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Anticancer drug restores hearing in neurofibromatosis patients

In a small clinical study with an anticancer drug that halts blood vessel growth, a handful of people with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and hearing loss had restoration of hearing.

15 Mar 2016

Boston Scientific announces European launch of LithoVue Single-Use Digital Flexible Ureteroscope

Marlborough, Mass. Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the European launch of the LithoVue Single-Use Digital Flexible Ureteroscope for minimally invasive endoscopic procedures to diagnose and treat stones and other conditions of the kidney, ureter and bladder.

15 Mar 2016

Preoperative lapatinib plus trastuzumab elicits response in HER2-positive breast cancer

Addition of lapatinib to trastuzumab improves responses in women with newly diagnosed, HER2-positive breast cancer who receive the combination prior to undergoing surgery, suggests research.

14 Mar 2016

Newly developed biodegradable polymer grafts can help repair the spine

Remember those colorful "grow capsules" that blossom into animal-shaped sponges in water? Using a similar idea, scientists have developed biodegradable polymer grafts that, when surgically placed in damaged vertebrae, should grow to be just the right size and shape to fix the spinal column.

14 Mar 2016

Most patients prefer portable media devices to face-to-face consultation when discussing surgery

Often patients undergo procedures without real informed consent being achieved due to technical language, jargon and time pressure, with up to half of patients finding it difficult to understand what their doctor tells them. Now a group of Australian doctors has prepared patients for surgery using iPads, and found that patients' understanding was much better than after a face-to-face consultation.

14 Mar 2016

Use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite no survival benefit

The use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), the surgical removal of a breast unaffected by cancer as part of the course of treatment for breast cancer, has more than tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite evidence suggesting no survival benefit over breast conservation, according to a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital published in Annals of Surgery on March 11, 2016.

14 Mar 2016

Ultrasonic 'piezosurgery' equipment reduces pain, swelling in patients undergoing chin surgery

For patients undergoing plastic surgery of the chin (genioplasty), the use of ultrasonic "piezosurgery" equipment reduces trauma, pain, and swelling, compared to traditional surgical drills, reports a study in the The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

13 Mar 2016

Salvage radical prostatectomy can improve outcomes in prostate cancer patients

Approximately 14 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetimes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Radiation therapy traditionally has been a primary treatment for the cancer, but one-fourth of men have a recurrence of prostate cancer within five years after the therapy.

11 Mar 2016

Gallbladder removal surgeries now becomes safer with new imaging procedure

UCLA researchers have discovered an optimal way to image the bile ducts during gallbladder removal surgeries using a tested and safe dye and a real-time near-infrared florescence laparoscopic camera, a finding that will make the procedure much safer for the hundreds of thousands of people who undergo the procedure each year.

11 Mar 2016

Enhanced diet helps slow progression of hereditary deafness

An enhanced diet helped reduce hearing loss in mice with the genetic mutation most commonly responsible for childhood deafness, new research suggests.

11 Mar 2016

New drug combination treatment makes breast cancer tumours disappear in just 11 days

Approximately a quarter of women with HER2 positive breast cancer, who were treated with a combination of the targeted drugs lapatinib and trastuzumab before surgery and chemotherapy, saw their tumours shrink significantly or even disappear, according to results from a clinical trial.

11 Mar 2016

Patients with early-stage NSCLC and low SMARCA4 expression may benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy

The activity level of a particular gene in lung tumors might identify lung-cancer patients who will likely be helped by a particular chemotherapy regimen given to prevent recurrence after surgery.

11 Mar 2016

Transplantation of periorbital tissues may be feasible alternative to protect vision in facial transplant patients

Transplantation of the periorbital tissues--the area surrounding the eyes--is a "technically feasible" alternative to protect a functioning eye in some patients being considered for facial transplant, according to a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery--Global Open, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

11 Mar 2016

New procedure allows kidney transplants from incompatible donors

Researchers have found a way to stop patients rejecting kidneys that have come from incompatible donors, potentially slashing the waiting time for thousands of people in desperate need of the procedure.

10 Mar 2016

Popular kidney cancer drugs do not reduce incidence of recurrence

Two widely used targeted therapy drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer—sorafenib and sunitinib—are no more effective than a placebo in preventing return of the disease to increase life spans of patients suffering from advanced kidney cancer after surgery, according to a new multi-institutional study in the Lancet led by a researcher at the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Mar 2016

Pioneering progress on ADPKD: an interview with Tess Harris

ADPKD is a chronic, progressive and inherited kidney disease characterized by fluid-filled cysts that develop in the kidneys and other organs. It is the most common inherited kidney disease, and affects millions worldwide.

10 Mar 2016

VTT develops new technology that can be utilised in smart clothing

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed new technology that takes care of the thermal, moisture and flow-technical behaviour of smart clothing. The temperature of smart clothing, for example, is automatically adjusted according to the wearer's individual needs. The technology is also suited to demanding conditions such as hospitals and sports.

10 Mar 2016

Use of radiotherapy focused around tumour bed with IMRT benefits breast cancer patients

Radiotherapy to the whole breast is standard treatment after breast-conserving surgery for women with early breast cancer, even those who have a low risk of the disease returning in the breast (local relapse). However, whole breast radiotherapy can cause changes in the appearance of the breast, which may also be firmer and tender to the touch, resulting in psychological distress.

10 Mar 2016

New, regenerative medicine approach developed to remove congenital cataracts in infants

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute, with colleagues in China, have developed a new, regenerative medicine approach to remove congenital cataracts in infants, permitting remaining stem cells to regrow functional lenses.

10 Mar 2016

Research could pave way for new generation of anti-cancer drugs

New research has identified a first step in the design of a new generation of anti-cancer drugs that include an agent to inhibit resistance to their effectiveness.

9 Mar 2016

Surgery News and Research

Anticancer drug restores hearing in neurofibromatosis patients

Boston Scientific announces European launch of LithoVue Single-Use Digital Flexible Ureteroscope

Preoperative lapatinib plus trastuzumab elicits response in HER2-positive breast cancer

Newly developed biodegradable polymer grafts can help repair the spine

Most patients prefer portable media devices to face-to-face consultation when discussing surgery

Use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite no survival benefit

Ultrasonic 'piezosurgery' equipment reduces pain, swelling in patients undergoing chin surgery

Salvage radical prostatectomy can improve outcomes in prostate cancer patients

Gallbladder removal surgeries now becomes safer with new imaging procedure

Enhanced diet helps slow progression of hereditary deafness

New drug combination treatment makes breast cancer tumours disappear in just 11 days

Patients with early-stage NSCLC and low SMARCA4 expression may benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy

Transplantation of periorbital tissues may be feasible alternative to protect vision in facial transplant patients

New procedure allows kidney transplants from incompatible donors

Popular kidney cancer drugs do not reduce incidence of recurrence

Pioneering progress on ADPKD: an interview with Tess Harris

VTT develops new technology that can be utilised in smart clothing

Use of radiotherapy focused around tumour bed with IMRT benefits breast cancer patients

New, regenerative medicine approach developed to remove congenital cataracts in infants

Research could pave way for new generation of anti-cancer drugs

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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