tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21293419308665488602024-02-19T10:25:41.939-05:00Health: Hearsay and HeadlinesGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.comBlogger1275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-39876798592635634632012-01-10T17:55:00.002-05:002012-01-10T17:55:54.345-05:00Nation’s top drug official to be featured at national conference on prescription drug abuseThe nation’s top official in the war on drugs will be a keynote presenter at the first National Rx Drug Abuse Summit next April. <br />
<br />
R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), has identified prescription drug abuse as a top priority for public health in the United States. <br />
<br />
“Mr. Kerlikowske is very aware of the devastating impacts of prescription drug abuse and diversion,” said Karen Kelly, president/CEO of Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education), a Kentucky-based organization coordinating the event. “The Prevention Plan unveiled last year by the ONDCP recognizes the need to take a balanced approach between education, monitoring, proper disposal and enforcement efforts.” <br />
<br />
The Summit, which will be held in Florida April 10-12, 2012, is intended to foster better understanding and cooperation between all groups – state and national leaders, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, community advocates, treatment experts, educators, private industry leaders, and others – who are finding success in battling this nationwide epidemic. <br />
<br />
“Diversion of prescription medications from their legitimate medical uses impacts every American, not only through the devastating personal toll exacted on individuals and their families, but on an economic level as well,” Kelly stated. “This Summit encourages proactive dialogue with national experts to identify data-driven policies and solutions.” <br />
<br />
Prior to his confirmation, Kerlikowske served as deputy director for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and was police commissioner of Buffalo, New York. Most of his law enforcement career was served in the St. Petersburg Police Department in Florida. <br />
<br />
He was twice elected to be president of the Major Cities Chiefs, which is comprised of the largest city and county law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada, and was also elected president of the Police Executive Research Forum. <br />
<br />
In 2011, Kerlikowske received the American Medical Association’s Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. <br />
<br />
Joining Kerlikowske as a keynote presenter during the Summit will be: <br />
<br />
• Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health, one of the nation’s foremost experts on the neurological effects of drug addiction. <br />
<br />
• Hon. Joseph T. Rannazzisi, deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Diversion Control in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), an expert in preventing, detecting and investigating the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals. <br />
<br />
For more information about the Summit call 1-866-678-6483, visit <a href="http://www.nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org/">www.NationalRxDrugAbuseSummit.org</a>, or follow news about the event on Twitter using @RxSummit.Georgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-6681390291945994372012-01-08T20:26:00.000-05:002012-01-08T20:26:58.515-05:00Military's Groundbreaking Vaccine Targets Breast Cancer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://www.defense.gov/DODCMSShare/NewsStoryPhoto/2012-01/lrs_111109-D-0654H-001Vs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Army Col. (Dr.) George E. Peoples explains<br />
how cancer vaccines help to combat breast<br />
cancer during an interview at San Antonio <br />
Military Medical Center. Peoples, director and<br />
principal investigator for the Cancer Vaccine<br />
Development Program, has helped to <br />
develop a vaccine that's offering breast <br />
cancer survivors hope for a cancer-free future.<br />
<i>DOD photo by Linda Hosek </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Military researchers here have developed a cutting-edge cancer vaccine that's slashing breast cancer recurrence rates and giving some survivors a better shot at a cancer-free future. <br />
<br />
After more than a decade of research and testing, the cancer vaccine, dubbed E-75, soon will move on to its final phase of testing to earn Food and Drug Administration approval, said Army Col. (Dr.) George E. Peoples, director and principal investigator for the Cancer Vaccine Development Program at San Antonio Military Medical Center here. <br />
<br />
The team has high hopes for this vaccine and its lifesaving potential for breast cancer survivors, particularly since breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer seen among military beneficiaries in the hospital here, said Peoples, who also serves here as the deputy director of the U.S. Military Cancer Institute and the medical center's chief of surgical oncology. <br />
<br />
"We've made a commitment to take care of active-duty personnel, spouses and retirees," the colonel said. "And cancer is a notable problem among beneficiaries." <br />
<br />
The vaccine, Peoples explained, targets a protein commonly over-expressed in breast cancer cells called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2/neu. <br />
<br />
Cancer vaccines typically target some protein or antigen expressed on cancer cells, he noted. "The idea is to train the immune system to recognize that protein or piece of protein that's highly expressed on cancer cells, but not on normal cells," he said. "That way the immune system can differentiate what's abnormal and normal. If the immune system can recognize it, it marks it for death, basically." <br />
<br />
The cancer vaccine concept has been around for a long time, Peoples noted, but the team here has adopted a different approach to test their effectiveness. The vast majority of vaccines in the past were tested on end-stage cancer patients, he explained. However, a vaccine is meant to stimulate the immune system, and a healthy immune system isn't typically seen in someone in the last stages of cancer. <br />
<br />
As a result, "a lot of early cancer vaccines tested ... in end-stage patients were found not to be helpful," Peoples said. "No real surprise there." <br />
<br />
To more appropriately gauge the vaccine's effectiveness, Peoples' team decided to test it among patients who have a healthy immune system -- cancer survivors who are disease-free but at risk for recurrence. Experts can predict recurrence based on several factors including family history, age, size of tumor and the presence of involved lymph nodes, among other indicators. <br />
<br />
The researchers targeted the HER2/neu protein, which is expressed at varying levels in women with breast cancer, then honed in on the 60 percent of women who express the protein at low to intermediate levels. The vaccine is a mix of the E-75 peptide of the HER2 protein and an immune system stimulant. <br />
<br />
They started with a 200-patient trial in 2001 and followed each woman for five years. Half of the women received the vaccine -- one injection a month for six months -- and the other half was the control group. <br />
<br />
The outcome was very promising, Peoples noted. The recurrence rate among the women in the control group was 20 percent, and 10 percent among the women who received the vaccine. "We cut recurrence in half," he said. <br />
<br />
This success led to the next phase of testing, the colonel said, which will begin early this year and involve 700 to 1,000 patients. <br />
<br />
Unlike the earlier phases, however, this step will be undertaken by a commercial company, Galena Biopharma, which has the resources and manpower to undertake such a large-scale test. The company will seek FDA approval and, if received, release the vaccine for public use. <br />
<br />
This phase will take about five years to complete -- two years to enroll, then a three-year observation period, Peoples said.<br />
"The end point is the recurrence rate after three years," he explained. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Peoples and his team will turn their attention to a multitude of other projects, many based on the same concept that made the E-75 vaccine so successful -- using the body's own immune system to destroy cancer cells. <br />
<br />
They've already taken the same vaccine and completed a trial with prostate cancer survivors. As with ovarian and lung cancer, prostate cancer also expresses the HER2 protein. <br />
<br />
Peoples said he's also intrigued by a successful trial they conducted on breast cancer survivors who express the HER2 protein at the highest levels, rather than the low to intermediate levels they focused on before. In this study, they combined their vaccine with the drug Herceptin. <br />
<br />
They conducted a small trial with 60 women, Peoples said, and when they administered the vaccine and Herceptin together, the recurrence rate dropped to zero. "The preliminary data is very exciting," he said. "But we need to wait and do larger trials." <br />
<br />
Word has spread of the cancer vaccine program's successes and intriguing results. Military and civilian experts have approached Peoples wanting to take part in research that has such a potentially widespread impact. The idea of active, specific immunotherapy -- engaging the body's immune system to do the work of fighting the cancer -- is an exciting and rapidly evolving area, Peoples explained. <br />
<br />
Garnering this interest, Peoples has steadily built a worldwide network of military and civilian hospitals that can assist with clinical trials and research. The network includes just about every major military hospital alongside a civilian hospital in cities across the nation and overseas. <br />
<br />
The partnership has reached Athens, Greece, and is about to extend into Malaysia. "We're about to circle the globe," he said. <br />
<br />
Peoples attributed much of the program's successes to this military-civilian network. "We're very fortunate to have great partners," he said. <br />
<br />
He also praised the military men and women willing to take part in the trials. They enter into them knowing they may be part of the control group that doesn't receive a potentially lifesaving vaccine. Despite that fact, he hasn't seen a shortage of willing participants, Peoples said. <br />
<br />
"The military is an ideal setting for clinical trials," he said.<br />
<br />
Service members, retirees and family members have a strong sense of service, he noted. "They want to be involved and contribute to the research," he added. <br />
<br />
While they're focusing on secondary cancer prevention, the ultimate goal, Peoples noted, is primary prevention, meaning cancer prevention among people with a predicted risk of cancer based on family history and genetic markers.<br />
<br />
"Hopefully, sometime in my lifetime we'll figure that out," he said. <br />
<br />
<i>By Elaine Sanchez<br />
American Forces Press Service </i>Georgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-5031646436972655822011-07-19T21:16:00.000-04:002011-07-19T21:16:20.457-04:00FDA approves vaccines for the 2011-2012 influenza seasonThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved the 2011-2012 influenza vaccine formulation for all six manufacturers licensed to produce and distribute influenza vaccine for the United States.<br />
<br />
Vaccination remains the cornerstone of preventing influenza, a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses. The vaccine formulation protects against the three virus strains that surveillance indicates will be most common during the upcoming season and includes the same virus strains used for the 2010-2011 influenza season.<br />
<br />
On average, between 5 percent and 20 percent of the U.S. population develops influenza each year, leading to more than 200,000 hospitalizations from related complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Influenza-related deaths vary yearly, ranging from a low of about 3,000 to a high of 49,000 people. <br />
<br />
“Vaccines to prevent seasonal influenza have a long and successful track record of safety and effectiveness in the United States,” said Karen Midthun, M.D., director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “It is important to get vaccinated every year, even if the strains in the vaccine do not change, because the protection received the previous year will diminish over time and may be too low to provide protection into the next year.”<br />
<br />
In addition to the important role that health care providers play in recommending influenza vaccination for their patients, influenza vaccination of health care personnel is also important to protect themselves, their patients, their family, and the community from influenza. The FDA urges health care organizations to encourage their members to follow CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations to get vaccinated.<br />
<br />
The brand names and manufacturers of the vaccines for the upcoming season are: Afluria, CSL Limited; Fluarix, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals; FluLaval, ID Biomedical Corporation; FluMist, MedImmune Vaccines Inc.; Fluvirin, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited; and Fluzone, Fluzone High-Dose and Fluzone Intradermal, Sanofi Pasteur Inc. Fluzone Intradermal, approved on May 9, 2011, will be available for those ages 18 years through 64 years. This vaccine is delivered into the skin, rather than the muscle, using a very small needle.<br />
<br />
Each year, experts from the FDA, World Health Organization, CDC, and others in the public health community study virus samples and patterns collected worldwide to identify virus strains likely to cause the most illness during the upcoming influenza season. Based on that information and the recommendations of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, the strains selected for the 2011-2012 influenza season are:<br />
<br />
• A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus (pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus)<br />
<br />
• A/Perth /16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus<br />
<br />
• B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus<br />
<br />
There is always a possibility of a less than optimal match between the virus strains predicted to circulate and the virus strains that end up causing the most illness. However, even if the vaccine and the circulating strains are not an exact match, the vaccine may reduce the severity of the illness or may help prevent influenza-related complications.CDC’s ACIP recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive an annual influenza vaccination. Additional information on the ACIP recommendations can be found at: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100224.htm">http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100224.htm</a>Georgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-24482292150872240372011-06-06T20:51:00.002-04:002011-06-06T20:51:45.435-04:00Information Sessions about Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program ScheduledA series of information sessions about the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program have been scheduled around the metro Atlanta area at a variety of locations to inform the general public, recruit participants and raise awareness about the program. The sessions are free, open to the public, and feature refreshments, giveaways, prize drawings, and the opportunity to meet Olympian Jeff Galloway. <br />
<br />
Tuesday, June 7, 7:30-9 a.m., Jason’s Deli - Midtown<br />
<br />
230 10th St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 <br />
Tuesday, June 14, 8-11 a.m., Jason’s Deli – Midtown – Corporate Wellness Seminar<br />
<br />
(free to all team captains who have signed up their companies by June 10)<br />
<br />
230 10th St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 <br />
Thursday, June 23, 6-8 p.m., LeasePlan USA <br />
<br />
1165 Sanctuary Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30009 <br />
Wednesday, July 13, 6-8 p.m., Waffle House, Inc.<br />
<br />
5986 Financial Dr., Norcross, GA 30071 <br />
Thursday, July 28, 6-8 p.m., Decatur Square – Team Decatur Kickoff <br />
<br />
<i><b>About the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program </b></i><br />
<br />
The Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program is a unique workplace-organized fitness program that began in 1983 in Atlanta with 900 participants from a handful of companies. Designed to inspire fun, fitness and camaraderie among Atlanta’s corporate community, the annual event attracts more than 15,000 participants from more than 350 companies and is one of the largest workplace organized corporate fitness events in the Southeast. Event highlights of the 29th run/walk event include Get Active Atlanta 8-week Training Promotion powered by Phidippides, 5K corporate run/walk, Best Self Atlanta Magazine Expo, free team and candid photos, awards ceremony and the World’s Largest Office Party in downtown Atlanta adjacent to Turner Field. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com/">www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com</a>. <br />
<br />
WHAT: Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program<br />
<br />
TRAINING: 8-week “Get Active Atlanta” Training Promotion - included with registration<br />
<br />
July 18 – Sept. 8 <br />
5K CORPORATE RUN/WALK <br />
& COMPANY PICNIC : September 8, 2011, 7:00 p.m., Downtown Atlanta, Turner Field <br />
REGISTRATION: <a href="http://www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com/">www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com</a><br />
<br />
Online: Now through September 7, 2 p.m.<br />
<br />
Mail: Now through September 2<br />
<br />
In-person: September 1-7, 2 p.m. (at Phidippides running/walking stores)<br />
<br />
In addition to eighth year title sponsor Kaiser Permanente, other sponsors for this year’s Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program include Dasani Water, Powerade, DAVE FM, 680 The Fan Sports Radio, Best Self Atlanta magazine, Clear Channel Outdoor, CW 69 and Phidippides Running Stores. <br />
<br />
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: <br />
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/KPCorporateRunWalk">facebook.com/KPCorporateRunWalk</a> Twitter: twitter.com/kpcorprunwalkGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-83121477680097827942011-05-27T16:41:00.000-04:002011-05-27T16:41:28.697-04:00FDA approves treatment for Clostridium difficile infectionThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Dificid (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD).<br />
<br />
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and lead to colitis, other serious intestinal conditions, and death in severe cases. C. difficile bacteria are found in the stool of an infected person, and others can become infected if they touch items or surfaces contaminated with the bacteria or spores and then touch their mouths.<br />
<br />
The safety and efficacy of Dificid were demonstrated in two trials that included 564 patients with CDAD that compared Dificid with vancomycin, a common antibiotic used to treat CDAD. The clinical response was similar in the Dificid group compared with the vancomycin group in both studies. In some patients with CDAD, symptoms can return. In the Dificid trials, a greater number of patients treated with Dificid had a sustained cure three weeks after treatment ended versus those patients treated with vancomycin.<br />
<br />
“In recent years, many in the infectious disease community have seen an increase in the number of cases of people with a C. difficile infection,” said Edward Cox, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Dificid is an effective new treatment option for patients who develop Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.”<br />
<br />
Dificid, a macrolide antibacterial, should be taken two times a day for 10 days with or without food.<br />
<br />
To maintain the effectiveness of Dificid, and to reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria, the drug should be used only to treat infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by C. difficile.<br />
<br />
The most common side effects reported with Dificid included nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.<br />
<br />
People at risk of developing the bacterial infection include the elderly, patients in hospitals or nursing homes, and people taking antibiotics for another infection. The most effective way to prevent CDAD is thorough handwashing with soap and warm water.<br />
<br />
Dificid was developed by San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-49624763249641392472011-05-19T10:57:00.000-04:002011-05-19T10:57:32.312-04:00FDA Clears First Test for Recent Infection With Toxoplasmosis Parasite/PRNewswire/ -- On May 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first test to help determine whether a pregnant woman or a person with swollen lymph nodes testing positive for toxoplasmosis, sometimes known as cat scratch disease, developed the infection within the past four months.<br />
<br />
Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The infection can cause serious health problems in people with compromised immune systems. Women who become infected just before or during pregnancy may pass the parasite on to their unborn child, resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth, or an abnormally small or large head. Infection can also lead to vision loss, mental disability, seizures or other health problems later in life for the child.<br />
<br />
Cats are most often associated with the parasite, but many other species of animals and birds also serve as hosts. The parasite also is found in people worldwide. Common symptoms of toxoplasmosis include swollen lymph nodes and flu-like symptoms.<br />
<br />
Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 60 million people in the United States may be infected with Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite may be transmitted to people when they eat raw, undercooked or contaminated meat or come in contact with infected cat feces or litter.<br />
<br />
The VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity assay can be used to rule out recent Toxoplasma gondii infection. The test works by detecting how strongly IgG avidity antibodies bind to the Toxoplasma gondii antigens in the assay. IgG avidity antibodies from infections older than four months bind tightly with the antigens, while IgG avidity antibodies from infections acquired in the past four months form weaker bonds.<br />
<br />
"Toxoplasmosis can have serious and lasting health consequences for infants that acquire the infection in the womb," said Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety in FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "This test gives doctors an additional tool to determine if women with confirmed cases of toxoplasmosis acquired the infection before or during pregnancy."<br />
<br />
The VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity Assay test is for use in people who have been confirmed with the Toxoplasma gondii infection by using the VIDAS TOXO IgG II test and who are pregnant or have swollen lymph glands. The VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity Assay test alone should not be used as a basis for clinical decisions.<br />
<br />
The performance of the VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity Assay has not been established for prenatal screening, for immunocompromised patients, or for cases of toxoplasmosis reinfection or relapse, and the FDA has not cleared or approved the VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity Assay for blood or plasma donor screening. <br />
<br />
The VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity assay is manufactured by bioMerieux Inc. of Hazelwood, Mo.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-22115394445429098782011-05-19T09:43:00.000-04:002011-05-19T09:43:08.706-04:00New Shoulder Surgery Successfully Treats Serious InjuriesA surgeon at the Emory Sports Medicine Center has helped to pioneer a surgical option for people suffering from severe shoulder injuries.<br />
<br />
Spero Karas, MD, Emory orthopaedic surgeon and team doctor for the Atlanta Falcons, has found safe and effective results using a procedure called the “Bridge Technique” for rotator cuff injuries. This procedure uses a skin graft that is surgically attached to both the deficient tendon and bone to ‘bridge’ the defect.<br />
<br />
“We have a number of treatments available to fix most rotator cuff injuries, but there are times when the tendon defect is so severe that those options are inadequate,” says Karas, who is also an associate professor of orthopaedics at Emory University School of Medicine.<br />
<br />
For individuals with severe injuries that were untreatable in the past, this is a procedure that now offers a potential alternative.<br />
<br />
"When the rotator cuff is repaired using this technique, it reestablishes normal function of the rotator cuff," Karas explains. "This results in eliminating pain, improving function and potentially slowing the progression of arthritis."<br />
<br />
Not only does this procedure offer help for patients who may never have been able to completely recover from a serious injury, but Karas says it also may give the patient the ability to return to normal activity.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-50309224256122925492011-05-09T19:30:00.002-04:002011-05-09T19:30:45.133-04:00FDA approves new treatment for rare type of pancreatic cancerOn Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Afinitor (everolimus) to treat patients with progressive neuroendocrine tumors located in the pancreas (PNET) that cannot be removed by surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body (metastatic). <br />
<br />
Neuroendocrine tumors found in the pancreas are slow-growing and rare. It is estimated that there are fewer than 1,000 new cases in the United States each year.<br />
<br />
“Patients with this cancer have few effective treatment options,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Afinitor has demonstrated the ability to slow the growth and spread of neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas.”<br />
<br />
The safety and effectiveness of Afinitor was established a clinical trial in 410 patients with metastatic (late-stage) or locally advanced (disease that could not be removed with surgery) disease. Patients in the study were selected to receive Afinitor or placebo (sugar pill). The trial was designed to measure the length of time a patient lived before their disease spread or worsened (progression-free survival).<br />
<br />
In patients treated with Afinitor, the median length of time they lived without the cancer spreading or worsening was 11 months compared with 4.6 months in patients who received placebo. Patients who received placebo were able to receive Afinitor if their disease worsened. <br />
<br />
In patients treated with Afinitor for neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors, the most commonly reported side effects included inflammation of the mouth (stomatitis), rash, diarrhea, fatigue, swelling (edema), stomach (abdominal) pain, nausea, fever, and headache.<br />
<br />
Afinitor is also approved to treat patients with kidney cancer (advanced renal cell carcinoma) after they fail treatment with Sutent (sunitinib) or Nexavar (sorafenib); and patients with subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (a type of brain cancer) associated with tuberous sclerosis (a disease that causes tumors in various parts of the body), who cannot be treated by surgery. <br />
<br />
Afinitor has another trade name, Zortress, and is approved to treat certain adult patients to prevent organ rejection after a kidney transplant. Zortress has a different safety profile in these patients. <br />
<br />
Afinitor is marketed by East Hanover, N.J.-based Novartis.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-40277672723600092032011-05-03T14:31:00.002-04:002011-05-03T14:31:40.334-04:00FDA approves new treatment for Type 2 diabetesThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tradjenta (linagliptin) tablets, used with diet and exercise, to improve blood glucose control in adults with Type 2 diabetes.<br />
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People with Type 2 diabetes do not produce or respond normally to insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. Over time, high blood glucose levels can increase the risk for serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage.<br />
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"This approval provides another treatment option for the millions of Americans with Type 2 diabetes," said Mary Parks, M.D., director of the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “It is effective when used alone or when added to existing treatment regimens.”<br />
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Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, affecting between 90 percent and 95 percent of the 24 million people in the United States with diabetes. Tradjenta increases the level of hormones that stimulate the release of insulin after a meal by blocking the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-4 or DPP-4, which leads to better blood glucose control.<br />
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Tradjenta was demonstrated to be safe and effective in eight double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies involving about 3,800 patients with Type 2 diabetes. The studies showed improvement in blood glucose control compared with placebo.<br />
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Tradjenta has been studied as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with other Type 2 diabetes therapies including metformin, glimepiride, and pioglitazone. Tradjenta has not been studied in combination with insulin, and should not be used to treat people with Type 1 diabetes or in those who have increased ketones in their blood or urine (diabetic ketoacidosis).<br />
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Tradjenta will be dispensed with an FDA-approved Patient Package Insert that explains the drug’s uses and risks. The most common side effects of Tradjenta are upper respiratory infection, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, and headache.<br />
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Tradjenta is marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, Conn., and Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly Co.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-52002226477769213102011-05-03T14:20:00.000-04:002011-05-03T14:20:08.962-04:00A Little Belly Fat Can Double the Risk of Death in Coronary Artery Disease Patients(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI). The findings of this Mayo Clinic analysis are published in the May 10 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.<br />
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Researchers analyzed data from 15,923 people with coronary artery disease involved in five studies from around the world. They found that those with coronary artery disease and central obesity, measured by waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, have up to twice the risk of dying. That is equivalent to the risk of smoking a pack of cigarettes per day or having very high cholesterol, particularly for men.<br />
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The findings refute the obesity paradox, a puzzling finding in many studies that shows that patients with a higher BMI and chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease have better survival odds than normal-weight individuals.<br />
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“We suspected that the obesity paradox was happening because BMI is not a good measure of body fatness and gives no insight into the distribution of fat,” says Thais Coutinho, M.D., the study’s lead author and a cardiology fellow at Mayo Clinic. “BMI is just a measure of weight in proportion to height. What seems to be more important is how the fat is distributed on the body,’’ she says.<br />
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Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., the project’s lead investigator and director of the Cardiometabolic Program at Mayo Clinic, explains why this type of fat may be more harmful: “Visceral fat has been found to be more metabolically active. It produces more changes in cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. However, people who have fat mostly in other locations in the body, specifically, the legs and buttocks, don’t show this increased risk.”<br />
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The researchers say physicians should counsel coronary artery disease patients who have normal BMIs to lose weight if they have a large waist circumference or a high waist-to-hip ratio. The measure is very easy to use, Dr. Coutinho says: “All it takes is a tape measure and one minute of a physician’s time to measure the perimeter of a patient’s waist and hip.”<br />
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The research subjects were diverse, coming from studies in the U.S. (Rochester, Minn. and San Francisco, Calif.), Denmark, France and Korea. The inclusion of different ethnic groups makes the study more applicable to the real world, Dr. Coutinho says.<br />
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Other members of the research team are Kashish Goel, M.D.; Daniel Correa de Sa, M.D.; Randal Thomas, M.D.; Veronique Roger, M.D., MPH; and Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D., of Mayo Clinic; Charlotte Kragelund, M.D., Ph.D.; Lars Kober, M.D., Ph.D.; and Christian Torp-Pedersen, M.D., Ph.D., from Rigshaspitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Alka Kanaya, M.D. of the University of California, San Francisco, California; Jong-Seon Park, M.D.; Sang-Hee Lee, M.D.; and Young-Jo Kim, M.D., of Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Korea; and Yves Cottin, M.D., Ph.D.; and Luc Lorgis, M.D., from CHU Bocage, Dijon, France.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-14983940594008754672011-04-29T10:02:00.000-04:002011-04-29T10:02:47.258-04:00Protein Inhibitor May Bring a Topical Treatment for HPV/PRNewswire/ -- Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death for women, and is a common cause of anogenital and some head and neck cancers. Thanks to research being done at Tufts University School of Medicine, patients infected with cancer-causing HPV may someday have an alternative to surgical and harsh chemical treatments. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published online in advance of print in The FASEB Journal, the researchers report on the development of a protein-based inhibitor that could provide a topical treatment for HPV.<br />
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"Currently, there is no cure for HPV, and the available treatment options involve destroying the affected tissue. We have developed a protein inhibitor that blocks HPV protein expression in cell culture, a first step toward a topically-applied treatment for this cancer-causing virus," said senior author James Baleja, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and member of the biochemistry program faculty at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts.<br />
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"Vaccines are helping to lower the incidence of HPV, but vaccines will not help the millions of women and men who currently have an infection, especially those who have high-risk and persistent infections. Social and economic challenges make widespread administration of a vaccine difficult, particularly in developing countries. A topical treatment for HPV could provide an economical option," he continued.<br />
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HPV affects approximately 20 million people in the United States, making it the most common sexually transmitted infection. There are more than 100 types of HPV of which more than 40 are sexually transmitted. These include two high-risk types, HPV-16 and HPV-18, which cause the majority of cervical and anogenital cancers, and some portion of head and neck cancers, particularly oral cavity and oropharynx cancers. Cervical cancer is diagnosed in nearly 500,000 women each year, killing 250,000 annually. In the United States, it was estimated that 12,000 women in 2010 would be diagnosed with cervical cancer, while 10,100 women and men in the United States get vulvar, vaginal, penile or anal cancers each year. In addition, some portion of the head and neck cancers in the United States (11,300 men and women each year) is attributable to HPV. Other types of HPV, or low-risk HPV, can cause genital warts or are infections that clear on their own.<br />
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In their efforts to inhibit HPV, Baleja and his team zeroed in on the viral protein E2, which controls viral activities including DNA replication and the activation of cancer-causing genes. Using structure-guided design, the team developed a protein called E2R that prevents E2 from functioning normally. When the researchers applied E2R to a cell model of HPV biology, viral gene transcription was halted. Because HPV infects epithelial cells, the outermost layer of the skin and the mucous membranes, protein inhibitors such as E2R could be applied in a topical form.<br />
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Baleja and colleagues used biophysical tools including circular dichroism spectroscopy and x-ray crystallography to test the structure and stability of different inhibitors. The most stable inhibitor was then tested in mammalian cells and was found to inhibit the E2 protein of HPV-16, the high-risk strain that is most commonly associated with cancers. The data in this study suggest that the inhibitor may also be effective against another high-risk virus, HPV-18, as well as a low-risk virus, HPV-6a, which causes warts.<br />
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Additional authors on the paper are first author Kakoli Bose, Ph.D., formerly a postdoctoral fellow in the Baleja laboratory at TUSM and now with the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer at the Tata Memorial Center in India; Gretchen Meinke, Ph.D., senior research associate in the Bohm Laboratory at TUSM, and Andrew Bohm, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at TUSM and member of the biochemistry program faculty at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.<br />
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This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and by the Lifespan/Tufts/Brown Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), a joint research effort between Tufts and Brown Universities and their affiliated hospitals and centers. CFAR is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.<br />
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Bose K, Meinke G, Bohm A, and Baleja J. The FASEB Journal. "Design and characterization of an enhanced repressor of human papillomavirus E2 protein." Published online April 11, 2011. DOI 10.1096/fj.10-176461<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-59927866857617635502011-04-28T13:29:00.000-04:002011-04-28T13:29:34.612-04:00Emergency Visits Are Increasing, New ACEP Poll Finds; Many Patients Referred By Primary Care Doctors/PRNewswire/ -- More than 80 percent of emergency physicians responding to an ACEP poll said emergency visits are increasing in their emergency departments, with half reporting significant rises, and more than 90 percent expecting increases in the next year. Almost all (97 percent) reported treating patients on a daily basis who were referred to them by primary care doctors, going against a widely-held assumption that people are choosing to go to the emergency department instead of seeking primary care.<br />
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At the same time, 97 percent of emergency physicians also report treating Medicaid patients on a daily basis who could not find any other doctor to accept their health insurance. If the new health care reform legislation provides insurance coverage that reimburses doctors at Medicaid rates, this could exacerbate a lack of access to medical care.<br />
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"This poll confirms what we are witnessing in Massachusetts — that visits to emergency rooms are going to increase across the country, despite health care reform, and that health insurance coverage does not guarantee access to medical care," said Dr. Sandra Schneider, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. "Emergency medicine provides lifesaving and critical care to millions of patients each year and yet only represents 2 percent of the nation's health care expenditures. Emergency physicians command the resources of a hospital to provide the best care for patients, but we must be prepared for increasing numbers of patients, not fewer, especially given our growing elderly population."<br />
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ACEP conducted the poll from March 3 to March 11, 2011. E-mails were sent to 20,687 emergency physicians, and 1,768 responded. The survey has a theoretical sampling error range of plus/minus 2.23.<br />
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While 79 percent of responding emergency physicians said their emergency departments use resources efficiently, nearly half of respondents (44 percent) said the fear of lawsuits was the biggest challenge to cutting emergency department costs. More than half (53 percent) of emergency physicians reported that fear of lawsuits is the main reason for ordering the number of tests they do. <br />
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"Emergency departments need more resources, not fewer, and medical liability reform would help reduce overall costs by reducing the need for defensive medicine," said Dr. Schneider. <br />
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Two-thirds of emergency visits occur after business hours, when doctor's offices are closed and patients have nowhere else to turn. Visits to ERs reached an all-time high of nearly 124 million in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and are expected to rise nationwide. <br />
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Physicians responding to the poll attribute the overall increase in emergency patients to patients without health coverage (28 percent) and a growing elderly population (23 percent) are seen by physicians as the most important reasons for the overall increase in ER patients.<br />
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An overwhelming 89 percent of physicians believe the number of visits to the emergency department will increase as health care reforms are implemented with 54 percent of them expecting to see a significant increase.<br />
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"Emergency visits have increased at twice the rate of the U.S. population, and less than 8 percent of those patients have nonurgent medical conditions, meaning the vast majority need to be there," said Dr. Schneider. "At the same time, hundreds of emergency departments have closed. The new health care reform law does not address these problems and with the elderly population and more emergency departments forced to shut down, this crisis will only get worse."<br />
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More than 1,400 (82.5 percent) responding to the poll said that lives were saved every day in their emergency departments. "Emergency medicine is critical at any hour of the day. It must be there when you need it," said Dr. Schneider.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-2789427054328453292011-04-27T16:44:00.002-04:002011-04-27T16:44:47.091-04:00Free Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Screenings at Emory<i>Oral Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week </i><br />
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In support of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, Emory Healthcare will be offering free oral head and neck cancer screenings at the Emory Clinic on Friday, April 29 from 1-4 pm, and on Wednesday, May 4 from 8 am to noon.<br />
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According to the American Cancer Society, head and neck cancers represent the sixth most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 50,000 cases diagnosed annually, and over 12,000 deaths.<br />
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Screenings on Friday, April 29, will take place in the Oral Surgery Department of Clinic B, 1365-B, Clifton Rd., 2nd floor. Screenings on Wednesday, May 4, will take place in the ENT Department, 1365-A Clifton Rd., 2nd floor. Screenings are first come first served.Georgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-40574853815300156542011-04-27T11:38:00.000-04:002011-04-27T11:38:56.895-04:00Study Suggests an Alternative to Foot Amputation for Some Diabetic Patients/PRNewswire/ -- A recent study published in the March issue of Foot & Ankle International (FAI), the official scientific journal of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) describes a possible amputation alternative for patients with neuropathic ulceration of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) or big toe joint. The findings are noteworthy as diabetes is the leading cause for non-accident/injury leg and foot amputations among US adults, with more than 60,000 lower extremity amputations performed annually. In addition, neuropathy (nerve damage or loss of feeling) of the foot occurs in 60-70% of diabetic patients.<br />
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The study's alternative operative treatment to amputation includes debridement and resection arthroplasty with temporary external fixation and VAC dressing. Nicholas Smith, corresponding author of the study says, "While the study includes only a small sample, it does represents the largest group followed in literature. Given that patients are very satisfied with the outcomes and that we achieved an equally positive end point compared to more radical amputation, we are hopeful that this option will be considered for select patients in the future."<br />
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The retrospective study examined 16 patients (the largest group followed in the literature) who underwent resection arthroplasty with external fixation for first MTP ulceration. The patients were studied post-operatively for an eight year period. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on long-term outcomes for all patients who underwent the procedure. Ten out of 16 patients were ulcer free at the conclusion of the study and required no further surgery. The remaining six patients required a secondary procedure which required amputation.<br />
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Treatment includes complete debridement of the infected tissue, application of external fixator with pins and wires, and 6 to 8 weeks of antibiotics with use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the postoperative treatment of open wounds<br />
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The findings are noteworthy for diabetic patients with foot ulcerations. The authors of the study feel the procedure warrants consideration in the treatment of deep forefoot ulcerations, yet concede that if the ulceration fails to heal, amputation may be the only viable option.<br />
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For more information on diabetic foot as well as resources on foot and ankle care, visit the AOFAS website, www.aofas.org. The site also features a surgeon referral service that makes it easy for patients to find a local orthopaedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle care.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-69919292512312609592011-04-27T10:41:00.000-04:002011-04-27T10:41:35.222-04:00UGA researchers develop non-invasive early diagnostic test for gastric cancerEarly detection of cancer may eventually become as easy as taking a home pregnancy test, according to new University of Georgia research.<br />
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Two studies recently published in the journal PloS ONE identified for the first time that certain proteins excreted in urine can indicate the presence of gastric cancer.<br />
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The researchers initially studied stomach cancer because it is the number two cancer killer in the world.<br />
They hope that with further study, the detection of abnormally abundant proteins in urine will lead to diagnosis of many types of cancer and other diseases, said Ying Xu, lead author of the study and Regents-Georgia Research Allianceeminent scholar of bioinformatics and computational biologyin the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.<br />
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“In theory, the methodology that we developed should be applicable to other cancers,” said Xu, who also is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and director of the UGA Institute of Bioinformatics.<br />
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Xu and his colleagues, Celine Hong, Juan Cui and David Puett of the Institute of Bioinformatics, identified a protein called endothelial lipase that differed significantly in its abundance in urine samples of stomach cancer patients versus healthy people. Xu said the computational capability presented in the study for predicting which of the abnormally abundant proteins in diseased tissues can be excreted into urine is a key breakthrough in cancer detection. Using samples from already known excretory and non-excretory proteins, the study found that the classification system was more than 80 percent accurate.<br />
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Of the 21 urine samples of healthy people, only two did not have the protein. In the 21 urine samples of stomach cancer patients, only one sample was considered to have a relatively high level of the protein; levels in the rest were low or absent. “We are suggesting from this relatively small urine sample set that healthy people should have this protein in their urine,” Xu said.<br />
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The researchers are currently working on a larger urine sample set of 200 gastric cancer patients and 200 healthy people. “If the EL protein still has the 10 to 15 percent miscalculation rate as with the 21 versus 21 samples, I think we have found a good diagnostic marker for stomach cancer and potentially other cancers,” said Xu.<br />
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Now that the researchers have identified a protein marker, Xu says they should be able to develop a method where urine can change the color of a piece of paper to indicate the presence or absence of the protein, similar to the way a home pregnancy test works. The researchers hope to find multiple protein markers for each cancer to increase the accuracy of the test.<br />
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Although the test is not yet 100 percent accurate, it can lead at-risk patients to seek a more comprehensive exam, said Xu. Current procedures such as endoscopy are invasive, uncomfortable and may be avoided by many people. “A person could go get a urine test, and if the marker protein is present, then they are generally stomach-cancer free,” said Xu. “If the protein is not present, we might suggest that they get their stomach checked.”<br />
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The researchers began by studying a set of 1,500 proteins known to be excreted in urine and identified a list of features that distinguish them from proteins that are not excreted into urine. Identifying these distinguishing features allowed them to develop a classification system that could predict which proteins in cancerous tissues are excreted into urine.<br />
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Xu and his colleagues then used microarrays—chips that are about the size of a stamp that contain nearly twenty thousand human genes—to identify which proteins varied in abundance in the cancerous versus non-cancerous tissues. Messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules extracted from the sample tissues are converted to complementary DNAs (cDNAs) and hybridize with their complement genes on the microarray and light up as spots when the corresponding mRNAs are abundant. The researchers then identified proteins corresponding to those genes that appeared at significantly different levels in the cancer and non-cancer samples. From there, the researchers were able to determine which of the abnormally abundant proteins were secreted into the blood and then excreted in urine using the classification method they developed.<br />
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The UGA researchers work in conjunction with a team of researchers led by Fan Li of Jilin University in China, where Xu spends two months a year working with medical doctors and researchers on sample collection and carrying out microarray experiments. This long-term collaboration has led to the establishment of the Jilin University/University of Georgia Joint Research Center for Systems Biology. The researchers are currently collecting tissues from patients with different types of cancer to identify more protein markers that can be detected in urine.<br />
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The study was supported by the UGA President’s Venture Fund, the Office of Vice President for Research, the Georgia Cancer Coalition, the Georgia Research Alliance, Jilin University and the National Institutes of Health.<br />
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To learn more about the UGA Institute of Bioinformatics, see http://www.bioinformatics.uga.edu/. To learn more about the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of biochemistry and molecular biology, see http://www.bmb.uga.edu/.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-47161066787930996342011-04-25T11:13:00.000-04:002011-04-25T11:13:26.960-04:00Streptococci and E. coli Continue to Put Newborns at Risk for SepsisBloodstream infections in newborns can lead to serious complications with substantial morbidity and mortality. What’s more, the pathogens responsible for neonatal infections have changed over time. In recent years, however, antibiotic prophylaxis given to at-risk mothers has reduced the incidence of early-onset group B streptococcal infections among their babies.<br />
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A new nationwide, multi-site study aimed at determining current early-onset sepsis rates among newborns, the pathogens involved, and associated morbidity and mortality demonstrates that the most frequent pathogens associated with sepsis are group B streptococci (GBS) in full-term infants and Escherichia coli in preterm infants.<br />
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The study, which included nearly 400,000 newborns, also found that infection rates in newborns increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight. The overall rate of infection was 0.98 per 1,000 live births; 0.41 per 1,000 live births involving GBS and 0.28 per 1,000 live births involving E. coli.<br />
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The study appears online April 25 and in the May 2011 issue of Pediatrics. <br />
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GBS emerged as the leading cause of early-onset sepsis and meningitis in newborns in the 1970s. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal screening of women at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy followed by chemoprophylaxis for women with GBS colonization.<br />
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Sepsis occurs when pathogenic bacteria enter the blood stream, causing systemic infection. In infants less than 72 hours old, sepsis is considered of early onset.<br />
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“Infections occur in almost one case per thousand live births,” says Barbara Stoll, MD, lead investigator for the study. Stoll is the George W. Brumley, Jr., Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics in Emory University School of Medicine. “With approximately 4 million births a year in the United States, this equates to a substantial burden of disease. We estimate that approximately 3,000 infants a year develop early-onset sepsis. With current mortality rates, approximately 300 to 350 deaths per year are associated with neonatal sepsis. So, it’s not inconsequential.”<br />
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The study also shows that opportunities for prevention of neonatal GBS infections continue to be missed. “Missed opportunities for prevention of GBS include failure to screen all women who deliver at term, failure to provide antibiotics to all colonized women or to those who delivered preterm with unknown colonization status and false negative GBS screens among women who deliver with GBS infection,” says Stoll.<br />
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“Our findings suggest that accurate point-of-care diagnostic tests at the time a woman comes in for delivery would enhance our ability to identify at-risk women.”<br />
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In addition, the gap in linking electronic medical records between a woman’s obstetrician and the hospital where she delivers can also impede prevention. “A community health record that links the medical record in a physician’s office with the hospital where the woman gets care could enhance identification and therapy for at-risk women,” says Stoll. “If a woman has been screened for GBS and is known to be colonized, that information should be available to the health care team taking care of her at the time she is in labor.”<br />
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The study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<br />
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By Robin Tricoles<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-83019728693875617232011-04-25T10:36:00.000-04:002011-04-25T10:36:11.512-04:00FDA approves the first vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants and toddlersThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Menactra in children as young as 9 months for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135. Menactra already is approved for use in people ages 2 through 55 years.<br />
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Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening illness caused by bacteria that infect the bloodstream (sepsis) and the lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of meningitis in young children. Even with appropriate antibiotics and intensive care, between 10 percent and 15 percent of people who develop meningococcal disease die from the infection. Another 10 percent to 20 percent suffer complications such as brain damage or loss of limb or hearing.<br />
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Although the rates of meningococcal disease are low in the United States, infants and toddlers are more susceptible to getting this serious illness. Meningococcal disease is particularly dangerous because it progresses rapidly and can cause death within hours. Early symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from influenza and other common illnesses.<br />
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“The highest rate of meningococcal disease occurs in children under one year of age. With today’s approval, Menactra can now be used in children as young as 9 months of age to help prevent this potentially life-threatening disease,” said Karen Midthun, M.D., director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.<br />
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The safety of Menactra in children as young as 9 months was evaluated in four clinical studies in which over 3,700 participants received the vaccine. The most common adverse events reported in children who received Menactra at 9 months and 12 months of age were injection-site tenderness and irritability. Occurrence of fever was comparable to other vaccines routinely recommended for young children.<br />
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Menactra is given as a two-dose series beginning at 9-months, three months apart; and the study results showed the vaccine produces antibodies in the blood that are protective against the disease.<br />
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Menactra was originally approved on Jan. 14, 2005, for use in individuals ages 11 years through 55 years and was approved in October 2007 for children as young as 2 years. Menactra is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. of Swiftwater, Pa.<br />
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Most adults remember the fever, itchy blisters and possibly tiny scars they experienced as children when they had chickenpox, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, or VZV.Unfortunately, that memory can come back—with a vengeance—when they are older. The VZV virus from childhood chickenpox hides in the nerves, emerging most frequently in adults over the age of 60 as a blistering rash on one side of the body. The rate of complications, including nerve pain that can persist for months or years after the shingles attack is gone, also increases with age. <br />
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The novel and effective anti-shingles agent called L-BHDA may change that. Rights to the shingles treatment have been licensed to Bukwang Pharmaceutical Company for preclinical investigations by the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. and Yale University.<br />
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“We need new options for medications with increased potency and specificity that can treat VZV, including strains that may be resistant to existing drugs,” said medicinal chemist Chung (David) Chu, Distinguished Research Professor of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences at UGA, one of the inventors of L-BHDA.<br />
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A collaboration between Chu and co-inventor Yung-Chi (Tommy) Cheng, the Henry Bronson Professor of Pharmacology at Yale, has resulted in an extensive portfolio of antiviral compounds that target such diseases as HIV, shingles, hepatitis and cancers. <br />
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Chu, who is head of the Drug Discovery Group in the UGA College of Pharmacy, said that although there are generic antiviral drugs to reduce the duration and pain of shingles, and a variety of pain medications and topical creams to relieve long-term pain, “They are only moderately effective.We need more effective anti-VZV agents. <br />
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“L-BHDA has the potential to be more effective than existing agents,” said Chu. He noted that the new compound has been tested in the laboratory and demonstrated in mice models by a group of researchers headed by Jennifer Moffat, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University. <br />
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A vaccine to prevent shingles, available to older adults since 2006, can cut the likelihood of a shingles attack in half. However, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, only a small percentage of older people receive the shot, principally because of cost, lack of insurance reimbursement and shortage of supply.<br />
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It is likely that immunization against chickenpox during childhood also protects against shingles, because the vaccine uses a weakened strain of the virus. However, the vaccine was only introduced in 1995, and there are not enough data to provide a definitive answer. <br />
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“Dr. Chu and Dr. Cheng have been working diligently to fill a much needed gap in the treatment options for such a prevalent disease,” said Rachael Widener, UGARF technology licensing manager. “Before the chicken pox vaccine became widely used in the mid-1990s, older, unvaccinated individuals would have their immunity boosted naturally. <br />
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“Now, with less exposure to chicken pox, shingles is becoming more prevalent,” said Widener. “This, combined with the aging baby boomer population, underscores the need for more directed treatment. We are hopeful that L-BHDA will allow patients to get well sooner and feel less pain, and will lessen their chances of complications.”<br />
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Vasculitis in patients with WG and MPA can lead to tissue damage. WG mostly affects the respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, trachea, and lungs) and kidneys, while MPA commonly affects the kidneys, lungs, nerves, skin, and joints. Both of these diseases affect people of all ages and ethnicities, and both genders. The causes of these disorders are unknown, and both are considered orphan diseases because they each affect less than 200,000 people in the United States.<br />
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“This new indication for Rituxan provides the first approved therapy for these two orphan diseases,” said Curtis Rosebraugh, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.<br />
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Rituxan is an antibody that is manufactured through biotechnology methods. The drug works by greatly reducing the number of specific immune cells in the blood, known as B cells. <br />
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The safety and effectiveness of Rituxan was demonstrated in a single controlled trial, in which 197 patients with WG or MPA were assigned at random to receive either Rituxan plus glucocorticoids once a week for four weeks or oral cyclophosphamide plus glucocorticoids daily to induce remission. After six months, 64 percent of patients treated with Rituxan had complete remission compared to 53 percent of patients treated with cyclosphosphamide. <br />
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Retreatment with Rituxan was not formally evaluated; therefore, the safety and efficacy of retreatment with subsequent courses of Rituxan has not been established. More data are needed to determine the safety of more than one course of Rituxan and long term safety of use of Rituxan in patients with WG and MPA. These questions will be further evaluated in a required post-marketing study.<br />
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Rituxan carries a Boxed Warning for infusion reactions, which can occur during infusion or within 24 hours afterwards. Other Boxed Warnings for Rituxan include rashes and sores in the skin and mouth (severe mucocutaneous reactions); and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a brain infection that generally is fatal. Rituxan is not recommended for use in patients with severe, active infections.<br />
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The most common side effects in study participants with WG and MPA included infection, nausea, diarrhea, headache, muscle spasms, and anemia.<br />
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Rituxan, which has been marketed since 1997, is also indicated for the treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and rheumatoid arthritis.<br />
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Rituxan is manufactured by San Francisco-based Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.<br />
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SJIA, or Still’s disease, is a rare, potentially life-threatening disorder in children that causes severe inflammation throughout the body. SJIA is distinguished from other forms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) by the prominence of systemic and inflammatory features, including spiking fevers; rash; swelling and inflammation of lymph nodes, liver, and spleen; and high white blood cell and platelet counts. The prevalence of JIA is an estimated 1 to 2 per 1,000 children, and SJIA affects about 10 percent of all JIA patients.<br />
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Actemra is an interleukin-6 receptor blocker approved by the FDA on Jan. 8, 2010, for treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to other approved therapies.<br />
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“This new indication of Actemra provides the first approved therapy for children with this rare disease,” said Badrul Chowdhury, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Rheumatology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.<br />
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An international, multicenter controlled trial demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of Actemra, in which 112 patients received either Actemra infusions or placebo infusions every two weeks. Study participants included patients with SJIA aged 2 to 17 years old who had inadequate response to or who were unable to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids.<br />
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Eighty-five percent of those receiving Actemra responded to treatment, compared with 24 percent of patients receiving placebo. Response was defined as at least 30 percent improvement in the American College of Rheumatology’s JIA efficacy variables, along with absence of fever in the preceding seven days. In the long-term, follow-up period of the trial there were three cases of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) among SJIA patients receiving Actemra. MAS is a potentially fatal complication of childhood systemic inflammatory disorders, thought to be caused by excessive activation and proliferation of certain immune cells.<br />
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Actemra carries a Boxed Warning for serious infections. Patients treated with Actemra who develop a serious infection should stop Actemra treatment until the infection is controlled. A Boxed Warning is a brief, concise summary of the information that is critical for a prescriber to be aware of, including any restriction on distribution or use, which is included in a black box at the beginning of the drug label.<br />
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Changes in certain laboratory test results such as liver tests, blood counts, and cholesterol are not uncommon with Actemra and should be monitored with regular blood tests. The most common side effects in trial participants with SJIA included upper respiratory tract infection, headache, sore throat, and diarrhea.<br />
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Actemra is marketed by San Francisco-based Genentech Inc., a subsidiary of the Roche Group.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-64875840049708459592011-04-14T09:57:00.000-04:002011-04-14T09:57:08.239-04:00Doctors Recommend Different Treatments for Patients Than for ThemselvesA patient who can't decide between two available treatments asks his doctor: "What should I do?" Another patient, torn between the same two treatments, asks: "Doctor, what would you do if you were me?"<br />
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Will those two patients get the same answer? That question, posed by researchers from Duke University and the University of Michigan in a national survey of physicians, found doctors often recommend different treatments for patients than they would choose for themselves.<br />
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The study, from professor Peter Ubel and post-doctoral associate Andrea Angott of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and professor Brian Zikmund-Fisher of the University of Michigan, appears in the April 11 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Funding for the study was provided by the American Cancer Society, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.<br />
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In the study, the researchers conducted a randomized experiment asking some physicians to make a recommendation to a patient seeking advice, while other physicians were asked what they themselves would choose as a patient facing the same health care decision.<br />
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Doctors frequently advised patients to pursue treatments with higher rates of side effects and lower mortality rates, while choosing treatments with lower rates of side effects and higher mortality rates for themselves.<br />
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"Our research found that people felt living with a colostomy or being paralyzed was better than dying. From that perspective, the ‘right' decision is to take the risk of side effects and reduce the chances of dying," Ubel said.<br />
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However, emotions brought on by potential significant side effects often push people away from the "right" decision. Doctors -- free from the side effects of treatment -- can make more objective treatment recommendations to their patients.<br />
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"When making recommendations to patients, physicians can push aside any emotions that would lead them astray," Ubel said. "But those emotions may loom large when a doctor is deciding for him or herself. In other words, the act of giving advice to others may reset the balance between emotion and reason."<br />
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Ubel noted, "Many physicians are biased by their own backgrounds, valuing things that patients don't necessarily value, or they can even be influenced by financial and professional conflicts of interest that can skew judgment."<br />
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As a result, you might not always get the objective advice you seek, Ubel said. "Instead, the advice you get could depend on whether your doctor is thinking about what you should do, or instead thinking about what he or she would do in your situation."<br />
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A detailed report on the research is available at http://archinte.ama-assn.org/.<br />
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An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel, which can rupture as it increases in size, causing hemorrhage or death. Brain aneurysms often produce no symptoms until they grow and press on nerves in the brain, or until they begin to leak blood or rupture.<br />
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Aneurysms can be repaired in two ways: surgeons can close the base of the aneurysm with a surgical clip, or use a technique commonly known as coiling, in which surgeons use a catheter to thread metallic coils through a blood vessel in the groin and into the blood vessel in the brain that contains the aneurysm. Surgeons then fill the aneurysm with the detachable coils, which block it from circulation and cause blood to clot, effectively destroying the aneurysm.<br />
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Aneurysms larger than 10millimeters are difficult to treat with clipping or coiling. The cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System is indicated for use in those brain aneurysms.<br />
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“Like coiling, the cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System is a form of endovascular repair,” said Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “But instead of tiny metallic coils, it uses a special polymer material to fill the space within the aneurysm.”<br />
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The cPAX polymeric filler material can be secured in the aneurysm in one of two ways, either by insertion through openings in a permanent stent, which is a tiny metal scaffold placed along the vessel wall, or by using a temporary balloon catheter to block off the opening to the aneurysm and keep the filler material from coming out of the aneurysm as it is being delivered.<br />
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By filling the bulging space within the aneurysm with implant material, the blood flow through the aneurysm is stopped and any remaining space around the implant material clots. When filled with implant material and blood clot, and the risk of rupture of the aneurysm decreases.<br />
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The cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System was approved on April 1, 2011, under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE). The HDE makes medical devices available to patients with rare medical conditions that affect fewer than 4,000 people a year. The approval for this HDE was based on safety data from two studies of 43 subjects.<br />
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The cPAX device system is indicated for use in adults ages 22 and older and should not be used in patients with an active infection or in those in whom anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy is contraindicated.<br />
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The cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System is manufactured by Neurovasx Inc., Maple Grove, Min.<br />
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Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFPGeorgia Front Page.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18248749393644673382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129341930866548860.post-33643968262128506632011-04-11T10:58:00.000-04:002011-04-11T10:58:14.750-04:00Expansion of HIV/AIDS Vaccine Program Announced by GeoVax Labs, Inc./PRNewswire/ -- GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTCQB/OTCBB: GOVX), announced today that it is expanding its preventative HIV/AIDS vaccine development effort in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). Specifically, the HVTN plans to clinically test a novel vaccine product developed by GeoVax scientists that expresses human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in combination with inactivated HIV proteins. The novel vaccine consists of a recombinant DNA vaccine co-expressing human GM-CSF and non-infectious HIV virus-like-particles. The DNA vaccine is used to prime immune responses that are subsequently boosted by vaccination with a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectored vaccine. The MVA expresses the HIV virus-like-particles, but does not express GM-CSF. The regimen builds on the GeoVax DNA/MVA vaccine that is currently in Phase 2a clinical testing through the HVTN.<br />
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GM-CSF is a cytokine (growth stimulating protein) that serves to expand and mature cells that initiate immune responses and has undergone extensive testing in humans for cancer vaccines. The GM-CSF-adjuvanted vaccine was added to GeoVax's portfolio because of the outstanding ability of the simian prototype vaccine to induce immune responses that prevented simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection. In nonhuman primates, the GM-CSF enhanced vaccine achieved protection against SIV in 70% of the animals. Protection was measured against 12 weekly rectal challenges using a dose of SIV which is estimated to be 30 to 300 times higher than the typical exposure dose of HIV in mucosal transmission in humans.<br />
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"For years, the HIV vaccine field has been working with vaccines that elicited immune responses that primarily controlled immunodeficiency virus challenges in infected animals, but did not actually prevent infections. The ultimate goal is to prevent infections. The co-expression of GM-CSF with the SIV proteins is a vaccine design that appears to be a large step towards reaching this goal," said Dr. Harriet Robinson, Chief Scientific Officer at GeoVax. "In our trials in nonhuman primates, GM-CSF enhanced the quality of the SIV-specific antibody response. Antibody is present in blood and tissues and has the potential of blocking SIV before it infects cells. The GM-CSF-adjuvanted vaccine induced the production of antibodies characterized with increased tightness of antibody binding. The tightness of antibody binding, known as avidity, can be expressed as an index. Animals with indices above 40 were protected from infection, whereas animals with lower indices were infected with the number of challenges to infection correlating with their index."<br />
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"We are very pleased that the HVTN will be conducting trial HVTN 094 of our GM-CSF adjuvanted vaccine product, which we expect will begin late this year," said Dr. Robert McNally, CEO of GeoVax. "The HVTN, funded by the NIAID, is the largest worldwide clinical trials network dedicated to the development and testing of HIV/AIDS vaccines. We are looking forward to working with an excellent team of HVTN trial investigators."<br />
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The dengue virus is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. As many as 100 million people worldwide are infected by the virus each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<br />
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Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild bleeding involving the nose or gums, and easy bruising.<br />
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Most reported dengue cases in the continental United States occur in people returning from travels to tourist destinations in Latin America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Dengue is also endemic in the U.S. in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and some U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. Recently, dengue outbreaks have occurred in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida.<br />
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The DENV Detect IgM Capture ELISA test detects antibodies to dengue virus in blood samples from patients who have signs and symptoms of dengue. The test will be available for use in clinical laboratories and will assist in the diagnosis of dengue, which can improve patient care and management.<br />
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The DENV Detect IgM Capture ELISA test is based on technology patented by the CDC and manufactured by Seattle-based Inbios Inc.<br />
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"Cases of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever can be potentially fatal for people who do not recognize the symptoms," said Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics Device Evaluation and Safety in FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "This test will now aid health care professionals in their effort to more effectively diagnose dengue."<br />
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The FDA reviewed data for the test via the "de novo" pathway, an alternative path to market for devices that are low to moderate risk and may not require premarket approval (PMA), but are of a new type, and therefore may not be able to be cleared in a "510(k)" premarket notification.<br />
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People who believe they have dengue should immediately contact a health care professional. There are no FDA-licensed vaccines to prevent dengue and no medicines specifically approved to treat the infection.<br />
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The test should not be used in people who do not show signs or symptoms of dengue. Diagnostic testing for dengue is complicated by the fact that an IgM antibody response to the dengue virus infection is not detectable until 3-5 days after the onset of fever, which can produce a negative test result even though a person has dengue. During this "IgM negative window" the dengue virus is present in the bloodstream.<br />
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There are currently no FDA-cleared or approved tests for direct detection of dengue virus.<br />
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This new test shows cross-reaction with other closely related viruses such as those that cause West Nile disease. However, in most patient testing situations found in the United States, a positive test result in a patient with signs or symptoms consistent with dengue should be considered presumptive evidence of dengue.<br />
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RLS is a disorder that causes a strong urge to move the legs. This urge often occurs with unpleasant feelings in the legs. People who have RLS describe feeling pulling, itching, tingling, burning, or aching in their legs, and moving the legs temporarily relieves these feelings. The urge to move often happens when a person is inactive, and the symptoms typically are worse in the evening and early morning.<br />
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“People with restless legs syndrome can experience considerable distress from their symptoms,” said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Horizant provides significant help in treating these symptoms.” <br />
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The effectiveness of Horizant was studied in two 12-week clinical trials in adults. The trials showed that people taking the medication had an improvement in their RLS symptoms, compared with people taking an inactive pill (placebo).<br />
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Horizant will be dispensed with an FDA-approved Medication Guide that explains the drug’s uses and risks. Horizant may cause drowsiness and dizziness and can impair a person’s ability to drive or operate complex machinery.<br />
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Horizant contains gabapentin enacarbil that becomes gabapentin, a drug used to treat seizures in people with epilepsy, when absorbed into the body. All drugs used to treat epilepsy carry warnings that they may cause suicidal thoughts and actions in a small number of people. Horizant will have the same warning.<br />
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Horizant was developed by GlaxoSmithKline of Research Triangle Park, N.C., and Xenoport of Santa Clara, Calif.<br />
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