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Innovative urine test for highly specific prostate cancer gene shows promise

Gen-Probe's prototype urine test for PCA3 gene expression may help improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer, according to three early-stage studies presented as posters at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's 37th Annual Oak Ridge Conference and the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

20 Apr 2005

Halozyme Therapeutics receives FDA clearance for Cumulase

Halozyme Therapeutics has announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cumulase for the treatment of oocytes to facilitate certain in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. The active pharmaceutical ingredient in Cumulase is the first and only recombinant human hyaluronidase approved in the United States for cumulus removal in the IVF process.

20 Apr 2005

New study challenges CDC's 400,000 obesity deaths figure

A new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published in JAMA concludes that obesity kills 112,000 Americans each year -- a dramatic decrease from an admittedly flawed study published last year by the CDC.

20 Apr 2005

New U.S. Food Guidance System differentiates among types of fat

Healthy fats are distinguished from unhealthy fats in the new U.S. Food Guidance System unveiled today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The U.S. Canola Association (USCA), which called for such distinction, applauds "MyPyramid" and its related messages about oils and fats.

20 Apr 2005

Researchers examine nursing home quality of care

Not-for-profit homes in the United States generally provide better care than their for-profit cousins, says a new study by University of Toronto researchers.

20 Apr 2005

What makes children laugh?

Children say the funniest things, but what makes them laugh? Do German and Israeli kids share the same sense of humour - or is the Simpsons the universal language of laughter?

20 Apr 2005

Heart attack victims face increased risk of death with Natrecor

In a recent study Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, a doctor at North Shore University Hospital in New York says that Natrecor, heart failure treatment produced by drug company Johnson & Johnson may be linked to a greater risk of death when compared with standard therapy.

20 Apr 2005

New era drug gives hope to Gleevec resistant leukaemia sufferers

Gleevec, a drug regarded by many as having "wonder drug" capabilities in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) and other cancers, has been revealed as having shortcomings in that some patients have undergone a relapse after building a resistance to the drug. For others with the advanced stage of the disease, the drug has failed to produce durable remissions.

19 Apr 2005

A simple spit test could predict cancers

In future scientists say, a test as simple as spitting into a collection tube or cup might be a screening test for breast cancer and the early detection of other tumours.

19 Apr 2005

Baby hormone reduces risk of breast cancer

It has been common knowledge that having a baby by the age of 20 cuts a woman's future risk of breast cancer in half, but now U.S. scientists at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre, Philadelphia, have shown that the hormone that heralds pregnancy could offer a way to prevent breast cancer.

19 Apr 2005

Concern over H2N2 freeze-dried powder being available over the Internet

The World Health Organization fears that a global pandemic could occur should the H2N2 virus, the "Asian flu" strain of 1957, be unwittingly released, the virus which was mistakenly included in routine test kits and sent to 61 laboratories in 18 countries outside the United States.

19 Apr 2005

USDA new Food Guide Pyramid not rated by all experts

The U.S. Agriculture Department, (USDA), in an attempt to combat the obesity epidemic has updated its well-known Food Guide Pyramid with a triangular symbol that emphasizes exercise and urges consumers to use an Internet site to design a personalized plan for healthy eating.

19 Apr 2005

No strong evidence linking blood mercury levels with worse neurobehavioral performance in older adults

In a study of older adults, researchers did not find a definitive association between blood mercury levels, which can become elevated with fish consumption, and adverse neurobehavioral effects, according to a study in the April 20 issue of JAMA.

19 Apr 2005

Cardiovascular risk factors have declined substantially over past 40 years

Prevalence of high cholesterol levels, hypertension and smoking, particularly among overweight and obese adults, have declined considerably over the past 40 years, according to a study in the April 20 issue of JAMA. This trend was not true for diabetes, which has had a stable prevalence.

19 Apr 2005