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Study identifies possible marker for efficacy of gefitinib in lung cancer patients

Patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumor cells contain extra copies of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene may be more likely to respond to the drug gefitinib (Iressa), and this high gene copy number may be an effective predictor of gefitinib efficacy, according to a new study in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

3 May 2005

Study examines influence of celebrity endorsements of cancer screening

More than one-half of adults surveyed nationwide had seen or heard celebrity endorsements of cancer screening tests, and more than one-fourth of those who had seen or heard an endorsement reported that it made them more likely to undergo the promoted screening test, according to a new study in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

3 May 2005

MDCT highly accurate for diagnosing coronary artery disease in patients with zero to moderate coronary calcification

In patients with no or moderate coronary calcification, 16-slice MDCT allows the reliable detection of coronary artery stenosis with high diagnostic accuracy, say researchers from Tuebingen University Hospital in Germany. Coronary artery stenosis is the narrowing of coronary arteries due to the build-up of calcified plaques.

3 May 2005

Scientists use tobacco plants to create antibodies against tumor cells

Scientists at Jefferson Medical College are using tobacco plants to produce monoclonal antibodies – tiny guided protein missiles – that can target and hunt down cancer cells. The plants promise to provide a cheaper, faster method of producing anticancer antibodies, raising hopes that the technology can one day be used in humans.

3 May 2005

Diabetes researchers look at pizza to find slow and steady insulin delivery wins the race

With its doughy, carbohydrate-dense crust and high fat content, pizza can wreak havoc in people with diabetes. A Penn State Diabetes Center study suggests a slow and steady insulin-dosing pattern may best combat the glucose-raising effects of that common favorite food.

3 May 2005

Young teens are far busier sexually than we might like to think

Canadian researchers say young teens are far busier sexually than might previously have been thought and much of that activity goes undetected because it is not specifically asked about.

3 May 2005

Acupuncture treatment no more effective than sham treatment in reducing migraine headaches

Migraine patients who received true acupuncture had no decrease in headaches as compared with those who received sham acupuncture treatment, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

3 May 2005

Coronary artery stents that release medication appear more effective than traditional stents for patients with heart attack

A type of coronary artery stent that releases a medication appears to result in better outcomes than traditional stents for heart attack patients, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

3 May 2005

Long-term outcomes promising for patients with localized, low-grade prostate cancer

A study that includes 20 years of follow-up does not support aggressive treatment for localized, low-grade prostate cancer, with data indicating a small risk of progression of this grade of cancer, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

3 May 2005

Monitoring program has successfully identified a large number of previously unknown, serious and often-fatal drug reactions

A monitoring program developed by a Northwestern University researcher has successfully identified a large number of previously unknown, serious and often-fatal drug reactions associated with 15 commonly used drugs, including Plavix®, thalidomide and drug-coated cardiac stents.

3 May 2005

Researchers make new advances in determining the structure of all possible DNA sequences

Oregon State University researchers have made significant new advances in determining the structure of all possible DNA sequences – a discovery that in one sense takes up where Watson and Crick left off, after outlining in 1953 the double-helical structure of this biological blueprint for life.

3 May 2005

Whooping cough makes a comeback

The latest comeback in the health arena is whooping cough and experts are sufficiently concerned for the US government to approve the first whooping cough booster shot meant just for adolescents. The shot will be added to a booster shot against two other diseases, tetanus and diphtheria, that children already get sometime between ages 10 and 18.

3 May 2005

Paracetamol linked to asthma and reduced lung function

Scientists now suspect that regular use of the painkiller paracetamol, is linked with higher rates of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and reduced lung function.

3 May 2005

UK products recalled because of banned food dye

The presence of banned dye Para Red has been found in two products on supermarket shelves and has immediately prompted their withdrawal from the market.

3 May 2005

Couple demand an apology over failed vasectomy

A British woman and her husband have lodged a formal complaint against St Patrick's Clinic for Reproductive Health in Birmingham after her husband's vasectomy has been proved to have failed.

3 May 2005

Mother of all treatments could cure baldness, and banish stretch marks!

A new discovery by scientists might just be the 'mother of all treatments' in promising a treatment for balding men, women with stretchmarks and anyone who has gum disease.

3 May 2005

Researchers have successfully induced adult heart-muscle cells to divide and multiply

In the best documented effort to date, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School have successfully induced adult heart-muscle cells to divide and multiply.

3 May 2005

Burden of cardiovascular disease will shift to the developing world

In a paper published this week in the premier open-access global health journal PLoS Medicine, Majid Ezzati and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health conclude that a large proportion of the world's population who live in low-income and middle-income countries should be the focus for intervention against risk factors for cardiovascular disease because major cardiovascular risk factors will increasingly be concentrated in these populations.

3 May 2005

If you eat too much fat, it can go straight to your liver and damage it

In obese people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), fat from the diet ends up "stuck" in the liver, where it doesn't belong. It was known that the livers of NAFLD patients accumulated fat, but its origin was unknown.

3 May 2005

Critical lock and key mechanism found for the assembly of tumor blood vessels

A critical lock and key mechanism that allows the final step in the completion of new blood vessel formation has been identified by a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine team in research that promises to lead to a new way to halt tumor growth by cutting off the tumor blood supply.

3 May 2005

Medical News

Study identifies possible marker for efficacy of gefitinib in lung cancer patients

Study examines influence of celebrity endorsements of cancer screening

MDCT highly accurate for diagnosing coronary artery disease in patients with zero to moderate coronary calcification

Scientists use tobacco plants to create antibodies against tumor cells

Diabetes researchers look at pizza to find slow and steady insulin delivery wins the race

Young teens are far busier sexually than we might like to think

Acupuncture treatment no more effective than sham treatment in reducing migraine headaches

Coronary artery stents that release medication appear more effective than traditional stents for patients with heart attack

Long-term outcomes promising for patients with localized, low-grade prostate cancer

Monitoring program has successfully identified a large number of previously unknown, serious and often-fatal drug reactions

Researchers make new advances in determining the structure of all possible DNA sequences

Whooping cough makes a comeback

Paracetamol linked to asthma and reduced lung function

UK products recalled because of banned food dye

Couple demand an apology over failed vasectomy

Mother of all treatments could cure baldness, and banish stretch marks!

Researchers have successfully induced adult heart-muscle cells to divide and multiply

Burden of cardiovascular disease will shift to the developing world

If you eat too much fat, it can go straight to your liver and damage it

Critical lock and key mechanism found for the assembly of tumor blood vessels

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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