• Anodyne Therapy(Tampa, Florida) said it has re-ceived regulatory approval from Health Canada to market its Anodyne Therapy Systems. Approved Canadian labeling, based on submission of published clinical studies, includes temporary reduction in disturbances in skin sensation, increases in balance and reduction in fall risk (when used adjunctively with physical therapy) due to diabetic and other peripheral neuropathies.

• Avitar (Canton, Massachusetts) said it has received a notice of allowance on a patent for an oral fluid collection device used for DNA PCR-based (polymerase chain reaction) testing. The invention includes the use of Avitar’s hydrophilic foam and provides a simple and inexpensive method for collecting and delivering an oral fluid sample. The device covered by the patent is used for delivering the sample to a collection matrix, drying the sample on the collection matrix and subsequently isolating DNA from the sample for PCR-based testing. Applications include DNA testing for forensic and paternal identification, RNA testing, antibody testing, testing for specified drugs and other similar diagnostic procedures.

• Plasmon (Orlando, Florida), which provides data archival solutions, reported the availability of the Plasmon UDO (Ultra Density Optical) Archive Appliance, which it said is an easy-to-use, pre-configured device designed to meet the picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and hospital information systems needs of medical organizations. The company featured the UDO Archive Appliance at the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The Plasmon UDO Archive Appliance is a network attached data archiving system. With a RAID-based front end, the UDO Archive Appliance offers fast access to storing and retrieving data. Data stored to the RAID is immediately copied to UDO to provide unmatched data protection and longevity. The UDO Archive Appliance is offered in one- to 19-TB configurations and requires no installation and minimal configuration. Preconfigured with storage management software, the Plasmon UDO Archive Appliance controls the migration of data to and from the fully integrated UDO library. With policy-based retention of data on the disk cache, the least recently used data is purged based on watermarks. The software also manages pre-staging of data from optical back to the disk cache, ensures multiple, removable copies of data and the “immediate” archiving of all new data to UDO storage. The network interface is Gigabit Ethernet, providing support for both Windows and Unix environments.

• R2 Technology (Sunnyvale, California), which develops computer-aided detection (CAD) technology for the earlier detection of breast cancer, introduced the new Version 8.0 CAD algorithm, featured across R2’s ImageChecker Mammography product line, at the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The company said V8.0 incorporates its most intelligent CAD algorithm to date and numerous other product innovations. The V8.0 Gold Standard CAD algorithm, recently approved by the FDA, delivers significant improvements in detection performance vs. prior releases. Data submitted to the FDA showed that the new system provides a lower false marker rate at any given sensitivity. R2’s new EmphaSize CAD markers are designed to draw radiologists’ attention first to those mammographic features the algorithm deems to be the most indicative of malignancy. Other workflow enhancements include R2’s new “Greenlight” user interface, an easy-to-use touch-screen system that enables technologists to process films quickly and monitor film-scanning progress from a distance, without interrupting other work.

• Xenomics (New York) said it has filed a U.S. patent application for technology enabling the improved detection of tuberculosis based on its proprietary Transrenal DNA technology, which uses urine samples. The tuberculosis testing application of this technology was developed as part of Xenomics’ joint venture with the Italian National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome. Because it was developed in Italy, an initial patent for the discovery was filed initially in that country, followed by a broader European patent recently, in accordance with international patent laws. Randy White, MD, Xenomics CEO, said the TB detection method also provides improved detection for HIV.