Drug Trial News

RSS

Older adults with insomnia report falling asleep faster with Ramelteon

Results from a Phase 3 clinical study presented at the 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society showed that bedtime administration of ramelteon, an investigational compound currently under review for the treatment of insomnia, significantly reduced time to fall asleep in older adults with chronic insomnia. Additionally, no rebound insomnia or withdrawal effects were observed.

18 May 2005

Hydroxycitric acid slows glucose uptake, cuts insulin peaks

In this obesity-obsessed world, the dream ingredient must be something that tastes good enough to be a condiment or flavoring and yet somehow helps us keep our weight down. Consider hydroxycitric acid (HCA), known variously as Brindle berry or Malabar tamarind, which is used in Indian and Thai food as a condiment and flavoring agent.

18 May 2005

Concurrent radiation, chemo, followed by surgery lengthens lung cancer patients' survival

Patients whose lung cancer has spread to the lymph nodes have a better chance of long-term survival if they receive combined modality therapy, such as concurrent radiation and chemotherapy followed by surgery, according to a study that Loyola University Health System’s Dr. Kathy S. Albain presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

18 May 2005

Antiretroviral therapy may prevent excess risk of some cancers in people with HIV

In people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) may prevent most excess cases of Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a new study in the March 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

18 May 2005

Cardiovascular risk factors among homeless people are under-treated in Canada

The study, the first comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in a representative sample of homeless adults, also found that cardiovascular risks among the homeless may be underestimated due to commonly used risk assessment tools that do not account for cocaine use and the level of smoking exposure.

18 May 2005

Scientists confirm rarefied air poses in-flight problem

More than half of all air passengers experience significant blood oxygen decreases at high altitudes, UK researchers report in the scientific journal Anaesthesia. We take a look at the findings and EU research in the aeronautics field.

18 May 2005

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

The study, conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and 118 other sites, was focused on bringing down systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, which is the more difficult number to bring down.

18 May 2005

Grapes may protect against the loss of bladder function associated with an enlarged prostate

A new study that appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Phytotherapy Research shows that grapes may protect against the loss of bladder function associated with an enlarged prostate. The antioxidant properties of grapes appear to be responsible for this protective effect.

18 May 2005

Telemonitoring or telephone calls prevent heart failure deaths

Monitoring heart failure patients with either high-tech home monitors or through regular telephone contacts with nurses improves the odds they will survive during the months after a serious hospitalization, according to a new study in the May 17, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

18 May 2005

Routine, inexpensive blood test sharpens heart disease risk predictions

Routine measurements of white blood cell counts that provide a ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes may offer a simple and low-cost way to refine predictions of heart attack or death, according to a new study in the May 17, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

18 May 2005

A drug that controls blood pressure and reduces heart risk also appears to protect against diabetes

In new results from the VALUE trial that pitted the drug valsartan against another blood pressure drug, amlodipine, the patients taking valsartan were found to have a 23 percent lower risk of developing diabetes during the four or more years of the study.

18 May 2005

Tobacco brands still appearing in PG-13 rated movies

Seven years after tobacco companies signed the Master Settlement Agreement prohibiting them from paying for tobacco brand appearances in movies, the number of tobacco brand appearances in PG-13 rated movies has not experienced a statistically significant decrease, according to a study by Dartmouth Medical School researchers.

18 May 2005

Prenatal environmental factors and parental mental health may be associated with a risk of autism

“This is the largest case-control study ever conducted, and the first to suggest that family history of schizophrenia raises risk for autism, independently of obstetric factors,” said William W. Eaton, PhD, study co-author and professor and chair of the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health.

18 May 2005

The way obese women feed and interact with their children early in infancy might lay the foundations for obesity later in childhood

A small pilot study published this month in the open access Nutrition Journal found that obese women fed their children more energy- rich food, and spent less time feeding and interacting with them than normal weight women.

18 May 2005

Don’t skip chest CT in the ER just because X-ray checks out okay, warns study

Chest X-rays may miss 40% of clinically significant thoracic injuries in multiple trauma patients that can be caught by chest CT, say researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

18 May 2005

Yoga is associated with fewer symptoms of eating disorders

A study published in the latest issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly reports that mind-body exercise, such as yoga, is associated with greater body satisfaction and fewer symptoms of eating disorders than traditional aerobic exercise like jogging or using cardio machines.

17 May 2005

Zevalin safe and effective for non-Hogdkin's lymphoma patients

According to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) study, patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) previously treated with chemotherapy and adult stem cell transplantation can safely tolerate Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan), a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody that targets radiation directly to a tumor.

17 May 2005

Breast cancer chemotherapy regimen associated with life-threatening complications

The chemotherapy regimen of doxorubicin plus docetaxel, used to treat breast cancer in a clinical trial, was associated with an increased risk of serious complications, resulting in the premature termination of the trial, according to a study in the May 18 issue of JAMA.

17 May 2005

Patients who have a blood clot are at high risk of having another one, and men have more than twice the risk as women

While estimates of the overall risk of a thrombotic (blood clot) event recurrence vary, reports on contributing factors are contradictory, according to background information in the article. Knowledge of the risk of a thrombotic event recurrence and its determinants is relevant for clinical policy regarding screening for thrombophilia (increased risk for blood clot), duration of anticoagulant treatment, and treatment strategies in circumstances of increased risk.

17 May 2005

Tumor vasculature has become an attractive target in the treatment of cancer.

Treatment with a protein fused to an antibody in tumor-bearing mice led to coagulation of the blood within the tumor blood vessels, tumor tissue death, and tumor growth delay, according to a new study in the May 18 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 May 2005

Drug Trial News

Older adults with insomnia report falling asleep faster with Ramelteon

Hydroxycitric acid slows glucose uptake, cuts insulin peaks

Concurrent radiation, chemo, followed by surgery lengthens lung cancer patients' survival

Antiretroviral therapy may prevent excess risk of some cancers in people with HIV

Cardiovascular risk factors among homeless people are under-treated in Canada

Scientists confirm rarefied air poses in-flight problem

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

Grapes may protect against the loss of bladder function associated with an enlarged prostate

Telemonitoring or telephone calls prevent heart failure deaths

Routine, inexpensive blood test sharpens heart disease risk predictions

A drug that controls blood pressure and reduces heart risk also appears to protect against diabetes

Tobacco brands still appearing in PG-13 rated movies

Prenatal environmental factors and parental mental health may be associated with a risk of autism

The way obese women feed and interact with their children early in infancy might lay the foundations for obesity later in childhood

Don’t skip chest CT in the ER just because X-ray checks out okay, warns study

Yoga is associated with fewer symptoms of eating disorders

Zevalin safe and effective for non-Hogdkin's lymphoma patients

Breast cancer chemotherapy regimen associated with life-threatening complications

Patients who have a blood clot are at high risk of having another one, and men have more than twice the risk as women

Tumor vasculature has become an attractive target in the treatment of cancer.

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

Latest News