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Adding radiation therapy to chemotherapy improves survival in patients with high-risk breast cancer

For patients with high-risk breast cancer treated with radical mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy, the addition of radiation therapy leads to better survival outcomes with few long-term toxic effects, according to a 20-year follow-up of a randomized trial, which appears in the January 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

19 Jan 2005

Scientists are a step closer to developing drug targets to treat fungal meningitis

Scientists are a step closer to developing drug targets to treat fungal meningitis -- the infection linked to at least three deaths on Vancouver Island -- thanks to the sequencing of two Cryptococcus genomes by an international team that included researchers at the University of British Columbia and the BC Cancer Agency's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver.

17 Jan 2005

1 billion people with high blood pressure by 2025

The proportion of the world’s adult population with high blood pressure is predicted to increase from a quarter to a third by 2025, totalling over one billion, conclude authors of a study published in this week’s issue of The LANCET.

13 Jan 2005

Reducing levels of smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure will halve current CHD mortality

A new Health Development Agency briefing paper, ‘Relative contributions of changes in risk factors and treatment to the reduction in coronary heart disease mortality’ highlights that even a small reduction in the current levels of cholesterol, smoking and blood pressure, could save approximately 50,000 lives annually in England and Wales.

12 Jan 2005

Elevated glucose levels and diabetes associated with a greater risk for cancer

New research involving more than one million people indicates that having high fasting serum glucose levels and diabetes are risk factors for several major cancers, according to a study in the January 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Jan 2005

No link between eating fruits and vegetables and a subsequent decreased risk for breast cancer

Contrary to findings in previous studies, new research that includes a large group of women found no link between eating fruits and vegetables and a subsequent decreased risk for breast cancer, according to a study in this week’s JAMA.

12 Jan 2005

Elevated blood sugar levels and diabetes are risk factors for developing several types of cancer and mortality

The researchers followed over 1.2 million Koreans for 10 years, tracking new cancer cases and deaths from cancer. Study participants with diabetes, as well as those without diabetes and higher fasting blood sugar levels, were more likely to develop cancer or to die from cancer.

11 Jan 2005

Serono announces the availability of Saizen for adult growth hormone deficiency

Serono announced today the availability of Saizen [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] for use in the treatment of patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD), following its FDA approval.

10 Jan 2005

In the first few days of each month, fatalities due to medication errors rise by as much as 25 percent above normal

Beware not the ides but the start of March – and April and May and every month. In the first few days of each month, fatalities due to medication errors rise by as much as 25 percent above normal, according to new research by University of California, San Diego sociologist David Phillips.

6 Jan 2005

Study to compare traditional and spiritual post-heart attack recovery approaches

Surviving a heart attack is a frightening experience, one that can change a person for life. Even having severe heart-related chest pain can wake a person up to his or her mortality.

4 Jan 2005

Patient safety measures work at children’s hospitals

In recent years, children's hospitals have joined in the national push to improve patient safety and avoid preventable problems. But it has been hard to measure progress, because of uncertainty about whether standard patient safety measurement tools apply to their patients, who are younger, smaller and on average sicker than those at other hospitals.

4 Jan 2005

Obesity may impose a smaller healthcare cost on African-Americans than other demographic groups

Obesity may impose a smaller healthcare cost on African-Americans than other demographic groups, according to a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) that found spending on obesity-related problems becomes progressively higher as adults grow older.

28 Dec 2004

Study investigates value of "Center of Excellence" designation

A new study says cancer surgery performed at a medical center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a "center of excellence" is associated with less risk of death soon after surgery than if performed at a high-volume surgery center, but finds no difference in five-year survival rates.

27 Dec 2004

Spinal cord injury and obesity

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System are looking at how people with spinal cord injury burn calories and how that is affected by their muscle mass and body weight. The goal is to make better recommendations to people with spinal cord injury, but the research will also translate into greater understanding of obesity in the general population as well.

26 Dec 2004

Vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk for death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the American Cancer Society have found that regular use of vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk for death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

21 Dec 2004

PAHO - Cervical cancer kills almost a quarter-million women worldwide each year

The Pan American Health Organization (A regional office of the World Health Organization), as a member of the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP), has issued a new publication and reported that cervical cancer—while largely preventable—kills almost a quarter-million women worldwide each year.

20 Dec 2004

Health impact of resolving racial disparities

Lives saved by reducing the mortality rate of African-Americans to the rate of whites are five times those that could be saved by improvements in medical technology. So said the authors of "The Health Impact of Resolving Racial Disparities: An Analysis of US Mortality Data," published in the December edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

20 Dec 2004

European market for bone morphogenic proteins in spine fusion

High growth is forecast for novel technologies used either as adjuncts or as alternatives to current surgical procedures for the fusion of spinal vertebrae. Bone morphogenic proteins (BMP) - a new and innovative class of natural growth factors - represent amongst the most exciting of these niches.

20 Dec 2004

Democracy is good for your health

Freedom has become the political buzzword of the 21st century. Now that the surviving Afganis and Iraqis are enjoying the benefits of Western freedoms, what will this mean for their health?

20 Dec 2004

Millennium Pharmaceuticals discovers protein biomarkers that could play a role in the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers at Millennium Pharmaceuticals today announced the discovery of a panel of protein biomarkers that could play a role in the early detection, prognosis and monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

14 Dec 2004

Mortality News and Research

Adding radiation therapy to chemotherapy improves survival in patients with high-risk breast cancer

Scientists are a step closer to developing drug targets to treat fungal meningitis

1 billion people with high blood pressure by 2025

Reducing levels of smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure will halve current CHD mortality

Elevated glucose levels and diabetes associated with a greater risk for cancer

No link between eating fruits and vegetables and a subsequent decreased risk for breast cancer

Elevated blood sugar levels and diabetes are risk factors for developing several types of cancer and mortality

Serono announces the availability of Saizen for adult growth hormone deficiency

In the first few days of each month, fatalities due to medication errors rise by as much as 25 percent above normal

Study to compare traditional and spiritual post-heart attack recovery approaches

Patient safety measures work at children’s hospitals

Obesity may impose a smaller healthcare cost on African-Americans than other demographic groups

Study investigates value of "Center of Excellence" designation

Spinal cord injury and obesity

Vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk for death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

PAHO - Cervical cancer kills almost a quarter-million women worldwide each year

Health impact of resolving racial disparities

European market for bone morphogenic proteins in spine fusion

Democracy is good for your health

Millennium Pharmaceuticals discovers protein biomarkers that could play a role in the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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