Saturday, August 28, 2010

Luminex Announces Commercial Launch Of New Cystic Fibrosis Test

Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, announced the full commercial launch of its xTAG® Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2, a new diagnostic test that can simultaneously screen a single blood sample for up to 60 cystic fibrosis-causing genetic mutations in a matter of hours.

The test is the most comprehensive and flexible FDA-cleared cystic fibrosis (CF) test available, featuring an unsurpassed level of gene mutation coverage. It will be used to screen potential parents to determine if they are carriers of CF-causing gene mutations, and as an aid in newborn screening and in confirmatory diagnostic testing in newborns and children. The test recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The launch of our new xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2 is a great achievement in cystic fibrosis testing," said Patrick J. Balthrop, president and chief executive officer of Luminex. "This cleared test has the most comprehensive genetic mutation coverage available today, featuring mutations found among Caucasians as well as those that are more commonly found in other ethnic populations. It will give doctors the ability to screen children and potential parents of many ethnicities for CF."

Cystic fibrosis is a common genetic disorder that causes the body to produce thick mucus that can clog the lungs and affect the digestive system. Approximately 30,000 Americans have cystic fibrosis. Although CF is most common in those of Caucasian descent, it can affect people of any race or ethnicity.

CF is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. To date, more than 1,500 of these mutations have been discovered(i). CF can only be passed onto a child when both parents carry a gene that causes the disease. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers of CF-causing gene mutations.

Early diagnosis of CF is important and studies have demonstrated that early treatment and intervention can reduce a child's therapeutic needs, lower rates of medical complications, increase life expectancy and improve overall quality of life. Late diagnosis of cystic fibrosis can lead to health complications, chronic lung infections and compromised growth.

The xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2 can detect up to 60 CFTR gene mutations from a single patient blood sample. These mutations include the 23 CFTR gene mutations and four variants (polymorphisms) recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), as well as 37 additional common North American mutations, including 20 mutations that are found within Hispanic and African-American populations.

The xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2 is flexible. It gives physicians the ability to select the mutations for which they want to test, allowing them to choose to test a patient for the ACMG/ACOG-recommended gene mutations or the entire panel of 60 CFTR gene mutations.

The test also is easy to use and requires only about one hour of hands-on time to process 48 purified samples. Additionally, the xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2 does not require reflex testing. All test results are revealed and available for analysis at each run.

The xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2 is one of a suite of CF tests developed by Luminex. The xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 39 Kit v2, which can simultaneously screen a single blood sample for up to 39 cystic fibrosis-causing gene mutations, is available throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada. The test is also cleared by FDA and was launched as a CE marked IVD product under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices in 2009. It received clearance from Health Canada in 2010.

The xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 71 Kit v2, which can simultaneously screen a single blood sample for up to 71 cystic fibrosis-causing gene mutations, is available in Europe and Canada. The test became a CE marked IVD product in 2009 and was cleared by Health Canada in 2010.

Source: Luminex Corporation
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/199275.php

Friday, August 27, 2010

Flash Me Friday - "Our Dishes"

This week's addition of Flash Me Friday call for pictures of our dishes. I actually ran the dishwasher before calling it a night last night, so that's where you'll find most of our dishes. And as you'll see, our dishes are about as plain as you can get and just the way we like em. They were a wedding gift (mostly provided by our uncle Scott and aunt Mary *Thanks guys!!!!*). These are the most basic and I believe most inexpensive dishes that you can find at Crate and Barrel.


As you can see, we drink a lot of coffee around here, and when dishes are done, we're basically just washing our coffee mug collection.


Here's most of our plates minus what you'll see in upcoming pictures.


We've been using our smaller plates more often for some reason. I think Mandi is trying to tell me I'm fat!


Always wanted one of these plate rack thingys built into the kitchens cabinets.


Below the bowls goes the smaller plates, but since they're all in the dishwasher, I didn't include that shelf in the picture.

Are you interested in also participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Family blog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Thursday, August 26, 2010

What the _____?: August 26th, 2010

A while ago we started a little contest on this blog in which I post a picture and whoever comes up with the most clever/funny/witty/etc caption gets put into a drawing for prizes at the end of the year. Still don't have everything figured out as of yet, but we do know a couple of things 1) There will be multiple prizes 2) I love the participation so far 3) If you think your submission is inappropriate for others to see, you can always email your answer directly to me at ronnie@cysticlife.org :) 4) I've literally LOLed all weeks so keep it coming!

Alright, what do ya got!?!?


Last week's photo with the winning caption:


Winner: "They call me Mellow YellOMGWTF?!?!!!"
submitted by kimwylie0523

2nd: "I hope... that was just a fart."
submitted by Angie

3rd: "Quick, somebody get me some toothpicks; I can't keep my eyes open like this forever!"
submitted by Ronda Dell

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Our Trip to New Jersey (pictures included)

This past week we were fortunate enough to be able to fly out to New Jersey and turn a work trip into a vacation. Or maybe it was a vacation into a work trip? Either way, it was nice to be laying on the beach one day and be moving the ball forward in business the next. Some family friends have a beach house in Avalon, NJ that they were gracious enough to open up to us. It's about a 1 minute walk to the beach from their house, so you really couldn't ask for a better location. Being born and raised in Arizona, pretty much everything is foreign to me on the east coast. I'm not used to seeing "quaint" towns. And if I see old towns, they're generally run down and falling apart at the seams. Avalon, NJ has the quaint old feel, yet it looks brand spanking new cause everyone does a great job on the old upkeep.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment (I hope) with a brief description:


This was the horse that we rode from the Philly airport to the Jersey Shore. Say hello to the high performance of the Pontiac Vibe...just don't forget to feed the gerbils under the hood.



We stayed at the house of some family friends in Avalon, NJ


Side view of the house


View from the 2nd story porch. This is where we ate dinner most nights.


Outdoor shower. I actually never experienced this "dream" but I heard it was awesome. Looks like I have something to look forward to for next time :)


Coming into their house


Here's Mandi blow drying her hair. She has fun doing pretty much anything and everything.


These bikes got our fannies in the seats every day. We made it a morning tradition to ride to a local coffee shop to pick up some freshly brewed joe.


Some more seats that got a lot of use. My butt was parked in them at the beach.



Family photo from left to right: Ronnie, Wifey, Nana and Poppi

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Recovering from "vacation"

I've always had a hard time on "vacation". I love traveling and seeing new sites and all that, but man, is it tiring. The thing you need to know about me is that I'm a "routine guy". I love knowing what I can expect and the less I have to think, the better. My body seems to like it that way too. I got plenty of rest and beach time during this last stint, but I still feel exhausted. So exhausted in fact that you'll notice their was no blog yesterday and this little mini-update today. We took some pictures that we really want to share with you guys, but to be honest, we're wiped.

I promise to get my rest and be back Wednesday to share with you the exciting vacation that we just returned home from. Thanks for understanding guys!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

What's in a Google? WHY GIRLS

Here's something I started a couple of weeks ago on RSBR, cause as we all know, the weekends are slow around here. I call it "What's in a Google?". It's simple really; type one word into Google and see what the magic bot suggests for you. Once in a while, you can get some pretty funny suggestions. What's crazy, is I'm pretty sure that it means these are the most common searches.

Word: why girls

Top suggested searches:

why girls crop their photos
why girls shouldn't drink soda
why girls like guys
why girls like bad boys
why girls don't fart
why girls like twilight
why girls don't poop
why girls like jerks
why girls are better than boys
why girls don't like nice guys


GUILTY!!!! If Google was around when I was younger I can assure you that I would have typed that into the magical search box at some point. I vividly remember thinking as a kid that girls weren't capable of pooping and I wondered why. I'm just glad that I wasn't (or am) the only dumb kid out there :)