Swallowing News and Research

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New Mayo Clinic social network connects global community of esophageal cancer patients

In 2008, physicians at Mayo Clinic Florida led by Herbert Wolfsen, M.D., were looking for new ways to keep in touch with the large group of esophageal cancer patients cared for by him and other gastroenterologists and surgeons. Telephone calls, faxes and email had worked to create a network of patients but many now wanted interactive and remote access capability to share their experiences and challenges with this serious disease.

1 Nov 2011

New computer-based tool enables early diagnosis of cancer

A computer-based tool could help GPs to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from two of the most common forms of cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives every year.

31 Oct 2011

Reversing low VEGF levels may potentially treat patients with SCA1

A groundbreaking study in the journal Nature Medicine suggests what could become the first effective treatment for a debilitating and fatal disease of the central nervous system called SCA1.

18 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: The value of testing for prostate cancer; rewards for transplant donors; Calif.'s medical marijuana problem

For men older than 50, a simple blood test to screen for prostate cancer is as much a part of annual physicals as weigh-ins and stethoscopes. The PSA test is painless, inexpensive and the only way to detect the disease - the most common male cancer - before symptoms turn up.

12 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 11, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about how Mitt Romney taking heat from the other GOP hopefuls, with some of the fire focusing on his Massachusetts health overhaul.

11 Oct 2011

UNC professor to co-direct Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network projects

A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher is one of five co-principal investigators in a new collaborative network created to study genetic determinants of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

10 Oct 2011

Phagenesis closes Series B funding

Phagenesis Ltd, the global leader in the treatment of dysphagia (inability to swallow safely) today announced that it has closed a €7 million Series B funding round designed to accelerate the company's development plans.

4 Oct 2011

Researchers identify unusual genomic architecture linked with very severe forms of disease

When cells divide normally, DNA gets copied perfectly and distributed among the daughter cells with an even hand. Occasionally though, DNA breaks during division and is rearranged, resulting in duplications or deletions of important parts of the blueprint.

3 Oct 2011

Hospital readmission rates reflect problem in addressing hospital failures

If you're a Medicare patient admitted to the hospital, the odds are about one in six that you'll end up back in the hospital within a month. And there was very little progress made in reducing that rate between 2004-09.

30 Sep 2011

Johns Hopkins researchers discover oxaliplatin-based nerve damage

Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug that's made enormous headway in recent years against colorectal cancer, appears to cause nerve damage that may be permanent and worsens even months after treatment ends.

29 Sep 2011

Collegium completes Type A meeting with FDA for COL-003 Phase III chronic low back pain study

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that it has successfully completed a Type A meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the proposed Phase III clinical study for COL-003, the Company's tamper-resistant, extended release oxycodone product utilizing its proprietary DETERx technology.

27 Sep 2011

SK Biopharmaceuticals, Mayo Clinic collaborate to develop new treatments for ALS

Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida has entered into a collaborative and sponsored research agreement with SK Biopharmaceuticals of Seoul, South Korea, with the goal of developing new treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. The collaboration marks a new approach to combating a disease that has proved difficult to treat in recent clinical trials.

20 Sep 2011

Curcumin suppresses cell signaling pathway that drives growth of head and neck cancer

Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric, suppresses a cell signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer, according to a pilot study using human saliva by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

14 Sep 2011

University of Adelaide research focuses on techniques to treat swallowing disorders

A simple function that most of us take for granted - swallowing - is the focus of University of Adelaide research which could help thousands of stroke sufferers around the world.

12 Sep 2011

GE Healthcare granted exclusive distribution rights to KC BioMedix NTrainer neurostimulation system

GE Healthcare, Inc. and KC BioMedix, Inc. today announced an agreement that grants GE Healthcare's Maternal Infant Care division exclusive rights for distribution and marketing of the KC BioMedix NTrainer pulsatile neurostimulation system.

8 Sep 2011

Study on effects of adult stem cell treatments in patients with Hereditary Ataxia

The Journal of Translational Medicine reports on a new study in which 30 patients with Hereditary Ataxia showed statistically significant improvements in functionality and quality of life after being treated with a combination of cord blood-derived stem cell treatments and physical therapy.

7 Sep 2011

AAO-HNSF's 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO to convene in San Francisco

The 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), the largest meeting of ear, nose, and throat doctors in the world, will convene September 11-14, 2011, in San Francisco, CA.

29 Aug 2011

PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy holds promise for patients with esophageal achalasia

Jorge Sobenes is a husband and father who loves to cook for his family. In a nine month period however, he went from enjoying his favorite foods to not being able to eat or drink due to a tightening in his throat and difficulty swallowing. He lost 40 pounds and was desperate for answers. Sobenes was diagnosed with achalasia, a condition where the esophagus is unable to move food into the stomach, and was told he would need surgery. Historically, the procedure requires several incisions in the abdomen in order to access the blocked esophageal pathway.

24 Aug 2011

IMRT produces high response rate in patients with extranodal lymphoma of head and neck: Research

Lymphoma is a cancer that affects organs of the immune system, including the lymph nodes. In a subtype of the disease called extranodal lymphoma, tumors arise in non-lymphoid organs, such as the tongue and tonsils.

16 Aug 2011

Zinc lozenges might reduce duration of common cold episodes by 40%

Depending on the total dosage of zinc and the composition of lozenges, zinc lozenges may shorten the duration of common cold episodes by up to 40%, says Dr. Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki.