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Researchers demonstrate the safety of potential vaccine against mesothelioma

Researchers have demonstrated the safety of a potential vaccine against mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated primarily with asbestos exposure. The vaccine, which infuses uses a patient's own dendritic cells (DC) with antigen from the patient's tumor, was able to induce a T-cell response against mesothelioma tumors.

4 Mar 2010

Gene therapy for LCA clears another hurdle: Study

Gene therapy for a severe inherited blindness, which produced dramatic improvements last year in 12 children and young adults who received the treatment in a clinical trial, has cleared another hurdle. The same research team that conducted the human trial now reports that a study in animals has shown that a second injection of genes into the opposite, previously untreated eye is safe and effective, with no signs of interference from unwanted immune reactions following the earlier injection.

4 Mar 2010

Cystoscopy: Cost-effective method of detecting tumors

In a new study from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, researchers found that cystoscopy, the standard for screening for recurrence of early-stage bladder cancer, is a cost-effective method of detecting tumors.

4 Mar 2010

Recurrence of breast cancer in older women: Delaying post-surgical radiation treatment increases risk

Older women who have had breast cancer surgery have a greater risk of the cancer returning if they delay their post-surgical radiation treatment, report Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.

4 Mar 2010

St. Jude Medical publishes clinical results of HOMEOSTASIS trial

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced publication of clinical results in the Hemodynamically Guided Home Self-Therapy in Severe Heart Failure Patients (HOMEOSTASIS) trial.

4 Mar 2010

Lawmakers work on Medicare drug and mental health legislation

House Democrats are preparing to introduce legislation on Medicare drug prices and an effort to tackle some individual health issues while Congress debates a comprehensive bill.

4 Mar 2010

Study on role of recorded ODLs in improving clinical care for low-weight babies: RWJF awards $480,000 grant

Researchers at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and UC Irvine will monitor the day-to-day health of low-birth-weight babies and their parents as part of a comprehensive initiative designed to combat chronic illnesses associated with low-weight births.

4 Mar 2010

Belatacept drug can prevent graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients

The experimental drug belatacept can prevent graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients while better preserving kidney function when compared with standard immunosuppressive drugs, data from two international phase III clinical trials show.

4 Mar 2010

Kansas lawmakers debate legality of health insurance mandate amendment

Kansas Health Institute: "Republicans and Democrats were sharply divided Tuesday over a proposed constitutional amendment that sponsors said would let federal officials know Kansans don't want to be told by the government that they must buy health insurance. On a 12-9, party-line vote, the House Health and Human Services Committee voted to recommend House Concurrent Resolution 5032 favorable for passage.

4 Mar 2010

Senate gridlock ends, COBRA and Medicare fees extended

Los Angeles Times: "Senate leaders Tuesday night resolved an impasse over emergency aid to the jobless that had driven a wedge into Republican ranks and given Democrats a political weapon. The deal overcame the continued objections of a single senator, Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who for days had held up short-term extensions of unemployment and COBRA benefits over concerns that the bill would increase the federal deficit." The measure passed with a 78-19 vote (Oliphant, 3/2).

4 Mar 2010

South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas grapple with Medicaid cuts to help balance budget

States consider major cuts to Medicaid services and reimbursement rates to help fill gaps in the budget.

4 Mar 2010

Allergan, Bristol-Myers Squibb sign global exclusive license agreement for EHT/AGN 0001

ExonHit Therapeutics today reported the signing by Allergan, Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company of a global exclusive license agreement for the development and commercialization of EHT/AGN 0001 (AGN-209323), ExonHit’s lead compound from the most advanced program of its collaboration with Allergan.

4 Mar 2010

Pharmacists could be integral to the education and screening of people for osteoporosis, says researcher

University of Alberta researcher Nese Yuksel says pharmacists could be integral to the education and screening of people for osteoporosis, as pharmacists are easily accessible and are playing a greater role in health promotion and disease prevention.

4 Mar 2010

GOP rejects Obama's compromise on health care, wants 'new approach'

USA Today: "President Obama offered to add a handful of Republican ideas to his 10-year, $950 billion health care plan Tuesday but was rebuffed and urged to start over.The letter from Obama to the GOP signalling his interest in four specific Republican health reform ideas was met with an icy reception from Republican leaders. ... 'We were surprised and disappointed with your latest proposal to simply paper a few of these common-sense proposals over an unsalvageable bill,' wrote Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky." (Wolf and Fritze, 3/2).

4 Mar 2010

Study suggests vitamin D supplements may decrease insulin resistance, fight depression

A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what Chicagoans need to get through the long winter, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). This nutrient lifts mood during cold weather months when days are short and more time is spent indoors.

4 Mar 2010

Older women with suspected ovarian cancer 'face referral delays'

Older women with suspected ovarian cancer are often not referred for investigation as quickly as younger women, new research suggests.

4 Mar 2010

PCF: PSA screening remains valuable tool for identifying potential prostate disease

Responding to continued debate over PSA screening, and today’s American Cancer Society statement, the Prostate Cancer Foundation reiterated its position that PSA screening remains a valuable tool, in combination with other tools, for identifying potential prostate disease, including cancer.

4 Mar 2010

Wasteful medical spending clogs health care industry

CNN: "Consider this: For every dollar the nation spends on health care, 50 cents is wasted. According to a 2008 report by Pricewaterhouse Cooper's Health Research Institute, wasteful spending accounts for $1.2 trillion of the $2.2 trillion spent on health care in the United States." CNN says the waste includes "costs associated with inefficient insurance claims processing, defensive medicine, preventable hospital readmissions, medical errors, and unnecessary emergency room visits."

4 Mar 2010

Study: Salvage targeted therapy can be suitable for elderly patients with NSCLC

Research published in the March issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology sought to determine whether differences existed in tolerance and efficacy between patients age 70 and over and younger patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving salvage targeted therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) or chemotherapy.

4 Mar 2010

Community support critical for reducing childhood obesity

Community support of school obesity prevention programs is critical to achieving a significant decrease in obesity among children, according to researchers at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, which is part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

4 Mar 2010