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Goosby calls for 'extraordinary resources' to be put into male circumcision to prevent HIV infection

Male circumcision is "a highly significant, lifetime intervention" to prevent HIV infection that deserves "extraordinary resources," U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby on Monday told a meeting of 400 army officials from 80 countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and central Asia, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 May 2012

Medtronic’s Valiant Captivia Stent Graft now available in seven countries

Increasing patient access to endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms worldwide, Medtronic, Inc. is expanding availability of the Valiant Captivia Thoracic Stent Graft System in several countries, including China, Japan and the United States.

From Medtronic 9 May 2012

Domain Surgical's FMwand successfully used in 100 cases

Domain Surgical, a leading developer of advanced thermal surgical technology, today announced that its novel FMwand Ferromagnetic Surgical System has been used successfully in 100 cases. The FMwand simultaneously cuts and coagulates tissue without passing electrical current into the patient, making it safe to use near delicate tissue structures.

9 May 2012

UVA achieves two important milestones in VISIUS Surgical Theatre

IMRIS Inc. today reported on the preliminary successes that the University of Virginia (UVA) has achieved in their VISIUS Surgical Theatre. UVA clinicians have treated over 50 patients in their VISIUS Surgical Theatre since its opening, achieving two important milestones in the use of their new intraoperative imaging capabilities.

9 May 2012

Advaxis commences enrollment in ADXS-HPV Phase 1/2 study for head and neck cancer

Advaxis, Inc.,, a leader in developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, announced that two patients have been enrolled into REALISTIC, a Phase 1/2 study being sponsored by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to investigate the use of ADXS-HPV for the treatment of HPV positive head and neck cancer. HPV is associated with 40-70% of head and neck cancers.

8 May 2012

Brief empathy training program improves resident physicians interactions with patients

Resident physicians' participation in a brief training program designed to increase empathy with their patients produced significant improvement in how patients perceived their interactions with the residents.

8 May 2012

Breast brachytherapy with strut-based applicator effective for women with DCIS

Breast brachytherapy with a strut-based applicator appears to be an effective treatment for women who have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast, according to a groundbreaking study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, held in Phoenix May 2-4.

8 May 2012

LAA occlusion effectively reduces risk of stroke in patients with A-fib

Patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib) who cannot take blood thinners now have an alternative to reduce their risk of stroke, which is five times more common in people with the rhythm disorder. The non-surgical procedure works by tying off the left atrial appendage (LAA), the source of most blood clots leading to stroke in patients with A-fib. Northwestern Medicine- heart rhythm specialists from the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute were the first to perform this procedure in Illinois.

8 May 2012

Repeating trinucleotide a strong predictor of Fuchs' dystrophy

Mayo Clinic and University of Oregon researchers have confirmed that a genetic factor called a repeating trinucleotide is a strong predictor of an individual's risk of developing the eye condition Fuchs' dystrophy. The findings were being presented today at the annual conference of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Orlando, Fla.

8 May 2012

Breast cancer in men rarer but more deadly than in women

“Men with breast cancer don't do as well as women with breast cancer, and there are opportunities to improve that,” said study author Dr. Jon Greif, a breast surgeon in San Francisco. “They were less likely to get the standard treatments that women get.” Survival rates for men with breast cancer, overall, are lower than those for women, at least when it is diagnosed in the early stages, Greif found. The cancers differ in other respects too.

8 May 2012

Pancreatic cancer could be better managed at specialized surgical centres

Pancreatic cancer is one of Australia's most lethal cancers and according to a surgeon it could be better treated by conducting complex surgical procedures in specialised centres. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth biggest cancer killer in Australia.

8 May 2012

High rates of birth defects associated with an artificial reproductive technology: Study

A new study has shown that one of the most popular forms of IVF could double the risk of birth defects.

8 May 2012

Salix first quarter total product revenue increases 62% to $171.1M

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 and other business updates.

8 May 2012

Galleon GAL-021 safe and well-tolerated in Phase I respiratory depression clinical study

Galleon Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of novel medicines to treat breathing disorders, today announced that its investigational drug GAL-021 appeared to be safe and well-tolerated and demonstrated dose-proportional pharmacokinetic effects on respiration in a Phase I clinical study of 30 healthy adults.

7 May 2012

KYTHERA ATX-101-10-16 trial for submental fat meets primary endpoints

KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of initial trial results from Study ATX-101-10-16, the first of two pivotal European Phase III clinical trials with ATX-101, a facial injectable drug for the reduction of unwanted fat under the chin, or submental fat.

7 May 2012

CNV in prostate cancer tumors may accurately predict relapse

While active monitoring of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in men over 50 has greatly improved early detection of prostate cancer, prediction of clinical outcomes after diagnosis remains a major challenge.

7 May 2012

Researchers make white fat take on characteristics of brown fat

Brown seems to be the color of choice when it comes to the types of fat cells in our bodies. Brown fat expends energy, while its counterpart, white fat stores it. The danger in white fat cells, along with the increased risk for diabetes and heart disease it poses, seems especially linked to visceral fat. Visceral fat is the build-up of fat around the organs in the belly.

7 May 2012

Oral nutriceutical restores vision to otherwise hopeless patients facing permanent loss

There may be new found hope for patients whose vision is threatened when medicine injected directly into the eyes fails to cause abnormal blood vessels to recede. While injectable drugs called angiogenesis (an-gee-oh-jen-esis) inhibitors are considered a modern miracle and have become the standard of care for patients with the fast-progressive form of macular degeneration, they are not foolproof.

7 May 2012

Seattle Children's Hospital performs 100th heart transplant on 5-month-old baby

On Saturday, April 28, a 5-month-old baby received the 100th heart transplant performed at Seattle Children's Hospital, a significant milestone for him as well as the hospital's Heart Center and Heart Transplant Program teams.

7 May 2012

AHA recognizes HHS’ Charla de Lupus program with HAVE

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has recognized Hospital for Special Surgery's Charla de Lupus (Lupus Chat) program with its Hospital Award for Volunteer Excellence.

5 May 2012