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Philanthropic organizations fund for cancer research studies

Eight philanthropic organizations and families in the Charlotte region have joined forces to create the "Carolinas Kids Cancer Research Coalition," which is providing funding for the introduction of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials by the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Center at Levine Children's Hospital (LCH).

25 Feb 2010

Focal therapy for localized prostate cancer: US HIFU announces intention to fund multi-center trial

US HIFU, a world leader in minimally invasive high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technologies and manufacturer of the Sonablate® 500 medical device, has announced its intention to fund a landmark multi-center trial to study focal therapy for localized prostate cancer. Mark Emberton, M.D., (FRCS-Urology), consultant urological surgeon and divisional clinical director of cancer services at University College London Hospital (UCLH), along with Hashim Uddin Ahmed, MRC clinical research fellow, will lead the trial.

25 Feb 2010

AAJ says healthcare reform should improve safety, not restrict rights of patients

As President Obama and Congressional leaders prepare for tomorrow's health care summit, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) is today reminding lawmakers to remember the 98,000 patients killed every year by preventable medical errors and how restricting their legal rights will not fix America's broken health care system.

25 Feb 2010

Increase in anti-Apo A-I, anti-HDL and anti-CRP may lead to atherosclerosis in SLE patients

A study by researchers in Australia and the United Kingdom suggests that autoantibodies to fat binding proteins significantly increase in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active disease. This increase in anti-apolipoprotein (anti-Apo A-I), anti-high-density lipoprotein (anti-HDL), and anti-C-reactive protein (anti-CRP) may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in SLE patients, placing them at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

25 Feb 2010

BioMarin Pharmaceutical reports GAAP net income of $4.7M for fourth-quarter 2009

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. GAAP net income was $4.7 million ($0.05 per diluted share) for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to GAAP net income of $24.5 million ($0.21 per diluted share) for the fourth quarter of 2008, which included a $30.0 million payment from Merck Serono related to the approval of Kuvan in the EU.

24 Feb 2010

Guardian offers six questions to help employees and their families avoid critical illness

If you want to protect your finances from the costs of heart disease, and keep your heart healthy, the experts at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, a leading provider of employee benefits, have compiled important questions that you should ask yourself before American Heart Month ends.

24 Feb 2010

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

The data are inconclusive on heart risks from a class of blood sugar-lowering drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs) such as pioglitazone (Actos) or rosiglitazone (Avandia), but the medications should be used with close monitoring from healthcare providers according to a joint science advisory from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

24 Feb 2010

New genetic data may help predict risk for end-stage kidney disease

Israeli and American researchers have identified new genetic data that could be used in the future to predict who will develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). ESKD requires dialysis or transplantation to sustain life, and is fatal in most regions of the world, where these treatments are not available.

24 Feb 2010

A1C lab test can help in combating diabetes

Approximately 57 million Americans are on the brink of diabetes. Yet research tells us that there is much we can do to keep it from progressing to full-blown diabetes. Lab tests can help us get a grip on the disease, says the American Clinical Laboratory Association President Alan Mertz.

24 Feb 2010

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Today, two of the nation's leading health and fiscal policy experts discussed how to reign in rising health care costs in Medicare in light of a new Health Affairs study that shows rising Medicare costs in the nation's health care system are linked to the growth in several common costly chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and kidney disease.

24 Feb 2010

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy linked to increased risk of gestational diabetes

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, may increase their risk of developing diabetes later in their pregnancy, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research that appears online in the current issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

23 Feb 2010

Melamine-contaminated dairy products leave 12% children with kidney abnormalities

While the majority of children who were affected by consuming toxic melamine-contaminated products in China recovered, kidney abnormalities remained in 12% of the affected children.

23 Feb 2010

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends that the drug quinine, although effective, should be avoided for treatment of routine muscle cramps due to uncommon but serious side effects.

23 Feb 2010

Robot-assisted surgery advantageous over laparoscopic surgery for uretero-pelvic junction obstruction

A comparison of two types of minimally invasive surgery to repair kidney blockages that prevent urine from draining normally to the bladder found that robot-assisted surgery was faster and resulted in less blood loss and shorter hospital stays.

22 Feb 2010

Two genetic alterations linked to benign enzyme condition keep hepatitis C patients anemia-free

Many people who undergo treatment for hepatitis C develop hemolytic anemia, a disorder that destroys red blood cells. In some cases, it is so severe they have to reduce their medication or stop therapy altogether. But now, scientists in Duke University's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have discovered two genetic alterations linked to a benign enzyme condition that keep some patients anemia-free.

21 Feb 2010

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Health Affairs: Chronic Conditions Account For Rise In Medicare Spending From 1987 To 2006 - "Medicare beneficiaries' medical needs, and where beneficiaries undergo treatment, have changed dramatically over the past two decades." For example, the authors write, "heart disease ranked first among the top-ten conditions in terms of attributable share of growth from 1987 to 1997, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the increase in Medicare spending."

20 Feb 2010

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

Georgia’s kidney care community today praised the Georgia State Senate for unanimously passing important legislation (S.B. 316) to secure access to needed health insurance for approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure. The bill, which was originally introduced by Senators Don Thomas (R-Dalton) and Ed Harbison (D-Columbus), has received support from across the patient advocacy community and legislators alike.

20 Feb 2010

FDA approves 53 new cancer indications between July 2005 and end of 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Oncology Drug Products approved more than 50 new indications for the use of oncology and hematology drugs and biologics between July 2005, when the office began reviewing marketing applications, and the end of 2007, according to a new agency study.

19 Feb 2010

Medical experts craft much-needed classification system for diabetic nephropathy

An international group of medical experts has crafted a much-needed classification system for diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of total kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The effort should improve communication among health professionals, help researchers design better clinical studies, and guide patient care.

19 Feb 2010

VARI researchers find ways to reverse resistance to sunitinib: Patients with ccRCC show positive response

Van Andel Research Institute researchers have found a way to reverse resistance to sunitinib, a treatment that is currently the first line of defense against clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a deadly form of kidney cancer. Most patients who show a positive response to sunitinib develop a resistance to the drug after one year of treatment.

19 Feb 2010

Kidney News and Research

Philanthropic organizations fund for cancer research studies

Focal therapy for localized prostate cancer: US HIFU announces intention to fund multi-center trial

AAJ says healthcare reform should improve safety, not restrict rights of patients

Increase in anti-Apo A-I, anti-HDL and anti-CRP may lead to atherosclerosis in SLE patients

BioMarin Pharmaceutical reports GAAP net income of $4.7M for fourth-quarter 2009

Guardian offers six questions to help employees and their families avoid critical illness

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

New genetic data may help predict risk for end-stage kidney disease

A1C lab test can help in combating diabetes

Rising Medicare costs linked to the growth in common costly chronic conditions: Study

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy linked to increased risk of gestational diabetes

Melamine-contaminated dairy products leave 12% children with kidney abnormalities

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

Robot-assisted surgery advantageous over laparoscopic surgery for uretero-pelvic junction obstruction

Two genetic alterations linked to benign enzyme condition keep hepatitis C patients anemia-free

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

FDA approves 53 new cancer indications between July 2005 and end of 2007

Medical experts craft much-needed classification system for diabetic nephropathy

VARI researchers find ways to reverse resistance to sunitinib: Patients with ccRCC show positive response

Event guide: 8th CKD Summit 2026 eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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