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FDA approves Ceprotin to treat severe congenital protein C deficiency

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today licensed Ceprotin, the first biologic treatment for patients with a rare genetic defect that can cause a potentially life-threatening clotting disorder.

30 Mar 2007

Bronchial thermoplasty study

A new report published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) shows that patients treated with bronchial thermoplasty, the first non-drug treatment for asthma, demonstrated an overall improvement in asthma control.

30 Mar 2007

Bioengineering heart parts

Some day, heart attack survivors might have a patch of laboratory-grown muscle placed in their heart, to replace areas that died during their attack.

30 Mar 2007

Cryoablation for kidney tumor patients shows promise

Mayo Clinic researchers report that freezing kidney tumors through percutaneous cryoablation shows promise for patients who are not good candidates for surgery.

30 Mar 2007

Blood pressure control with Clevidipine

Researchers report that an investigational anti-hypertensive therapy may perform better in controlling blood pressure than standard treatments for patients undergoing heart surgery, during a presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session.

30 Mar 2007

Decoy receptor 3 expressed in rheumatic synovial fibroblasts protects the cells against Fas-induced apoptosis

A complex autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic inflammation and progressive joint damage. This process begins with hyperplasia, or excessive increase in size and thickness, of synovial tissue. Along with provoking cartilage and bone destruction, this abnormal tissue growth is resistant to apoptosis, the natural cell death vital to the generation of healthy new cells.

30 Mar 2007

Lack of care for older breast cancer patients

Older women with breast cancer get a lower level of care than younger women, researchers at The University of Manchester have found.

From The University of Manchester 29 Mar 2007

Research agreement to advance new imaging technology

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and T.I.E.S., LLC, a Rochester-based start-up company, have entered into a research partnership to evaluate a new technology that could ultimately represent a major advance in medical imaging.

29 Mar 2007

MRI improves breast cancer diagnosis

Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast have a higher risk of contracting the disease in their opposite breast as well. A thorough examination of the opposite breast using mammography and ultrasound is therefore common practice. However, many tumours still remain undetected when using mammography.

28 Mar 2007

Plavix appears to be safe during and after heart bypass

Heart surgeons don't have to choose between taking a coronary-bypass patient off the popular anti-clotting drug clopidogrel (Plavix) after off-pump heart bypass surgery or having the patient bleed excessively in the days following surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Jefferson Medical College.

28 Mar 2007

Medications plus lifestyle changes work as well as angioplasty to reduce deaths in stable heart-disease patients

Coronary revascularization with stenting or balloon angioplasty combined with optimal medical therapy is no more effective in preventing a heart attack, other major cardiovascular events or death in patients with stable heart disease, than optimal medical therapy alone, results of a new study conducted in 50 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada has shown.

27 Mar 2007

Males had more than a million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2006

Surprisingly, the overall number of male cosmetic plastic surgery procedures declined by 7 percent; however, there was growth in minimally invasive procedures that provide volume in the face and in surgical procedures for a more toned body.

22 Mar 2007

Screening key to early detection of colorectal cancers

Studies show that only half of the people who are at risk of colon and rectal cancers are getting screened regularly.

21 Mar 2007

Surgical treatment comparison for spinal disease

Patients with serious degenerative spinal disease, a painful condition in which the normal function of spinal vertebrae breaks down, are presented with what can be a confusing array of surgical options.

21 Mar 2007

Tiny injected gel particles to help chronic lower back pain

Scientists at The University of Manchester believe injections of tiny sponge-like particles could provide an alternative to major surgery in the treatment of chronic lower back pain.

From The University of Manchester 21 Mar 2007

Hand transplant patient returns home

David F. Savage, the third person in the United States to receive a human hand transplant, will return home to Bay City, Michigan this weekend.

15 Mar 2007

Trial of new therapy for pancreatic cancer

Patients in Liverpool are to trial a new therapy for pancreatic cancer - a disease which sees most sufferers die within a year of diagnosis.

15 Mar 2007

Obese patients have a significantly higher risk of complications following surgery

The study, appearing in the March issue of the World Journal of Surgery, also found that morbidly obese patients had a death rate nearly twice as high as that of all other patients, as well as a higher rate of cardiac arrest.

13 Mar 2007

FDA strengthens safety information for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public health advisory outlining new safety information, including revised product labeling about erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), widely-used drugs for the treatment of anemia.

11 Mar 2007

Life expectancy doubled for advanced prostate cancer patients

After being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, many men are told that their disease is untreatable and that less aggressive treatment is best.

11 Mar 2007