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International study to test effectiveness of celecoxib in preventing growth of precancerous polyps

Rush University Medical Center is testing whether celecoxib, known by its brand name Celebrex, can help prevent the growth of precancerous polyps that form in the colon, rectum and small intestine of children with an inheritable genetic disease called familial adenomatous polyposis.

14 May 2010

Aeterna Zentaris posts net loss of $5.9 million for first-quarter 2010

Aeterna Zentaris Inc., a late-stage drug development company specialized in oncology and endocrinology, today reported financial and operating results as at and for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

13 May 2010

Research investigates MDR in human HCC

Hepatocellular carcinoma responds poorly to chemotherapy owing to MDR. Recent studies have shown the tumors derived from the colon, kidney, or adrenal cortex, and HCC exhibited overexpression of MDR1/P-gp. This overexpression results in a primary MDR phenotype of these cancers.

13 May 2010

Microbiologists identify potential target in cattle to prevent E. coli strain

Microbiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center, working with the Department of Agriculture, have identified a potential target in cattle that could be exploited to help prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses caused by a nasty strain of Escherichia coli.

13 May 2010

Genetic tests represent future of cancer care for women

Important progress is being made in women's health through the use of genetic tests, particularly those that help women detect and treat cancer.

12 May 2010

Response Genetics, GSK sign non-exclusive license agreement for BRAF mutational analysis technology

Response Genetics, Inc., a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, today announced it has signed a non-exclusive license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline ("GSK"). Under the terms of the agreement, GSK gains certain rights to Response Genetics' proprietary PCR analysis technology and diagnostic expertise to assess BRAF gene mutations in human tumor samples. Payments will be made to Response Genetics upon achivement of agreed-to milestones.

12 May 2010

Colorectal cancer screening rates much lower among African Americans: Study

Among African Americans, colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death. With the proper screening, it has a 90 percent cure rate, yet screening rates are much lower among this group than other ethnic groups.

12 May 2010

Allergic conditions that result from hyper reactive immune system may lower cancer risk: Study

If you have asthma or eczema, your hyper reactive immune system may lower your risk of some of the most common types of cancer, according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

12 May 2010

Limiting fat intake to below 20% can reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence by 24%

When one of the country's foremost physicians—people like Dr. Andrew Weil—need someone to care for their friends and family dealing with cancer, the man they turn to is Keith Block, M.D. "I believe in Keith's program and would head to the Block Center if I were facing a diagnosis of cancer. It is where I have and will continue to send my friends and family," said Dr. Weil.

11 May 2010

New law could help hospice patients continue aggressive medical treatments

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau, in collaboration with The Philadelphia Inquirer, reports: "After an excruciating bout of chemotherapy, Linda Meisenhelder gave up fighting colon cancer and last fall entered end-of-life hospice care.

11 May 2010

Iris Biotechnologies receives two new Canadian patents

Iris BioTechnologies Inc., a life sciences company focused on providing patients, doctors, and clinicians with improved methods of identifying effective treatment solutions, and recipient of the Frost and Sullivan 2008 Technology Innovation Award in Pharmacogenomics, today announced two new Canadian patents.

11 May 2010

First Edition: May 10, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include the feature coverage of aspects of health reform implementation, including how "gradfathering" will be defined in regulations and the latest details on the early retiree reinsurance program.

10 May 2010

UC San Diego researchers discover potential new treatment for familial adenomatous polyposis

A team of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers has discovered that common intestinal bacteria appear to promote tumor growths in genetically susceptible mice, but that tumorigenesis can be suppressed if the mice are exposed to an inhibiting protein enzyme.

10 May 2010

Coffee and fizzy drinks do not cause bowel cancer, says US study

People who drink even large amounts of coffee or sugar-filled fizzy drinks are unlikely to increase their risk of bowel cancer, a large US study has concluded.

10 May 2010

Animal study reveals intestinal bacteria can promote tumor growth

10 May 2010

Report: 34 C>G of PPAR-γ gene might be a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of cancer death in the developed countries. Accumulated evidences indicate that lipid metabolism, especially the one in the arachidonic acid -pathway, appears to play a critical role in the development of CRC.

7 May 2010

Minimally invasive scopes to detect cancer

Just as cameras and televisions have been reinvented in the last decade with improved optics, sharpness and brightness, so have the tiny imaging scopes that physicians use to peer into the body's nooks and crannies -- its organs and digestive system.

7 May 2010

Gene patenting policies affect patient access to testing for disease-causing genes: Study

Policies allowing genes to be patented can make it more difficult for patients to access testing for important disease-causing gene mutations, according to a series of papers in a special online supplement published by Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

7 May 2010

MBPs offer no clinical benefit to patients undergoing PD: Research team

Mechanical bowel preparations are commonly administered preoperatively to patients who undergo a pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) to treat benign and malignant tumors of the pancreas, common bile duct or duodenum. MBPs are employed as a preventative measure in gastrointestinal surgery but their effectiveness in reducing perioperative infectious complications remains unclear.

7 May 2010

A checklist to stay healthy at every age

Shantanu Nundy, MD, a second-year resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center may soon find out. Driven by his mother's health questions and the difficulty of providing simple, reliable answers, Nundy collected all of the "generally accepted truths" about preventing disease, organized them into checklists based on age, and persuaded the Johns Hopkins University Press to publish them as Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants you to Know.

7 May 2010