• Aureon Laboratories (Yonkers, New York) has introduced Prostate Px+, a test that predicts prostate cancer progression and disease recurrence at the time of diagnosis. "Prostate Px+ is the first prognostic test to provide this critical information at diagnosis. This technology represents a new integrated approach known as systems pathology that combines molecular biomarkers, histological and clinical information with advanced mathematics," said Ricardo Mesa-Tejada, MD, VP of pathology and medical director of Aureon Laboratories. "At the time a man is diagnosed, Prostate Px+ will forecast disease progression after treatment, detect high-risk patients presenting as low risk and undetectable by other methods, reclassify intermediate-risk patients and help identify those with less aggressive disease. Aureon is a laboratory describing its role as advancing personalized cancer treatment through predictive pathology.

• CryoLife (Kennesaw, Georgia) reported the presentation of positive mid-term performance data on the company's SG decellularized pulmonary human heart valve at the Western Thoracic Surgical Association meeting in Kona, Hawaii, on June 28. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in structural valve deterioration in patients who received the CryoValve SG for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction procedures (RVOT) as compared to the conventionally processed valve. Valvular insufficiency occurs when the valve leaflets do not completely seal when the valve is closed, causing regurgitation. The CryoValve SG pulmonary human heart valve is indicated for the replacement of diseased, damaged, malformed or malfunctioning native pulmonary valves. The valve can be used in conjunction with RVOT, commonly performed in children with congenital heart defects. CryoLife processes and distributes implantable living human tissues for use in cardiac and vascular surgeries.

• IntriCon (St. Paul, Minnesota) has introduced Ethos, an adaptive digital signal processing (DSP) hearing aid amplifier that rapidly adapts to changing feedback conditions in a small fraction of a second. The company says that Ethos offers powerful anti-entrainment capabilities, which keeps the AFC technology performing well even when listening to music. In addition, patients undergoing therapy for tinnitus which occurs without an external stimulus can take advantage of Ethos' digital random noise generator by producing a noise that helps negate buzzing or whistling sounds.

• Misys (Raleigh, North Carolina) said the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) cited the company's MyWay Version 2008 as being CCHIT-certified and meeting the commission's ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) criteria. The Misys MyWay solution, available as both an on-demand and on-premise product, offers capabilities for EMRs, practice management and claims management in physician offices and clinics.

• OBS Medical (Carmel, Indiana) said that its predictive patient safety technology, Visensia, was the focus of a study and peer-reviewed paper published in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The company said the findings support its data fusion platform a validated technology that fuses multiple vital signs into one predictive and actionable index. It said that this approach is more reliable and timely than manual scoring systems and improves single-channel vital sign monitoring and its associated alarms. The paper provided evidence supporting Visensia's ability to detect clinical instability early and thereby avert a clinical crisis. OBS is a developer of clinical solutions designed to improve patient safety.

• Sharps Compliance (Houston) launched a larger version of its flagship product, the Sharps Disposal By Mail System, which it said is designed as a safer and more efficient alternative for medical waste pick-up. The 18-gallon system (model number 11800) can be used to collect all of the medical waste including red bag (biohazard) waste as well as existing sharps containers located in each examination room. Sharps makes disposal solutions for small quantity generators of medical waste.

• Splintek (Kansas City, Missouri) reported that the SleepRight dental guard has received over-the-counter (OTC) clearance from FDA. According to the FDA, the SleepRight dental guard is indicated for protection against nighttime teeth grinding called bruxism. It is intended to reduce damage to the teeth and to prevent the noise associated with bruxism or grinding. The SleepRight is a "no-boil" dental guard, which combines self-adjust technology for an individual custom fit. Splintek makes health and comfort products.

• Texas Instruments (TI; Dallas) reported a new integrated analog front end (AFE) for portable ultrasound equipment. TI said that the second device in its AFE58xx family for the medical ultrasound market, the AFE5804, is designed for ultrasound systems that require low power and small size. The AFE5804 features102 mW/channel at 1.25 nV/rtHz at 40 MSPS. The eight-channel device contains a low-noise amplifier, a voltage controlled attenuator, a programmable gain amplifier, a low-pass filter and a 12-bit, 10 MSPS to 50 MSPS analog-to-digital converter with LVDS data outputs. TI's medical division makes analog and DSP products.