Infectious diseases experts applaud bill against ‘bad bugs’

Arlington, VA—With methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, and other “bad bugs” routinely making headlines, infectious diseases physicians are applauding Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for introducing in the Senate the Strategies To Address Antimicrobial Resistance (STAAR) Act. The STAAR Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in September by Reps. Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ).

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For High Blood Pressure Patients, Preventing or Reducing Enlarged Heart May Decrease Risk for Diabetes

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Findings, Published in November Journal Hypertension

NEW YORK (Oct. 31, 2007) — High-blood-pressure patients treated for enlarged heart (left ventricular hypertrophy, LVH) who have regression or prevention of LVH may also have a better chance of preventing diabetes. Led by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the research is published in the November Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association (AHA).

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Gene, Stem Cell Therapy Only Needs to be 50 Percent Effective to Create a Healthy Heart

Findings have major implications for those suffering from muscular dystrophy and heart disease

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and greatly affects the quality and length of life for individuals with specific forms of muscular dystrophy. Recent discoveries have demonstrated that gene and/or stem cell therapy could help a variety of organs in the body, but until now scientists have been unsure whether the heart could benefit from these treatments. According to a new study, recently published in Circulation Research, a journal of the American Heart Association, University of Missouri-Columbia researchers have demonstrated that a muscular dystrophy patient should be able to maintain a normal lifestyle if only 50 percent of the cells of the heart are healthy.

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FDA Approves Tasigna for Treatment of Philadelphia Chromosome Positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tasigna (nilotinib) capsules for treatment of Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in adult patients whose disease has progressed on or who cannot tolerate other therapies that included imatinib. Imatinib (Gleevec) is approved for the treatment of new diagnosed patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive CML. Read more

Radiation plus chemo quadruples survival time for fatal brain cancer

Over four times as many patients with a rapidly fatal type of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), who are treated with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation therapy, can live for four years after diagnosis, compared to those who receive only radiation treatment, according to updated results of a large, international trial presented at the Plenary I session on October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

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Preventing lung scarring may extend lives of lung cancer patients

Researchers have found that using a special type of drug called a pharmaceutical monoclonal antibody to block the integrin beta6-TGF-beta pathway prevents a serious side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients – pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lungs), thereby extending patients’ lives and improving their quality of life, according to a study presented at the Plenary I session on October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

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New gene may offer clues to infertility in both cows and women

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A newly identified gene that controls embryo development in cows may someday offer clues into the cause of infertility in women.

A team of researchers from Michigan State University led by George Smith, associate professor of animal science, has discovered that the new egg-specific gene, JY-1, is necessary for embryonic development in dairy cows. The research is reported in the Oct. 29 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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UV light improving chances of fighting cancer

Light-activated antibodies

Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a cancer fighting technology which uses UV light to activate antibodies which very specifically attack tumours.

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Chemical in red wine, fruits and vegetables stops cancer, heart disease, depending on the dose

Research in the FASEB Journal lays the groundwork for safe, new cancer therapy
The next cancer drug might come straight from the grocery store, according to new research published in the November 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal. In the study, French scientists describe how high and low doses of polyphenols have different effects. Most notably, they found that very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols shut down and prevent cancerous tumors by cutting off the formation of new blood vessels needed for tumor growth. Polyphenols are commonly found in red wine, fruits, vegetables, and green tea.

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Guided radiation therapy for prostate cancer prevents damage to surrounding organs

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found that highly targeted radiation therapy for prostate cancer can ensure that the majority of persons with this tumor will not have any long-term rectal damage.

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