Health News

Singapore's First Home-Grown Influenza Vaccine In Phase 1 Clinical Trial

Date: May-21-2013
The vaccine based on Cytos' Virus-Like Particle technology may open the door to accelerated production of influenza vaccines in Singapore Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Switzerland's Cytos Biotechnology AG today announced that the first healthy volunteer has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial with their H1N1 influenza vaccine candidate based on Cytos' proprietary bacteriophage Qbeta virus-like particle (VLP) technology...

Pharma Research: Computer Models More Accurate Than Animal Trials

Date: May-21-2013
Expert systems estimate drug uptake in humans (bioavailability) more precisely than animal experiments In drug discovery today new drugs are tested on animals, such as rats, dogs and monkeys, to determine whether they are effective and possess sufficient oral bioavailability in these animals. Up to now, it has been unclear whether animal studies are transferable to humans...

European Society Of Human Genetics Urges Caution Over Use Of New Genetic Sequencing Techniques

Date: May-21-2013
The use of genome-wide analysis (GWA), where the entirety of an individual's DNA is examined to look for the genomic mutations or variants which can cause health problems is a massively useful technology for diagnosing disease. However, it can also pose major ethical problems if used incorrectly, say new recommendations from the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) published on line in the European Journal of Human Genetics...

Phase III Trial Of L-BLP25 In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (START) - Primary Endpoint Of Significantly Improving Overall Survival Not Met

Date: May-21-2013
Confirmed: Primary endpoint of significantly improving overall survival not met Merck Serono, a division of Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced detailed results from the randomized Phase III START* trial of its investigational MUC1 antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy L-BLP25 (formerly referred to as Stimuvax) in patients with unresectable, locally advanced Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These results will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2013 Annual Meeting in Chicago...

Study Shows Whole-Cell Vaccine Was More Effective Than Acellular Vaccine During California Pertussis Outbreak

Date: May-21-2013
Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics. Whole-cell pertussis vaccines, also called DTwP, were available from the 1940s to 1990s, but were associated with safety concerns that ultimately led to the development of acellular pertussis vaccines, which are also called DTaP. By the late 1990s, the United States had switched from whole-cell to acellular vaccines for all five recommended infant and childhood doses...

Outcome In Head And Neck Cancer Predicted By Genetic Diversity Within Tumors

Date: May-21-2013
A new measure of the heterogeneity - the variety of genetic mutations - of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue of the journal Cancer, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary describe how their measure was a better predictor of survival than most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck...

Joint Replacement Surgery Could Become A Thing Of The Past With New Theory On Genesis Of Osteoarthritis

Date: May-21-2013
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage. In a proof-of-concept experiment, they found that blocking the action of a critical bone regulation protein in mice halts progression of the disease...

Doctors Who Staff Hospital Emergency Departments May Be Key To Reducing Health Care Costs

Date: May-21-2013
Emergency physicians are key decisionmakers for nearly half of all hospital admissions, highlighting a critical role they can play in reducing health care costs, according to a new report from the RAND Corporation. Hospital admissions from the ER increased by 17 percent over seven years, accounting for nearly all the growth in hospital admissions between 2003 and 2009. Hospital inpatient care is a key driver of health care costs, accounting for 31 percent of the nation's health care expenses...

Pancreatic Cancer May Be Identified By Molecular Marker From Pancreatic 'Juices'

Date: May-21-2013
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis - two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic "juices" can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows. The findings were being presented at Digestive Disease Week 2013 in Orlando, Fla. "Many researchers have been working on such a diagnostic test for a long time - for me, it has been 20 years," says lead investigator Massimo Raimondo, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida...

Asthma Symptoms May Be Treated Effectively With Ginger Compounds

Date: May-21-2013
Gourmands and foodies everywhere have long recognized ginger as a great way to add a little peppery zing to both sweet and savory dishes; now, a study from researchers at Columbia University shows purified components of the spicy root also may have properties that help asthma patients breathe more easily. The results of the study were presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference May 17-22, 2013 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Asthma is characterized by bronchoconstriction, a tightening of the bronchial tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs...