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Thickening of neck artery wall increases risk of heart attack, stroke: Study

Researchers for the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studied 5,614 Italians in four villages and found that those who scored high for antagonistic traits on a standard personality test had greater thickening of the neck (carotid) arteries compared to people who were more agreeable. Thickness of neck artery walls is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

17 Aug 2010

CEL-SCI Corporation third quarter 2010 net loss decreases to $0.6 million

CEL-SCI reported a net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2010 of ($0.6) million versus a loss of ($6.2) million during the same three months in fiscal year 2009. Net loss per basic share was ($0.00) for the three months ended June 30, 2010 versus a loss per basic share of ($0.05) during the same three months in fiscal year 2009. The loss during the quarter ended June 30, 2010 was reduced by a gain on derivative instruments of $2.75 million.

17 Aug 2010

Interventional Spine completes another successful surgery with PERPOS Percutaneous Cervical System

Interventional Spine, Inc. today announced the completion of another successful surgery with the unique PERPOS Percutaneous Cervical System for the treatment of neck pain.

16 Aug 2010

US WorldMeds announces acquisition of Solstice Neurosciences for $35M

US WorldMeds, LLC, a Kentucky-based specialty pharmaceutical company that develops unique products to address unmet medical needs, today announced it has acquired Solstice Neurosciences, Inc. for $35 million. The acquisition expands US WorldMeds' operations, adds to the company's growing portfolio of products and enhances the company's ability to create and deliver high-quality specialty pharmaceutical products to its targeted global markets.

16 Aug 2010

Lamictal can cause aseptic meningitis: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned that the drug Lamictal (lamotrigine), approved to treat seizures and bipolar disorder, can cause aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the protective membranes (meninges) that cover the brain and spinal cord not caused by bacterial infection.The agency is working with the drug's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, to update the prescribing information and patient medication guide to include this risk.

13 Aug 2010

Whiplash causes anatomical changes leading to brain injury: Study

While it has long been known that whiplash can cause injuries to the cervical spine, a new study published in the July issue of the journal Brain Injury, shows that whiplash may also cause anatomical changes that can result in brain injury.

12 Aug 2010

UT Dallas receives grant from NIH to investigate nerve stimulation for tinnitus

The NIH has granted a University of Texas at Dallas researcher and a university-affiliated biomedical firm $1.7 million to investigate whether nerve stimulation offers a long-term cure for tinnitus.

12 Aug 2010

Tips to prevent back pain for frequent laptop users

The symptoms are familiar to any student who has ever spent a long night pounding out a paper on a laptop computer: an aching neck, throbbing head and tingling fingers.Because of the way the computers are designed, using a laptop almost inevitably leads to poor posture, said Kevin Carneiro, DO, a doctor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Incorrect posture and computer overuse can cause debilitating physical problems, such as sore muscles or repetitive stress injuries. Typing can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome, an injury to the nerve that passes through the wrist.

12 Aug 2010

Einstein College receives grant to develop stem cell-based therapies

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have received a five-year, $10.8 million grant to develop stem cell-based therapies that could be used to mitigate radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome - part of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) - for military personnel, first responders and the general public. The Einstein research, funded by the federal Centers for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation, is part of a program coordinated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

12 Aug 2010

Amgen reports top-line results from Vectibix Phase 3 trial for head and neck cancer

Amgen today announced top-line results from a randomized Phase 3 trial evaluating Vectibix as a first-line treatment in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell head and neck cancer. The data showed the addition of Vectibix to platinum-based chemotherapy did not result in a statistically significant improvement in overall survival, the primary endpoint, compared to chemotherapy alone.

12 Aug 2010

OptiNose's bi-directional nasal device delivering fluticasone effective in reducing nasal polyps in CRS patients

OptiNose Inc. announced today that a subgroup analysis of positive Phase II trial results has been published in the July/August issue of the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy.

11 Aug 2010

Study shows physicians reluctant to use finasteride for prostate cancer

Despite the dramatic results of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), which showed a significant reduction in prostate cancer among those taking finasteride, physicians have not increased its use, according to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

11 Aug 2010

Scientists induce nerve tissue regeneration in patients with spinal cord injury

Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve tissue connections in injured adult spinal cord sites that control voluntary movement. These findings provide hope that it may be possible to design therapies for paralysis and other impairments of motor function arising from spinal cord injury.

9 Aug 2010

TrueBeam technology reduces cancer radiation treatment time

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center is among the world's first to begin using radiation technology that dramatically reduces treatment times.UAB's Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center is the third U.S. site to acquire TrueBeam technology. TrueBeam, by Varian Medical Systems Inc., can complete a standard 40-minute radiation therapy in less than a minute for select patients. The precision of the instrument, measured in increments of less than a millimeter, comes from real-time patient imaging, positioning, beam shaping and many other data points synchronized continually as treatment progresses.

7 Aug 2010

New laser technology for robotic prostate cancer surgery

One of the challenges of prostate cancer surgery is removing the cancer-affected gland without side effects. The procedure is estimated to cause long-term sexual dysfunction in half of men.Now, new published research by urologic surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center presents evidence that a new laser technology used with robotic prostate cancer surgery may reduce the risk of damaging the crucial nerves necessary for erections and urinary continence.

6 Aug 2010

Sanofi-aventis receives FDA approval for new Taxotere Injection Concentrate formulation

Sanofi-aventis U.S. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new one-vial formulation of its chemotherapeutic agent Taxotere® (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate. The 1-vial Taxotere is anticipated to become available to cancer treatment clinics and hospitals nationwide in the fall in both 80 mg and 20 mg dosages.

5 Aug 2010

CEL-SCI produces and fills first lot of Multikine

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today that it has successfully produced and filled its first lot of Multikine® in preparation for the upcoming pivotal Phase III trial targeting advanced primary head and neck cancer.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists develop laser probe for early detection of oral cancer

UC Davis researchers have developed a laser probe for the early detection of oral cancer. A trial with human subjects shows that the device could also be used during surgery to locate the edges of a tumor.

5 Aug 2010

Siteman Cancer Center to test radiotherapy system from ViewRay

Researchers at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, a national leader in the early adoption and use of advanced treatments for cancer patients, will soon become the first in the world to test an innovative radiotherapy system from ViewRay, Inc. The ViewRay system is designed to improve the accuracy of cancer treatments through a combination of medical imaging and radiotherapy delivery.

4 Aug 2010

Proton therapy to treat patient’s tumor without compromising quality of life

The radiation oncologist's mantra is to deliver the maximum dose of radiation to the malignant tumor, while limiting damage to healthy surrounding tissue. In proton therapy, this balance is achieved by using proton particles, accelerated to nearly the speed of light, to mimic the shape of a tumor and effectively deposit their energy within the confines of it with sub-millimeter precision.

4 Aug 2010