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Spectranetics Announces First Human Uses Of Turbo-Tandem™ System
Spectranetics Corporation (Nasdaq: SPNC) reported the first human procedures using its Turbo-Tandem™ System, which had earlier received FDA clearance and CE mark approval for marketing in the US and the EU. The Turbo-Tandem System is a single-use, disposable device indicated for atherectomy of infrainguinal arteries. It is comprised of two integrated catheters, a 7 French laser guide catheter in combination with a 2.0mm excimer laser ablation catheter, and is designed to perform atherectomy and ablation of plaque in arterial lesions above the knee, primarily within the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries.

Studying Human Behavior May Be Key To Tackling Swine Flu
Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin will participate in a $3 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fight influenza and other diseases by creating models that simulate the complex interplay between human behavior and the spread of disease.
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Ceregene Presents Additional Clinical Data From Phase 2 Trial Of CERE-120 For Parkinson's Disease
Ceregene, Inc. reported additional clinical data from a double-blind, controlled Phase 2 trial of CERE-120 in 58 patients with advanced Parkinson"s disease. CERE-120 uses AAV-based gene therapy to deliver the neurotrophic factor, neurturin, to Parkinson"s disease patients in order to restore the function and protect degenerating nigrostriatal neurons. The company previously announced that the Phase 2 trial did not meet its primary endpoint of improvement in the Unified Parkinson"s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor off score at 12 months of follow-up, although several secondary endpoints suggested a modest clinical benefit.
Endocrinology

The Characteristics Of Clarithromycin-Resistant Helicobacter pylori

Clarithromycin is currently one of the antibiotics used for eradication of Helicobacter pylori. However, reports of H. pylori resistance to this antibiotic are increasing worldwide. Clarithromycin resistance has been attributed to the presence of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, a component of the ribosome that is the protein manufacturing machinery of all living cells. There is little information on the prevalence and characteristics of clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori strains isolated from Malaysian patients. In a research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, the authors determined the prevalence of resistance and characterized the types of mutations present in their resistant strains. In this study conducted by Norazah et al on strains isolated in Malaysia, a low prevalence of clarithromycin-resistant strains was noted. Transitions of adenine to guanine at positions 2142 and 2143 of the 23S rRNA of H. pylori were the main mutations found in clarithromycin-resistant isolates. The A2142G and 2143G mutations of 23S rRNA genes in these strains can be detected easily by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the PCR product of the 23S rRNA genes, using MboII or BsaI restriction enzymes. This eliminates the need to detect these mutations by sequencing. The result of the study demonstrates that clarithromycin resistance is present among local strains. However, even though it is an uncommon occurrence, the possibility of the patient being infected with a resistant strain should be considered if the patient does not respond to treatment with clarithromycin, so that an alternative treatment can be given. The ability to detect clarithromycin resistance by molecular methods such as RFLP showed that this rapid method has the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool. Reference: Ahmad N, Zakaria WR, Abdullah SA, Mohamed R. Characterization of clarithromycin resistance in Malaysian isolates of Helicobacter pylori. World Journal of Gastroenterology 2009; 15(25):3161-3165 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/3161.asp Correspondence to: Dr. Norazah Ahmad, Bacteriology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lin Tian World Journal of Gastroenterology


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