Health News

Borealis-2 Clinical Trial Evaluating OGX-427 In Combination With Second-Line Therapy For Bladder Cancer Announced

Date: Feb-13-2013
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI) has announced plans for the initiation of the Borealis-2 clinical trial, an investigator-sponsored, randomized, controlled Phase 2 study evaluating OGX-427 in patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer who have disease progression following initial platinum-based chemotherapy treatment...

Vascular Brain Injury Greater Risk Factor Than Amyloid Plaques In Cognitive Aging

Date: Feb-13-2013
Vascular brain injury from conditions such as high blood pressure and stroke are greater risk factors for cognitive impairment among non-demented older people than is the deposition of the amyloid plaques in the brain that long have been implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, a study by researchers at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UC Davis has found...

2013 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium: New Insights Into High-Risk Prostate Cancer; Management Of Small Kidney Tumors

Date: Feb-13-2013
Research on promising new therapies and data on the relative benefits of established treatments for genitourinary cancers were released, in advance of the fourth annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, being held February 14-16, 2013, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, FL...

Risk Of Cardiovascular Death Doubled In Women With High Calcium Intake - High Risk Only In Those Taking Supplements

Date: Feb-13-2013
High intakes of calcium (corresponding to diet and supplements) in women are associated with a higher risk of death from all causes, but cardiovascular disease in particular, compared with women with lower calcium intake, a study published today on bmj.com suggests. Experts recommend a high calcium intake (as it plays a pivotal role in human physiology) and as such, more than 60% of middle-aged and older women in the USA now take supplements...

Acute Heart Failure Phase III Clinical Trial Designed To Assess Early Treatment On Cardiovascular Mortality And Symptoms Initiated

Date: Feb-13-2013
Cardiorentis has initiated the first-ever acute heart failure (AHF) Phase III trial to be specifically designed to assess the effect of early treatment on cardiovascular mortality. TRUE-AHF (TRial of Ularitide's Efficacy and safety in patients with Acute Heart Failure) aims to show that early treatment with intravenous (IV) ularitide may reduce AHF symptoms in the short-term and cardiovascular mortality in the long-term...

In Gulf Region More Than One-Third Are Obese And One-Quarter Have Diabetes

Date: Feb-13-2013
With one of the highest rates of obesity in the world, the Gulf region is facing an epidemic of cardiovascular disease. At least 50% of the population is below the age of 25 and the high prevalence of risk factors signals a massive wave of cardiovascular disease in 10-15 years. Cardiovascular centres are already bursting at the seams and prevention services are nonexistent. Prevention will be a key theme at the Saudi Heart Association annual conference, being held 13-16 February 2013 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia...

Firstborns Have Higher Risk Of Diabetes, High Blood Pressure

Date: Feb-13-2013
A new study from New Zealand finds firstborn children have reduced insulin effectiveness, a known risk factor for diabetes, and higher blood pressure, compared to children who have older siblings. More research is needed to find out how these relate to risks in adulthood, since puberty and lifestyle also have an influence, say the researchers...

Patients At Risk From Inaccurate Antibiotic Test Kits, Warns BMJ Investigation

Date: Feb-13-2013
One of the world's leading producers of diagnostic tests has been falsely marketing one of their products, an investigation by the BMJ shows. Oxoid, owned by US diagnostics giant Thermofisher, has been selling antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) discs that do not always contain the advertised amount of antibiotic. The $10 billion a year company's website claims that it is "renowned for quality, accuracy, reliability and innovation." However, internal documents seen by the BMJ show that this reputation may not be entirely justified...

Contrary To Popular Belief, Private Foreign Patients Are A Lucrative Source Of NHS Income, Say Experts

Date: Feb-13-2013
Contrary to some media reports, more UK residents currently travel abroad for treatment than international patients travel to the UK to access NHS or private treatment here, say researchers in this week's BMJ. Depending on the procedure undertaken, patients who travel abroad may also save the UK resources, write Johanna Hanefeld and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of York...

Cell Circuits Remember Their History - MIT Engineers Design New Synthetic Biology Circuits That Combine Memory And Logic.

Date: Feb-13-2013
MIT engineers have created genetic circuits in bacterial cells that not only perform logic functions, but also remember the results, which are encoded in the cell's DNA and passed on for dozens of generations. The circuits, described in the Feb. 10 online edition of Nature Biotechnology, could be used as long-term environmental sensors, efficient controls for biomanufacturing, or to program stem cells to differentiate into other cell types...