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No change toward more aggressive biopsy follow-up of PSA tests, finds study

After the US Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial found cancer in many men with low levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), many debated which PSA level should lead to a biopsy recommendation. The US Preventive Screening Task Force (USPSTF) recently concluded, amid considerable controversy, that the evidence does not support recommending PSA screening for men under 75 years old at all, because the risks outweigh the benefits.

13 Dec 2011

HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment efforts should include care for other diseases, experts say

"Global HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts are missing a major opportunity to significantly improve health conditions in poor countries by simply adding low-cost care for the many other chronic and disabling diseases routinely afflicting and often killing these same patients, according to a panel of disease experts who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)," an ASTMH press release states.

13 Dec 2011

PET scans can provide insight into process that causes aortic stenosis

Patients with life-threatening heart valve disease could be helped with alternative scanning techniques that provide greater insight into the condition.

13 Dec 2011

Consistent asthma medication use could prevent severe attacks

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital have found that one-quarter of severe asthma attacks could be prevented if only patients consistently took their medication as prescribed.

13 Dec 2011

Celgene reports final results from REVLIMID plus VIDAZA phase II study on higher-risk MDS

Celgene International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, today reported final results from the phase II portion of a multi-center phase I/II study evaluating combination therapy with REVLIMID (lenalidomide) and VIDAZA (azacitidine) in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) not previously treated with either drug.

13 Dec 2011

Ten tips to prevent holiday weight gain

'Tis the season of merriment, cheer and overindulgence. If your holiday season usually turns into a new year that includes a few extra pounds, you can prevent holiday weight gain with these 10 tips from the team of medical experts at Greenwich Hospital's Weight Loss & Diabetes Center.

13 Dec 2011

U.N. seeks aid money for Zimbabwe, half for food; WHO says country must spend more on health

"The United Nations said on Friday it was seeking $268 million for aid efforts in Zimbabwe next year, with half the money to be used to buy food for more than 1.4 million people facing shortages" in 2012, Reuters reports.

13 Dec 2011

Study: One kind of leukemia sometimes masquerades as another

One kind of leukemia sometimes masquerades as another, according to a study published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

13 Dec 2011

KPT-SINE shows promise against CLL

An experimental drug that works by blocking the export of key control molecules from the nucleus of cancer cells shows promise as a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other incurable B-cell malignancies, according to a new study by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

13 Dec 2011

Patients on contact precautions more likely to develop delirium during hospital stay

A new study finds that patients who are moved into isolation during a hospital stay are nearly twice as likely to develop delirium, a potentially dangerous change in mental status that often affects hospital patients. Patients who began their stay in isolation were not at increased risk.

13 Dec 2011

Low-volume high-intensity exercise training may help treat type 2 diabetes

Regular exercise has proven benefits in preventing and treating type 2 diabetes, but many patients find it tough to meet the American Diabetes Association guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week.

13 Dec 2011

Roundup: Iowans question Wellmark premium hikes; Fla. Medicare audit; Mich. nursing home scandals

The Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield vice president faced dozens of angry customers and tried to explain why the health insurer wants to increase their premiums by 9.4 percent. ... Barbed questions flew throughout the hearing before the state insurance commissioner, who will decide whether to grant Wellmark's proposed increase for 86,000 Iowans who buy their own insurance policies.

13 Dec 2011

Plexxikon announces scientific findings from PLX3397 preclinical studies on AML

Plexxikon Inc., a member of Daiichi Sankyo Group, today announced scientific findings from preclinical studies showing that treatment with a novel oral agent, PLX3397, selectively inhibited key cancer-driving Flt3 mutations that occur in 20-30 percent of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.

13 Dec 2011

Scientists identify genetic alteration behind anophthalmia

Scientists at University College Dublin, Ireland, have identified a genetic alteration which causes a child to be born with no eyes - a condition called anophthalmia.

13 Dec 2011

Ect2 protein plays a crucial role in cell division

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered how cells 'pinch in' at the middle in order to split into two new cells.

13 Dec 2011

Boston Scientific introduces Charger PTA Balloon Catheter in the U.S.

Boston Scientific Corporation announces the U.S. launch of its Charger PTA Balloon Catheter, a 0.035" percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon catheter designed for a wide range of peripheral angioplasty procedures.

13 Dec 2011

Three-drug combination therapy appears to be effective for newly diagnosed MM patients

A three-drug combination treatment for the blood cancer multiple myeloma compares favorably to the best established therapy for newly diagnosed patients, according to a multi-center study led by Andrzej Jakubowiak, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and director of the multiple myeloma program at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

13 Dec 2011

Infants with low salivary cortisol levels develop fewer allergies

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that infants with low concentrations of the stress-related hormone cortisol in their saliva develop fewer allergies than other infants. Hopefully this new knowledge will be useful in future allergy prevention.

13 Dec 2011

FDA approves Lannett's ANDA for Triamterene with Hydrochlorothiazide Capsules

Lannett Company, Inc. today announced it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Triamterene with Hydrochlorothiazide 37.5/25mg Capsules.

13 Dec 2011

Geron commences GRN1005 Phase 2 trial in breast cancer

Geron Corporation today announced the initiation of GRABM-B (GRN1005 Against Brain Metastases - Breast cancer), a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate GRN1005 in patients with brain metastases arising from breast cancer.

13 Dec 2011