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Gene therapy can reduce painful bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia B

Symptoms improved significantly in adults with the bleeding disorder hemophilia B following a single treatment with gene therapy developed by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and demonstrated to be safe in a clinical trial conducted at the University College London (UCL) in the U.K.

12 Dec 2011

PSA testing that combines blood test with other factors can help men avoid prostate biopsies

Prostate cancer screening that combines an adjusted blood test with other factors including the size of the gland, the patient's overall weight and family history, can help up to one-quarter of men avoid biopsies and the risks associated with them, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-led research team says.

12 Dec 2011

Most patients with AKI do not see kidney specialists within a year

Most patients with an abrupt kidney injury that does not get better do not see a kidney specialist within a year, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

12 Dec 2011

Terrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility: Study

Terrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility, according to a study that appears in the online open access journal, Journal of Pharmacy Practice, published by SAGE.

12 Dec 2011

FDA panel supports birth control Yaz but advises labeling changes

Medical experts at the panel of Food and Drug Administration have voted 15-11 that Bayer's Yaz, and Yasmin and similar medications used as birth control pills remain a beneficial option for women, despite an increasing number of studies suggesting the drugs are more likely to cause dangerous blood clots than older birth control pills.

11 Dec 2011

Breast cancer hope with new drug and new combination regimens

last week at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, researchers announced encouraging results from studies of two cancer medications that appeared to keep breast cancer from advancing.

11 Dec 2011

Researchers discover molecular marker for immediate precursors of blood stem cells

A research team led by Nancy Speck, PhD, professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has discovered a molecular marker for the immediate precursors of hematopoietic (blood) stem cells (HSCs) in the developing embryo, which provides much-needed insights for making these cells from engineered precursors.

9 Dec 2011

MCC invests $122M in Lesotho health system to address key challenges, including HIV, TB

"The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), through its partnership with the Millennium Challenge Account-Lesotho, is helping Lesotho address key challenges in its health sector through a $122 million investment in health infrastructure and health systems," IIP Digital reports.

9 Dec 2011

Panel recommends close monitoring and delay of treatment for localized, low-risk prostate cancer

An independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health has concluded that many men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer should be closely monitored, permitting treatment to be delayed until warranted by disease progression.

9 Dec 2011

FDA panel: Some birth control pills should carry stronger warning labels

An FDA panel decided Thursday that two popular birth control pills should come with stronger warning labels about the possibility of blood clots.

9 Dec 2011

Abbott commences Absorb-XIENCE PRIME comparative clinical trial

Abbott today announced the initiation of ABSORB II, the first randomized, controlled, multi-center clinical trial to evaluate the safety, efficacy and performance of the Absorb™ bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) compared to the company's XIENCE PRIME™ Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System.

9 Dec 2011

The contraceptive pill could reduce risk of ovarian and uterine cancer in nuns

Professor Roger Short, from the University of Melbourne, and Dr Kara Britt, from Monash University, argue in a comment piece in The Lancet, that since the contraceptive pill reduces overall mortality and mortality specifically linked to ovarian and uterine cancer, nuns should be given the pill for health, rather than contraceptive, reasons.

9 Dec 2011

Patients having stray tumor cells in the blood should receive aggressive treatment

The presence of circulating tumor cells in the blood appears to have no relationship to survival in women who have just been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, according to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center.

9 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 9, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include artilces about a new GOP tax plan that includes a Medicare pay fix for doctors and President Obama's support of a decision to keep the "Morning After Pill" from minors.

9 Dec 2011

VDF, CDC and VDC to educate women about gender-specific DVT risks

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in the deep veins in the legs. These clots can break loose and travel to the lungs, causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). Even when they don't, they can cause permanent damage to the leg veins that results in long-term pain, swelling, and disability of the leg.

9 Dec 2011

Study may help personalize pain medication management for sickle cell disease patients

A study that may help personalize pain medication management for sickle cell disease patients is underway at Georgia Health Sciences University.

9 Dec 2011

Supreme Court hears arguments related to patent dispute

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the question is whether patents can be applied to concepts drawn from nature and notes that the case could redefine ownership of technological or scientific innovations.

9 Dec 2011

MRI can predict breast cancer prognosis

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measures were associated with prognostic tumor markers, demonstrating the potential of magnetic resonance imaging for prediction of disease prognosis and stratification of patients to appropriate therapies, according to preliminary data presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 6-10, 2011.

9 Dec 2011

Researchers discover potential target for cherubism

Cancer researchers studying genetic mutations that cause leukemia have discovered a connection to the rare disease cherubism, an inherited facial bone disorder in children.

9 Dec 2011

MSU researcher uses MRI to unlock how cerebral malaria damages brain

Building on a quarter century of work in Malawi, a Michigan State University researcher is traveling to neighboring Zambia to perform MRI scans on children newly diagnosed with cerebral malaria in hopes of unlocking how it damages the brain.

9 Dec 2011