Health News

Calcium Supplements Lead To Heart Disease

Date: Feb-22-2013
Men who take calcium supplements are more likely to die of heart disease than those who do not take supplements. The finding came from a new study by a team of experts led by Qian Xiao, from the National Institutes of Health, and supports prior research from last year which indicated that calcium supplements are linked to a higher risk of heart attack. The experts observed 388,229 middle-aged adults between 50 and 71 years old in the United States for the purpose of their research...

Kadcyla For Late-Stage Breast Cancer Approved By FDA

Date: Feb-22-2013
Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine), a new medication for the treatment of HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA. Metastatic, also known as late-stage, means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. HER2, a protein which drives normal cell growth, is found in larger quantities in several kinds of cancer cells (HER2-positive), including a number of breast cancers. The HER2 protein contributes to the growth and survival of cancer cells in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer...

Antioxidant Improves Donated Liver Survival Rate To More Than 90%

Date: Feb-22-2013
Researchers from Italy have found that the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when injected prior to harvesting of the liver, significantly improves graft survival following transplantation. Results published in the February issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), suggest that the NAC effect on early graft function and survival is higher when suboptimal organs are used. A 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) report estimates that 22,000 liver transplants were performed worldwide, with nearly 18,500 from deceased donors...

Should The NHS Operate Seven Day Healthcare?

Date: Feb-22-2013
Head to Head: Should the NHS work at weekends as it does in the week? The NHS offers essential emergency care at weekends. Yet there is mounting evidence that patients are more likely to die if admitted to hospital on Saturday or Sunday. This has led to calls for greater consultant presence at the weekend and opened up a wider debate on whether regular routine services should also be available. Two experts debate the issue on bmj.com yesterday...

Astronomy Algorithms Help Diagnose Aggressive Tumors

Date: Feb-22-2013
In a remarkable example of interdisciplinary teamwork, astronomers are helping cancer researchers use computerized stargazing algorithms developed for spotting distant galaxies to identify biomarkers in tumors to determine how aggressive they are...

Bendamustine (Levact®) Plus Rituximab More Effective Than CHOP-R In Treating Patients With Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma And Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Date: Feb-22-2013
Treatment with bendamustine plus rituximab (B-R) doubles progression free survival (PFS) compared with current standard of care CHOP-R (69.5 versus 31.2 months; p Results from the StiL NHL-1 study published in The Lancet this week show that a first-line treatment regimen of bendamustine plus rituximab (B-R) doubles progression-free survival (PFS) compared with the most often used treatment CHOP plus rituximab (CHOP-R), in newly diagnosed patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).1 Median PFS for patients treated with B-R was 69...

Two New Documents To Guide Researchers In Carrying Out Dual Use Research Of Concern Released By The U.S. Government

Date: Feb-22-2013
First, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy today published a draft policy for public comment that proposes to formalize the roles and responsibilities of institutions and researchers when they are conducting certain types of research on specific pathogens and toxins. Researchers are often best poised to understand the potential misuse of the information, technologies and products emanating from their research and to propose and implement strategies to mitigate risks. Second, the U.S...

Diagnosis Of Early Onset Sepsis In Premature Babies Requires Multiple Tests

Date: Feb-22-2013
New research by Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine finds that cultures commonly used to detect bacterial infections in low birth-weight newborns with early onset sepsis may actually overlook some germs...

Damage From Heart Attack May Soon Be Treated With New Injectable Hydrogel Which Encourages Regeneration And Improves Functionality

Date: Feb-22-2013
University of California, San Diego bioengineers have demonstrated in a study in pigs that a new injectable hydrogel can repair damage from heart attacks, help the heart grow new tissue and blood vessels, and get the heart moving closer to how a healthy heart should. The results of the study were published in Science Translational Medicine and clear the way for clinical trials to begin this year in Europe. The gel is injected through a catheter without requiring surgery or general anesthesia -- a less invasive procedure for patients...

Animals Given Resveratrol Experience Reduced Hearing And Cognitive Decline

Date: Feb-22-2013
Resveratrol, a substance found in red grapes and red wine, may have the potential to protect against hearing and cognitive decline, according to a published laboratory study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The study shows that healthy rats are less likely to suffer the long-term effects of noise-induced hearing loss when given resveratrol before being exposed to loud noise for a long period of time...