• Asthmatx (Mountain View, California) reported positive results of a patient survey from its initial clinical study of Bronchial Thermoplasty for the treatment of asthma. The results were published in the Journal of Outcomes Research (Vol. 10). Clinical benefits of Bronchial Thermoplasty in 16 subjects with asthma, reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (May 2006), prompted the survey to assess quality of life changes and patient satisfaction with the procedure. Patients reported an increased ability to carry out activities, increased tolerance to allergens, and increased tolerance for physical exertion. Bronchial Thermoplasty, an out-patient investigative procedure, uses the company's Alair System to deliver thermal energy to the airway walls to reduce the presence of airway smooth muscle — the tissue responsible for airway constriction and breathing difficulties in asthma patients. Asthmatx develops catheter-based devices to treat asthma.

• Canon USA (Lake Success, New York) reported the availability of the Canon CXDI-40EC DR, a digital radiography (DR) system that offers fast, filmless X-ray capture and improves workflow efficiency for diverse radiographic applications, according to Canon. The Canon CXDI-40EC DR, which features the LANMIT 8 (Large Area New-MIS Sensor and TFT), is equipped with a 17 X 17 inch imaging area, and a Canon Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) Flat Panel Detector and Cesium Iodide (CsI) scintillator. The highly sensitive detector contains approximately 7.2 million.