Epidemiology News and Research

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FDA approves BOTOX as prophylactic treatment for Chronic Migraine

Allergan, Inc. today announced the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BOTOX(onabotulinumtoxinA) for the prophylactic (preventive) treatment of headaches in adults with Chronic Migraine.

18 Oct 2010

Heavy drinking during pregnancy associated with serious developmental defects in fetus

Scientific data continue to indicate that higher intake of alcohol during pregnancy adversely affects the fetus, and could lead to very severe developmental or other problems in the child. However, most recent publications show little or no effects of occasional or light drinking by the mother during pregnancy.

15 Oct 2010

OTIS urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against influenza

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego with affiliates across North America, urges pregnant women to receive the influenza vaccine as soon as possible. The recommendation comes shortly after the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Obstetric Practice issued new guidelines regarding the influenza vaccine during pregnancy.

15 Oct 2010

AstraZeneca launches new campaign on depression through Facebook and Twitter

AstraZeneca is launching a new campaign called "Take on Depression" through a "Take on Depression" Facebook page and a @FaceDepression Twitter feed to support, educate, and inspire those affected by bipolar depression and major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as depression.

15 Oct 2010

Scientists to monitor effectiveness of Streptococcus vaccine

Respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases kill approximately four million children each year, with most deaths occurring in developing countries. New vaccines for Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium that causes pneumonia, and rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrhoea, have proved successful in preventing the development of the diseases in clinical trials, but have yet to be used routinely in many parts of Africa.

15 Oct 2010

Web-based questionnaire option increases survey response: Report

Investigators from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have reported that the use of a web-based questionnaire can be a cost-effective tool for obtaining survey response.

14 Oct 2010

LFA announces award of new grants for lupus research

The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) today announced the awarding of six new research grants to address gaps in the science and understanding of key areas of lupus research, including pediatric lupus, reproductive health issues in people with lupus, lupus nephritis (kidney involvement), and neuropsychiatric lupus, which affects the brain and nervous system.

14 Oct 2010

Drugs that restore mitochondria function may treat Alzheimer's disease at early stages: Research

Before Alzheimer's patients experience memory loss, the brain's neurons have already suffered harm for years. A new study in mouse models by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center has found that the brain's mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, are one of the earliest casualties of the disease. The study, which appeared in the online Early Edition of PNAS, also found that impaired mitochondria then injure the neurons' synapses, which are necessary for normal brain function.

14 Oct 2010

Four British Columbia students awarded 2010 UCBeyond Scholarship

For four students from British Columbia, their stories of perseverance in pursuing their hopes and dreams despite their illnesses is why they have been awarded $5,000 CAN each as the 2010 recipients of the UCBeyond Scholarship.

13 Oct 2010

Hospitalizations and associated costs with peripheral artery disease increase as condition progresses

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive and costly disease, but remains under-diagnosed and under treated. While current PAD treatments are effective at clearing artery blockages in the lower leg, high recurrence rates and the subsequent need for repeat procedures are costly. Even after initial procedures to clear blockages in leg arteries, hospitalizations and associated costs in patients with peripheral artery disease increase as the condition progresses, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

13 Oct 2010

Patients with advanced cancer undergo common non-beneficial cancer screening tests

A sizeable proportion of patients with advanced cancer and a life expectancy of only a few years continue to undergo common cancer screening tests that are unlikely to provide meaningful benefit, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA.

13 Oct 2010

New evidence supports possible link between XMRV and prostate cancer

Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) has been the subject of many studies since its discovery in 2006, but conflicting reports have created an unclear picture of XMRV's role in human disease. In three recent studies published in the November 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online, the evidence supports a possible link between XMRV and prostate cancer but not other links involving chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV infection, or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

13 Oct 2010

Metabolic screening before conception predicts development of diabetes in subsequent pregnancy

Cardio-metabolic risk factors such as high blood sugar and insulin, and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol that are present before pregnancy, predict whether a woman will develop diabetes during a future pregnancy, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the current issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

13 Oct 2010

Vegetable consumption decreases risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer in African-American women

Investigators from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have reported that African American women who consume more vegetables are less likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than women with low vegetable intake. The study results, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, were based on data from the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS), a large follow-up study of 59,000 African American women from across the U.S. conducted by investigators at the Slone Epidemiology Center since 1995.

13 Oct 2010

Woman’s socioeconomic status impacts clinicians' decisions for contraception: Study

A woman's race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status impact whether health care providers recommend one of the most highly effective forms of contraception, a UCSF study confirms. The results also indicate that the interaction of both factors plays a role in clinicians' decisions.

12 Oct 2010

Global study finds new set of genes associated with body fat distribution and obesity

Two major international studies looking at data from a quarter of a million people around the globe have found a new set of genes associated with body fat distribution and obesity. Researchers at 280 institutions worldwide, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, conducted the studies. The research, published in the October 10 online edition of Nature Genetics, sheds light on the biological processes involved in body fat distribution, possibly leading to new ways of treating obesity.

12 Oct 2010

Abbott agrees to voluntarily withdraw obesity drug Meridia from U.S. market

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to voluntarily withdraw its obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) from the U.S. market because of clinical trial data indicating an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today.

12 Oct 2010

Challenges in provision of high-quality health care at end of life

Health care in the last six months of life has become progressively more expensive for patients with heart failure both among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States and older adults in Canada, with a high rate of hospitalizations in the final six months of life in both countries, according to two reports posted online today that will be published in the February 14 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12 Oct 2010

Helmets to prevent rising off-road bike crashes

According to a new study Australia's off-road motorbike riders need to wear helmets more often. Research has shown that off-road crashes resulting in death or serious injury was the only rising category among Victoria's motorcycle community from 2001 to 2008. The results showed that the death toll from all motorcycle crashes plateaued over the period and this masked an almost doubling of the death and injuries which occurred off-road.

12 Oct 2010

Afinitor-Sandostatin LAR Depot combination extends median PFS in patients with advanced carcinoid tumors

A Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Phase III study of Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets in combination with Sandostatin® LAR Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension) extended median progression-free survival (PFS), or time without tumor growth, in patients with advanced carcinoid tumors compared to taking octreotide LAR alone.

11 Oct 2010

Epidemiology News and Research

FDA approves BOTOX as prophylactic treatment for Chronic Migraine

Heavy drinking during pregnancy associated with serious developmental defects in fetus

OTIS urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against influenza

AstraZeneca launches new campaign on depression through Facebook and Twitter

Scientists to monitor effectiveness of Streptococcus vaccine

Web-based questionnaire option increases survey response: Report

LFA announces award of new grants for lupus research

Drugs that restore mitochondria function may treat Alzheimer's disease at early stages: Research

Four British Columbia students awarded 2010 UCBeyond Scholarship

Hospitalizations and associated costs with peripheral artery disease increase as condition progresses

Patients with advanced cancer undergo common non-beneficial cancer screening tests

New evidence supports possible link between XMRV and prostate cancer

Metabolic screening before conception predicts development of diabetes in subsequent pregnancy

Vegetable consumption decreases risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer in African-American women

Woman’s socioeconomic status impacts clinicians' decisions for contraception: Study

Global study finds new set of genes associated with body fat distribution and obesity

Abbott agrees to voluntarily withdraw obesity drug Meridia from U.S. market

Challenges in provision of high-quality health care at end of life

Helmets to prevent rising off-road bike crashes

Afinitor-Sandostatin LAR Depot combination extends median PFS in patients with advanced carcinoid tumors

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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