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Eating more tomatoes and watermelons can reduce prostate cancer

A new study by researchers at Curtin University of Technology shows that eating yellow, orange and red fruits such as tomatoes, watermelon and citrus, and vegetables such as red capsicum or sweet pepper, pumpkin and spinach may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by up to 50 per cent.

21 Dec 2004

New advice on anti-inflammatory drugs called Cox-2 Inhibitors, including Celebrex

Patients who are taking Celebrex, Bextra and Arcoxia should make a non-urgent appointment with their GP to review their treatment. Patients who have established heart disease or who are at high risk of stroke will have their treatment changed.

21 Dec 2004

The burgeoning Indian AIDS epidemic

India, home to one-sixth of the human race, has an AIDS epidemic. Five million Indians are living with HIV infection. The stakes are high; the government is racing against time.

21 Dec 2004

Quarter of all deaths in England and Wales in 2003 were caused by cancer

The main causes of death in 2003 were circulatory diseases (38 per cent), which include coronary heart disease and strokes, followed by cancers (26 per cent) and respiratory diseases (14 per cent), which includes pneumonia.

21 Dec 2004

The costs of caring for elderly patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs

The costs of caring for elderly Florida patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs, report University of South Florida researchers in the December issue of the Archives of Surgery.

21 Dec 2004

Dramatic changes in the way the FDA address patient safety are needed

Food and Drug Administration policies prevent pharmaceutical manufacturers from informing patients about potentially fatal toxicities that occur with some cancer drugs -- policies that should be revised immediately, according to Northwestern University researchers.

20 Dec 2004

Cancer drug paclitaxel may reduce the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease

In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)–which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells–reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model.

20 Dec 2004

FDA issues advice on Naproxen

The FDA has released the following statement on NIH halting a clinical trial involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease:

20 Dec 2004

5000 year old system of medicine provides pain relief for people with osteoarthritis of the knee

A 5000 year old system of medicine, acupuncture provides pain relief and improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee and serves as an effective complement to standard care.

20 Dec 2004

PAHO - Cervical cancer kills almost a quarter-million women worldwide each year

The Pan American Health Organization (A regional office of the World Health Organization), as a member of the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP), has issued a new publication and reported that cervical cancer—while largely preventable—kills almost a quarter-million women worldwide each year.

20 Dec 2004

Confusion over Lasik eye surgery terminology

The Eye Surgery Education Council of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation today issued a clarification on the use of the terms "wavefront-guided," and "wavefront-optimized" in connection with laser-based procedures (LASIK, PRK, etc.) and implantable lenses used for vision correction purposes.

20 Dec 2004

Genzyme files for European approval of Myozyme for treatment of Pompe disease

Genzyme Corp. announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has accepted its marketing authorization application for Myozyme(R) (alglucosidase alfa), an investigational enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease.

20 Dec 2004

Study on first new potential drug for tuberculosis in 40 years

454 Life Sciences, a majority-owned subsidiary of CuraGen Corporation, announced today that its proprietary whole genome sequencing technology was used by scientists at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development L.L.C. (J&JPRD) to help understand the basis of tuberculosis drug resistance.

20 Dec 2004

Tercica files for patent infringement

Tercica announced today the filing of a suit for patent infringement in the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division Patents Court) in the United Kingdom against Insmed Incorporated of Glen Allen, Virginia and Avecia Limited of the United Kingdom.

20 Dec 2004

Aspirin overlooked as an effective and inexpensive means to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic women and young adults

Cardiovascular disease risk is extremely high in adults with diabetes. Yet women as well as people under 50 who have diabetes do not use aspirin, despite the fact that aspirin has been found an effective and inexpensive means to reduce risk of first and subsequent heart attack.

20 Dec 2004

Blocking gene's activity may control deadly skin cancer without harming normal cells

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston have discovered that malignant melanoma, the potentially lethal skin cancer, can't grow without a steady supply of a protein that normal cells can do without.

20 Dec 2004

Blocking a key molecule protects breast implants, permanent catheters, pacemakers and artificial joints from rejection and damage by the body

Blocking a key molecule protects breast implants, permanent catheters, pacemakers, artificial joints, glucose sensors for diabetics, and other biomaterials from rejection and damage by the body, according to a study published this month in The American Journal of Pathology.

20 Dec 2004

Cherries could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes

Perhaps George Washington wouldn't have chopped down his father's cherry tree if he knew what chemists now know. They have identified a group of naturally occurring chemicals abundant in cherries that could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

20 Dec 2004

DLX5 gene may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome

A research team led by Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu of the Life Sciences Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has identified a gene, DLX5, that may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome, a devastating neurological disorder diagnosed almost exclusively in girls.

20 Dec 2004

Timing of radiation and antiangiogenic therapy impacts treatment effectiveness

Agents designed to attack blood vessels that feed a growing tumor are effective against tumor growth in laboratory experiments. However, results of early clinical trials with these inhibitors have not yet exhibited the same success observed in animal models.

20 Dec 2004