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Verastem announces initiation of VS-4718 Phase 1 trial in patients with advanced cancer

Verastem, Inc., focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced the initiation of a Phase 1 trial of VS-4718, a novel, small molecule inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase, in patients with advanced cancer.

26 Jun 2013

Study: Despite struggles with poverty, more children getting health insurance

Families in the United States are making gains in education and health, two key factors in their overall well-being, a report released on Monday showed, adding to data that suggests the U.S. economy is slowly rebounding from the 2007-2009 recession. Still, the latest findings on the state of U.S. children and their parents by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found many families continue to struggle ... Most states also saw more children with health insurance, improvements in birth weights, and fewer youth deaths between 2005 and 2011, it said (Heavey, 6/24).

26 Jun 2013

Improving care for depression in low-income communities provides greater benefits: Study

Improving care for depression in low-income communities -- places where such help is frequently unavailable or hard to find -- provides greater benefits to those in need when community groups such as churches and even barber shops help lead the planning process, according to a new study.

26 Jun 2013

Lawsuits, or threat of them, hover over Medicare policy

News outlets report on the government's position on releasing doctor-specific information and on Medicare patients' access to physical therapy. And, ProPublica investigates prescribing practices.

26 Jun 2013

PLK1 crucial for proper functioning of cancer cells, researchers reveal

One of the main indicators for determining the activity of a tumour or cancer is cell division. Cancer cells divide more than other types and the genes and molecules involved in the process of division are, often, targets for identifying and treating certain types of cancer.

26 Jun 2013

Controlled drug release using novel excipients: an interview with Dr Laura Waters, University of Huddersfield

When you take a medicine you may want the drug to all be released immediately or perhaps more slowly over a longer period of time. If we can make a medicine where we control the release then we can tailor our medicines to release at the exact rate we choose that is best for the patient.

26 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Exploring the bond between caretaker and patient; Missouri looks beyond expansion to reform Medicaid

This Op-Doc video explores the relationship between an immigrant caretaker and an elderly woman in the last months of her life. Joesy, a Fijian immigrant, works long hours providing live-in care for 95-year-old Haru Tsurumoto in Sonoma County, Calif. Through intimate and quiet scenes, we explore Joesy's complex relationship with Haru. The two respect each other in part because each has experienced being an outsider in the United States - Joesy as an undocumented immigrant who fears she could be sent back to Fiji, and Haru as a Japanese-American who was sent to an internment camp during the Second World War (Theo Rigby and Kate McLean, 6/24).

26 Jun 2013

Report alerts clinicians, public about catastrophic dangers of contaminated epidural injections

Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describe pathologic findings from 40 case reports of fungal infection in patients who had been given contaminated epidural, paraspinal, or intra-articular (into joints) steroid injections and correlate these findings with clinical and laboratory data.

26 Jun 2013

Study explores analgesic activity of ceftriaxone in humans

A single dose of the antibiotic ceftriaxone given for antimicrobial prophylaxis prior to surgery enhanced patient pain thresholds after the procedure, according to a study published in The Journal of Pain, the peer review publication of the American Pain Society.

26 Jun 2013

Scientists examine molecular similarities in human and canine B-cell lymphoma

Humans and their pet dogs are close, so close that they both develop a type of cancer called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In humans it's the most common lymphoma subtype while in dogs, it's one of the most common cancers in veterinary oncology.

26 Jun 2013

Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to Massachusetts abortion law

As lawsuits over early abortion laws spring up across the country, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a different kind of abortion challenge - this one involving free speech. The court will consider a case challenging a Massachusetts law that bans demonstrations within 35 feet of entrances and driveways of abortion clinics. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in January sided with the state in McCullen v. Coakley, ruling that the law strikes the right balance between protecting free speech and patients' rights (Millman, 6/25).

26 Jun 2013

New book provides step-by-step guide to build computer model of the human brain

It sounds like science fiction, but a new book by a University of Waterloo professor is actually a step-by-step guide, teaching readers how they can build their own computer model of the human brain.

26 Jun 2013

Patient-level factors impact likelihood of imaging during ED visit, study finds

Despite concerns to the contrary, very little of the variation in Emergency Department imaging utilization is attributable to physician experience, training or gender, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

26 Jun 2013

Study: Active surveillance does not appear to be good idea for black men with prostate cancer

A Johns Hopkins study of more than 1,800 men ages 52 to 62 suggests that African-Americans diagnosed with very-low-risk prostate cancers are much more likely than white men to actually have aggressive disease that goes unrecognized with current diagnostic approaches.

26 Jun 2013

Sebelius ramps up enrollment push

The Obama administration unveiled a revamped HealthCare.gov website, the centerpiece of its campaign in more than 30 states to enroll people in health coverage, as well as a 24-hour consumer call center. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius aims to enroll 7 million people by late March with help from major sports franchises and moms.

26 Jun 2013

Karo Bio extends research collaboration with Pfizer on RORgamma modulators

Karo Bio AB announced today the extension of its existing research collaboration with Pfizer Inc. on RORgamma modulators to the end of 2014. Pfizer will continue to provide full funding for the research costs.

26 Jun 2013

Study examines increased use of new technologies for prostate cancer treatment

Use of advanced treatment technologies for prostate cancer, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and robotic prostatectomy, has increased among men with low-risk disease, high risk of noncancer mortality, or both, a population of patients who are unlikely to benefit from these treatments, according to a study in the June 26 issue of JAMA.

26 Jun 2013

A paradigm shift for treatment of muscular dystrophy

Researchers at Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College have identified a combinatorial therapeutic approach that has proven effective in treating muscular dystrophy in a mouse model.

26 Jun 2013

Primary care physicians prefer to prescribe NSAIDS for chronic pain, report shows

For treating the estimated 100 million Americans with chronic pain -- a population larger than those with heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined -- researched reported in The Journal of Pain shows that primary care physicians overwhelmingly prefer to prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, in accordance with published clinical practice guidelines.

26 Jun 2013

Tenet's acquisition of Vanguard Health part of plan to buy other hospitals

While news emerges regarding Tenet's plan to acqure Vanguard Health for $1.73 billion, the Ford Motor Co. announces its plans to launch a two-year health management program.

26 Jun 2013