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High nighttime blood pressure linked to increased blood sugar levels

People whose blood pressure doesn't drop significantly overnight tend to have more cardiovascular problems.

15 May 2005

Discovery of new genes involved in the development of cancer

Dutch researcher Sebastian Nijman has discovered new genes which are involved in the development of cancer. The results of his research have led to a new treatment for patients with an inherited form of cancer, cylindromatosis.

15 May 2005

Older people appear better able than younger people to pick their battles

Older people are less likely than younger people to react aggressively when problems come up in their relationships, University of Michigan research shows.

15 May 2005

Researchers to explore genome of disease-fighting fungus

A team of Texas Agricultural Experiment Station scientists will soon begin genome sequencing a disease-fighting fungus used to protect crops, which has implications for both agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry.

15 May 2005

Tamoxifen study counters hopes that drug might protect the heart

Despite previous studies hinting at tamoxifen's potential benefit for breast cancer survivors' heart health, California researchers have found that the breast cancer drug does not decrease survivors' risk of heart attack.

15 May 2005

New anticancer drug SU11248 shows continued response for patients with late-stage kidney cancer

Recent studies of a new anticancer drug show continued response for patients with late-stage kidney cancer. Robert Motzer, MD, attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), reported a response rate of 40 percent in patients with metastatic (advanced) renal cell (kidney) cancer who received SU11248 in second-line therapy.

15 May 2005

Hospitalizations at children's hospitals account for only one-third of pediatric patients

A study comparing U.S. pediatric hospitalizations showed that only one-third of a total 1.7 million hospitalizations in the year 2000 were to children's hospitals with specialized pediatric expertise. The results were presented today by University of Vermont Professor of Pediatrics Richard Wasserman, M.D., at the 2005 Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting.

15 May 2005

Postmenopausal women who consume even moderate amounts of alcohol may face an increased risk of breast cancer

Postmenopausal women who consume even moderate amounts of alcohol may face an increased risk of breast cancer, particularly if their cancer is fueled by the hormones estrogen or progesterone, according to a data analysis by researchers at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard School of Public Health.

15 May 2005

Research findings help predict risk of blood clots in women receiving tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer

New research findings may help physicians determine which women have an increased risk of blood clots when taking tamoxifen for the management of breast cancer, a team led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators will report at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

15 May 2005

Black cohosh does not reduce hot flashes in women

Mayo Clinic researchers, working with North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) investigators, will present new study findings about treatments to reduce hot flashes in women. The research will be outlined during the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, May 13-17 in Orlando, Fla.

15 May 2005

Drug trio increases survival rate in head and neck cancers

Adding a third drug to a standard chemotherapy combination can dramatically improve the survival of patients with advanced head and neck cancer, according to research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

15 May 2005

Surgical technique provides the first permanent solution to treating vocal-cord spasms

The first large, long-term study of patients who had surgery to control vocal-cord spasms showed excellent results in the majority of cases, reports new UCLA research presented May 14 at the 126th Annual Meeting of the American Laryngological Association.

15 May 2005

Doctors and patients think differently about clinical trials

A survey of patients and physicians regarding clinical trials shows that doctors don't recognize the importance of side effects as a barrier for their patients in deciding about whether to undergo experimental therapy.

15 May 2005

Counting number of endothelial cells in blood may predict cancer treatment's effectiveness

Counting the amount of a type of normal cell circulating in the blood of people with cancer could predict whether a tumor progresses or responds to therapy, a new study led by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has found. The finding could give doctors an early indication of whether a treatment will be successful, sparing patients months of an ineffective therapy.

15 May 2005

Herceptin could be used safely for bladder cancer

A targeted drug shown to improve the outcome of certain breast cancer patients may be of use in the treatment of advanced cases of bladder cancer, according to new research led by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

15 May 2005

Two-sided coating could breathe life into medical implants

By mimicking an adhesive protein secreted by mussels and a polymer that repels cells and proteins, researchers at Northwestern University have designed a versatile new two-sided coating that could breathe life into medical implants.

15 May 2005

Robotic surgery dramatically reduces physical trauma for head & neck cancer patients

For patients with cancer of the mouth and throat, surgery is a frequent course of treatment, often leading to speech and swallowing dysfunction and external scarring.

15 May 2005

Humans more prone to cancer than chimpanzees

Chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor, and even today 99 percent of the two species' DNA is identical. But since the paths of man and chimp diverged 5 million years ago, that one percent of genetic difference appears to have changed humans in an unexpected way: It could have made people more prone to cancer.

15 May 2005

Hispanics have worse lung cancer survival rate

In a national population-based study of 16,036 lung cancer patients, Hispanics with curable stage I lung cancer had poorer lung cancer specific survival rates, as well as worse all-cause mortality, than a much larger group of white persons. Study results will appear in the second issue for May 2005 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

15 May 2005

BMA calls for clarity on plans to increase private health provision

Commenting on plans to increase private sector activity in the NHS, announced by Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, Mr James Johnson, chairman of the British Medical Association, said:

15 May 2005