With the high political contention that surrounds the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it’s no surprise that numerous rumors have been circulating about what types of care and procedures are and are not covered under the statute. In particular, many believe that the ACA restricts one’s ability to get a mammogram. FactCheck.org recently debunked this myth, addressing the growing concern that women over the age of 70 will not be covered by Obamacare for mammography.

Unfors RaySafe (formerly Unfors Instruments), the leading international supplier of measurement solutions for quality assurance of X-ray equipment, has launched its new RaySafe X2 Prestige System consisting of a base unit and external sensors for radiography/fluoroscopy (R/F), mammography (MAM), computed tomography (CT), as well as a light sensor for testing monitors. An additional mAs sensor can be integrated into the base unit. 

Silvergate Pharmaceuticals, Inc., focused on the development and commercialization of innovative and safe medicines for children, today announced the availability by prescription of Epaned(tm) (enalapril maleate Powder for Oral Solution) to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) in people older than one month. Enalapril is one of the most commonly prescribed medicines in the United States to treat high blood pressure.

Recently, parishioners and others have been undergoing health screenings at churches and community centers with the help of Life Line Screening, a for-profit company that partners with local hospitals and surgical centers. The company has checked more than 8 million Americans for stroke, heart, disease, and osteoporosis, according to an article published Oct. 28 by NPR.

Despite the prevalence of MRI in clinical practice, it still has one weakness: low sensitivity. This issue is usually combatted with agents injected into patients to achieve high spatial and temporal resolution. A team of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne researchers has discovered a natural compound that produces the same high resolution in contrast enhanced MRI, according to Science Daily’s “A Natural Boost for MRI Scans,” published Oct. 21 online.

AdvaMedDx and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will hold a joint symposium on transforming cancer care through diagnostics and personalized medicine.

On the occasion of this year's 25th Euroson congress of the EFSUMB and the 37th DEGUM Dreiländertreffen (9 - 12 October, Stuttgart), Hitachi Medical Systems Europe for the first time presents the fully-featured F31. It is a compact entry level colour ultrasound system with outstanding performance suitable for a wide range of clinical applications. The F31 offers extraordinary image quality and efficient application as well as ergonomic and intuitive handling at an affordable price to resident doctors, clinical surgeons, and at the point of care.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of a Perjeta (pertuzumab) regimen for neoadjuvant treatment (use before surgery) in people with high-risk, HER2-positive early stage breast cancer. This approval is based primarily on data from a Phase II study showing that nearly 40 percent of people receiving the combination of Perjeta, Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy had no evidence of tumour tissue detectable at the time of surgery (known as a pathological complete response, or pCR). The Perjeta regimen is the first neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment approved by the FDA and also the first to be approved based on pCR data.