• BioImagene (Cupertino, California) reported the launch of PathXchange.org, a professional networking portal for pathologists worldwide. The portal facilitates the exchange of information about pathology cases and is designed for pathologists to stay connected with their professional network, keep their professional knowledge current, and contribute to advancement of the global pathology community. Pathologists who join this community have access to a number of tools designed to support the exchange of knowledge and ideas, including: Case Gallery, Case Reviews; e-Learning, Member networks.

• IntraOp Medical (Sunnyvale, California) reported the launch of DermaBeam, which it terms "a new paradigm in radiation therapy for office-based dermatology applications." DermaBeam is an electron beam radiation therapy solution. IntraOp said that while radiation therapy has long been the preferred standard of care for many types of skin cancers, the logistics of radiation delivery have made its benefits "impractical and inaccessible for most dermatologists and their patients."

• Merge Healthcare (Milwaukee) reported the latest update to its Cedara I-ReadMammo vendor solution for digital breast imaging review. The Cedara I-ReadMammo 6.5 supports 10 bit medical monitors, which display up to 1,024 simultaneous levels of gray versus the 256 offered by 8-bit monitors. Merge partnered with Barco, a global display and visualization company, for quality control in the development of the product.

• Neoprobe (Dublin, Ohio) said it introduced a new high-energy gamma detection probe at the Society of Surgical Oncology's annual Cancer Symposium in Phoenix. The new probe is intended for the detection of high-energy radioactive isotopes, such as Fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG), in surgical oncology procedures. The new high energy probe is compatible with all models of the company's neo2000 and neoprobe GDS systems sold since January 2004. David Bupp, Neoprobe's president/CEO, said, "We are excited by this addition to our line of gamma detection probes. We believe the addition of a probe capable of identifying high energy radionuclides will expand the medical applications in which our products can be used."

• Nomir Medical Technologies (Waltham, Massachusetts) reported positive preliminary data from the pivotal product registration trial evaluating the company's Noveon direct optical energy device for the treatment of onychomycosis (toenail fungus). The Noveon is a light-based system that photo-biologically targets the elimination of bacterial and fungal infections through a unique, near-infrared, photo-inactivation effect, while preserving healthy tissue and promoting recovery.

• Northfield Laboratories (Evanston, Illinois) said researchers have demonstrated that the use of its human polymerized hemoglobin, PolyHeme, "significantly reduces" metastases and primary tumor growth in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer. The authors suggest that the use of PolyHeme in lieu of red blood cells may prolong survival in patients with pancreatic cancer who require transfusions. This study compared the outcome of treatment with PolyHeme or plasma from stored red blood cells in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer. PolyHeme did not demonstrate the elevated levels of biologically active factors observed in the plasma from stored red blood cells.

• With record numbers of American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with brain injuries, a case study from Neuro Kinetics (Pittsburgh) suggests that tests using its I-Portal NOTC (Neuro-Otologic Test Center) system can generate results that may indicate mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) that are not detected by other evaluation technologies. The case study features unique pre- and post-accident neuro-otologic test data gathered from one individual, a NKI employee who had undergone various I-Portal NOTC evaluations as part of routine product testing and then again after he suffered a bicycle accident last year.

• Prescient Medical (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) said it has completed the enrollment of 30 patients in the first phase of its first-in-human clinical trial for the vProtect Luminal Shield. The Shield successfully crossed all target lesions and was safely implanted in all 30 patients, with a technical success rate of 100%. No procedural or in-hospital complications were reported for any of the patients. The patients enrolled in the study had non-calcified lesions in coronary arteries, lesions that would normally be treated with traditional balloon-expandable stents.

• Smith & Nephew's Advanced Wound Management division (St. Petersburg, Florida) reported the U.S. launch of its latest Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) product, the new Renasys GO, designed to address the needs of clinicians and their active, mobile patients. The Renasys GO system is designed to maintain the patient's dignity at home, on the go, in long-term care or any environment where the active, mobile patient must be compliant with NWPT to promote wound healing. The Renasys GO can be used with the Renasys-F foam and Renasys-G gauze wound interfaces, the broadest selection of interfaces

• Verathon (Bothell, Washington) has launched the BladderScan BVI 9600 bladder volume instrument, with AortaScan Mode to help physicians identify the presence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Designed with Internists and family practitioners in mind, the new BladderScan BVI 9600 with AortaScan Mode, uses patented Vmode technology to noninvasively measure the diameter of the abdominal aorta. This crucial diameter measurement helps physicians identify the presence of AAA. The BladderScan also noninvasively measures bladder volume to help diagnose urinary retention, evaluate common urological conditions and prevent unnecessary catheterization.