Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: THLD), today announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2 dose escalation clinical trial of TH-302 in combination with sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET). TH-302 is a proprietary tumor selective Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug (HAP) that specifically targets tumor hypoxia. Sunitinib, marketed by Pfizer under the brand name Sutent�, is an oral, small molecule angiogenesis inhibitor that is currently approved for the treatment of RCC, GIST and PNET...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Congress Successfully Pushes CMS To Review And Rescind Burdensome Requirement
Washington, D.C. - In February eighty-eight Members of the House and the Senate, led by Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX-26), Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ-08), Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), sent bipartisan letters to Dr. Donald Berwick, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) urging him to delay and review enforcement of a new requirement that was included in the 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule...
Diet, Metformin Cut Medical Cost for Prediabetes Patients
People with prediabetes can save thousands of dollars in medical costs by taking the diabetes drug metformin or making lifestyle changes, a new study shows.
Dr Oz: Holistic Health Plan & Women?s Shocking Questions
Dr Oz June 24 2011
Dr Oz’s Show on June 24, 2011 is called Shocking Questions My Wife Is Too Afraid To Ask.� One husband told Doctor Oz that his wife has a black toenail, which turned out to be a nail fungus.� Dr Oz suggested trying an Anti-Fungal Cream with Terbinafine, such as Lamisil, or [...]
Dr Oz’s Show on June 24, 2011 is called Shocking Questions My Wife Is Too Afraid To Ask.� One husband told Doctor Oz that his wife has a black toenail, which turned out to be a nail fungus.� Dr Oz suggested trying an Anti-Fungal Cream with Terbinafine, such as Lamisil, or [...]
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Be Happy, Live Longer
New research has shown that happier orangutans live longer which may shed light on the evolution of happiness in humans. Dr. Alexander Weiss and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Arizona, who are presenting their paper published in Royal Society journal Biology Letters at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow on Sunday the 3rd of July, used an innovative approach to assessing happiness by asking keepers who work with orangutans to answer questions on the animals' behalf...
FDA panel rejects Avastin for breast cancer use
SILVER SPRING, Maryland (Reuters) - Health advisers delivered a blow to Roche Holding on Wednesday, voting to reject the use of Roche Holding drug Avastin for breast cancer while the Swiss drugmaker conducts more studies.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Signs New Agreement To Expand Access To Reyataz(R) (Atazanavir Sulfate) In Sub-Saharan Africa And India
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) today announced a new agreement to expand access to Reyataz� (atazanavir sulfate). The immunity-from-suit agreement signed with Matrix Laboratories Limited, a Mylan Company, enables the generic company to manufacture and sell atazanavir, as well as stavudine and didanosine, in sub-Saharan Africa and India...
Patients, scientists at odds over breast cancer drug
Monday morning, Patricia Howard, 66, was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, undergoing scans that led doctors to declare her cancer-free -- five years after her advanced breast cancer was diagnosed.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Dancing Outbreak: Curse or Social Mimicry
Was a mysterious 14th-century outbreak of manic dancing that reportedly affected thousands from Europe to Africa a curse or an illness? More likely, social scientists say, it was an extreme case of social contagion.
Mammography Screening Significantly Reduces Breast Cancer Death Rates
Mammography breast cancer screening reduces death rates significantly in the long-term, researchers report in the journal Radiology. A large-scale Swedish trial found that for the benefits to be appreciated, studies need to evaluate screening over the very long term. Professor of cancer screening at Queen Mary, University of London, Stephen W. Duffy, M.Sc., said: "Mammographic screening confers a substantial relative and absolute reduction in breast cancer mortality risk in the long-term. For every 1,000 to 1,500 mammograms, one breast cancer death is prevented...
State/Federal Partnership Has Reduced Illegal Tobacco Sales To Minors To An All-time Low
A new report on the Synar Amendment program - a federal and state partnership aimed at ending illegal tobacco sales to minors - shows that all the states and the District of Columbia have continued to meet their goals of curtailing sales of tobacco to underage youth (those under 18). The report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which sponsors the Synar program shows that the average national retailer violation rate of tobacco sales is down to 9.3-percent - the lowest level in the 14 year history of the program...
Pediatricians: 'Media Diet' for Obese Kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants to ban junk food ads during children's TV shows.
Studies Show No Increased Risk Of Cardiac Events In Diabetes Patients Treated With AFREZZA(R)
The findings of two separate studies further substantiate that treatment with the investigational ultra rapid acting mealtime insulin AFREZZA� (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder does not result in excess cardiovascular events in type 1 or type 2 diabetes patients. Furthermore, results demonstrate that inhaled AFREZZA did not produce clinically significant effects on heart rate, PR and QRS interval duration, or cardiac morphology. The data are being presented at the American Diabetes Association's 71st Scientific Sessions�...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mood And Experience: Life Comes At You
Living through weddings or divorces, job losses and children's triumphs, we sometimes feel better and sometimes feel worse. But, psychologists observe, we tend to drift back to a "set point"-a stable resting point, or baseline, in the mind's level of contentment or unease. Research has shown that the set points for depression and anxiety are particularly stable over time. Why? "The overwhelming view within psychiatry and psychology is that is due to genetic factors," says Virginia Commonwealth University psychiatrist Kenneth S. Kendler...
Many in U.S. Skip Follow-up Colon Cancer Screening
One in three adults who have been screened for colon cancer fail to follow up with repeat screenings as recommended, according to a new survey.
Genome Editing, A Next Step In Genetic Therapy, Corrects Hemophilia In Animals
Using an innovative gene therapy technique called genome editing that hones in on the precise location of mutated DNA, scientists have treated the blood clotting disorder hemophilia in mice. This is the first time that genome editing, which precisely targets and repairs a genetic defect, has been done in a living animal and achieved clinically meaningful results. As such, it represents an important step forward in the decades-long scientific progression of gene therapy - developing treatments by correcting a disease-causing DNA sequence...
ViroPharma's Pediatric Seizures Drug Gets Positive Opinion From CHMP In Europe
ViroPharma Incorporated (Nasdaq: VPHM) has announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of a Pediatric Use Marketing Authorization (PUMA) for Buccolam� (midazolam, oromucosal solution), for treatment of prolonged, acute, convulsive seizures in infants, toddlers, children and adolescents, from 3 months to less than 18 years. If approved by the European Commission, Buccolam would be the first product approved through the centralized PUMA procedure...
'Pine Mouth': Nuts Can Ruin Taste for Weeks?
If everything you ate suddenly tasted bitter, metallic, and for the most part vile, you might think something was seriously wrong with you -- but it could just be the pine nuts you ate yesterday.
Virtually undocumented before 2009, a recent slew of "pine mouth" cases have brought this strange affliction to light. A day after consuming certain pine nuts (it is not known why some batches cause this and not others), sufferers will be unable to taste anything but a bitter, metallic taste, no matter what they eat, for weeks.
Virtually undocumented before 2009, a recent slew of "pine mouth" cases have brought this strange affliction to light. A day after consuming certain pine nuts (it is not known why some batches cause this and not others), sufferers will be unable to taste anything but a bitter, metallic taste, no matter what they eat, for weeks.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Obesity Fears For Parents
One in eight parents consider their child to be overweight, a study revealed recently. Researchers found a startling number of mums and dads believe their son or daughter is obese or severely overweight, with the majority blaming it on their unhealthy diet. Sugary snacks, taking part in little or no exercise and believing 'it's in the genes' were also excuses put forward to explain why millions of kids are out of shape. But 85 per cent said they were to blame for their child's size and half wished they were more active with their kids...
Flesh-Eating Cocaine Found in N.Y., L.A.
Cocaine cut with the veterinary drug levamisole could be the culprit in a flurry of flesh-eating disease in New York and Los Angeles. The drug, used to deworm cattle, pigs and sheep, can rot the skin off noses, ears and cheeks. And 82 percent of the country's coke supply contains it.
New Computational Tool For Rapid Identification Of Disease-Causing Variations In The Human Genome
Scientists from the University of Utah and Omicia, Inc., a privately held company developing tools to interpret personal genome sequences, have announced the publication in Genome Research of a new software tool called VAAST, the Variant Annotation, Analysis and Selection Tool, a probabilistic disease-causing mutation finder for individual human genomes. The dramatic decline in DNA sequencing costs is making personal genome sequencing a reality. Already, significant progress has been made in applying whole genome sequencing to cancer prognosis and early childhood disease...
Five Signs You Have a Parasomnia
Sleepwalking is perhaps the most well-known parasomnia -a disorder that interrupts sleep and often involve disruptive behaviors - but experts say there are others that can either be very milid or cause severe disturbances.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
New Genetic Clues to Cause of Parkinson's
Researchers have identified two new genetic variants linked to Parkinson's disease and say they now know how big a role heredity plays in the neurodegenerative disorder.
Dr Oz: Weight Loss Hypnosis & Paul McKenna: June 20 2011
Dr Oz: Hypnosis for Weight Loss
Dr Oz’s Show on June 20 2011 was called Hypnosis For Weight Loss, and featured Paul McKenna, a famous Hypnotist.� He taught Doctor Oz about three different types of Weight Loss Hypnosis treatments.� The first is an Emotional Eating Hypnosis that helps you to stop eating when you are bored, [...]
Dr Oz’s Show on June 20 2011 was called Hypnosis For Weight Loss, and featured Paul McKenna, a famous Hypnotist.� He taught Doctor Oz about three different types of Weight Loss Hypnosis treatments.� The first is an Emotional Eating Hypnosis that helps you to stop eating when you are bored, [...]
Plan To Create 250 Liverpool Science Jobs, UK
Liverpool is at the centre of a bid to establish a £39m centre of excellence that will conduct early stage research into new drugs to treat cancer and other serious illnesses. If the project goes ahead it will create some 250 science jobs in the city over the next five years. RedX Pharma Ltd, which is based in Liverpool, today announced that it has applied for a £5.9m grant from the Government's Regional Growth Fund for an initial two-year research phase...
Abbott says blood sugar monitoring devices stolen
(Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories said it was working with authorities to retrieve one tractor-trailer shipment of blood glucose monitoring products that was reported stolen on June 19.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Unhealthy Eating Habits Start Early
Girls and boys who develop unhealthy eating or extreme dieting habits as adolescents are likely to carry those potentially dangerous weight control practices into adulthood.
RACGP Welcomes Senate Inquiry Into Mental Health Funding Cuts, Australia
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the move yesterday to hold a Senate Inquiry into the Federal Government's decision to cut the Medicare patient rebates for GP mental health services in the 2011-2012 Federal Budget. The Senate Inquiry comes after strong and consistent lobbying on the issue by the RACGP and our colleagues within United General Practice Australia (UGPA). The Budget reduced funding for GP mental health services by $50.1 million ($306...
Still thinking of smoking? Look
Nine graphic cigarette warning labels were unveiled Tuesday by the FDA, part of the agency's new powers to regulate tobacco and tobacco products | See the new labels |
Helping Deaf People To Enjoy Music Again
Researchers from the University of Southampton are investigating how to help deaf people, who have received a cochlear implant, to get more enjoyment from music. Music professor David Nicholls and Dr Rachel van Besouw from the University's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) have secured a £109,000 grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to work with patients from the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre, based at the University...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Dr Oz: Holistic Health Plan & Women?s Shocking Questions
Dr Oz June 24 2011
Dr Oz’s Show on June 24, 2011 is called Shocking Questions My Wife Is Too Afraid To Ask.� One husband told Doctor Oz that his wife has a black toenail, which turned out to be a nail fungus.� Dr Oz suggested trying an Anti-Fungal Cream with Terbinafine, such as Lamisil, or [...]
Dr Oz’s Show on June 24, 2011 is called Shocking Questions My Wife Is Too Afraid To Ask.� One husband told Doctor Oz that his wife has a black toenail, which turned out to be a nail fungus.� Dr Oz suggested trying an Anti-Fungal Cream with Terbinafine, such as Lamisil, or [...]
Earlier Diagnosis Of Liver Cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common cancer to strike the liver. More than 500,000 people worldwide, concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, are diagnosed with it yearly. Most of those afflicted die within six months. A big obstacle to treatment of liver cancer is the lack of early diagnosis. Current techniques, including ultrasound, CT and MRI scans, spot tumors only when they have grown to about 5 centimeters in diameter. By that time, the cancer is especially aggressive, resisting chemotherapy and difficult to remove surgically...
Best, Worst Hospitals for Weight-Loss Surgery
Thinking about weight-loss surgery? Do your hospital homework. A new report from HealthGrades found that complication rates, not to mention cost, vary by widely between hospitals.
Does life online give you 'popcorn brain'?
Facebook, emails, Twitter, and your gadgets can give you the attention span of a mosquito. Here's how to slow down your brain for real life.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
When food allergies kill
"Dad, my throat hurts. Can you get me some cough drops?" B.J. Hom asked his father, Brian. Brian had no idea those would be the last words he would hear his son say.
Positive Results For Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery PCI With Drug-Eluting Stents
Patients with normal left ventricular function who undergo elective unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) had favorable outcomes according to new research. Results of the multicenter, retrospective study are reported in the June issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI)...
NICE Recommends New Drug For Rheumatoid Arthritis
In final guidance, published today (22 June), the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends golimumab (Simponi) as an option for treating rheumatoid arthritis in specific circumstances where previous treatments haven't worked. Golimumab in combination with methotrexate is recommended for adults whose rheumatoid arthritis has responded inadequately to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) only, including methotrexate...
Scientists Reveal HIV Weakness
Ever since HIV was revealed as the infectious agent behind the AIDS epidemic, scientists have been striving to develop a vaccine against the disease. However, the task has proven difficult, because HIV mutates so rapidly. In a new finding that may allow vaccine designers to sidestep part of that obstacle, researchers at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard University have identified sections of an HIV protein where mutations would actually undermine the virus' fitness - its ability to survive and reproduce...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Dr. Besser's Notebook: A Shot to Save Hearing
Burkina Faso lies in west Africa in the heart of the meningitis belt. For some unknown reason, epidemics of type A meningococcal meningitis sweep through this region on a regular basis during the dry season, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving even more damaged. A fever during the dry season, January through April, has long struck fear in parents -- until now. In December, the government of Burkina Faso started vaccinating all those between the ages of 1 and 29 against this disease using a vaccine made just for Africa.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Has Ample Supplies Of Fusilev(R) To Meet The Growing Demand Of Colorectal Cancer Patients In The U.S.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS: SPPI), a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in oncology, announced today that during the second quarter the Company has worked closely with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on securing multiple sources of U.S. manufacturing for the Company's anti-cancer drug, FUSILEV�, approved on April 29, 2011 for use in the palliative treatment of patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer...
Monday, June 20, 2011
When food allergies kill
"Dad, my throat hurts. Can you get me some cough drops?" B.J. Hom asked his father, Brian. Brian had no idea those would be the last words he would hear his son say.
Olive Oil Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk
Cooking with heart-healthy olive oil and using it for salad dressing may cut stroke risk, according to new research published online in Neurology.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Exotic Animal Attacks Infant, Eats Fingers
A pet ferret in Missouri ate seven fingers of an infant, the most recent in a series of exotic animal attacks.
Roughhousing With Dad Crucial for Children
Dads play roughhousing with their young children is crucially important in the early development of kids, according to a new research out of Australia. As Father's Day approaches, maybe the best gift is simply for kids to play with their dads.
Roughhousing With Dad Crucial for Children
Dads play roughhousing with their young children is crucially important in the early development of kids, according to a new research out of Australia. As Father's Day approaches, maybe the best gift is simply for kids to play with their dads.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
FDA: California Seafood Handler Enters Into Consent Decree
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and San Diego-based Ocean Harvest Inc., an outlet for salmon, tuna, and other fresh fish intended for raw consumption, and Ocean Harvest president, Minkyu Park, recently signed a consent decree of permanent injunction. The company had been selling seafood that was handled in violation of federal food safety standards. The consent decree restrains Ocean Harvest from preparing, packing, or distributing seafood until the company complies with the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations...
ER Visits for Drug-Related Suicide Attempts Up in Men
New data highlight a 55% increase in emergency room visits for drug-related suicide attempts among men aged 21 to 34 from 2005 to 2009.
Friday, June 17, 2011
How Much Soda Does Your Teen Guzzle?
Although high school students report drinking plenty of water, milk, and real fruit juice, they still gulp down more sugar-sweetened beverages than is probably good for them, CDC researchers found.
Parents In Canada: Head Lice Do Not Take The Summer Off, So Pack A Peace Of Mind For Summer Camp With Zippity Doo's Lice Prevention
Zippity Doo's?, the fast-growing line of head lice-preventive hair care products for children, is now available in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart, the country's only nationwide drugstore chain. Lice do not take a summer break, so moms and dads should pack a peace of mind before their kids go off to camp this summer and help prevent lice with Zippity Doo's. Parents also need to remind their kids this summer that sharing hats, helmets, towels, pillows, combs and other items should be avoided in an effort to prevent lice infestation...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Magical Thinking Helps Dieters Cope With Unrealistic Expectations
Magical thinking, usually dismissed as naive and irrational, can actually help consumers cope with stressful situations like trying to lose weight, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Magical thinking occurs when an individual invokes mystical, supernatural forces to understand, predict, or even influence events to overcome these stressful situations," write authors Yannik St. James (HEC Montreal), Jay M. Handelman, and Shirley F. Taylor (both Queen's University, Kingston, Canada)...
Restless Legs Syndrome Linked to Erectile Dysfunction
Men with restless legs syndrome are at higher risk for developing erectile dysfunction than those without the disorder, a large new study shows.
TV watching raises risk dying young
No one ever claimed that watching TV was healthy, but doctors are only now discovering just how bad it can be.
Immune Response To Tumour Cells Could Aid Cancer Battle
A new research at the University of Leicester has developed a novel immunotherapeutic approach with potential for cancer treatment. Malignant tumours are the second main cause of death worldwide, with haematological malignancies representing 10%. Current treatment strategies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stem cell transplantation, or a combination of them, are mostly effective but may induce serious side effects to normal tissues. In addition, tumours are developing resistance against most of these conventional therapies...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Whole And Refined Grains Have A Place Within New Dietary Guidelines
Consumers should divide their daily grain servings between whole and refined varieties to avoid missing out on the important health benefits of both, according to experts at a symposium Tuesday during the 2011 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo�. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which form the basis for the MyPlate icon unveiled this month, call for Americans to make sure half their daily grain intake is whole grains. Whole grains protect against cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, and are essential for optimal digestive health...
2009 H1N1 Pandemic As Model For Healthy Computer Power
An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a study published in the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing...
Clues On Why Hair Turns Gray Provided By New Research
A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center has shown that, for the first time, Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. The study was published in the June 11, 2011 issue of the journal Cell. The research was led by Mayumi Ito, PhD, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Pereleman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone...
Dr Oz: June 10, 2011: In Case You Missed It
Doctor Oz?s ?In Case You Missed It? segment and recaps for June 10, 2011 are below. Don?t forget to pass the recaps on [...]
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Dr Oz: June 13, 2011: In Case You Missed It
Doctor Oz?s ?In Case You Missed It? segment and recaps for June 13, 2011 are below. Don?t forget to pass the recaps on [...]
Sleep position may affect stillbirth risk
LONDON (Reuters) - Women who do not sleep on their left side on their last night of pregnancy have double the risk of late stillbirth compared with women who do sleep on their left side, according to a study from New Zealand.
Landmark Clinical Trial Of Catheter Treatment For Atrial Fibrillation
Loyola University Medical Center is enrolling patients in a major clinical trial of treatments for a common heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation (A-fib). The study is comparing traditional drug therapy with a newer treatment called catheter ablation. Standard drug therapy has been available for more than 30 years. It includes drugs to prevent the heart rate from going too fast and drugs to stop the abnormal heart rhythm. But medications don't always work, and they can cause side effects that significantly impair patients' quality of life...
What would help for Weiner look like?
Rep. Anthony Weiner has declined to resign and instead sought a leave of absence to seek help. What might that help be like?
Canadian researchers question autism screening
A report from Canadian researchers published Monday says there is not enough sound evidence to support routine screening of children for autism, but several autism experts are questioning the paper's conclusions.
Monday, June 13, 2011
HPA Scientists Unlock Secrets Of E. Coli Outbreak Strain, UK
Scientists at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have produced the most accurate and detailed genetic analysis to date of the E. coli O104 strain which is causing the outbreak of Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS) and VTEC E. coli infection (bloody diarrhoea) in Germany. Cases are also being seen across many other European countries including 14 in the UK - three HUS and 11 bloody diarrhoea...
Bluetongue Freedom Thanks To Partnership Between Vets, Farmers And Government, UK
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has welcomed the announcement that Great Britain is to be declared bluetongue (BTV8) free on 5th July. Defra has announced that Bluetongue-free status will mean that animals exported from GB to bluetongue-free countries will not require vaccination or have to meet any other bluetongue requirements. However, the current EU Bluetongue Directive only allows bluetongue vaccination within a protection zone. From 5th July vaccination will no longer be permitted in GB...
Tennessee, Virginia report 13 E.coli cases, 1 death
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An outbreak of E.coli cases in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia has sickened 13 people and resulted in the death of a young child, public health officials said on Friday.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Curb Violence Against Women, Girls While Preventing AIDS, Says UNFPA
Stronger action must be taken to change harmful gender norms and practices and to integrate the prevention of gender-based violence into anti-HIV efforts, said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Addressing world leaders on behalf of the United Nations during the AIDS Summit today, Dr. Osotimehin underlined the need to sustain the current momentum on women, girls and HIV by increasing political support and funding, both at the global and the national levels...
FDA Accepts Filing Of New Drug Application For Nycomed's Ciclesonide HFA Nasal Aerosol
Nycomed's licensing partner Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the filing of the New Drug Application (NDA) submitted for ciclesonide nasal aerosol in a hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) formulation. The proposed dosing for ciclesonide HFA nasal aerosol is 74 mcg once-daily (37 mcg per spray; one-spray per nostril) and the proposed indication is for the treatment of symptoms of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (SAR) and Perennial Allergic Rhinitis (PAR), in adults and adolescents age 12 and older...
Chimp Attack Victim Gets Face Transplant
A team of more than 30 doctors and nurses has given Charla Nash, the Connecticut woman who was mauled by her friend's pet chimpanzee in 2009, a new face.
What was Weiner thinking?
It seems like a cliche -- a powerful politician undone by underpants. Why does a public figure risk his reputation, marriage and career on a sexual impulse that can become so easily public -- such as sexting?
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd. Expands Phase II Trial Of ICT-107
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. ("ImmunoCellular" or the "Company") (OTCBB: IMUC), a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, today announced the expansion of sites for its Phase II clinical trial of ICT-107. ICT-107 is the Company's dendritic cell based cancer vaccine candidate targeting multiple tumor antigens for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The Company had initially planned to conduct the study, which is now underway, at up to 15 clinical centers, but has increased the number of anticipated sites to 20 or more...
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Heat Wave Wreaking Havoc on Health
The heat wave currently baking nearly half the country is especially bad for people with certain medical conditions, including allergies, asthma and heart disease.
Congress: Alex German To Take The Frustration Out Of Canine IBD, UK
When a dog turns up in their consulting room with chronic diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss, then it is quite likely that the vet will call it a case of inflammatory bowel disease. But that is probably the only thing that they can say with any confidence after identifying one of the most enigmatic and frustrating conditions seen in small animal practice...
Friday, June 10, 2011
Dr Oz: Barrett?s Esophagus & 3 Secret Weapons To Live Longer
Dr Oz: 3 Secret Weapons To Live Longer
Dr Oz predicted how old you will be when you die with a Life Calculator and introduced us to an unhealthy man named Jay who is 43 years old and is only predicted to live to the age of 57.� However, Doctor Oz brought on three doctors: Dr [...]
Dr Oz predicted how old you will be when you die with a Life Calculator and introduced us to an unhealthy man named Jay who is 43 years old and is only predicted to live to the age of 57.� However, Doctor Oz brought on three doctors: Dr [...]
4 Essential Nutrients Missing From Your Child's Diet
Are your kids getting enough of these four essential nutrients often missing from kids' diets?
FDA Takes 'First Step' Toward Greater Regulatory Certainty Around Nanotechnology
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released draft guidance to provide regulated industries with greater certainty about the use of nanotechnology, which generally involves materials made up of particles that are at least one billionth of a meter in size. The guidance outlines the agency's view on whether regulated products contain nanomaterials or involve the application of nanotechnology...
FDA Takes 'First Step' Toward Greater Regulatory Certainty Around Nanotechnology
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released draft guidance to provide regulated industries with greater certainty about the use of nanotechnology, which generally involves materials made up of particles that are at least one billionth of a meter in size. The guidance outlines the agency's view on whether regulated products contain nanomaterials or involve the application of nanotechnology...
Thursday, June 9, 2011
FDA Limits Highest Dose of Cholesterol Drug Statin (Includes Zocor, Vytorin, Simcro)
Due to muscle injury risk, the FDA says no new patients should start taking the 80 mg dose of the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin (found in Zocor, Vytorin, and Simcor).
New Consulting Concept From Siemens For More Efficient Processes In Radiology
The Siemens sector Healthcare has developed the consulting model "Act on Radiology" to help improve workflows in radiology departments. Based on models for industry processes, an expert team from Siemens evaluates the maturity level of clinical processes in a hospital radiology department or radiology practice. For example, the experts evaluate the efficiency of workflows from admissions to a completed patient report...
Weiner's Wife Is Pregnant, Still Supportive of Her Man
Colleagues say Hillary Clinton, who has been in Adedin's shoes, has been as devastated as Weiner's wife over sexting affairs.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
NanoLogix Announces European Clinical Trial Of Its Rapid Detection Kits
NanoLogix (PINK SHEETS: NNLX), a biotechnology innovator in the rapid detection and identification of live-cell bacteria and microorganisms, announced today its BioNanoFilter (BNF) technology will undergo a clinical trial, led by Dr. Gian Carlo Di Renzo of the University of Perugia in Italy. The 300 patient trial will study the speed and accuracy of NanoLogix technology compared to current methods in the detection and identification of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in pregnant women...
Minorities see bottled water as safer, buy more
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Poor minority parents are spending a sizeable chunk of their income on bottled water based on unfounded beliefs that it's safer, researchers say.
Once a Bully, Always a Bully?
A study in the journal Pediatrics found that boys who are schoolyard bullies are more likely to grow up to be men who four times more likely to engage in domestic violence. New programs try to identify young bullies and change their behavior.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Engineered Liver May Shed Light On Effects Of Chemicals In The Environment
The liver is the primary organ in the human body that metabolizes foreign compounds such as drugs, alcohol, cigarette smoke, and environmental chemicals. Using the liver as an alarm system, researchers are starting to better understand the different levels of toxicity from these compounds and their effects on the human body. One of these researchers is Padma Rajagopalan, director of the Virginia Tech Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science's Center for Systems Biology of Engineered Tissues...
Pharmacists Integral To Medicare Locals, Australia
The Pharmacist Coalition for Health Reform (PCHR) welcomes the Federal Government's announcement yesterday that 19 Medicare Locals will be implemented by July, but encourages the Government to formally integrate pharmacists into the scheme. PCHR spokesperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Liesel Wett says that Medicare Locals could be more effective in helping people access healthcare if they incorporated pharmacists...
Merck And ARIAD Announce Presentation Of Results Of Phase III SUCCEED Trial At American Society Of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting
Merck (NYSE:MRK), known outside the United States and Canada as MSD, and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (NASDAQ:ARIA), today announced the presentation of detailed results from the Phase III SUCCEED clinical trial. SUCCEED evaluated oral ridaforolimus, an investigational mTOR inhibitor, in patients with metastatic soft-tissue or bone sarcomas who previously had a favorable response to chemotherapy. In this patient population, ridaforolimus improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared to placebo, the primary endpoint of the study. The complete study results were presented by Sant P...
Sun exposure in babies could mean cancer later
Getting too much sun is bad for anyone, but it's especially dangerous for babies, whose sensitive skin hasn't developed enough layers of natural protection to withstand intense summer rays.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Biopsy Needle Provides Advanced Accuracy In Diagnosing Cancers Of GI Tract
Results from a multicenter European study[1] suggest that a new, large-core biopsy needle designed for use with an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) scope may help to overcome limitations of current EUS methods for biopsies of lesions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and surrounding tissue...
Geocaching Is Good Exercise For Tech-Savvy Teens
Geocaching - a technology trend that has taken hold in more than 100 countries worldwide - may be more than just fun, according to research being presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine's 58th Annual Meeting and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine�. Geocaching may be a creative way to encourage tech-savvy teenagers to get outside and exercise. Geocaching - often described as an active, outdoor treasure hunt - uses GPS devices to locate hidden containers, called caches, by their coordinates and written clues...
For Best Sleep, Work Up A Sweat In The Morning
Should I exercise in the morning or the evening? New research on physical activity and sleep architecture being presented today at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and the 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine� may finally answer that age-old question. For the best sleep, researchers say, work out in the morning. "Insufficient sleep threatens our country's health by contributing to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity," said Scott Collier, Ph.D., FACSM, lead author of the study...
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Stop Making Excuses, Start Using Sunscreen
Sixty-nine percent of women lie to themselves, saying they don't need sunscreen. Don't be one of them. Arm yourself with the simplest and strongest weapon we have against wrinkles, age spots, and skin cancer.
Largest Biochemical Circuit Built Out Of Small Synthetic DNA Molecules By Caltech Researchers
In many ways, life is like a computer. An organism's genome is the software that tells the cellular and molecular machinery - the hardware - what to do. But instead of electronic circuitry, life relies on biochemical circuitry - complex networks of reactions and pathways that enable organisms to function. Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have built the most complex biochemical circuit ever created from scratch, made with DNA-based devices in a test tube that are analogous to the electronic transistors on a computer chip...
Targeted drug combo shows promise against melanoma
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The combination of two experimental pills developed by GlaxoSmithKline Plc has shown promise as a treatment for melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer, according to new research.
Weight Loss May Improve Sleep Apnea
Weight loss is an effective long-term treatment for patients with sleep apnea who are overweight or obese, a study shows.
CDC Marks 30th Anniversary of HIV/AIDS
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the reports of the first cases of HIV/AIDS, although in 1981, it was believed to be a rare form of pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data today that tracks the progression of the disease, and hails the progress that's been made in extending the lifespan of HIV patients.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Plexxikon Announces Combination Trials For Vemurafenib In Melanoma
Plexxikon Inc., a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group, today announced new clinical trials in metastatic melanoma testing vemurafenib (PLX4032/RG7204) in combination with other state-of-the-art treatments, including an immunologic therapy and an investigational MEK inhibitor. Additionally, a new trial will test vemurafenib as a single agent in thyroid cancer patients who have the BRAF mutation. Vemurafenib targets the mutant BRAF protein, which is present in about half of melanomas, about 40-70 percent of thyroid cancer and about eight percent of all solid tumors...
Stem-Cell Therapy Brings Feeling Back to Paralyzed College Student
T.J. Atchinson, 21, is the first human with a spinal cord injury to undergo embryonic stem-cell therapy.
Lethal E. Coli Is New Strain: WHO
The lethal E. coli bacteria that has left 18 dead and more than 1,500 sick in Europe is a new strain that experts have never seen before, the World Health Organization announced Thursday. Early investigations suggested the strain was a mutated form of two E. coli bacteria that contained deadly genes, which might explain why the outbreak was so widespread and dangerous.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Personalised First-Line Therapy Stalls Lung Cancer For Nearly Twice As Long As Chemotherapy
Roche today announced results from the first Phase III study with erlotinib (Tarceva�) in Western patients with a genetically mutated type of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results showed that first-line treatment with erlotinib nearly doubled the time people with advanced NSCLC with a specific genetic mutation lived without their disease getting worse compared with chemotherapy (median progression-free survival or PFS: 9.7 months compared with 5.2 months respectively)...
The Glass Is Half Empty For Stressed Bees
When people are depressed or anxious, they are much more likely to see their glass as half empty than half full. In tough times, evidence of that same pessimistic outlook can be seen in dogs, rats, and birds. Now, researchers reporting online on June 2 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, show that bees, too, share those very same hallmarks of negative emotion. "We have shown that the emotional responses of bees to an aversive event are more similar to those of humans than previously thought," said Geraldine Wright of Newcastle University...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
New Strain of MRSA Found in Milk
Researchers have discovered a new strain of antibiotic-resistant superbug bacteria in milk that has also infected humans.
Launch Of New Version Of WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX�)
Free online calculator now available as version 3.3 in 40 models for 34 countries and in 16 languages The WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX�) is an important new calculation tool, available free online here.. It is being used by a steadily increasing number of physicians around the world to calculate a patient's 10-year probability of fracture based on scientifically validated risk factors. The tool is country specific and can be used with or without the input of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) values. Launched on June 1st, version 3...
Flu Vaccine May Reduce Premature Birth Risk
Pregnant women who get a flu vaccine may be less likely to have a premature birth or deliver a baby of low birth weight during flu season.
Vaccine May Help Treat Advanced Melanoma
A vaccine that marshals the body's own defenses to recognize and kill cancer cells may shrink tumors and delay the progression of late-stage melanoma more effectively than conventional therapy alone, a new study shows.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Medication Nation: Little people, lots of pills
More kids are taking behavioral drugs, but their conditions could be misdiagnosed or drugs prescribed for minor symptoms.
Expert Panel: Cell Phones Might Cause Brain Cancer
A prestigious WHO expert panel says "limited evidence" suggests cell phones are a possible cause of brain cancer. Until there's more data, experts suggest texting or making hands-free calls.
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