A single injection of a genetically engineered virus has shown promise as a treatment for patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, according to preliminary results reported today at the 2nd ESMO Scientific & Educational Conference (ESEC) in Budapest, Hungary.
In their phase I study, Professor Nancy Kemeny from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and colleagues tested an oncolytic Herpes simplex virus (oHSV). These viruses selectively kill can
Women who drink to excess are more likely to experience depression and anxiety according to new research.
Work done by Dr Rosa Alati, a research fellow from The University of Queensland`s School of Population Health, and colleagues from UQ and the University of Bristol, showed women who have more than 15 drinks a week have an increased risk of experiencing mental illness.
However Dr Alati said heavy drinking was also linked to smoking and women from low income groups we
Five years ago, the negative appendectomy rate at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston was 20%, but since the advent of CT screening, it has dropped to 3%, say MGH researchers. The negative appendectomy rate measures how often patients with symptoms of appendicitis have their appendix removed and then are diagnosed as not having acute appendicitis.
For the study, the researchers analyzed 663 patients who were examined on CT for suspected appendicitis. An appendectomy was perfor
In order to improve the standard of cancer care across Europe and around the globe, more funding needs to be channeled toward clinical research, according to oncologists surveyed by the European Society for Medical Oncology.
The standard of cancer care in Europe and around the world varies significantly. Survival times for cancer patients vary by up to 100% between countries in Europe and even more across other regions of the globe. The world’s oncologists are increasingly awa
A bioadhesive tablet containing the antifungal drug miconazole is an effective and convenient means of treating oropharyngeal candidiasis, which is the most frequently occurring infection in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, scientists report today at the 2nd ESMO Scientific & Educational Conference (ESEC) in Budapest, Hungary.
Dr. Rene-Jean Bensadoun from Centre Antoine Lacassagne in Nice, and international colleagues, studied patients in 36 centers
Researchers develop simple way to test loss of lubrication following injury
Researchers have found an association between inflammation from knee injuries and a progressive loss of joint lubrication, which may predispose people to arthritis. They have also found a way to quantify how much lubrication is lost following injury.
The results, which appear in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, are from a study by Rhode Island Hospital, University of Rhode Island, and Ca
A University of Alberta research team has discovered important new information they hope will lead to more effective treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)–a deadly form of high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries caused by uncontrolled cell growth. Therapies are currently limited for a disease that can lead to heart failure and death within a few years.
The researchers have shown that Survivin, a protein almost exclusively expressed in cancer, is also heavily
According to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology, women with a high dietary intake of vitamin B6 over several years have a decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Women who consume moderate to large amounts of alcohol in addition to vitamin B6 have more than a 70 percent reduced risk of developing CRC.
“Consuming a diet high in vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in women, more specifically those who
Educating parents and physicians could reduce overuse of antibiotics
The most frequent reason pediatricians prescribe antibiotics to young children is for an ear infection (acute otitis media). With increased concerns about high rates of antibiotic use and resistance, recent guidelines suggest consideration of “watchful waiting” for some ear infections to see if they resolve without antibiotics. Previous studies have shown that many ear infections do resolve on their own.
Although apparently uncommon, fungal contamination of saline-filled breast implants is readily preventable, according to a study in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. The key steps are to use closed systems for filling the devices and to adhere to the strict moisture control and operating room ventilation standards in force at major hospitals. The potential benefits of these precautions could be considerable, since 265,832 women in the United States u
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues from Boston area medical institutions have linked short term high pollution concentrations with an increased incidence of irregular and very dangerous heart arrhythmias among a group of cardiac patients from the greater Boston area who had implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). The findings appear in the June 1, 2005 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.
“Particulate pollution and gaseous pollution from autom
Becoming the market leader in the neurostimulation sector, by initially helping blind patients regain their sight, is the vision of Bonn-based start-up company IIP-Technologies.
IIP has made considerable progress in developing the first ‘intelligent’ retina implant in the world. Thanks to this implant it is possible to restore limited eyesight to people who have lost their sight following retina degeneration.
In Germany alone, about 60,000 people suffer from retinitis pi
New treatment for complicated grief holds promise for millions of Americans, University of Pittsburgh researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Association
Each year in the United States, approximately 2.5 million people die, each leaving behind, on average, five grieving survivors. Many of these survivors – more than a million people each year – develop a chronic, debilitating condition known as complicated grief that is more intense than normal grief, yet dif
A single treatment of 8 gray (Gy–a unit of measure of absorbed radiation dose) of radiation appears to be as effective in palliating painful bone metastases as the current U.S. standard treatment course of 30 Gy delivered in 10 daily treatments, according to a new study in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Patients with a variety of solid tumor cancers, including lung, breast, and prostate, can develop painful metastases in the bones of the spine,
People with diabetes may be at higher risk for cardiovascular problems when air pollution levels are higher, according to a new study of Boston-area residents. The ability of the blood vessels to control blood flow was impaired in adults with diabetes on days with elevated levels of particles from traffic and coal-burning power plants. The researchers evaluated several kinds of fine particles found in urban air pollution. These included sulfate particles, which come mainly from coal-burning p
Public health researchers in Minnesota recently identified 83 persons infected with subtypes of HIV-1 that are not common in the United States, according to a report published in the June 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Viral subtype identification may be important because subtypes may differ in terms of the efficacy of potential vaccines, diagnostic testing for HIV infection, and monitoring of the health of HIV-infected patients. The r
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