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Natalizumab returns to market

Just months after receiving FDA approval, natalizumab, a medication for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory disorders, was voluntarily withdrawn by its manufacturers after three patients developed a brain infection known as Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).

28 May 2007

Pro-relationship behaviors matter

If you do something positive for your mate, does it matter why? The answer is yes, according to new research from University of Rochester research assistant professor Heather Patrick.

28 May 2007

Depression among type 2 diabetes rural Appalachian clinic attendees

In Appalachia, diabetes hits hard. Depression does, too. Together, they form a difficult pair to beat.

28 May 2007

Physicians urged to take measured approach in response to potential Avandia risks

The Endocrine Society urges physicians to respond in a measured way to a recent study suggesting the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) increases the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.

28 May 2007

FDA completes review of FluMist

MedImmune, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated the agency has completed its review of all submissions made related to the supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) to extend the age indication of FluMist (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal).

28 May 2007

Researchers successfully treated type 1 diabetic mice with a vaccination

The vaccine they designed in this model included structures that the immune system mistakenly attacks in type 1 diabetes.

28 May 2007

High pretreatment PSA velocity predicts worse outcome

The most significant single predictor of aggressive prostate cancer is an elevated rate of increase in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, according to a new study.

28 May 2007

Wake-up call to physicians caring for hepatitis B patients

Many patients with chronic hepatitis B are deficient in their understanding of the lifelong disease and often do not comply with the drug regimens necessary to control it, according to a new UCLA survey that suggests improved patient involvement in disease management decisions could be the key to fixing this problem.

28 May 2007

Co-infection of HIV and HCV a significant health concern due to increasing prevalence

Researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), who also have alcohol problems, were negatively affected by co-infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

28 May 2007

Heart-assist device gives Culver City man a better quality of life

Mark Heiner of Culver City reads books, paints artistically, takes walks and does laundry – activities that would be considered routine except for the fact that a four-pound disk implanted in his abdominal cavity is keeping his blood flowing.

28 May 2007

FDA approves treatment for bacterial vaginosis

Mission Pharmacal has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tindamax (tinidazole) for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV), the most common vaginal infection among women of childbearing age in the United States.

28 May 2007

New gene therapy can nearly eliminate arthritis pain

Early-stage research has found that a new gene therapy can nearly eliminate arthritis pain, and significantly reduce long-term damage to the affected joints, according to a study published today in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

28 May 2007

Extracorporeal photopheresis may be effective in treating Crohn's disease

Results from an international multi-center Phase II clinical trial suggest that extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) may be effective in treating patients with clinically active (OR symptomatic) Crohn?s disease who cannot tolerate or are refractory to immunosuppressants and/or anti-TNF agents.

28 May 2007

New method predicts hip joint decay from chemotherapy

St. Jude investigators say they have found the best way for predicting when patients will need future surgery to repair hip joints that have deteriorated because of pediatric leukemia or lymphoma treatment.

27 May 2007

Hormone therapy and menopause study

When is the best time in a woman's reproductive history to start hormone therapy?

24 May 2007

Regular aspirin intake only reduces incidence of colorectal tumors that overexpress COX-2

Aspirin therapy's ability to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, an association seen in a large number of studies, appears to depend on the drug's inhibition of the COX-2 enzyme, the action that also underlies aspirin's usefulness for treating pain and inflammation.

24 May 2007