use as Test Model.
Feb 22, 2001 ... 2001 FEB 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- Immortomouse hepatocytes aid liver gene therapy research, researchers in Australia report. "The use of hepatocytes for gene therapy is limited by the difficulty of maintaining and ...