Efficacy News and Research

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Caution urged with add-on DPP-4 inhibitors

Physicians should be aware of the need to reduce the dose of sulphonylureas when adding dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor treatment in patients with Type 2 diabetes, say the authors of a meta-analysis.

5 May 2016

Researchers highlight how BSI infecting pathogens become more resilient

A recently published special issue of Virulence, "Bloodstream Infections", focuses on the resilience of bloodstream infections (BSI) and is endorsed by the European Study Group for Infections in Compromised Hosts of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

5 May 2016

Bayer-new phase 3 liver cancer data

Bayer has announced that a Phase III trial evaluating its oncology compound Stivarga® (regorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in overall survival. The study, called RESORCE, evaluated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in patients with HCC whose disease has progressed after treatment with sorafenib. The safety and tolerability were generally consistent with the known profile of regorafenib. Detailed efficacy and safety analyses from this study are expected to be presented at an upcoming scientific congress.

4 May 2016

Finding treatments for rare diseases: an interview with Dr Richard Thompson

It is estimated that around 400 rare diseases have licenced treatments, and a large proportion of these are a consequence of orphan drug legislation, which has helped to incentivise the production of drugs for small patient populations.

4 May 2016

Long-term use of herbal remedies may not guarantee safety

Millions of people around the world use herbal health remedies, following a tradition that began millennia ago. Many believe that herbs are safe because they have been used for many years, but researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Stony Brook University are raising awareness that long-term use of herbal remedies is no guarantee of their safety. The invited commentary appears in EMBO reports.

4 May 2016

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

In a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA, Pascal Hammel, M.D., of Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France and colleagues assessed whether chemoradiotherapy improves overall survival of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer controlled after 4 months of gemcitabine-based induction chemotherapy, and assessed the effect of erlotinib on survival. Gemcitabine and erlotinib are drugs used to treat cancer.

4 May 2016

Young breast cancer patients see body changes more positively after mastectomy treatment

BODY image identity varies among women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer with many rejecting mainstream body shape ideals, research shows.

4 May 2016

Xiao procedure lacks efficacy for bladder control in children

Researchers at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital report the results of a double-blinded randomized controlled trial of the "Xiao procedure" in children with spina bifida.

3 May 2016

Transplanted human islets provide excellent glycemic control for Type 1 diabetes patients with severe hypoglycemia

Northwestern Medicine researchers are co-investigators in a breakthrough clinical trial that found transplanted human islets prevent hypoglycemic events and provide excellent glycemic control for patients with Type 1 diabetes with severe hypoglycemia. The results of the multi-center, single arm, phase III study are published in Diabetes Care on Monday, April 18. The research was funded by National Institute of Health grants through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

3 May 2016

Study examines role of intraventricular transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell in stroke patients

Winner of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons International Travel Scholarship, Asra Al Fauzi, MD, IFAANS, presented his research, Intraventricular Transplantation of Autologous Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell in Hemorrhagic Stroke, during the 2016 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting.

3 May 2016

Radiation therapy better than chemotherapy for stage IIa testicular cancer patients

A large study of testicular cancer patients has shown that radiation therapy is a better treatment than chemotherapy for patients with stage IIa disease (where one or more regional lymph nodes contain cancer cells but they are less than 2cms in diameter).

2 May 2016

Novel gene therapy can treat pulmonary hypertension linked with heart failure

Scientists have used a novel gene therapy to halt the progression of pulmonary hypertension, a form of high blood pressure in the lung blood vessels that is linked to heart failure, according to a study led by Roger J. Hajjar, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

30 Apr 2016

Pioneering gene therapy may lead to potential cure for common causes of vision loss

Pioneering gene therapy has restored some vision to patients with a rare form of genetic blindness for as long as four years, raising hopes it could be used to cure common causes of vision loss, new University of Oxford research published today shows.

29 Apr 2016

Nicotine metabolism linked with chronic alcohol abuse may contribute to poor smoking cessation rates

For smokers who are addicted to alcohol, chronic alcohol abuse may increase the rate of nicotine metabolism and contribute to poor smoking cessation rates. When smokers stop drinking the nicotine metabolism rates decline significantly, according to a study conducted by an international research team led by Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The research was a collaboration of scientists from Roswell Park, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Medical University of Silesia and Center of Addiction Treatment in Poland.

29 Apr 2016

Janssen gets positive CHMP opinion for IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) to treat patients with previously untreated CLL

Janssen-Cilag International NV today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a Positive Opinion, recommending broadening the existing marketing authorisation for ibrutinib as a single agent for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

29 Apr 2016

Culturally sensitive lifestyle intervention promotes healthy-living behaviors among Latinas

A culturally sensitive lifestyle intervention showed promise at motivating Latinas living in the U.S. to eat better and exercise more by connecting healthy-living behaviors with the lives of saints and prominent religious figures, new studies found.

28 Apr 2016

Bonn researchers identify new technique to measure activity of brown fat cells

Brown fat cells can burn fat to generate heat. University of Bonn researchers have discovered a new method to measure the activity of brown fat cells in humans and mice. The researchers showed that microRNA-92a can be used as an indirect measure for the activity of energy consuming brown fat cells. They showed that a small blood sample was sufficient. Results were published in "Nature Communications," a well-known scientific journal.

27 Apr 2016

Clinical study to evaluate safety of investigational cell therapy to treat chronic motor deficits after stroke

University Hospitals Case Medical Center is the first surgical site for a Phase 2b clinical trial study to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of an investigational cell therapy for the treatment of chronic motor deficit following an ischemic stroke.

27 Apr 2016

Review focuses on autologous cell therapy that can be applied to cardiac surgery

The combination of cell and gene therapy is rapidly raising clinical interest, although their combination has been under investigation for several decades. This is mainly due to the availability and feasibility of clinically relevant gene delivery options. This review focuses on cell therapies for heart failure and their use combined with cardiac surgery as well as with gene therapy.

27 Apr 2016

HDM SLIT tablet can reduce risk of moderate or severe asthma exacerbation

The addition of a house dust mite (HDM) sublingual allergen immunotherapy (SLIT) tablet to maintenance medications improved time to first moderate or severe asthma exacerbation during a period of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) reduction among adults with HDM allergy-related asthma not well controlled by ICS, according to a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA.

27 Apr 2016

Efficacy News and Research

Caution urged with add-on DPP-4 inhibitors

Researchers highlight how BSI infecting pathogens become more resilient

Bayer-new phase 3 liver cancer data

Finding treatments for rare diseases: an interview with Dr Richard Thompson

Long-term use of herbal remedies may not guarantee safety

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

Young breast cancer patients see body changes more positively after mastectomy treatment

Xiao procedure lacks efficacy for bladder control in children

Transplanted human islets provide excellent glycemic control for Type 1 diabetes patients with severe hypoglycemia

Study examines role of intraventricular transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell in stroke patients

Radiation therapy better than chemotherapy for stage IIa testicular cancer patients

Novel gene therapy can treat pulmonary hypertension linked with heart failure

Pioneering gene therapy may lead to potential cure for common causes of vision loss

Nicotine metabolism linked with chronic alcohol abuse may contribute to poor smoking cessation rates

Janssen gets positive CHMP opinion for IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) to treat patients with previously untreated CLL

Culturally sensitive lifestyle intervention promotes healthy-living behaviors among Latinas

Bonn researchers identify new technique to measure activity of brown fat cells

Clinical study to evaluate safety of investigational cell therapy to treat chronic motor deficits after stroke

Review focuses on autologous cell therapy that can be applied to cardiac surgery

HDM SLIT tablet can reduce risk of moderate or severe asthma exacerbation

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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