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Role of race and health insurance status in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment

Researchers at The GW Cancer Institute, with funding from the National Cancer Institute, examined the effect of race and health insurance status on diagnostic and treatment delays over a 5-year period, with initial screenings going back 12 years, and found that race may play a larger role than previously thought when it comes to optimal diagnosis and treatment of black women with breast cancer.

17 Apr 2010

eSET program produces high pregnancy rates, minimizes multiple pregnancy risks

Every year thousand of families are created with the assistance of in-vitro fertilization. Many of those newborns are twins. While some may see this as a double blessing, it is important to understand that there are many potential risks associated with multiple gestation.

16 Apr 2010

Elective single embryo transfer for Canadian women under 35 most efficacious and cost-effective option

Many Canadian couples battling infertility turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have a child. In Canada, IVF is not publicly funded, making the decision on the number of embryos to be transferred more complicated than in many European countries which link funding to elective single embryo transfer (eSET).

16 Apr 2010

Many women with invasive breast cancer unaware of skin-sparing mastectomy

In the U.S., more than 180,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year. Many of these women will undergo mastectomy surgery that will result in disfiguring scars because they are unaware of the availability of skin-sparing mastectomies and did not ask their surgeons about this treatment option. Skin-sparing mastectomy is a surgical technique to remove cancerous breast tissue by using the same minimal and judiciously placed incisions used by plastic surgeons for elective breast surgery.

16 Apr 2010

Novartis Pharma AG initiates second Phase I trial for oral PTH1-34: Emisphere Technologies

Emisphere Technologies, Inc. today announced that Novartis Pharma AG has initiated a second Phase I trial for an oral PTH1-34 which uses Emisphere's Eligen Technology, and is in development for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Emisphere Technologies is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on a unique and improved delivery of pharmaceutical compounds and nutritional supplements using its Eligen Technology.

16 Apr 2010

CycleBeads Conception Kit for women contemplating pregnancy

A scientifically-based tool developed by researchers from Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health to help women prevent pregnancy naturally, is now being used by a growing number of women to help plan pregnancy.

16 Apr 2010

Research may help develop simplified test for early detection of breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Arkansas are building a library of synthetically produced antibodies that can detect and rapidly validate proteins secreted by breast cancer cells. Their work will accelerate the process of developing a simple blood test for early detection of breast cancer.

16 Apr 2010

Advaxis initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of ADXS11-001 for treatment of CIN

Advaxis, Inc., the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, initiated the Company's first clinical trial site in its randomized, single blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 clinical trial of ADXS11-001 for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

16 Apr 2010

Study links cancer growth to sugar-based modification found naturally in the body

Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine have discovered that a certain type of sugar found naturally in the body is elevated in breast cancer cells and is critical for cancer growth and movement. When researchers reduced and normalized the levels of this sugar, they were able to slow the growth of the cancer cells and block invasion. The findings, published in the March 1 issue of Oncogene, represent a potential new therapeutic target for treating aggressive forms of breast cancer.

15 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 15, 2010

In today's headlines: The jobless benefits package, including a COBRA subsidy extension and Medicare-doctor pay fix, advances in the Senate. In the House, a committee chairman cancels a hearing on business health care complaints.

15 Apr 2010

Novel drug helps discover mechanisms underlying female sexual arousal

By using a novel prototype drug, researchers have discovered more about the mechanisms underlying female sexual arousal. These findings are published today in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

15 Apr 2010

New findings may allow clinicians to prevent complications in pregnancy

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that epigenetic marks on human placentas change from the first trimester of pregnancy to the third, a discovery that may allow clinicians to prevent complications in pregnancy.

15 Apr 2010

Research reveals demand for over-the-counter oral contraceptives in the US

American women who live along the U.S.-Mexico border frequently buy over-the-counter oral contraceptives from Mexican pharmacies because they don't need a prescription and can send a friend to pick up the pills, according to a study by researchers from two University of Texas campuses and Ibis Reproductive Health.

15 Apr 2010

Gene defect promotes aggressive forms of ovarian cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered how mistakes in a key gene drive the early stages of aggressive ovarian cancers. This could improve diagnosis of aggressive forms of the disease and lead to new treatments, according to a study published in the Journal of Pathology this month.

15 Apr 2010

Partners HealthCare offers $40 million to control health insurance costs in Massachusetts; Neb. Gov. signs new abortion law

Partners HealthCare, whose Boston teaching hospitals have been blamed for helping to drive up medical spending, is offering $40 million toward reducing double-digit health insurance rate increases for small businesses, part of a broader package that will be unveiled today by Senate President Therese Murray.

15 Apr 2010

Joint psychoanalytic treatment may benefit both mother and child

Even when a baby has been longed for, some mothers might have trouble bonding with their baby, who in turn may develop disturbed behaviour, such as crying, poor sleeping patterns and breast refusal.

15 Apr 2010

Genomic component playing key role in promoting breast cancer progression discovered

Life Technologies Corporation today announced that its scientists have teamed with researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine, and other institutions to discover a genomic component that plays a key role in promoting breast cancer progression. A study published today in the journal Nature details how levels of a specific kind of non-coding RNA molecule in primary breast tumors regulate metastasis and tumor invasiveness and may be an important target for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

15 Apr 2010

New strategy, more funding needed to meet maternal, child health MDGs

"Dozens of countries are unlikely to meet" the Millennium Development Goal targets related to maternal and child health without a new strategy and an additional $20 billion each year, according to a report released Tuesday, the Canadian Press reports (Lederer, 4/14).

15 Apr 2010

A renewed effort to reduce global toll of maternal and child deaths

Widespread global use of known and proven maternal and childcare techniques, practices, and therapies could save the lives of millions of women, newborns and children each year, according to a new analysis prepared for a mid-April meeting of world leaders and technical experts on maternal and child health.

15 Apr 2010

Global maternal deaths decreased by more than 35% between 1980 and 2008, study finds

The number of maternal deaths around the world has decreased from more than 500,000 in 1980 to an estimated 342,900 in 2008, according to a Lancet study published online on Monday, the BBC reports.

15 Apr 2010