Health News from Medical News Today

Avoiding Repeat Biopsies In Prostate Cancer - MDxHealth Launches ConfirmMDx

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:00 PDT

Each year, in the United States, more than 650,000 men receive a negative prostate biopsy result, with around 25-35% of these results being false negative. However, a new prostate cancer test has been launched by MdxHealth. The test - ConfirmMDx™ for Prostate Cancer - will help physicians identify which men have a true-negative prostate biopsy from those who may have occult cancer. Professor Dr...

Obama's Grand Plan To Cure Alzheimer's

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:00 PDT

Obama's healthcare goals have been controversial at best, and although anti-smoking campaigns and other public health and safety awareness drives have been successful, it's always somewhat dubious when government starts creating grand plans and lofty goals. Nonetheless, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released an ambitious and wide ranging national plan to fight Alzheimer's disease...

Rising Infertility And Cancer Rates Possibly Linked To Pharmaceuticals And Household Chemicals

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), household products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food all contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which may be causing significant increases in diabetes, obesity, cancers and increasing infertility. In recent decades, the incidence of many human diseases and disorders including diabetes, breast and prostate cancer, and male infertility has increased significantly and many scientists believe this is due to increasing levels of exposure to mixtures of some chemicals in widespread use...

Specific Clinical Guidance Urgently Needed On Bone Cancer Drugs

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT

Although bisphosphonate drugs can reduce pain and bone fractures in individuals with multiple myeloma, no one drug is superior, according to a systematic review of the current evidence of these drugs. The review is published in The Cochrane Library. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that grows in and on bones. The disease can cause fractures in the spine and long bones. Bisphosphonate drugs are used to prevent or reduce the occurrence of bone fractures and pain in these patients and work by inhibiting the activities of osteoclasts (bone cells)...

Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Pazopanib Improves Progression-Free Survival

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT

According to results of the PALETTE trial, treatment with pazopanib increased progression-free survival (PFS) almost three fold among patients with metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma whose disease had progressed following chemotherapy. The results are published Online First in The Lancet. In the United States, an estimated 11,000 individuals are diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcomas each year - accounting for just 1% of all adult cancers. However, progress in developing new effective treatments for the disease has been slow during the last three decades...

Marker To Identify, Attack Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT

Breast cancer stem cells wear a cell surface protein that is part nametag and part bull's eye, identifying them as potent tumor-generating cells and flagging their vulnerability to a drug, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online in Journal of Clinical Investigation. "We've discovered the first single marker for breast cancer stem cells and also found that it's targetable with a small molecule drug that inhibits an enzyme crucial to its synthesis," said co-senior author Michael Andreeff, M.D., Ph.D...

After Stem Cell Transplant For Multiple Myeloma Patients, Lenalidomide Prolongs Disease Control

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT

Multiple myeloma patients are better equipped to halt progression of this blood cancer if treated with lenalidomide, or Revlimid®, following a stem cell transplant, according to a study co-authored by a physician with the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found a 63 percent reduction in the risk of progressive myeloma or death for the stem cell transplant patients that were treated with lenalidomide maintenance therapy...

Apigenin Slowed Progression Of Breast Cancer Accelerated By Hormone Replacement Therapy

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT

Apigenin, a natural substance found in grocery store produce aisles, shows promise as a non-toxic treatment for an aggressive form of human breast cancer, following a new study at the University of Missouri. MU researchers found apigenin shrank a type of breast cancer tumor that is stimulated by progestin, a synthetic hormone given to women to ease symptoms related to menopause...

Schizophrenia Risk In Kids Associated With Mothers' Gluten Antibodies

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT

Children are nearly 50% more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life if their mothers are sensitive to wheat protein gluten, say researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, adds to increasing evidence that many subsequent diseases in life take root before and shortly after birth. Robert Yolken, M.D...

Keeping Ahead In The Medical Device Sector

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

"Medical device industry executives often develop products that are deemed safe and effective by the FDA, but that do not sell as they are not reimbursable," says Donald DeLauder, Executive Director - Corporate Innovation, Bayer Radiology and Interventional. They must spend more time on developing their products, he adds. The chairman at the upcoming marcus evans Medical Device Manufacturing Summit Spring 2012 and Medical Device R&D Summit Spring 2012, DeLauder shares his views on product development and the complex regulatory environment...

Optimizing Process Management In Medical Device Manufacturing

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

Medical device manufacturing executives are currently challenged with getting products to market faster; however with increased FDA regulatory requirements and validations, they must ensure that the manufacturing processes are robust, says William J. Bergen, President & Chief Executive Officer, MicroGroup. Effective and timely communication at each stage of production is crucial, he adds. From a solution provider company at the upcoming marcus evans Medical Device Manufacturing Summit Spring 2012, Bergen discusses product development and globalization in the medical device sector...

In Outcome Of Prostate Cancer Surgery, Higher Hospital Volume More Important Than Surgeon Experience

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT

Older, sicker, high-risk patients who undergo one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer get better results in larger, busier hospitals, according to new research by Henry Ford Hospital. In such cases, the same research showed the experience level of the surgeon doing the procedure mattered somewhat less than the hospital setting. The results, based on data gathered throughout the U.S., will be presented this week at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta...

Large Population Study Fomds Palpitations Predictive Of Future Atrial Fibrillation

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

A large cohort study has found that the strongest risk factors for atrial fibrillation in both men and women were a history of palpitations and hypertension. While hypertension is a well known risk factor for AF, the investigators note that "the impact of self-reported palpitations on later occurrence of AF has not been documented earlier". Atrial fibrillation is currently the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is a major risk factor for heart failure (risk tripled), stroke (risk increased up to five times) and overall mortality (risk doubled)...

Key Genes And Prototype Predictive Test Identified For Schizophrenia

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

An Indiana University-led research team, along with a group of national and international collaborators, has identified and prioritized a comprehensive group of genes most associated with schizophrenia that together can generate a score indicating whether an individual is at higher or lower risk of developing the disease...

Potential To Treat Arthritis Using Delivery System For Gene Therapy

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

A DNA-covered submicroscopic bead used to deliver genes or drugs directly into cells to treat disease appears to have therapeutic value just by showing up, researchers report. Within a few hours of injecting empty-handed DNA nanoparticles, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers were surprised to see increased expression of an enzyme that calms the immune response...

Marijuana Helps Relieve MS Pain

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that smoking marijuana can help relieve pain, and muscle tightness "spasticity" in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). Even though there are drugs available to relieve spasticity, a disabling condition in which the muscles become tight and hard to control, they do not always improve the condition in patients and can have also have side effects...

Clinical Guidance Remains Non-Specific For Drugs To Reduce Bone Cancer Damage

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

Bone cancer-related fractures and pain can be reduced by drug treatment, but no one drug is superior, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library. Researchers undertook a systematic review of the current evidence on bisphosphonate drugs, which are used to prevent bone damage in multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that grows in and on bones, and can cause fractures in long bones and the spine. Severe back pain is a common symptom. Bisphosphonate drugs may help to reduce the occurrence of fractures and bone pain in myeloma patients...

Gene Variants Identified That Speed Progression Of Parkinson's Disease

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

UCLA researchers may have found a key to determining which Parkinson's disease patients will experience a more rapid decline in motor function, sparking hopes for the development of new therapies and helping identify those who could benefit most from early intervention. In a study published May 15 in the peer-reviewed online journal PLoS ONE, the researchers found that Parkinson's sufferers who possess two specific variants of a gene known to be a risk factor for the disease had a significantly speedier progression toward motor decline than patients without these variants...

Link Between Anxiety Disorders And Cellular Metabolism

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

Anxiety disorders, ranging from social phobia to post-traumatic stress disorder, are the most common psychiatric diseases in the United States. Research in mice suggests a link between the gene that encodes Glyoxylase 1 (GLO1) and increased anxiety; however, the mechanism underlying this association has remained unclear. The normal role of GLO1 is to degrade cytotoxic byproducts of glycolysis, a function which has no obvious connection to anxiety...

News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: May 15, 2012

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

DEVELOPMENT Hope for new treatment options for the rare disease Beare-Stevenson syndrome Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disease that causes serious physical problems affecting the skin and skull. The disease is associated with mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2), which relays signals from the extracellular environment, but how FGFR2 mutations contribute to skin and skull defects has been unclear...

Quadriplegic Patient Has Some Hand Function Restored By Surgeons

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have restored some hand function in a quadriplegic patient with a spinal cord injury at the C7 vertebra, the lowest bone in the neck. Instead of operating on the spine itself, the surgeons rerouted working nerves in the upper arms. These nerves still "talk" to the brain because they attach to the spine above the injury. Following the surgery, performed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and one year of intensive physical therapy, the patient regained some hand function, specifically the ability to bend the thumb and index finger...

Expert Group Recommend That World Health Assembly Should Adopt An International Convention On Global Health R&D

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 PDT

The expert working group advising WHO on research and development has recommended the May 2012 World Health Assembly adopt an international convention on research and development (R&D) that will bind member states to action and catalyze new knowledge for diseases that primarily affect the global poor but for which patents provide insufficient market incentives...

Water With Meals May Encourage Wiser Choices

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Water could change the way we eat. That's the conclusion of new research by T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon and Anna R. McAlister of Michigan State University. Their findings appear online this week ahead of regular publication by the journal Appetite. The paper featured separate studies. One involved a survey of 60 young U.S. adults (ages 19-23) about the role of food-and-drink pairings. The second involved experiments with 75 U.S. children (ages 3-5) to determine the role of drinks and vegetable consumption...

Controlling Inflammation: Novel Drug Candidates Offer New Route

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Pursuing a relatively untapped route for regulating the immune system, an international team of researchers has designed and conducted initial tests on molecules that have the potential to treat diseases involving inflammation, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and sepsis. The team started by creating a three-dimensional map of a protein structure called the C3a receptor, which sits on the surface of human cells and plays a critical role in regulating a branch of the immune system called the complement system...

Truvada For HIV Prevention Plus Behavioral Strategies

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A drug that has been shown to prevent HIV infection in a significant number of cases must be combined with behavioral approaches if the U.S. health care establishment is to succeed in reducing the spread of the virus, according to the American Psychological Association. "Exclusive reliance on a drug to prevent HIV or any sexually transmitted disease could actually result in a worse outcome if those at risk don't understand how their own behavior affects treatment," said Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, chair of APA's Committee on Psychology and AIDS...

The Importance Of Human Breast Milk Ingredient In Gastrointestinal Health

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A new University of Illinois study shows that human milk oligosaccharides, or HMO, produce short-chain fatty acids that feed a beneficial microbial population in the infant gut. Not only that, the bacterial composition adjusts as the baby grows older and its needs change. Even though HMO are a major component of human milk, present in higher concentration than protein, many of their actions in the infant are not well understood. Furthermore, they're virtually absent from infant formula. The scientists wanted to find out what formula-fed babies were missing...

Protecting Autoworkers From Back And Shoulder Injury By Tilting Cars On The Assembly Line

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Letting autoworkers sit while they reach into a car's interior could help prevent shoulder and back strain - but another solution might be to tilt the entire car so that workers can stand up. That's the finding of two recent studies, which tested two ways to protect autoworkers from injury. Sitting on a cantilevered chair reduced the stress on the workers' backs and shoulders for three common installation tasks. But a different strategy - tilting a car sideways on a carriage so that workers could access the interior while standing - reduced the stress for nine different tasks...

Dementia Sufferers More Likely To Die At Home Than In Nursing Homes

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A new study from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University has found that, at time of death, individuals with dementia are more likely to be living at home than in a nursing home. This contradicts the commonly held view that most individuals with dementia in the United States eventually move to nursing homes and die there. "Transitions in Care for Older Adults With and Without Dementia" appears online in advance of publication in the May 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society...

During An Injection, Look Away If You Want To Avoid Pain

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Health professionals commonly say, "Don't look and it won't hurt" before administering an injection, but is there any scientific basis for the advice? A group of German investigators has found that, in fact, your past experience with needle pricks, along with information you receive before an injection, shape your pain experience. Their research is published in the May issue of Pain®...

Understanding The Cellular Secrets Of Plant Fatty Acid Production

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A curious twist in a family of plant proteins called chalcone-isomerase recently was discovered by Salk Institute for Biological Studies scientist Joseph Noel and colleagues at Iowa State University led by Eve Wurtele. Pursuing basic scientific discovery, they found three similar proteins that could soon translate into positive results for bio-renewable fuels, commodity chemicals like plastics, food security and nutrition and biomedicine...

Air-Conditioned Protective Clothing

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

In order to test the new 'smart' protective vest, an experimenter wearing one has jogged several kilometers on the treadmill in a climate-controlled chamber at Empa. During the jog he lost 544 grams in weight through sweating - but thanks to the vest's integrated cooling system this was still 191 grams less than if he had been wearing a conventional garment. The ballistic vest to be worn under the uniform shirt with integrated "air conditioning unit", for use by police personnel, for example. Functional sportswear is taken for granted nowadays...

Injuries With Baby Bottles, Pacifiers And Sippy Cups In The US And Related Treatment Required In An Emergency Department

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A new study by researchers in the Center for Biobehavioral Health and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital examined pediatric injuries associated with baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups. Researchers found that from 1991 to 2010, an estimated 45,398 children younger than three years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments for injuries related to the use of these products. This equates to an average of 2,270 injuries per year, or one child treated in a hospital emergency department every four hours for these injuries...

Discovery Of New Gene Mutations Leads To Breakthrough In Understanding The Cause Of Bile Duct Cancer

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A team of international scientists has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the cause of bile duct cancer, a deadly type of liver cancer. By identifying several new genes frequently mutated in bile duct cancers, researchers are paving the way for better understanding of how bile duct cancers develop. Their discovery is published online in Nature Genetics. Bile Duct Cancer, or Cholangiocarcinoma, is a fatal cancer with a poor prognosis...

Seniors Going Hungy

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A new study that looked at the hunger trends over a 10-year period found that 14.85 percent of seniors in the United States, more than one in seven, face the threat of hunger. This translates into 8.3 million seniors. "In 2005, we reported that one in nine seniors faced the threat of hunger," said Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois associate professor of agricultural and consumer economics and executive director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory who led the data analysis on the study...

Scientist Grows Bone From Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Dr. Darja Marolt, an Investigator at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory, is lead author on a study showing that human embryonic stem cells can be used to grow bone tissue grafts for use in research and potential therapeutic application. Dr. Marolt conducted this research as a post-doctoral NYSCF - Druckenmiller Fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic...

Differences Seen In Brain Circuitry Between Women With Anorexia And Those With Obesity

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Why does one person become anorexic and another obese? A study recently published by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher shows that reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women. The findings also suggest that eating behavior is related to brain dopamine pathways involved in addictions...

Eye Cancer Tumors Likely To Spread Can Be Identified By Genetic Test

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a genetic test that can accurately predict whether the most common form of eye cancer will spread to other parts of the body, particularly the liver. In 459 patients with ocular melanoma at 12 centers in the United States and Canada, the researchers found the test could successfully classify tumors more than 97 percent of the time. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Ophthalmology, but is now online...

Religion Replenishes Self-Control

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

There are many theories about why religion exists, most of them unproven. Now, in an article published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychologist Kevin Rounding of Queen's University, Ontario, offers a new idea, and some preliminary evidence to back it up. The primary purpose of religious belief is to enhance the basic cognitive process of self-control, says Rounding, which in turn promotes any number of valuable social behaviors. He ran four experiments in which he primed volunteers to think about religious matters...

Minimizing Stroke Damage

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Following a stroke, factors as varied as blood sugar, body temperature and position in bed can affect patient outcomes, Loyola University Medical Center researchers report. In a review article in the journal MedLink Neurology, first author Murray Flaster, MD, PhD and colleagues summarize the latest research on caring for ischemic stroke patients. (Most strokes are ischemic, meaning they are caused by blood clots.) "The period immediately following an acute ischemic stroke is a time of significant risk," the Loyola neurologists write...

Aortic Aneurysm Treatment Monitored By Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an effective, noninvasive method for monitoring patients who undergo endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology. "Our findings support the addition of contrast-enhanced ultrasound as a complementary tool in the follow-up of these patients," said Rosa Gilabert, M.D., Ph.D., from the Hospital Clinic at the University of Barcelona in Spain...

Breast Imaging And Reporting Data Systems, And MRI In Predicting Breast Cancer: Study

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A large, multicenter study found that the Breast Imaging and Reporting Data Systems (BI-RADS) terminology used by radiologists to classify breast imaging results is useful in predicting malignancy in breast lesions detected with MRI. Results of the study are published online in the journal Radiology. "BI-RADS was developed to standardize the lexicon of breast imaging reports and to help ensure patients receive proper follow-up," said Mary C. Mahoney, M.D, director of breast imaging at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Ohio...

Identification Of Early Biomarker For Pancreatic Cancer

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a new biomarker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, an often-fatal disease for which there is currently no reliable method for early detection or therapeutic intervention. The paper was published in Cancer Research. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC, is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death. Newly diagnosed patients have a median survival of less than one year, and a 5-year survival rate of only 3 to 5 percent...

Revlimid (Lenalidomide) For Myeloma - Phase III Study Findings

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

An evaluation of lenalidomide's (Revlimid) long-term 'maintenance' efficacy for patients with multiple myeloma has demonstrated considerable improvements from the time to progression and overall survival for those suffering from this often-fatal form of hematologic cancer. The May 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that Dr. Philip L...

CHORI Bar Improves Cognitive and Metabolic Benefits In Just 2 Weeks

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 PDT

National Medal of Science winner Bruce N. Ames, PhD, led a team of scientists at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute's (CHORI) Nutrition & Metabolism Center to develop the CHORI bar, a low-calorie fruit based vitamin and mineral nutrition bar that is designed to help restore optimal nutritional balance in those with poor eating habits and to assist them in adopting a healthier diet...

Finding Willing Doctors To Perform Vaginal Delivery After Caesarean Sometimes A Challenge

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 PDT

After a series of Caesarean sections and vaginal deliveries, Melissa Lunsford wants a vaginal delivery for her fourth child. To find a willing doctor or hospital that would enable a vaginal delivery for her fourth pregnancy proved to be a challenge. An advocate of vaginal births after Caesarean section (VBAC) from the Ben Taub General Hospital, one of the top VBAC hospitals in Texas says that many women share Mrs. Lunsford's plight. Dr...

Proper Radiotherapy Targeting While The Patient Is Breathing

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:00 PDT

Radiotherapists are constantly battling in order to administer the correct dose of radiotherapy, as respiratory movement during radiotherapy poses a certain risk that a tumor receives either a dose that is insufficient, or the surrounding healthy tissue is being subjected to a potentially toxic over-dose. Dr. Amira ZiouÃ¨che presented a study at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31), which reveals a novel technique of how Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) protects the heart during irradiation of left-side breast cancer tumors...

Tenofovir Safe For HIV-Positive Pregnant Mothers

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 PDT

Tenofovir, the anti-HIV drug, is safe to use during pregnancy according to a new study published in PloS Medicine. The researchers, led by Diana Gibb from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit in London, UK, found that the drug does not increase the risk of kidney problems, birth defects or growth abnormalities in infants born to HIV-positive women in Africa...

Global Medical Research Urgently Requires International Treaty

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 PDT

In this week's PLoS Medicine, a team of international experts argue that in order to improve the fairness, coherence, sustainability, and efficiency of medical research worldwide, an international treaty is required...

Global Health R&D Needs To Be Harmonized

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 PDT

In this week's PloS Medicine, a team of experts recommend that an international convention on research and development (R&D) should be adopted by the World Health Assembly. According to the experts, who advise the World Health Organization (WHO) on R&D, the convention will join member states to action, as well as catalyze new information for diseases that predominantly affect individuals in developing countries...

Staggered Cancer Drug Delivery Better Than All In One Go

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 PDT

The fact that treating cancer patients with multiple drugs often results in better outcomes than a single drug treatment is long been known amongst the medical profession. However, a MIT study published in the May 11 issue of Cell has just demonstrated that the order and timing of administering drugs may also have a dramatic impact. The study revealed that staggering doses of erlotinib and doxorubicin, two approved medicines for the treatment of cancer, resulted in a dramatic improvement of killing a particular malignant type of breast cancer cells...

The Pros And Cons Of Inducing Labor

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT

Researchers have found that inducing labor after 37 weeks of pregnancy can lower the risk of perinatal mortality without increasing caesarean section rates. However, babies born to mothers who are induced are more likely to be admitted to a special care baby unit. The study is published in BMJ (British Medical Journal). Women over 41 weeks pregnant are often induced by physicians in order to lower the risk of perinatal mortality. In addition, inducing labour after 37 weeks also lowers the risk of complications, especially when a mother has existing health problems like hypertension...

2nd Annual Market & Patient Access In Latin America Conference, 14-15 August 2012, Brazil

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

Understanding and optimizing market access strategies to penetrate the exciting and diverse South & Central America This event will provide participants with both a broad overview and specific detail of the market access, pricing and reimbursement environments in key Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Panama and Costa Rica...

Late Phase Leaders Forum, 8-10 October 2012, Vienna, Austria

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

Generating real-world data through late phase clinical and observational studies to achieve clinical, pharmacovigilance and marketing objectives 3 EVENTS IN ONE: Late Phase Leaders Forum (2 days) Comparative Effectiveness Research Leaders Day (1 day) Late Phase Research for Medical Devices (1 day) Day 1&2: October 8th & 9th - Late Phase Leaders Forum This event will be a 2 day forum, structured to provide the latest and most value-adding, real-life experiences in post-marketing studies, including their benefits and challenges...

World Drug Repositioning Congress 2012, 11-13 September, London, UK

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

Drug development strategies for indication expansion and lifecycle extension 11 - 13 September 2012, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London, UK As the cost and time of drug development persistently increases, drug repositioning is becoming an increasingly important strategy for large pharma and small biotech alike to successfully innovate in a more cost-effective environment. The 2012 World Drug Repositioning Congress is Europe's only commercially orientated conference that provides key technical and strategic solutions to challenges faced when adopting drug repositioning into your R&D efforts...

World Biosimilars Congress 2012, 11-13 September, London, UK

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

Strategies for navigating the regulatory, manufacturing, sales and marketing route to biosimilar market entry. 11 - 13 September 2012, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London, UK Get competitive insight into global regulatory strategies, and find out how to successfully bring biosimilars to-market in developed and developing regions...

Marijuana May Relieve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

The advocates of proposition 19, the bill that tried to legalize cannabis in California, must be turning cartwheels at the news coming out of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. It's especially ironic coming just a few weeks after the Federal raid and almost complete shutdown of Oaksterdam University, the privately run school in Oakland, California that teaches students how to grow and harvest the much derided herb...

Advances And Challenges In The Advancement Of Novel Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines - 19-20 September 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:00:00 PDT

There is a great deal of unmet need in the effective treatment of numerous types of cancer, as long-term survival rates are still rather poor for a number of cancers. There is a strong need for more effective therapies that will extend survival, with potential for new immunostimulatory therapies and other biologics to stabilize cancer and prevent metastasis. There have so far only been three cancer vaccines approved by the FDA, and many others are now nearing the end of their clinical trials. Two of these were vaccines for HPV, which is responsible for 70% of cervical cancer...

Partnering Trends Of Biosimilars And Biobetters In Emerging Markets - 24-25 September 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:00:00 PDT

Biosimilar development costs are high with some industry leaders claiming estimates of $100-150 million. Even after this substantial investment there is no guarantee of immediate return. With the FDA, America's regulatory body, struggling to agree on a suitable approval pathway for biosimilars to reach market in the U.S. and similar marketing and associated costs to innovator drugs, biosimilars have their work cut out...

3rd Annual Pharmacovigilance 2012, 31st August, Mumbai, India

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:00:00 PDT

Why Should You Attend? 3rd Annual Pharmacovigilance 2012 - "Ensuring safer drugs to market by analyzing latest developments in pharmacovigilance, drug safety and risk management" Get more from the event, with a broader scope bringing the whole communications value chain to gather. Enjoy and make the best out of our dedicated networking drinks time, meet the leading international vendors showcasing the technology of tomorrow in the co-located exhibition. Expand your knowledge of the latest business models and technologies in the high-level conference...

Toddlers And Batteries, A Parent's Perspective

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT

Anyone who has young children is aware of the problems that ingesting small items can cause to a toddler. It's been the bane of toy manufacturers since toy making began. But with two small children of my own in the house, the issue of batteries, especially the small flat silver ones, that must look particularly appealing to a youngster, is not one I'd ever given too much consideration. Many parents have probably overlooked this potential hazard...