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Soon therapies may be guided by genetic blueprints

In a futuristic bid the doctors have drawn up plans to sequence the full genetic code of thousands of people in a landmark project to personalize their medical care. Each person will have all 6 billion letters of their genome read, stored and linked to their medical records to help doctors prescribe more effective drugs and other therapies.

1 Jan 2012

Additional financing to fund Advaxis' cervical cancer trials

Advaxis, Inc.,, a leader in developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, has entered into a definitive Convertible Notes Purchase Agreement (Agreement) with certain accredited investors, for the purchase of the aggregate principal value of approximately $1.2 million of Convertible Promissory Notes (Notes) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.0 million.

31 Dec 2011

Poly Implant Prothèse misleads TÜV Rheinland over silicone-filled breast implants

TÜV Rheinland has in February initiated proceedings against Poly Implant Prothèse with the French prosecution service in Marseille. PIP continued to mislead TÜV Rheinland as the experts were shown the conforming silicone and the correct documents during the inspections that were regularly performed at PIP production site. Therefore, the TÜV Rheinland auditors must have the impression that the production was operated correctly.

31 Dec 2011

Meditation, yoga and physical awareness benefit breast cancer survivors

Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed.

30 Dec 2011

Healthy diet keeps the brain sharp

The study shows that elderly who followed this diet had less of the brain shrinkage linked with Alzheimer's disease and scored better on mental and thinking tests than those with poorer diets. Although previous studies have suggested that a heart-healthy diet is also good for the brain, the new study took a different approach by using blood tests to determine the participant’s diet and nutrient levels.

29 Dec 2011

Lost weight returns as more fat and less muscle: Study

It is common knowledge that some weight is regained after weight loss, but in older women many of those regained pounds return as fat mass rather than muscle mass, according to a new study.

29 Dec 2011

Avastin fails to live up to expectations for extending survival in ovarian cancer

Cancer drug Avastin has been found to add about four months to the time it takes for the cancer to worsen for women with advanced cases of ovarian cancer says a new report. However it may not extend survival significantly.

29 Dec 2011

Venezuela offers to pay for removal of faulty breast implants

Venezuela's government has offered to pay for the removal of PIP breast implants feared to be at risk of rupture. They would cover the cost of the surgery for Venezuelan women but would not pay for replacement implants, Health Minister Eugenia Sader said. Ms Sader said many implants made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been imported illegally.

29 Dec 2011

David Cameron’s “big bang” approach to raising alcohol taxes and discouraging drinking

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered officials to develop a scheme in England to stop the sale of alcohol at below 40p to 50p a unit in shops and supermarkets. There could also be a more sophisticated system of taxes based on the number of alcohol units contained in the drink. Both options would cost drinkers an estimated extra £700 million a year, with any extra tax revenue potentially going to the NHS.

29 Dec 2011

GOG targeted therapy phase 3 clinical trial delays progression of advanced ovarian cancer

Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer.

29 Dec 2011

Bevacizumab delays disease progression in ovarian cancer

Treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival, show the results of an international clinical trial co-led by Drs. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network and Timothy Perren, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK.

29 Dec 2011

Faulty PIP breast implant fears deepen

After the scare that some French breast implants may be faulty and may need removal at the government's expense the national health insurance agency will file a criminal complaint. The implants, made by now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), were pulled from the market last year in countries around Europe and South America amid fears they could rupture and leak silicone into the body.

28 Dec 2011

Celiac disease may increase risk of disordered eating, depression in women

Women with celiac disease -- an autoimmune disorder associated with a negative reaction to eating gluten -- are more likely than the general population to report symptoms of depression and disordered eating, even when they adhere to a gluten-free diet, according to researchers at Penn State, Syracuse University and Drexel University.

28 Dec 2011

Allergan seeks to reassure surgeons, patients about safety of breast implants

Allergan, Inc. seeks to reassure patients and surgeons around the world utilizing Allergan's breast implant devices that its products are not part of the recent investigation into breast implant devices manufactured by French manufacturer, Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) by regulatory authorities in Europe.

26 Dec 2011

Oncologists present results from studies on relapse of breast cancer

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center breast oncologist Dr. Suleiman Massarweh and his research team presented findings from their studies on relapse of breast cancer at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium this month.

26 Dec 2011

Roundup: HIV staff to be cut in Ga.; Abortion news in N.J., Mo.; Wis. Medicaid coverage in limbo

A loss of $3.7 million in federal funds is forcing Georgia to reduce its workforce for HIV prevention. After an inquiry by Georgia Health News, the Department of Public Health this week acknowledged that 20 people in state health districts have been notified they will probably lose their jobs in January, and that an unspecified number of staffers at the department level have received the same notification.

23 Dec 2011

Top-line results from Noven's LDMP Phase 3 clinical study on menopausal VMS

Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., today announced top-line results from the first of two planned Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating low-dose mesylate salt of paroxetine (LDMP, formerly referred to as Mesafem) for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause.

23 Dec 2011

Ohio law prohibits abortion coverage by insurers in state exchanges; Pa. measure would step up abortion clinic regulation

Ohio Governor John Kasich on Wednesday signed a law that would prohibit abortion coverage from the state insurance exchange Ohio must create under the federal health care law. ... The law bans Ohio citizens from being able to purchase insurance through the exchange that includes abortion coverage, even if they pay for it with their own money, said Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, who criticized the bill.

23 Dec 2011

Consistent evidence that HRT use associated with breast cancer

McMaster University researchers have found consistent evidence that use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with breast cancer globally.

22 Dec 2011

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center joins The Robertson Foundation

As an enduring tribute to a valued Board member and woman of incomparable grace, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has joined with The Robertson Foundation to undertake two high-profile initiatives in honor of Josephine "Josie" Robertson: the Josie Robertson Surgery Center and the Josie Robertson Investigators Program.

22 Dec 2011