Colon News and Research

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Omni Health Media announces launch of CancerConnect.com

Omni Health Media, one of the world's leading specialty publishers of health-related information, websites, applications, and educational programs for individuals with cancer and their caregivers announces the successful launch of CancerConnect.com during the Allen Media Conference in Sun Valley, ID. Cancer Connect is a new social network that will allow people with cancer and those who care for them to share information, inspiration, hope, and support.

8 Jul 2010

Overall cancer mortality rates continue to decrease, new report shows

The continued drop in overall cancer mortality rates over the last 20 years has averted more than three-quarters of a million (767,000) cancer deaths according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society's annual Cancer Statistics article reports that the overall death rate from cancer in the United States in 2007 was 178.4 per 100,000, a relative decrease of 1.3 percent from 2006, when the rate was 180.7 per 100,000, continuing a trend that began in 1991 for men and 1992 for women.

8 Jul 2010

Heart attack death rates drop in hospitals; CDC reports increase in colon cancer screening rate

USA Today: Hospital heart attack death rates fell, according to new Medicare data. "Death rates at 4,569 hospitals that treat Medicare patients who suffer heart attacks fell by almost half a percentage point, from a national average of 16.6% last year to 16.2%. Death rates for most hospitals ranged from about 14.5% to 17.9%. ...

8 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 7, 2010

Today's biggest health policy news surrounds an announcement by the White House that President Obama will install a new Medicare and Medicaid chief with a recess appointment the bypasses the confirmation process.

7 Jul 2010

Polyethylene glycol "works a bit better" than lactulose for chronic constipation: Study

When ordinary over-the-counter laxatives fail to work, doctors turn to other medications to treat people with constipation. Now, a new review of existing research finds that one common drug treatment is better than another is at helping patients who are desperate to get things moving.

7 Jul 2010

IBM, University of Missouri collaborate to develop cloud computing environment for genomics research

IBM and the University of Missouri today announced a life sciences research initiative using IBM high performance computing technologies to advance the school's bioinformatics research projects. The goal of the initiative is to develop a first-of-a-kind cloud computing environment for genomics research collaboration at a regional level.

2 Jul 2010

Plant extract effective against ulcerative colitis in mice

A South Dakota State University scientist's research shows an extract made from a food plant in the Brassica family was effective in alleviating signs of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition, in mice.

2 Jul 2010

BioImagene, KUMC partner to develop Companion Algorithms for digital pathology

BioImagene, Inc., the leading provider of innovative digital pathology solutions, announced a collaboration with the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine to develop Companion Algorithms™ for next generation companion diagnostics for digital pathology.

1 Jul 2010

Epigentek develops new approach for identification of "sixth DNA base" 5-hmC

Research experts in the epigenetic field from Epigentek have developed a new, breakthrough approach for the identification of the "sixth DNA base," 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC). This technology is based on a high throughput, strip-well format and is also incorporated into the first commercially available product, the MethylFlash(TM) Hydroxymethylated DNA Quantification Kit, for rapidly quantifying hydroxymethylated DNA.

30 Jun 2010

Asbestos induces cell necrosis, promotes tumor growth

More than 20 million people in the U.S., and many more worldwide, who have been exposed to asbestos are at risk of developing mesothelioma, a malignant cancer of the membranes that cover the lungs and abdomen that is resistant to current therapies.

30 Jun 2010

Marine organisms may hold key to fight malaria

University of Central Florida scientist Debopam Chakrabarti is analyzing more than 2,500 samples from marine organisms collected off deep sea near Florida's coast. Some of them could hold the key to developing drugs to fight malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that kills more than 1 million people worldwide annually.

29 Jun 2010

Cell>Point completes cancer diagnostic phase 2 trial; reports favorable trends in primary tumor imaging

Cell>Point announced today that it has closed the Phase 2 portion of its Phase 2/3 trial of 99mTc-EC-G in evaluating patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

29 Jun 2010

Athletes live longer: Study

The study featuring in the July 2010 issue of The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSAMS), published by Sports Medicine Australia, examined the mortality and longevity of elite athletes to understand the association between exercise training and survival rates.

28 Jun 2010

Tolerx presents preclinical data on TRX518 anti-GITR immunotherapy for cancer

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer by modulating T cell activity, presented results from preclinical studies with TRX518, an early-stage agent Tolerx is developing as a treatment for cancer. TRX518 is a monoclonal antibody to glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR) and is designed to enhance the immune system's ability to attack tumors by activating and rendering T effector cells resistant to T regulatory cell suppression.

28 Jun 2010

Automated calls can increase colon cancer screening rates by 30%: Study

Simple, automated telephone reminders can increase colon cancer screening rates by 30 percent, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study funded by the National Cancer Institute that appears in the July print edition of Medical Care.

25 Jun 2010

Scientists report potential toxicity of nanoparticles in consumer products

Scientists are reporting that particle size affects the toxicity of zinc oxide, a material widely used in sunscreens. Particles smaller than 100 nanometers are slightly more toxic to colon cells than conventional zinc oxide. Solid zinc oxide was more toxic than equivalent amounts of soluble zinc, and direct particle to cell contact was required to cause cell death.

25 Jun 2010

Hydrophobic proteins may serve as biomarkers for treating colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer, cancer of the colon and rectum, is a common cause of mortality worldwide. Statistical data showed that the number of deaths caused by colorectal cancer is increasing in both men and women.

25 Jun 2010

Nektar commences dosing in Phase 1 study of NKTR-102 in combination with 5-FU/leucovorin

Nektar Therapeutics announced today that the first patients have been dosed in a new Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical study to evaluate NKTR-102, the company's lead oncology compound, in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin in refractory solid tumor cancers. The study is being conducted at University Hospitals Case Medical Center of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

24 Jun 2010

June issue of Clinic Women's HealthSource provides overview of anemia

Anemia is not a normal part of aging, yet it's fairly common in older adults and causes frailness, weakness and increased risk of falls. According to Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, more than one in 10 older adults has anemia. Twenty percent of women are anemic by age 85.

24 Jun 2010

Shift in balance between good and bad bacteria in gut could be a harbinger of colon cancer: Study

The human body contains more bacteria than it does cells. These bacterial communities can have a positive effect on our health, by training our immune systems and helping to metabolize the foods we eat. But they can also set us up to develop digestive disorders, skin diseases, and obesity.

23 Jun 2010