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MRI scans determine whether chemotherapy is working long before tumors shrink

Studies on some 55 U.S. men and women with potentially deadly liver or pancreatic cancers show that specialized MRI scans can tell within a month whether highly toxic chemotherapy is working and killing tumor cells long before tumors actually shrink – or fail to shrink.

26 Jun 2012

World-renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon performs 10,000th milestone operation

Edward L. Bove didn't know he was hitting a major milestone this spring, but the world-renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon performed his 10,000th surgery on March 27 at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

26 Jun 2012

Most adolescents undergoing evaluation for bariatric surgery are deficient in vitamin D

Most adolescents preparing for weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery are deficient in vitamin D, a new study demonstrates. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Clinical trial to examine functional benefits of combined therapy against stroke

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are leading an international clinical trial to examine the functional benefits of a combined therapy to treat acute ischemic stroke, a type of stroke where a blood clot becomes lodged in an artery within the brain, reducing blood flow and depriving brain cells of oxygen. Eighty-seven percent of strokes are ischemic.

26 Jun 2012

Targeted delivery of therapeutic gene can effectively treat Pompe disease

Gene therapy to replace the protein missing in Pompe disease can be effective if the patient's immune system does not react against the therapy. Targeted delivery of the gene to the liver, instead of throughout the body,suppresses the immune response, improving the therapeutic effect, according to an article published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

26 Jun 2012

Glaukos receives FDA approval for iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent System

Today, the iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent System, Model GTS100R/L, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is the first device approved for use in combination with cataract surgery to reduce pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure) in adult patients with mild or moderate open-angle glaucoma and a cataract who are currently being treated with medication to reduce intraocular pressure.

26 Jun 2012

LLUMC suggests check list with six key attributes for successful proton therapy treatment

When a newly diagnosed cancer patient is considering treatment options, proton therapy might not be the first course that comes to mind. Yet over the past two decades proton therapy has continued to evolve as a viable alternative to chemotherapy and a less-invasive procedure than radiation or surgery, so much so that proton therapy is now considered the preferred course of treatment for many doctors and patients in the fight against cancer.

26 Jun 2012

Amgen launches Chemotherapy: Myths or Facts campaign for cancer patients

Amgen today launched Chemotherapy: Myths or Facts, an awareness campaign for cancer patients and their caregivers featuring Emmy-nominated actress and breast cancer survivor Maura Tierney.

26 Jun 2012

Type 2 diabetes often reverses after modified weight loss surgery

Type 2 diabetes often reverses after modified weight loss surgery, especially when the duration of diabetes is less than 10 years, a new study finds. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Clinical study to examine retrograde tibiopedal interventional approach for CLI

Clinical investigators are for the first time examining the retrograde tibiopedal interventional approach, an endovascular technique that has the potential to reduce the rate of leg amputations by as much as 50 percent in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), a manifestation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

26 Jun 2012

Enrollment commences in Stealth Peptides' Bendavia Phase II clinical study for acute STEMI

Stealth Peptides Incorporated, a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for cardiovascular disease and its complications, announced today that the first patient was enrolled in its multinational Phase II clinical study with Bendavia focused on ischemia reperfusion and microvascular injuries for patients experiencing acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

25 Jun 2012

New test can identify low-risk thyroid nodules and reduce unnecessary surgeries

A new test can be used to identify low-risk thyroid nodules, reducing unnecessary surgeries for people with thyroid nodules that have indeterminate results after biopsy. The results of the multi-center trial, which includes researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, appear online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Jun 2012

Afirma gene expression test can reduce unnecessary thyroid cancer surgeries

Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company that is pioneering the emerging field of molecular cytology, today announced results from a large, prospective, multicenter study, which demonstrated the potential for the Afirma® Gene Expression Classifier, a gene expression test, to reduce the large number of unnecessary surgeries in thyroid cancer diagnosis by more than half.

25 Jun 2012

Early gastric bypass surgery improves durability of remission of Type 2 diabetes

A new study shows that although gastric bypass surgery reverses Type 2 diabetes in a large percentage of obese patients, the disease recurs in about 21 percent of them within three to five years. The study results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Mount Sinai offers transoral robotic surgery for sleep apnea treatment

The Center for Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center—a pioneer in robotic surgery—now offers the procedure to patients with sleep apnea, whose obstructive breathing prevents them from sleeping normally. Mount Sinai is one of only a few programs in the world to use transoral robotic surgery (TORS) to remove excess tissue or fix a collapsed airway that causes sleep apnea.

25 Jun 2012

NIH awards Sirnaomics SBIR grant for developing STP705 siRNA wound healing product

Sirnaomics, Inc. announced today that the company has been awarded another NIH SBIR grant for developing its small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic product STP705 to improve skin wound healing with minimized scar formation.

25 Jun 2012

Cell-free, biodegradable artery graft improves coronary artery bypass surgeries

With the University of Pittsburgh's development of a cell-free, biodegradable artery graft comes a potentially transformative change in coronary artery bypass surgeries: Within 90 days after surgery, the patient will have a regenerated artery with no trace of synthetic graft materials left in the body.

25 Jun 2012

GI Dynamics announces clinical data about EndoBarrier Therapy at ASMBS meeting

GI Dynamics, Inc. announced today that clinical data about EndoBarrier Therapy, a breakthrough treatment for type 2 diabetes and/or obesity, was presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) in San Diego.

23 Jun 2012

GMCSF linked with rapid cognitive recovery in patients with cancer

Growth factors shown to cure Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model and administered to cancer patients as part of their treatment regimen were linked to significant improvements in the patients' cognitive function following stem cell transplantation, a preliminary clinical study reports.

23 Jun 2012

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can increase risk of alcohol-use disorders

An addiction to food may be replaced by an addiction to alcohol in certain bariatrics patients. According to a new study in the Journal of American Medical Association, having Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, where the size of the stomach and the intestine are decreased to reduce food consumption, can increase the risk of alcohol-use disorders.

23 Jun 2012