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Popular Articles

Quantification Of Perfusion & Permeability In Prostate Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI With Inversion-Prepared Dual-Contrast Sequence
UroToday.com - The dynamic contrast-enhanced dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-DSC-MRI) technique presented in the article(1) is based on a novel dual-contrast sequence. The sequence is a gradient echo sequence that uses a single inversion pulse and subsequent acquisition of two contrasts/echoes with different inversion and echo times. Inversion preparation increases the signal-to-noise ratio in comparison to other gradient echo sequences. The blood volume in the prostate is relatively small, i.e., approximately one percent, while the interstitial contrast-agent-enhancing volume is approximately 20 percent. Therefore, conventional imaging sequences fail to separate the low contrast agent signal originating from the blood from that originating from interstitial tissue. The first contrast/echo is acquired with a short echo time and is T1-weighted, allowing quantification of the total signal contribution while failing to separate the blood signal from the interstitial contrast agent signal.

Research Points To A New Way To Protect Kidneys Threatened By Insufficient Blood Or Toxins
Better treatments for acute renal failure may be possible by blocking the mitochondrial fragmentation that occurs when kidneys don"t get enough blood or are exposed to toxins, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia report in the may issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
News of the day
Cigarette Packaging Still Misleading Consumers Over Health Hazards
New research suggests that current regulations have failed to remove misleading information from cigarette packaging, revealing that a substantial majority of consumers believe cigarettes are less hazardous when the packs display words such as "silver" or "smooth," lower numbers incorporated into the brand name, lighter colours or pictures of filters.
Diagnostics

Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. Announces The Launch Of A Drug Discovery Program For Alzheimer's Disease

Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (COTI)(TSX VENTURE:COT), announced that the Company has undertaken the discovery and optimization of novel lead compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer"s Disease (AD). "Based on partnering interest expressed by multiple global pharmaceutical organizations we have decided to establish a drug discovery program to help combat this devastating disease", said Mr. Michael Cloutier, Chief Executive Officer of COTI. To address this substantial unmet medical need, COTI has leveraged its proprietary drug discovery technology CHEMSAS® to develop a novel approach for the discovery of potentially effective oral treatments for AD. Multiple and interacting factors have been proposed as causes of AD and there is an increasing number of validated therapeutic targets. Traditional drug development has focused on agents that inhibit an enzyme of the neural transmitter Acetylcholine. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency have approved treatments for AD from this class that currently dominate the market although they have not produced results that consistently meet the requirements of healthcare professionals and patients. The COTI scientific team has focused their research efforts on the area of secretases, a class of enzymes that cut the amyloid precursor protein into three fragments. Sequential cutting by beta secretase and gamma secretase produces the beta amyloid peptide fragments that accumulate into the "plaques" or scars found in the brains of people with AD. "The COTI scientific team believes that the development of inhibitors that target both beta and gamma secretase in an optimal ratio represents a valid research and therapeutic approach", said Dr. Wayne Danter, President and Chief Scientific Officer of COTI. COTI"s novel, optimized lead compounds targeted against AD have already undergone extensive computational and human medicinal chemistry optimization, a chemical synthetic feasibility review and an intellectual property assessment. The first six dual secretase inhibitors on three different scaffolds are now ready for synthesis and preclinical evaluation. Beyond the parties currently engaged, COTI is actively seeking partners to co-develop this exciting new program. About Alzheimer"s Disease There are currently 5.3 million people in the United States and more than half a million in Canada living with AD. In Canada, 1 in 11 adults over the age of 65 are inflicted with AD. As AD is primarily found in this segment of the population, the incidence rate for AD is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years as the "baby boomers" begin to turn 65 in 2011. There are currently only two classes of drugs approved by the FDA to treat AD: Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors and N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonists. Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (COTI)


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