Health News

Cheap, Ultra-Sensitive Colour Test Spots Early HIV, Cancer

Date: Oct-29-2012
Researchers in the UK have developed a "naked eye" colour test for virus and disease biomarkers that is ten times more sensitive than current gold standard methods. They have tested it on HIV and prostate cancer biomarkers, and suggest it offers a cheap and simple way of spotting early onset of these and other diseases that could be of particular benefit in poorer countries...

Synribo (Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate) For Myelogenous Leukemia, Approved By FDA

Date: Oct-29-2012
Synribo (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) has been approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in adult patients. Chronic myelogenous leukemia is also known as chronic myeloid leukemia. Approximately 5,430 are expected to be diagnosed with CML, a blood and bone marrow disease, in 2012, says the NIH (National Institutes of Health). Synribo is indicated for patients who have already received two types of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but their cancer continued to progress...

Prostate Cancer Recurrence More Likely When Testosterone Drops After Radiation

Date: Oct-29-2012
Men whose testosterone drops following radiation therapy for prostate cancer are more likely to experience a change in PSA levels that signals their cancer has returned, according to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center. The findings will be presented on October 29 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 54th Annual Meeting. Specifically, men whose testosterone fell following various forms of radiation therapy were more likely to experience an increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) - often the first indication the cancer has recurred...

Multifocal/Multicentric Breast Cancer Connected To A Patient's Risk Of Local Recurrence

Date: Oct-29-2012
Not all women diagnosed with operable breast cancer present with a single tumor; some have multifocal disease appear in the breast, which means multiple tumors found in the same breast quadrant, while others have multicentric disease, where multiple tumors are found in separate breast quadrants. Multifocal or multicentric disease is not a standard indication to receive radiation after mastectomy. For patients who undergo lumpectomy, radiation dose and extent is not altered based on multifocal or multicentric disease compared to patients presenting with a single tumor...

Spread Of Rectal Cancer To Lymph Nodes More Likely At Younger Age

Date: Oct-29-2012
Rectal cancer is more likely to spread to the lymph nodes in younger patients, according to new findings that Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers will be presenting on October 29 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 54th Annual Meeting. The results - which are the first of their kind - suggest that doctors should search for spreading more aggressively in these patients. Once rectal cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, it is more likely to return to the pelvis following surgery...

Discovery Of Cause Of High Cholesterol Could Improve Prevention And Treatment Of Heart Disease

Date: Oct-29-2012
Canadian scientists have discovered that a protein called resistin, secreted by fat tissue, causes high levels of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL), increasing the risk of heart disease. The research, presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, proves that resistin increases the production of LDL in human liver cells and also degrades LDL receptors in the liver. As a result, the liver is less able to clear "bad" cholesterol from the body. Resistin accelerates the accumulation of LDL in arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease...

Flu Shot May Reduce Risk Of A Major Cardiac Event By 50 Percent And Cardiac Deaths By 40 Percent

Date: Oct-29-2012
Getting a flu shot may not only protect you from getting sick, it might also prevent heart disease. Two Toronto-based researchers presented studies at the 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress which found that the influenza vaccine could be an important treatment for maintaining heart health and warding off cardiovascular events like strokes and heart attacks. Dr...

New Options For Ease And Accuracy In Extraction Of Rare Cells Or Separating Blood Offered By Microfluidic Breakthroughs

Date: Oct-29-2012
At the Sixteenth International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (microTAS) held Oct. 28-Nov. 1, in Okinawa, Japan, University of Cincinnati researchers present four papers, including one detailing improvements in rare cell isolation and one detailing improvements, in terms of cost and time, of common blood tests. Ian Papautsky, associate professor in UC's School of Electronic and Computing Systems (SECS), part of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and a UC team are leading these research efforts...

New Tools Developed To Better Treat ADHD Patients In Early Stages

Date: Oct-29-2012
Mayo Clinic researchers presented new findings on the early treatment of child and adolescent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry annual meeting in San Francisco. They include a method to get better input from parents and teachers of children who are being diagnosed with ADHD for the first time - allowing for more effective treatment upon the first consultation. Researchers also showed how a tool can help clinicians better diagnose and treat children who have both ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder...

Older COPD Patients At Increased Risk For High-Risk Carotid Artery Plaque Formation, Stroke

Date: Oct-29-2012
Older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk for carotid artery plaque formation and for the presence of vulnerable plaques with a lipid core, according to a new study from researchers in the Netherlands. "We know that COPD is a risk factor for ischemic stroke, and that certain components of carotid artery plaques such as intraplaque hemorrhage and lipid core increase the risk of ischemic events, but plaque composition in patients with COPD has not been examined," said researcher Bruno H.C...