Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Imaging Technique Allows Researchers To Monitor Protein Changes In Mouse Tumors
A new imaging technique can monitor, in living mice, the HER2 protein found in above-normal amounts in many cases of breast cancer as well as some ovarian, prostate and lung cancers. This new approach, once validated in mice and pending further experiments, could provide a real-time noninvasive method for identifying tumors in humans who express HER2 and who would be candidates for targeted therapy directed against this protein. It may also provide real-time information that will help clinicians optimize treatment for individual patients. The study, published in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, both parts of the National Institutes of Health.
generic viagra online
Health Warning After Lancashire Workers Catch Legionnaires' Disease, UK
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned companies in Lancashire to ensure they carry out regular, simple checks to protect employees from Legionnaires" disease.
News of the day
The Spelling Mistake In The Genetic Code That Causes A Type Of Ovarian Cancer
Eureka! Vancouver scientists from the Ovarian Cancer Research (OvCaRe) Program at BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered that there appears to be a single spelling mistake in the genetic code of granulosa cell tumours, a rare and often untreatable form of ovarian cancer. This means that out of the three billion nucleotide pairs that make up the genetic code of the tumour, one - the same one in every tumour sample - is incorrect. The discovery, published online June 10th in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks the beginning of a new era of cancer genomics, where the complete genetic sequence of cancers can be unravelled and the mutations that cause them exposed. For women with granulosa cell tumours it represents the first specific diagnostic tool and clear path to develop much needed treatments for this cancer.
Medical Devices

Examining The Risk Of Tuberculosis From Arthritis Medication

Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is recognized as a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn"s disease, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. Most TB cases develop as a result of reactivation of a latent TB infection, and health authorities worldwide recommend screening for latent TB and treating patients before initiating anti-TNF treatment. A new study examined cases of TB associated with anti-TNF therapy and found that the risk of TB is higher for patients receiving anti-TNF monoclonal antibody therapy (infliximab or adalimumab) than for those receiving soluble TNF receptor therapy (etanercept). The study is published in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Led by Xavier Mariette of the Universitçİ Paris-Sud, researchers set up a national registry in France to collect all cases of TB occurring during a three-year period in patients receiving anti-TNF therapy for any reason. Researchers collected data on 69 cases of TB, assessing risk factors for TB before anti-TNF therapy began and anti-TNF treatment history. The results showed that the risk of TB for patients receiving anti-TNF therapy compared with the French population differed depending on the anti-TNF agent used; those receiving monoclonal anti-TNF therapy had a higher risk than those receiving sTNFR therapy. The risk of TB was higher during the first year of anti-TNF treatment, which favored the reactivation of latent TB. None of the patients who received correct prophylactic treatment for TB which is in France in most of the cases the association of INH and rifampicione for 3 months. Two thirds of TB cases occured in patients with negative skin tests. The authors note that other countries have set up registries to investigate the safety of anti-TNF agents, but TB rates were so low that it was difficult to discern a difference in risk between the different types of anti-TNF agents; the current study, however, clearly demonstrates this difference. This study examined TB cases in the entire French population and researchers were therefore able to collect many more cases. In addition, it is the only registry to collect safety data for patients receiving anti-TNF therapy for any indication. The mechanism by which TNF antagonists reactivate latent TB is not fully understood, but the authors suggest that differences in the action of the two types of anti-TNF agents in specific T helper cells (which play an important role in maximizing the capabilities of the immune system) and T regulatory cells (which suppress activation of the immune system) may help explain the differences in the risk of TB that were observed. The authors conclude that the differences seen with the two types of anti-TNF treatment may also explain the better efficacy of monoclonal antibody therapy in certain diseases, such as Crohn"s disease, sarcoidosis and uveitis. Article: "Risk of Tuberculosis Higher with Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Than with Anti-Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Therapy," F. Tubach, D. Salmon, P. Ravaud, Y. Allanore, P. Goupille, M. Brçİban, B. Pallot-Prades, S. Pouplin, A. Sacchi, R.M. Chichemanian, S. Bretagne, D. Emilie, M. Lemann, O. Lorthololary, X. Mariette, Arthritis & Rheumatism, July 2009. Sean Wagner Wiley-Blackwell


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

İ Copyright 2009