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UT Southwestern docs receive grants for innovative studies on lung cancer pathways, drug therapy

Two UT Southwestern doctors have received more than a half-million dollars in grants from the Department of Defense for innovative studies on lung cancer pathways and to test the effectiveness of a potentially less expensive drug therapy.

2 May 2014

Scientists receive $2.3M grant to develop new technology to diagnose cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and colitis

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been awarded a $2.3 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to develop new technology to diagnose cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and colitis.

2 May 2014

Biotech to the rescue

MIT professor Ram Sasisekharan's three biotech companies — Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharma, and Visterra — share a similar goal.

1 May 2014

Sleep habits associated with memory in old-age

A new research study led by Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in May, shows an association between midlife and later life sleeping habits with memory; and links extreme sleep durations to worse memory in later life. The study suggests that extreme changes in sleep duration from middle age to older age may also worsen memory function.

1 May 2014

Human fat: A Trojan horse to fight brain cancer?

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have successfully used stem cells derived from human body fat to deliver biological treatments directly to the brains of mice with the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor, significantly extending their lives.

1 May 2014

Health Law gives boost to U.S. economy

Health spending grew at its fastest rate since the third quarter of 1980 -- a development attributed to the health law's implementation -- and thereby helped lift the nation's GDP by 1.1 percentage points.

1 May 2014

Possible link between aggressive prostate cancer and vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency was an indicator of aggressive prostate cancer and spread of the disease in European-American and African-American men who underwent their first prostate biopsy because of abnormal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and/or digital rectal examination (DRE) test results, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

1 May 2014

Sun tanning equals skin damage: New awareness campaign

It only takes a few bad sunburns or trips to the tanning bed to put someone at risk for melanoma. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States and when left untreated, melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive form. It accounts for more than 9,000 of the 12,000-plus skin cancer deaths each year. In observance of May's Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is focusing on helping teens keep their skin safe this spring with a new infographic.

1 May 2014

Noninvasive technique detects prostate cancer using an electronic nose

We may soon be able to make easy and early diagnoses of prostate cancer by smell. Investigators in Finland have established that a novel noninvasive technique can detect prostate cancer using an electronic nose. In a proof of principle study, the eNose successfully discriminated between prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by "sniffing" urine headspace (the space directly above the urine sample). Results using the eNose are comparable to testing prostate specific antigen (PSA), reports the Journal of Urology.

1 May 2014

Headaches an occupational hazard astronauts

Headaches in astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are attributed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), reports a study in the May Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

1 May 2014

Drinking alcohol before pregnancy linked to intestinal birth defect

Women should refrain from drinking alcohol before they try to become pregnant, according to maternal-fetal medicine specialists at Loyola University Health System.

1 May 2014

Genetic biomarkers of ranibizumab response remain elusive in Koreans with AMD

Researchers have failed to find a significant genotypic effect on ranibizumab treatment response in Korean patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

1 May 2014

Daily multivitamin offers modest protection against cataracts

Long-term daily use of multivitamins could help to reduce the risk of cataracts, but has no effect on the risk of visually significant age-related macular degeneration, suggests research.

1 May 2014

Imaging technique may help understanding of chronic CSCR

Swept-source optical coherence tomography identifies the morphological features implicated in the underlying physiopathological mechanisms of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy, researchers report.

1 May 2014

Genetic susceptibility, dietary antioxidants combine to reduce AMD risk

Dietary intake of antioxidants is associated with a reduced risk of developing early age-related macular degeneration in people at high genetic risk of the condition, pooled analysis of two studies suggests.

1 May 2014

Support for internal limiting membrane peeling for full-thickness macular holes

Vitrectomy with peeling of the internal limiting membrane of the retina improves the outcome of idiopathic full-thickness macular hole surgery compared with no peeling, study findings show.

1 May 2014

Ranibizumab trial gets promising results for CNV

Patients with visual impairment due to myopic choroidal neovascularisation achieve better visual acuity after 3 months of individualised treatment with ranibizumab than with verteporfin photodynamic therapy, show the results of a phase III randomised controlled trial.

1 May 2014