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Avedro submits VibeX/KXL System NDA with FDA to treat keratoconus, corneal ectasia

Avedro, Inc. announced today that the Company submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its VibeX (riboflavin ophthalmic solution) /KXL System for the treatment of keratoconus and corneal ectasia following refractive surgery.

9 Mar 2012

Cancer-based blood vessel theory questioned

Johns Hopkins scientists have published laboratory data refuting studies that suggest blood vessels that form within brain cancers are largely made up of cancer cells. The theory of cancer-based blood vessels calls into question the use and value of anticancer drugs that target these blood vessels, including bevacizumab (Avastin).

8 Mar 2012

Some bone marrow cells could prevent rejection of transplanted kidney in recipients: Study

Researchers transplanted certain cells from the kidney donor’s bone marrow along with the new organ. Five of eight transplant recipients who tried the method so far were off immune-suppressing medication up to 2½ years later, the researchers reported Wednesday. The preliminary results were considered important enough to be published in the journal Science Translational Medicine even though the study still is under way, because the technique worked for patients who didn’t have well-matched or related donors.

8 Mar 2012

Surgical intervention can be life-restoring for people with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy

While the thought of any type of surgery can be disconcerting, the thought of brain surgery can be downright frightening. But for people with a particular form of epilepsy, surgical intervention can literally be life-restoring.

8 Mar 2012

Symposium to cover latest breakthroughs in percutaneous treatment of CAD

The agenda for the Optimizing PCI Outcomes: A Vision for 2012 symposium is now available at: http://www.pcioutcomes.com/conference/agenda.html. This evening symposium will feature the latest clinical and experimental breakthroughs in the percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease, including the latest clinical data on current and second-generation drug-eluting stent device-based therapies.

8 Mar 2012

First ever analysis of genetic variation between different regions of same tumour

Taking a sample from just one part of a tumour may not give a full picture of its 'genetic landscape', according to a landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

8 Mar 2012

Appendix cancer different from colon cancer

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have demonstrated that cancer of the appendix is different than colon cancer, a distinction that could lead to more effective treatments for both diseases.

8 Mar 2012

Some top researchers no longer think of glaucoma solely as an eye disease

A new paradigm to explain glaucoma is rapidly emerging, and it is generating brain-based treatment advances that may ultimately vanquish the disease known as the "sneak thief of sight." A review now available in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reports that some top researchers no longer think of glaucoma solely as an eye disease.

8 Mar 2012

New minimally invasive procedure can treat resistant hypertension

A radically different approach to treating high blood pressure - using a minimally invasive procedure- is being evaluated as part of a Pivotal Phase III 90-site national trial that includes The Carl H. and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital.

8 Mar 2012

AMTR soon after failure of AEDs may reduce risk of seizures in epilepsy patients

Patients with epilepsy who underwent brain surgery soon after failing to respond to drug treatment, but who also continued to receive drug therapy, had a lower risk of seizures during the 2nd year of follow-up compared to patients who received drug treatment alone, according to a study in the March 7 issue of JAMA.

7 Mar 2012

Patients with traumatic cervical spine injury benefit from early surgery

Researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson have shown that patients who receive surgery less than 24 hours after a traumatic cervical spine injury suffer less neural tissue destruction and improved clinical outcomes.

7 Mar 2012

Methodist, UH to improve existing surgical training processes

Measure twice and cut once is a well-known phrase among surgeons, but this is not always what happens. To better prepare new surgeons for the operating room, University of Houston (UH) computer scientists are working with medical researchers at the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE) to improve existing training processes.

7 Mar 2012

EES to demonstrate innovative surgical simulations at SAGES conference

Ethicon Endo-Surgery will demonstrate its latest product innovations and best practices in minimally-invasive procedures focused on improving clinical outcomes and the quality of patient care at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) conference, March 7-11 in San Diego, CA.

7 Mar 2012

Many patients with rare forgotten cancers pay a high price

Thousands of patients with rare "forgotten cancers" are paying a high price because doctors lack awareness of their conditions, according to a speaker at the 4th ESMO Conference on Sarcoma and GIST.

7 Mar 2012

African Americans more likely to develop keloid after head and neck surgery

African Americans are seven times more likely than Caucasians to develop an excessive growth of thick, irregularly shaped and raised scarring on their skin - known as a keloid - following head and neck surgery, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

7 Mar 2012

CU Cancer Center aims to make progress against squamous cell lung cancer

Recent advances in targeted cancer treatments greatly bolster the prognosis for many types of lung cancer, but according to a University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator, "practically nothing has improved in squamous cell lung cancer in the last decades."

7 Mar 2012

Aggressive treatment of severe TBI is cost-effective: Study

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that aggressive treatment of severe traumatic brain injury, which includes invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) and decompressive craniectomy, produces better patient outcomes than less aggressive measures and is cost-effective in patients no matter their age--even in patients 80 years of age.

6 Mar 2012

AcelRx initiates ARX-01 Phase 3 study for treatment of post-operative pain

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, reported dosing of the first patient in a Phase 3 study for ARX-01, the Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System, its novel sublingual patient-controlled analgesia system.

6 Mar 2012

Marriage boosts survival following coronary artery bypass surgery

Married adults who undergo heart surgery are more than three times as likely as single people who have the same surgery to survive the next three months, a new study finds.

6 Mar 2012

State news: Several Mass. hospitals tie part of doctor pay to size of practice; Mass. officials push to alleviate crowds at ERs

Getting in to see a primary-care doctor at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's hospitals has for years been notoriously hard, with many popular practices closed to new patients. But now, reflecting dramatic shifts in health care, the prestigious hospitals are paying doctors more if they agree to accept new patients. The Harvard-affiliated hospitals are tying about 10 percent of doctors' salaries this year to the size of their practice and the complexity of their patients' illnesses.

6 Mar 2012