Frequency News and Research

RSS

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy boosts esophageal cancer survival

Chemoradiotherapy significantly improves the outcome of patients undergoing surgery for cancer of the esophagus or esophagogastric junction and is well tolerated, suggests research in The New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jun 2012

Hospitals get graded for patient safety

Hospital executives are about to find out if they make the grade under a new rating system developed by the Leapfrog Group that debuts online Wednesday -; and some are not happy about it. Under Leapfrog's Hospital Safety Score initiative, hospitals are given a letter grade -; A, B, C, D or F -; on how safely they treat patients. The grade reflects patient injuries, infection rates and the frequency of medical and medication errors.

7 Jun 2012

Clinical study demonstrates effectiveness of vismodegib in treating BCNS

A revolutionary clinical study has demonstrated the effectiveness of a new drug, vismodegib, in dramatically shrinking and preventing the formation of basal cell skin cancers - the most common cancer in the United States - in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS), a rare genetic condition that causes hundreds to thousands of skin cancers primarily treated by surgical removal.

7 Jun 2012

$6.4 million awarded to investigate mechanisms of allergy tolerance generated by Circassia’s ToleroMune Treatment

Circassia Ltd, a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on allergy, today announced that the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $6.4 million grant to Professor Mark Larché of McMaster University, Canada, to study mechanisms of tolerance developed by patients treated with Circassia’s Toleromune® allergy therapy.

7 Jun 2012

Iron and micronutrient-enriched foodstuffs can fight against anaemia

Iron deficiency and the anaemia it can cause are a major public health problem, affecting 2 billion people worldwide: mostly young children and pregnant women in developing countries. Despite decades of research into prevention and treatment, the situation is not improving, and is even deteriorating in some countries. Africa and India have the highest levels of anaemia, with more than 50% of women affected. In India, the illness is thought to cause up to 40% of maternal deaths.

6 Jun 2012

A.M. Best upgrades FSR and ICR for ODSHP

A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to "bbb" from "bbb-" of ODS Health Plan, Inc. (ODSHP), a subsidiary of Oregon Dental Service.

5 Jun 2012

Religious practices more successful at promoting certainty about paternity

Religious practices that strongly control female sexuality are more successful at promoting certainty about paternity, according to a study published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

5 Jun 2012

New evidence to support a range of healthy behaviors

Five new studies provide evidence to support simple steps we can take to prevent illness and improve our overall health. In the June issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers report on fish consumption to reduce the risk of colon cancer; the effectiveness ofhypnotherapy and acupuncture for smoking cessation; regular teeth cleaning to improve cardiovascular health; the effectiveness of primary care physicians in weight loss programs; and the use of low-dose aspirin to reduce cancer risk.

5 Jun 2012

Illumina launches Nextera XT DNA Sample Preparation Kits

Illumina today introduced the Nextera XT DNA Sample Preparation Kit, the easiest way for researchers to prepare and sequence small genomes, PCR amplicons, and plasmids.

From Illumina, Inc. 1 Jun 2012

UCLA research projects aim to improve lives of children with serious illnesses

New hope for deadly pediatric brain tumors; opening the door to improved diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in children; and advanced genetic testing to better understand the causes of autism and cancer in kids. These research projects are currently underway at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA under the umbrella of the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute (CDI), and aim to dramatically improve the lives of children with serious illnesses.

31 May 2012

GE to provide attendees with overview of new oncology solutions at ASCO annual meeting

GE Healthcare, is working to help physicians potentially improve patient care throughout the breast cancer journey through one of the most comprehensive portfolios of technologies in the industry available today.

31 May 2012

Calcium supplements may raise heart attack risk

Increased dietary calcium intake has no overall cardiovascular benefits, and calcium supplements appear to raise the risk for myocardial infarction, warn investigators.

30 May 2012

Positive results from Acacia Phase II APD421 study in prevention of post-operative nausea & vomiting

Acacia Pharma announces positive results from its Phase II study of APD421, in the prevention of post-operative nausea & vomiting (PONV).

28 May 2012

Table-top solid-state laser system cuts brain tissue with unprecedented precision

Researchers from the Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI) were involved in the development of a table-top solid-state laser system that could cut brain tissue with unprecedented precision. The achievement is a result of an interdisciplinary EU project that involved partners from seven European countries.

25 May 2012

Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack

Calcium supplements might increase the risk of having a heart attack, and should be “taken with caution,” concludes research published in the online issue of the journal Heart.

24 May 2012

Nevro to initiate Senza HF-SCS System study for chronic pain

Nevro Corp., a medical device company focused on achieving improved pain relief for patients suffering from debilitating chronic pain, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for initiation of its SENZA-RCT study, a U.S. prospective, randomized, controlled pivotal clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Nevro's high-frequency spinal cord stimulation system for the treatment of chronic pain.

24 May 2012

Heart disease risk assessment tools often underestimate CVD danger faced by RA patients

Heart disease risk assessment tools commonly used by physicians often underestimate the cardiovascular disease danger faced by rheumatoid arthritis patients, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Inflammation plays a key role in putting those with rheumatoid arthritis in greater jeopardy for heart disease, yet many cardiovascular disease risk assessment methods do not factor it in, the researchers note.

22 May 2012

Data from Janssen’s SIMPONI Phase 3 study on ulcerative colitis

New study findings presented today show that subcutaneous induction regimens of the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy SIMPONI (golimumab) induced clinical response in a majority of patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who had previously failed or were intolerant to conventional agents.

22 May 2012

Review examines benefits and harms of LDCT screening for lung cancer

Peter B. Bach, M.D., of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the evidence regarding the benefits and harms of low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death. "Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, resulting in a very low 5-year survival rate," the authors write.

21 May 2012

Certain types of fat associated with worse memory and overall cognitive function

It has been known for years that eating too many foods containing "bad" fats, such as saturated fats or trans fats, isn't healthy for your heart. However, according to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), one "bad" fat-saturated fat-was found to be associated with worse overall cognitive function and memory in women over time. By contrast, a "good" fat-mono-unsaturated fat was associated with better overall cognitive function and memory.

19 May 2012