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Ten changes medical oncologists can do to flatten costs, improve care

The cost of cancer care is threatening to bankrupt our healthcare system. New drugs are prolonging life, but at staggering costs. This coupled with aging baby boomers and an increasing population mean the U.S. will spend $173 billion annually on cancer care by the year 2020. This trend is not sustainable; however, there are evidence-based ways to maintain or improve the quality of care while saving money for the new therapies being discovered every day.

27 May 2011

Everyone has an opinion about Dems' NY victory impact on Medicare, politics

Sooner or later, Democrats will have to admit that Medicare cannot keep running as it is — its medical costs are out of control ... not all Medicare cuts are the same.

27 May 2011

Switching to a newer electronic health record system reduces prescription errors

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the government is investing billions of dollars to encourage health care providers to use electronic health record systems. Many providers will probably switch from older systems to new systems to qualify for the federal incentives, but whether the upgrade improves patient care and safety has remained an open question.

27 May 2011

Transgenomic secures exclusive license from Montefiore for cancer predictive markers

Transgenomic, Inc. announced today that it has acquired an exclusive worldwide license to Montefiore Medical Center's patent application, "Method of Determining the Sensitivity of Cancer Cells to EGFR Inhibitors including cetuximab, panitumumab and erlotinib".

27 May 2011

Lactate shuttle also exists in human tumors

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have shed new light on the longstanding conundrum about what makes a tumor grow-and how to make it stop. Interestingly, cancer cells accelerate the aging of nearby connective tissue cells to cause inflammation, which ultimately provides "fuel" for the tumor to grow and even metastasize.

27 May 2011

Two new hepatitis C drugs effectively improve cure rates of African Americans

Two new drugs just approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat hepatitis C genotype 1 significantly improved the cure rates of patients. One of the drugs was extremely effective in treating African Americans.

27 May 2011

NHLBI stops AIM-HIGH combination clinical trial in high blood cholesterol

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health has stopped a clinical trial studying a blood lipid treatment 18 months earlier than planned. The trial found that adding high dose, extended-release niacin to statin treatment in people with heart and vascular disease, did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and stroke.

27 May 2011

Research provides new understanding of how heroin affects the brain

New research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health suggests that our understanding of how heroin affects the brain should be changed. A new report shows that heroin is metabolised to 6-MAM which then crosses the blood-brain barrier to cause the intoxicating effects that arise shortly after heroin administration.

27 May 2011

Leukemia, psoriasis drugs may treat vascular diseases

A drug that has been on the market for decades to treat leukemia and skin disorders such as acne and psoriasis may be a possible therapy for vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and hypertension, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

27 May 2011

Two national campaigns aim to reduce spread of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases

Greater Than AIDS and GYT: Get Yourself Tested, two leading national campaigns committed to reducing the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, are teaming up for a second year to encourage Americans to get tested and know their status.

27 May 2011

Johns Hopkins announces establishment of new institute for patient safety and quality

Recognizing the urgent need to advance the science of reducing preventable harm and improve health care quality, Johns Hopkins Medicine is announcing the establishment of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, an organization whose work will benefit not only Johns Hopkins patients but those around the world.

27 May 2011

4SC to present pre-clinical data on vidofludimus in systemic lupus erythematosus at EULAR 2011

4SC AG, a discovery and development company of targeted small molecule drugs for autoimmune and cancer diseases, will present pre-clinical data on vidofludimus - its lead small-molecule drug candidate against autoimmune diseases - in systemic lupus erythematosus at EULAR 2011, Europe's largest scientific conference on rheumatic diseases, in London, UK, from May 25-28, 2011.

27 May 2011

Berkeley Lab researchers aim to create biological circuits for synthetic biology

Taking a page from the book of San Francisco radio legend Scoop Nisker, biologists who find themselves dissatisfied with the microbes nature has provided are going out and making some of their own. Members of the fast-growing "synthetic biology" research community are designing and constructing novel organisms and biologically-inspired systems - or redesigning existing organisms and systems - to solve problems that natural systems cannot.

27 May 2011

Research sheds light on how painkillers could prevent or slow down cancer growth

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have shed light on how a common class of painkillers - which includes ibuprofen - may interact with a key protein that fuels the growth of many different types of cancer, according to a study published in the journal Chemical Communications today.

27 May 2011

Longer looks: Stem cells, vaccinating against addictive drugs, the GOP's budget hatchet man

Krista and Tatiana are not like most other sets of twins. They are connected at their heads, where their skulls merge under a mass of shaggy brown bangs. The girls run and play and go down their backyard slide, but whatever they do, they do together, their heads forever inclined toward each other's, their neck muscles strong and sinuous from a never-ending workout. Twins joined at the head — the medical term is craniopagus — are extremely rare.

27 May 2011

New genomics research on abnormal brain development

Local researchers are finally on the road to developing targeted treatments for serious, life-long disabilities such as autism and schizophrenia, thanks to new genomics research focusing on abnormal brain development.

27 May 2011

Abiraterone acetate effective for men with advanced prostate cancer

A drug recently approved by the Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of prostate cancer is proving to give some patients the gift of time. A new study shows abiraterone acetate extends the lives of men with the most advanced form of the disease by about four months.

27 May 2011

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce risk of heart attack in stent patients

Omega-3 fatty acids, combined with two blood-thinning drugs, significantly changed the blood-clotting process and may reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients with stents in their heart arteries, according to research reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2011

Naturally occurring plant alkaloids could help prevent, delay memory loss linked with Alzheimer's

A family of naturally occurring plant compounds could help prevent or delay memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

27 May 2011

BioCryst presents positive data from two BCX4208 Phase 2 studies in gout at EULAR 2011

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presented positive data from its two completed, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 studies of BCX4208 in patients with gout at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology hosted by the European League Against Rheumatism in London, U.K.

26 May 2011

Drugs News and Research

Ten changes medical oncologists can do to flatten costs, improve care

Everyone has an opinion about Dems' NY victory impact on Medicare, politics

Switching to a newer electronic health record system reduces prescription errors

Transgenomic secures exclusive license from Montefiore for cancer predictive markers

Lactate shuttle also exists in human tumors

Two new hepatitis C drugs effectively improve cure rates of African Americans

NHLBI stops AIM-HIGH combination clinical trial in high blood cholesterol

Research provides new understanding of how heroin affects the brain

Leukemia, psoriasis drugs may treat vascular diseases

Two national campaigns aim to reduce spread of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases

Johns Hopkins announces establishment of new institute for patient safety and quality

4SC to present pre-clinical data on vidofludimus in systemic lupus erythematosus at EULAR 2011

Berkeley Lab researchers aim to create biological circuits for synthetic biology

Research sheds light on how painkillers could prevent or slow down cancer growth

Longer looks: Stem cells, vaccinating against addictive drugs, the GOP's budget hatchet man

New genomics research on abnormal brain development

Abiraterone acetate effective for men with advanced prostate cancer

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce risk of heart attack in stent patients

Naturally occurring plant alkaloids could help prevent, delay memory loss linked with Alzheimer's

BioCryst presents positive data from two BCX4208 Phase 2 studies in gout at EULAR 2011

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