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Chemotherapy regimen more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients

A chemotherapy regimen commonly used to treat non-small cell lung cancer is both more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients, researchers reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists.

7 Jun 2004

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, might reduce the risk of ischemic stroke

Sufficient blood levels of carotenoids, a family of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, might reduce the risk of ischemic stroke, according to a study published today in the rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Jun 2004

HIV infection impairs immunity to malaria in pregnant women

"Scientists from the University of Melbourne, Australia, the United States and Malawi studying infections with malaria and HIV, have found a strong link between the two diseases, which affect millions of people around the world and are major scourges in sub-Saharan Africa.

7 Jun 2004

UN focus on child rights in El Salvador

After considering the second periodic report of El Salvador, the Committee welcomed a number of positive developments during the reporting period

7 Jun 2004

Investigational drug, LAF237 improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes

Research presented today showed that the investigational drug, LAF237, the first in a new class, improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this study, LAF237, which is administered as a tablet to be taken orally, was added to the standard diabetes treatment metformin in patients whose diabetes was not adequately controlled by metformin alone.

7 Jun 2004

Research may help treat muscular dystrophies and other muscle diseases caused by glycosylation defects

Expressing high levels of a sugar-adding protein known as LARGE in mice that lack the protein can prevent muscular dystrophy in these animals, according to studies by researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

7 Jun 2004

British people unaware that cervical cancer is linked to human papillomavirus (HPV)

Most people in the UK do not know that cervical cancer is linked to a common sexually transmitted virus, according to a Cancer Research UK study published on (Monday).

7 Jun 2004

Treatment with atorvastatin cut incidence of stroke by almost a half

Patients with Type 2 diabetes and a CV risk factor would benefit from a cholesterol-lowering medicine according to results from the first ever specifically designed UK primary prevention statin trial announced today at the American Diabetes Association (ADA)2.

7 Jun 2004

Combination treatment may help type 2 diabetes patients

New research presented by Peter Weissman, M.D., from the University of Miami, at the 64th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association shows that combination treatment with rosiglitazone maleate and metformin significantly improves certain markers of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to metformin alone.

6 Jun 2004

Gemcitabine may help breast cancer patients with advanced disease live longer

Breast cancer patients with advanced disease live longer when treated with a new drug, gemcitabine, in combination with paclitaxel, a traditional drug, according to results of a landmark global phase III study presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting.

6 Jun 2004

Survey suggests mothers unaware of health benefits of soy for formula fed babies

According to a recent survey conducted in conjunction with National Soyfoods Month, only one in 10 moms of formula-fed babies are aware that soy can help manage persistent common feeding problems. Generally, the 300 surveyed moms had a positive view of soy, but many felt they had very little information when it came to soy infant formula.

5 Jun 2004

Crucial discovery may help better diagnose and treat children with Hirschsprung disease

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have made a crucial discovery that may help physicians better diagnose and treat children with Hirschsprung disease, a debilitating and sometimes life-threatening ailment that causes bowel obstruction and involves an array of genetic changes.

5 Jun 2004

Neuroscientists have overcome a major obstacle in gene therapy research

Northwestern University neuroscientists have overcome a major obstacle in gene therapy research. They've devised a method that will safely deliver and regulate expression of therapeutic genes introduced into the central nervous system to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

5 Jun 2004

Depression, insulin regimen linked to poor diabetes control

In the largest study of diabetes and depression conducted to date, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found a clear link between the complexity of the self-care regimens in patients with diabetes and the effect of depression on diabetes control.

5 Jun 2004

Smokers who quit before the age of 35 have a reasonable chance to regain their health

A new analysis of data on smoking and health finds that smokers who quit before the age of 35 have a reasonable chance to regain their health over time and to live as long and as well as people who have never smoked.

5 Jun 2004

Vitamin C can increase the severity of spontaneous knee osteoarthritis

High doses of vitamin C increase the severity of spontaneous knee osteoarthritis in an animal model of the disease, according to a new study by Duke University Medical Center researchers.

5 Jun 2004

Drug Tarceva improves survival chance for patients with advanced lung cancer

Roche OSI Pharmaceuticals and Genentech today announced that their investigational drug Tarceva(TM) (erlotinib) achieved a significant 42.5% improvement in median survival compared to placebo in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

5 Jun 2004

Polycystic ovary syndrome more common than originally thought

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, have found that a complex hormonal disorder affecting the reproductive and metabolic function of premenopausal women may be considerably more common in the United States than previously believed from earlier, smaller studies.

5 Jun 2004

Antibiotics given to entire household reduces risk of meningitis

Giving antibiotics to everyone living in the same household as a patient who has had meningitis can substantially reduce the risk of further cases, according to a study in this week's BMJ.

5 Jun 2004

Parkinson's disease breakthrough

Brandeis scientists have made groundbreaking advances in understanding how the regulations of a novel gene during the cell cycle can lead to a rare familial case of the early onset of Parkinson's disease.

5 Jun 2004