• Alliance Scale (Canton, Massachusetts) reported the introduction of a new, fully portable wheelchair scale that can be easily transported by staff to an area close to patients, where they can be conveniently weighed. The Alliance-Rice Lake Wheelchair Scale features a 700-pound capacity and has a 29.5" x 32" platform with a built-in ramp, and a 1" LCD display for easy reading. Designed to fold up and roll on two rear wheels, this portable scale lets users manually enter the wheelchair's tare weight, and has a BMI (body mass index) function, reweigh and hold functions.

• Aethlon Medical (San Diego) said that its chief science officer, Dr. Richard Tullis presented a clinical report on the Aethlon Hemopurifier to nephrologists attending the International Conference on Dialysis. The focal point of Tullis's presentation was the use of the Hemopurifier to manage disease progression in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients infected with viral pathogens, including hepatitis C HIV. Aethlon said it anticipates that nephrologists will become early adopters of the Hemopurifier, as viral infection significantly increases patient mortality in ESRD patients who require regular dialysis treatment. Aethlon also said that it now has over 60 treatment experiences in 12 dialysis patients, which represents approximately 240 hours of Hemopurifier treatment in ESRD patients.

• OraSure Technologies (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) said the FDA has approved its request for 12-month shelf life from the date of manufacture for its OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test. The FDA approval is based on enhancements made by OraSure to the manufacturing process and product packaging of its OraQuick Advance test, and represents a six-month increase in shelf life versus current product available on the market. OraQuick Avance is a rapid point-of-care test that can detect antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 in 20 minutes, using oral fluid, fingerstick or venipuncture whole blood or plasma specimens.

• Pathway Medical Technologies (Kirkland, Washington) has received FDA clearance to market its newest peripheral atherectomy catheter for use in the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the lower limbs. Jetstream G2 is the latest technology innovation from Pathway and the company says it is capable of treating the entire spectrum of disease found in the PAD patient, including hard and soft plaque, calcium, thrombus and fibrotic lesions, with consistent results. Jetstream is a peripheral atherectomy catheter designed to remove all kinds of artery-clogging plaque in the lower limbs of patients. This innovative and minimally invasive solution clears blockages in the peripheral vasculature, restores blood flow and effectively treats PAD. The Jetstream consists of a sterile, single-use catheter and control pod and a reusable, compact console that mounts to a standard IV stand. The catheter has an expandable cutting tip that safely debulks and preemptively removes both hard and soft plaque, as well as calcium, thrombus and fibrotic lesions. Excised tissue and thrombus are continually aspirated from the peripheral treatment site through a port system to a collection bag located on the console. The distal portion of the catheter also possesses infusion ports that provide continuous infusion of sterile saline during the atherectomy procedure.

• Polymedco (Cortlandt Manor, New York) reported the launch of the BTA stat test. The test is a point-of-care technology for the early detection of recurrent bladder cancer. This method uses monoclonal antibodies to detect the presence of bladder tumor associated antigen in urine. It is a single-step, rapid immunochromatographic assay for bladder tumor-associated antigen in voided urine. The specificity of the BTA stat test was 93% to 95% in patients with non-genitourinary diseases and cancers and healthy individuals tested as part of a multi-center study.

• UpSpringBaby (Austin, Texas) said that its Milkscreen home test for alcohol in breast milk is now available for purchase over the counter at more than 6,000 Walgreens drugstores across the U.S. To perform the test, a woman expresses a few drops of breast milk onto the Milkscreen test strip and in less than two minutes the color will begin to change if there is alcohol in the breast milk.