Treatment for Advanced Hepatitis C Doesn?t Work

An NIH funded multi-center clinical trial found no benefit from ?maintenance therapy,? low-dose peginterferon used for hepatitis C patients who have not responded to an initial round of treatment. In addition, the study showed a surprising health decline in patients with liver disease over the course of four years. A Saint Louis University researcher was lead author and chairman of the study, which will be published in the Dec. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study ruled out low-dose peginterferon maintenance therapy as a treatment for patients with advanced chronic hepatitis. ?This course of treatment had been adopted by a number of doctors in the U.S. and in other countries, though it had yet to be proven to work. That practice should be stopped based on the results of this trial. There is no rationale for using maintenance therapy,? said Adrian Di Bisceglie, M.D., professor of internal medicine, chief of hepatology and co-director of the Liver Center at Saint Louis University. ?The treatment is clearly ineffective.? More »


Calorie Restriction And Exercise Show Breast Cancer Prevention Differences In Postmenopausal Women

Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have identified pathways by which a reduced-calorie diet and exercise can modify a postmenopausal woman's risk of breast cancer. The results, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, suggest that both caloric restriction and exercise affect pathways leading to mTOR, a molecule involved in integrating energy balance with cell growth. Dysregulation of the mTOR pathway is a contributing factor to various human diseases, including cancers. Diet and exercise reach mTOR through different means, with calorie restriction affecting more upstream pathways, which could explain why caloric restriction... More »


UNC Researchers Find Clue To Stopping Breast-Cancer Metastasis

If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine takes a step in that direction. Carol Otey, Ph.D. and UNC colleagues reduced the ability of breast cancer cells to migrate by knocking down the expression of a protein called palladin. They also found higher levels of palladin in four invasive breast cancer cell lines compared to four non-invasive cell lines. "This study shows that palladin may play an important role in the metastasis of breast cancer cells as they move out of the tumor and into the blood vessels and lymphatics to spread throughout the body," s... More »


UCLA Scientists Find Cell Pathway Driving A Deadly Sub-type Of Breast Cancer

An intra cellular pathway not previously linked to breast cancer is driving a sub-type of the disease that is highly lethal and disproportionately over-represented in African American women. The pathway regulates how cells identify and destroy proteins and represents a class of genes called proteasome targeting complexes. The work shows that basal cancer cells degrade the tumor suppressor gene p27 by making a new type of proteasome targeting complex. The gene p27 is one of a handful of proteins that are expressed in normal cells and act to prevent rapid cell growth, which is indicative of cancer. Beyond chemotherapy, no specific therapeutic target has been identified for this sub-type of cancer, found in between 12 to 15 percent of breas... More »


Breast Cancer Common Among Women With Family History But Without BRCA1 Or BRCA2

New data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting outlines new data, which assesses breast cancer risk among women with a strong family history of breast cancer, but without a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. This may facilitate earlier detection and prevention among high-risk women. The study, conducted at the University of Toronto, showed that women with a significant family history of breast cancer remain at increased risk for developing the disease, despite having negative BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. These mutations typically signal a need for preventive treatment. The excess risk was about four-fold higher than that of average women. "In c... More »


Study Identifies Causes Of Bone Loss In Breast Cancer Survivors

Osteoporosis is a growing concern among breast cancer survivors and their doctors, because certain cancer drugs can cause bone loss. But a new study has found that cancer drugs aren't the only culprits. Among 64 breast cancer patients referred to a bone health clinic, 78 percent had at least one other cause of bone loss, including vitamin D deficiency, excessive calcium excretion in urine and an overactive parathyroid gland. "Doctors evaluating breast cancer patients for possible bone loss should look further than cancer drugs," said Dr. Pauline Camacho, lead author of the study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Camacho is an associate professor in the department of medicine, division of endocrinology and metabolism, Loyola Univers... More »


How Women Can Improve Their Quality Of Life After Breast Cancer Treatment

Opting for less damaging treatments, staying active and learning about the warning signs of lymphedema: that's how women with breast cancer can avoid developing chronic lymphedema, according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). Women can learn more about how to protect themselves from this common and distressing adverse effect of treatment as well as handle the condition at the Institute's website, www.informedhealthonline.org. Protecting women's lymph systems Breast cancer treatment is becoming more effective, with a survival rate of more than 80% for this disease in Germany. As the survival rate goes up, quality of life for survivors assumes even more importance, according to the German Insti... More »


Calcium May Only Protect Against Colorectal Cancer In Presence Of Magnesium

High magnesium intake has been associated with low risk of colorectal cancer. Americans have similar average magnesium intake as East Asian populations. If that were all that were involved, observers might expect both groups to have similar risk for colorectal cancer. However, the United States has seen a much higher colorectal cancer incidence rate than East Asian populations. Furthermore, when East Asians immigrated to the United States, their incidence rates for colorectal cancer increased. This led researchers at Vanderbilt University to suspect there was something else at work. Calcium supplementation has been shown to inhibit colorectal carcinogenesis although high calcium may simultaneously be preventing the body from absorbing... More »


Scientists At National Cancer Institute, Division Of Cancer Prevention Target Colon Cancer Prevention

New investigation results, 'Altered gene expression profiles define pathways in colorectal cancer cell lines affected by celecoxib,' are detailed in a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. "It is well established that celecoxib, a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and a tested chemopreventive agent, has several COX-2-independent activities. In an attempt to better understand COX-2-independent molecular mechanisms underlying the chemopreventive activity of celecoxib, we did global transcription profiling of celecoxib-treated COX-2-positive and COX-2-deficient colorectal cancer cell lines," researchers in the United States report. "Celecoxib treatment resulted in significantly altered expression lev... More »


New Colorectal Module From Simbionix Advances Laparoscopic Cancer Treatment

CLEVELAND -- Simbionix USA Corp, an international company using leading edge simulation to advance clinical performance, announces the world-wide release of a breakthrough training simulation of the laparoscopic colorectal procedure. Although minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques provide many advantages over traditional open surgery, surgeons have been slow to adopt laparoscopic colon resection, because it is a very challenging procedure to learn without potentially putting patients at risk. Colorectal resection is the most common treatment for colorectal cancer, which accounts for almost 10% of all cancer deaths in the US annually. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranks colorectal cancer as the 4th mos... More »



Cincinnati Children

Expert Offers Advice on How to Choose Age Appropriate and Safe Toys for Children During the Holidays

With the excitement of the holidays, parents and relatives eagerly purchase the hottest toys and latest items for their children. But it?s during the hustle and bustle of the season that many fail to buy age appropriate gifts for their children and they tend to disregard warnings on these toys and gifts when it comes to ensuring safety. Cincinnati Children?s Hospital Medical Center suggests parents consider their child?s age, interests, and skill levels when purchasing toys. While shopping, parents are urged to read product warnings and labels, look for sturdy construction and avoid items with sharp edges and points. Once the gifts are opened, it?s important to quickly discard plastic wrappings and keep older children?s toys away from younger siblings. ?Children under five years ? and especially those under three years ? are particularly vulnerable to airway obstruction due to small upper airways, inexperience with chewing and a natural tendency to put everything in their mouths,? says Michael Gittelman, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Cincinnati Children?s.  More »


Pediatric Obesity May Alter Thyroid Function and Structure

In addition to its strong associations with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, pediatric obesity may induce alterations in thyroid function and structure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society?s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Thyroid hormones drive metabolism, however demonstration of a direct or strong correlation of obesity with deficient thyroid function has been controversial, and previous studies provide conflicting conclusions. While some studies have found that thyroid disorders may lead to obesity, this recent study shows that in some cases, it is the obesity that may cause the disorder. ?Our study shows that alterations in thyroid function and structure are common in obese children and we may have uncovered the link,? said Giorgio Radetti, M.D., of the Regional Hospital of Bolzano in Italy and lead author of the study. ?We found an association between body mass index and thyroid hormone levels which suggests that fat excess may have a role in thyroid tissue modification.? More »


Hypersensitivity Reactions to the Quadrivalent HPV Vaccine Are Rare

Hypersensitivity reactions to the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (4vHPV, Gardasil) are uncommon and most schoolgirls can tolerate subsequent doses, finds the first evaluation of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine published on bmj.com today. In Australia, from April 2007, all females aged 12?26 years received the 4vHPV vaccine as part of a national secondary school immunisation programme. Some components of the vaccine such as aluminium salts and yeast have previously been associated with hypersensitivity reactions. Reports of some adverse events followed the school vaccination programme. Dr Sharon Choo and colleagues from Australia describe the results of clinical evaluation, skin tests, and vaccine challenge in 25 schoolgirls with suspected hypersensitivity to 4vHPV after more than 380,000 vaccine doses were administered in schools in Victoria and South Australia. More »


Researchers Identify Gene in Age Related Hearing Loss

Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, accounts for 30 percent of all hearing loss. So, why do some people lose their hearing as they get older but other people can still hear a pin drop? The answer may be in a study released online in the journal Human Molecular Genetics. Advance access is available online at hmg.oxfordjournals.org/papbyrecent.dtl. ?This is the first ever and largest genome-wide association study for age-related hearing loss,? said Rick Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and House Ear Institute principal investigator and surgeon at the House Clinic. The study was conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Affymetrix in Santa Clara, Calif., and the University of Antwerp, Belgium. It uncovered several genes, but one gene stands out and is believed to put people at risk for hearing loss as they age. More »


Press ?One? if You Want Your Child to Eat Right

Imagine turning the tech era?s most annoying invention ? voice-response telephone systems ?into something good. Researchers say they did exactly that in a new study on the use of interactive-voice response counseling to offer nutrition tips to families with obese children. Although children started out with roughly similar body mass index (BMI) scores, those whose parents completed at least six interactive voice-response counseling calls ended the study with slightly lower BMIs than children in the two other intervention groups did. ?I don?t think anyone loves automated phone calls,? said lead author Paul Estabrooks. ?The difference is we?re calling with information they want and information that is tailored toward them. It?s a smart system.? More »


Elementary School Intervention Increases Mental, Sexual Health, Economic Status

Fifteen years after they completed an intervention program designed to help their social development in elementary school, young adults reported better mental health, sexual health and higher educational and economic achievement than a control group of young adults who didn?t receive the intervention, according to a new study. The data, collected when the participants were 24 and 27 years old, comes from the ongoing Seattle Social Development Project that is following a group of people from childhood into adulthood. The results are being published Tuesday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. ?We are seeing that the intervention appears to affect developmentally important outcomes that change as people age,? said J. David Hawkins, lead author of the study and founding director of the University of Washington?s Social Development Research Group. More »


Exposure to secondhand smoke reduced

As the connection between second-hand smoke and coronary heart disease (CHD) became clearer and legislation was passed to reduce such passive smoking, exposures have been reduced. In an article published in the January 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Partners Healthcare, Boston and Columbia University have recalibrated the CHD Policy Model to better predict future trends in CHD. At 1999 levels, passive smoking caused between 21,800 and 75,100 CHD deaths and between 38,100 and 128,900 myocardial infarctions annually. Treatment costs ranged from $1.8 to $6.0 billion per year. If recent trends in the reduction in the prevalence of passive smoking continue from 2000 to 2008, researchers predict that the burden would be reduced by approximately 25%?%. The CHD Policy Model is a computer simulation of CHD incidence, prevalence, mortality and costs in the US population aged >35 years. Using data from a variety of sources, such as the US Census, the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), the Framingham Offspring Study (FOS), the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES), the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) and the Year 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the researchers updated the Model to better predict how reduced second-hand smoke may reduce CHD.  More »



Dendreon Presents Integrated Analysis Of Clinical Data From Neuvenge Trials At Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium

SEATTLE -- Dendreon Corporation today will present a summary of Phase 1 clinical data of NEUVENGE(TM) (lapuleucel-T), an investigational active cellular immunotherapy, at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York City. The presentation, which integrates the data from two clinical trials, highlights the safety profile, immune response and clinical activity of NEUVENGE in patients with HER2/neu-positive cancer who have failed standard therapy. "We are encouraged by the significant immune responses generated to NEUVENGE in these trials, which included patients with advanced breast, ovarian and colon cancer," said John W. Park, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine and neurosurgery at the University of Califo... More »