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Disabled Children Missing Out On Basic NHS Care, UK
Disabled children missing out on basic NHS care Parents tell of "battle" to get basic healthcare for disabled children and of agencies routinely "passing the buck"
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Alexion's Soliris(R) Receives 2009 Prix Galien France For Most Innovative Drug For Rare Disease
Alexion Pharma France and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALXN) today received the 2009 Prix Galien France for Soliris® (eculizumab) in the category of medicines for rare diseases. The award recognizes the scientific innovation represented by the complement-inhibition technology of Soliris, and the impact the drug is having on the lives of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), an ultra-rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder.
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Study Links Depressive Mood, Racial Disparities In Preterm Birth
Women who have depression symptoms prior to becoming pregnant are at an increased risk for having preterm births, with the risk twice as high for black women as for white women, according to a study in the Journal of Women"s Health, Reuters reports. For the study, Amelia Gavin of the University of Washington and colleagues examined the links between race, preterm birth and pre-pregnancy depressive mood among 555 women. The study used data collected from 1990-1996 as part of a larger, long-term investigation of heart disease risk.Researchers determined that 18.1% of the 249 black women in the study gave birth prior to 37 weeks" gestation, compared with 8.5% of the 306 white women in the study. The study also found that 9.4% of black women had pre-pregnancy symptoms of depressive mood, compared with 7.2% of white women. After researchers accounted for other factors associated with preterm birth, such as body weight and sociodemographic characteristics, black women"s risk remained more than twice that of white women.Gavin said, "The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a consequence of different exposures to depressive mood prior to pregnancy." She said, "Reproductive outcomes must be viewed in light of women"s health over the entire life-course, as well as during pregnancy," adding that the study"s results suggest that "the experience of cumulative health disadvantages or "weathering"" might play a role in increased risk for preterm birth (Hendry, Reuters, 6/25).
Endocrinology

AGA Medical Corporation Receives European CE Mark Approval For AMPLATZER(R) Vascular Plug 4

AGA Medical Corporation has received European CE Mark approval for its AMPLATZER® vascular plug, AVP 4. The device, which is indicated for arterial and venous embolizations in the peripheral vasculature, uses AMPLATZER"s proven mesh-braided Nitinol technology and may eliminate the need for catheter exchange, giving physicians a more efficient procedure. AGA Medical will begin marketing the AVP 4 in Europe immediately. "The AVP 4 is a major technological advancement in the AMPLATZER vascular plug family and receiving CE Mark approval validates this achievement," said John Barr, president and chief executive officer, AGA Medical Corporation. With its low profile, the AVP 4 allows delivery through a standard 0.038 diagnostic catheter. The physician can now choose to use one AVP 4 instead of what often becomes multiple coil implants - without factoring in the need for a catheter exchange. "Our physician customers requested a lower-profile option and we delivered, exceeding their expectations with the AVP 4," Barr explained. "The AVP 4 complements our other vascular plugs, providing physicians with advanced tools to treat vascular conditions, which have the potential to reduce procedure times while offering improved flexibility and cost effectiveness." The AVP 4 is a single-device solution for peripheral embolization, the practice of reducing or eliminating blood flow to an area of the body by blocking - or occluding - a blood vessel to treat a wide range of circulatory and internal organ diseases. The lower-profile AVP 4 extends the reach of the AMPLATZER vascular plug family to smaller and often more distal vasculature. The device"s multi-layered, double-lobed design provides rapid embolization. Additionally, the flexible mesh and floppy distal section of the delivery wire facilitates easy tracking through torturous anatomy. About the AMPLATZER Vascular Plug Family AMPLATZER® Vascular Plugs are designed to provide embolization of peripheral arteries and veins through single-device occlusion; full cross-sectional vessel coverage; and controlled, precise deployment. A single device from the AMPLATZER Vascular Plug Family can frequently occlude a vessel that would have required many coils, providing an efficient and cost-effective alternative to coils or surgery. AMPLATZER Vascular Plugs have the ability to be recaptured and repositioned, if necessary. AGA offers the AVP 4 in diameters ranging from 4mm to 8mm. For more information, click here. AGA Medical Corporation


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