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Advanced lung cancer patients see improved, progression-free survival

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed following chemotherapy have a higher rate of tumor shrinkage and a longer interval before cancer progression when bevacizumab is added to standard second-line erlotinib therapy, according to a study presented at the 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, sponsored by ASTRO, ASCO, IASLC and the University of Chicago.

16 Nov 2008

$8.4 million research grant to improve patient safety in Australia

A major cross institutional research collaboration aimed at reducing the number of patients harmed in Australia has received $8.4 million in funding in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) program grants.

13 Nov 2008

Genetic Immunity announces first patient dosed in trial with DermaVir patch for HIV

Genetic Immunity, a US/Hungarian clinical-stage company focused on development of nanomedicines for targeted immune amplification, today announced it has treated the first subject in a Phase II clinical study to evaluate DermaVir Patch.

13 Nov 2008

Osteoporosis drugs may prevent future bone growth

Patients who start and eventually stop regimens of a common class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates may be unable to benefit from parathyroid hormone (PTH), which can rebuild bone mass lost due to advanced stage osteoporosis. PTH has been proven to increase the volume and strength of the honeycomb-like bone infrastructure, the inner mesh that begins to diminish in old age.

13 Nov 2008

TheraQuest's IND for abuse deterrent strong opioid (TQ-1015) accepted by FDA

TheraQuest Biosciences, Inc. a development stage pain management company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Investigational New Drug ("IND") application for TQ-1015, its abuse deterrent extended release strong opioid. TQ-1015 is being developed using Securel, TheraQuest's proprietary abuse deterrent technology.

13 Nov 2008

Swiss approval for Zevtera in treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections

Swissmedic, the Swiss agency for therapeutic products, has approved Zevtera (ceftobiprole medocaril) for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections, including diabetic foot infections which have not spread to the bone.

13 Nov 2008

Second pregnancy for Thomas Beatie

With the world abuzz of the news of his second pregnancy, Thomas Beatie tells the definitive story of his first pregnancy this Tuesday on Discovery Health.

13 Nov 2008

A new method to control bleeding in hemophilia

Investigators at Children's Research Institute, BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Blood Research Institute and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered a new way to help the blood clot by having the missing clotting factor packaged in the patient's own platelets.

13 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's gene slows brain's ability to export toxic protein

The only known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease slows down the brain's ability to export a toxic protein known as amyloid-beta that is central to the damage the disease causes, scientists have found.

13 Nov 2008

Heart rate and sleep in boys affected by violent video games

An article published electronically in the scientific journal "Acta Paediatrica", describes how heart rate and sleep in boys are affected by violent video games. Researchers from Stockholm University, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have worked together with this study.

13 Nov 2008

Relationship between prostate inflammation and lower urinary tract symptoms evident

In the December issue of European Urology Dr. Curtis Nickel and associates report on the evidence of a relationship between prostate inflammation and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men enrolled in the REDUCE trial.

13 Nov 2008

100,000 saved from dying of tuberculosis

Asma Elsony led the tuberculosis programme in Sudan at the same time as she took her doctoral degree under the supervision of Professor Gunnar Bjune of the Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo in Norway.

13 Nov 2008

Helping children and teens deal with stress in an uncertain times

As families across the country face losses of nest eggs, homes or jobs, their young children and teens need emotional support.

13 Nov 2008

Specific features of childhood brain tumors may help guide prognosis

Specific histologic features of childhood medulloblastomas may provide insight into prognosis, according to an article in the new issue of Pediatric and Developmental Pathology.

13 Nov 2008

Hope for treating relapse to methamphetamine abuse

"Reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior after an extended period of abstinence is the number-one cause of drug-addiction relapse," said Brookhaven neuroanatomist Stephen Dewey, who led the research team. "This animal study suggests that vigabatrin could potentially prevent human methamphetamine addicts from relapsing."

13 Nov 2008

Breakthrough in cell-type analysis offers new ways to study development and disease

Like skilled assassins, many diseases seem to know exactly what types of cells to attack. While decimating one cadre of cells, diseases will inexplicably spare a seemingly identical group of neighbors. What makes cells vulnerable or not depends largely on the kinds and amounts of proteins they produce - their 'translational profile,' in the lingo of molecular biology. For this reason, scientists have struggled to parse the subtle molecular differences among the hundreds of specialized cell types that are tangled together in tissues like the brain.

13 Nov 2008

Rosuvastatin trial shows dramatic reduction in hidden heart disease

A Harvard-led study shows that the risk of heart attack and stroke among subjects with "silent heart disease" - and normal cholesterol levels - can be dramatically reduced by the use of an already widely prescribed class of drugs.

13 Nov 2008

Doctors' questions about end-of-life legalities may result in patient pain

When treatment options dwindle or are exhausted, terminally ill-patients often opt for pain management and comfort over life-extending therapies. However, a team of researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, University of Rochester Medical Center and Unity Health System, report that a lack of thorough understanding about the laws governing end-of-life care may be leaving many medical providers with an ethical dilemma and causing some terminally-ill patients considerable, unnecessary pain.

13 Nov 2008

Novel IBS treatment developed at UB garners $8.5 million for seven-year trial

Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic, debilitating disorder affecting 25 million people in the U.S -- 14-24 percent of women and 5-19 percent of men.

13 Nov 2008

Prime Ministers and Presidents must be more open about their health status

Anyone who runs for Prime Minister or President should have an independent health examination to ensure their ability to govern, argues a doctor on bmj.com today.

12 Nov 2008