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Drug to extend lives of colorectal cancer patients

A drug designed to cut off a tumor's blood supply, when paired with a chemotherapy combination, resulted in significant improvement in survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the first time in decades that survival times have been extended in patients with this devastating form of advanced cancer.

2 Jun 2004

Compulsive hoarding study could improve diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders

A PET imaging study conducted at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute indicates the neurobiology of America's estimated 1 million compulsive hoarders differs significantly from people with other obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. The findings indicate that different medications could improve treatment success.

2 Jun 2004

Growing problem of obesity in women from developing countries

Increasing obesity threatens to undermine the health of women in nations previously not known for a growing percentage of overweight citizens, the researchers say. As the amount of available food grows in most countries, the condition is becoming a greater issue for poorer women than for richer ones.

2 Jun 2004

San Francisco judge has slammed the new Bush legislation on abortions as unconstitutional

US federal Judge Phyllis Hamilton has slammed the new Bush legislation on abortions as unconstitutional "This court concludes that the act is unconstitutional because it poses an undue burden on a woman's ability to choose a second trimester abortion; is unconstitutionally vague; and requires a health exception,".

2 Jun 2004

Avastin study shows significant improvement in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Genentech, Inc. and Roche have announced that the New England Journal of Medicine published the first Phase III study of an anti-angiogenesis cancer therapy, showing that the addition of Avastin™ (bevacizumab) to the IFL chemotherapy regimen (5-FU/Leucovorin/ CPT-11) significantly extended survival in patients with first-line (previously untreated) metastatic colorectal cancer.

2 Jun 2004

Reliability of medical research in Britain today questioned by the general public

Doctors, patients and the general public depend on results of scientific research to provide information about the safety and effectiveness of medical treatments. Following the controversy surrounding the Andrew Wakefield study on the link between MMR vaccines and autism, the public is now considering the reliability of medical research in Britain today.

2 Jun 2004

Drinking only bottled water associated with a two-fold risk of infection

Doing laundry using hot water and bleach may prevent infections in the home, while drinking only bottled water may promote infections, according to research.

2 Jun 2004

Study may help oncologists tailor chemotherapy to patients based on their genetic make-up

Genetic variations in an individual’s ability to repair DNA damage may help predict survival in lung cancer patients treated with the common chemotherapy drugs cisplatin or carboplatin, a new study shows.

2 Jun 2004

Debate on UK legislation to make helmets mandatory for all cyclists

There are strong reasons for promoting the use of pedal cycles in Britain, including that it is ‘beneficial to health’ and is one of the most ‘ecologically friendly’ modes of transport.

2 Jun 2004

Understanding focal adhesion kinase (FAK) may lead to new cancer treatments

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found an unexpected way to turn off a cellular enzyme involved in the progression of several types of human cancers.

2 Jun 2004

Improving blood pressure control of people 80 years and older

Improved blood pressure control of people 80 years and older, especially women, must be made a national priority, a Northwestern University researcher urged at the American Society of Hypertension’s 19th Annual Scientific Meeting in May.

2 Jun 2004

Genes that allow nerve cells to communicate may have come from bacteria eons ago

Some of the genes that allow nerve cells and some other types of cells to send elaborate chemical messages to each other appear to have been transferred to animals or their immediate ancestors from bacteria eons ago.

2 Jun 2004

Acne drug may help treat multiple sclerosis

Dr. Luanne Metz, an associate professor of neurosciences and physician-scientist in the Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, has found that minocycline, a drug currently used to treat such conditions as acne, decreases the activity of lesions in the brains of people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).

2 Jun 2004

Pollution can contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases

Journal of the American Heart Association reports that exposure to air pollution can contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases.

2 Jun 2004

FDA clears first computer-aided device to assist in the detection of heart murmurs

Zargis Medical Corp., a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp, announced today it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market Zargis Acoustic Cardioscan (Cardioscan), the first and only computer-aided medical device to support physicians in analyzing heart sounds for the identification of suspected murmurs, a potential sign of heart disease.

2 Jun 2004

Virtual reality to help the diagnosis of back problems

Virtual reality conjures up images of video games - dizzying flights on simulated jets or auto races at death-defying speeds. But researchers at Ohio University have developed a kinder, gentler use for the technology: the diagnosis of back problems.

2 Jun 2004

Reiner Center for Behavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine

Columbia University Medical Center has received a $5 million gift from Edward S. Reiner to establish the Reiner Center for Behavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine, the only center of its kind in New York City.

2 Jun 2004

Malaria, Africa's biggest killer

It's Africa's biggest killer, but it's not HIV. It causes economic losses of US$12 billion per year, but it's not a war. And it has slowed African economic growth by around 1.3 per cent per annum, but it’s not a famine.

2 Jun 2004

U.S. babies' health hurt by hunger

Infants and toddlers being raised in food insecure homes are more likely to suffer poor health, including illness severe enough to require hospitalizations, according to a new study published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

2 Jun 2004

Women with chest pain who have low hemoglobin levels are more likely to die or suffer a heart attack

Women with chest pain who have low hemoglobin levels are more likely to die or suffer a heart attack, heart failure, stroke or other cardiovascular event than women with normal hemoglobin levels, according to a new study in the June 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Jun 2004

Medicine News and Research

Drug to extend lives of colorectal cancer patients

Compulsive hoarding study could improve diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders

Growing problem of obesity in women from developing countries

San Francisco judge has slammed the new Bush legislation on abortions as unconstitutional

Avastin study shows significant improvement in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Reliability of medical research in Britain today questioned by the general public

Drinking only bottled water associated with a two-fold risk of infection

Study may help oncologists tailor chemotherapy to patients based on their genetic make-up

Debate on UK legislation to make helmets mandatory for all cyclists

Understanding focal adhesion kinase (FAK) may lead to new cancer treatments

Improving blood pressure control of people 80 years and older

Genes that allow nerve cells to communicate may have come from bacteria eons ago

Acne drug may help treat multiple sclerosis

Pollution can contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases

FDA clears first computer-aided device to assist in the detection of heart murmurs

Virtual reality to help the diagnosis of back problems

Reiner Center for Behavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine

Malaria, Africa's biggest killer

U.S. babies' health hurt by hunger

Women with chest pain who have low hemoglobin levels are more likely to die or suffer a heart attack

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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