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Our purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives. Our route to that purpose is through discovering and developing breakthrough medicines; providing information on prevention, wellness, and treatment. - Schering-Plough
We aspire to earn the trust of doctors, patients and customers by providing a steady flow of innovative, science-based medicines and services that improve the health and well-being of people around the world. - Wyeth
Wyeth pharmaceutical company brings health care products, medicines and vaccines that aim to improve lives and deliver value to customers. - Novartis
Novartis is a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, cure disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and to enhance the quality of life. - GlaxoSmithKline
Headquartered in the UK and with operations based in the US, we are one of the industry leaders, with an estimated seven per cent of the world's pharmaceutical market. - AstraZeneca
One of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies providing effective prescription drugs and innovative prescription medicines in many important therapeutic areas. - Merck
A global research-driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs.
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Life Expectancy: World Health Statistics 2007
A boy born in San Marino, a tiny republic surrounded by Italy, will likely live to age 80, the world's longest male life expectancy, but newborn girls in Japan and 30 other countries have even better prospects. Females in Japan, who traditionally lead the world tables, have a life expectancy of 86 years, the same as last year's statistics. San Marino men, who tied with Japanese men last year at 79, added a year to get ahead.
Following San Marino on the male side were Australia, Iceland, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland at 79 years and then Canada, Israel, Italy, Monaco and Singapore at 78. France was tied for 12th place at 77 years with a group of countries including New Zealand and Britain. Germany was at 76 years. United States was among the countries that tied the U.S. for 33rd place at 75 years.
Countries with long-living women include Monaco, 85 years, and Andorra, Australia, France, Italy, San Marino, Spain and Switzerland at 84. Canada tied Iceland and Sweden at 83 years for women, and Germany was in a group at 82 years. Britain came in at 81 years. Costa Rica and Denmark tied the United States for 32nd place at 80 years.
» Database / Downloads [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]
[ PDF ] View the ten global health highlights
[ PDF ] Review the indicator definitions and metadata
UMICH: High-testosterone people reinforced by others' anger
Most people don't appreciate an angry look, but a new University of Michigan psychology study found that some people find angry expressions so rewarding that they will readily learn ways to encourage them. "It's kind of striking that an angry facial expression is consciously valued as a very negative signal by almost everyone, yet at a non-conscious level can be like a tasty morsel that some people will vigorously work for," said Oliver Schultheiss, co-author of the study and a U-M associate professor of psychology.
The findings may explain why some people like to tease each other so much, he added. "Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting 'annoyed look' on someone else's face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again," he said. "As long as it does not stay there for long, it's not perceived as a threat, but as a reward."
[ mp3 ] listen or download » umich.edu [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]
Team unearths genetic risk factors for diabetes
Scientists have discovered three unsuspected regions of human DNA that contain clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and another that is associated with elevated blood triglycerides.
Using this approach, the DGI team and their collaborators identified and confirmed three novel regions of the genome that influence the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as a genomic region that is linked with blood triglyceride levels. Perhaps the most intriguing result involves a DNA region that lies far from any known annotated genes. Such genomic "outsiders" would have been incredibly difficult to find by traditional hypothesis-driven approaches.
» mit.edu / DGI [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]
US Senate votes to strengthen FDA
The US Senate's approval this week of legislation to strengthen the Food and Drug Administration could spark reform in an agency often accused by consumer groups of lacking effectiveness. The text, adopted by a vote of 93-1, aims to boost certain FDA regulatory powers and help restore the public's shaken confidence following a series of scandals in recent years.
Oxford: An aspirin a day keeps colon cancer away
An Oxford University study shows that taking a 300mg tablet of aspirin a day for five years can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 74 per cent in the subsequent 10-15 years, or by 37 per cent overall.
The study published in The Lancet was conducted by a team led by Professor Peter Rothwell, from the Department of Clinical Neurology, in collaboration with the original investigators.
In an accompanying review of observational studies, the researchers also showed that taking medium to high doses of aspirin for 10 years or more reduced the risk of colon cancer by between 50 and 70 per cent. This effect was seen regardless of age, sex, race or country of origin. The benefit was also seen in individuals with a high risk of cancer. A family history of colon cancer normally increases that individual’s chance of acquiring the disease by two to four times.
» University of Oxford
iPods can cause cardiac pacemakers to fail
iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart, according to a study presented by a 17-year-old high school student to a meeting of heart specialists on Thursday.
The study tested the effect of the portable music devices on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just 2 inches from the patient's chest for 5 to 10 seconds.
The reason why it this hasn't been caught before?
"Most pacemaker patients are not iPod users," Jongnarangsin said.
Gene mutation found only in humans
Scientists in China have announced finding the gene that makes us human. The article explains that prior work has shown that humans, as compared with the great apes from which we diverged over 5 million years ago, have a longer form of a protein (type II neuropsin) located in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. From the article: 'Gene sequencing revealed a mutation specific to humans that triggers a change in the splicing pattern of the neuropsin gene, creating a new splicing site and a longer protein. Introducing this mutation into chimpanzee DNA resulted in the creation of type II neuropsin. "Hence, the human-specific mutation is not only necessary but also sufficient in creating the novel splice form," the authors state.' The team is urging further analysis of the extra 45 amino acids in type II neuropsin since they believe that chain may cause protein structural and functional changes. The research didn't link anything with this protein, simply identifying it as a very distinct difference between us and our closest cousins.
Embryonic stem cells can repair eyes, company says
Stem cells made from human embryos can home in on damaged eyes, hearts and arteries of mice and rats, and appear to start repairs, a U.S. company said on Monday.
Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology said it had devised a straightforward way to make blood vessel precursor cells out of the stem cells and plans to test them in humans.
"We figured out how to produce literally billions of so-called 'hemangioblasts' -- the mythical cell in the embryo that gives rise to our entire blood and immune system as well as to the blood vessels in our body," Dr. Robert Lanza, vice president of research and scientific development at ACT, said in an e-mail.
Technology Review: Genomes for the Masses
Whereas the DNA sequence produced by the Human Genome Project in 2003 was a mosaic drawn from a number of different human genomes, the efforts by 454 Life Sciences and Illumina, which could be completed in the next few months, will be the first sequences of individual genomes. As such, they herald the era of "personalized genomics." An individual genome sequence shows the particular combination of genetic variants in an individual's DNA, allowing scientists to explore the relationship between a person's genotype and his or her biological traits. This has been done at the level of single genes for decades, but never before on the genome-wide scale.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007
The Genetic Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (GINA) has been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, by a vote of 420-3. The act will protect individuals against discrimination based on their genetic information when it comes to health insurance and employment. These protections are intended to encourage Americans to take advantage of genetic testing as part of their medical care.
President George W. Bush urged Congress to pass legislation to protect Americans from having their genetic information about cancer and other diseases used against them in health insurance or employment. After that, genetic non-discrimination bills were introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
DNA find may identify early heart risk victims
Scientists have discovered a strand of DNA that dramatically raises the risk of coronary heart disease and doubles the chances of younger people suffering a heart attack prematurely.
The high-risk stretch of genes is common among Caucasian populations, with up to a quarter carrying copies that boost the risk of heart disease by 40% and increase the lifetime risk of a heart attack by 60%. Early-onset heart attacks, occurring in men under 50 and women under 60, were found to be twice as likely among those who inherited the high-risk gene sequence from both their mother and father.
The strand of DNA, reported in the prestigious US journal Science today, is believed to be the most important genetic factor for heart disease yet found.
Applications of Social Networking to Medical Treatment
Tony Ferraro, President and CEO of 360Hubs and Dr. David Stone, a practicing psychologist, former Harvard Fellow in computer science and now a Visiting Scholar in GSAS joined us at the Berkman Center to speak about applications of social networking technology in the treatment of trauma survivors.
David began the presentation by discussing his experience with clinical services in technology, specifically Second Life. As a practicing psychologist, David has worked in Second Life within specialized communities, and took us on our a tour of Mormon community with a woman named Lois who has multiple sclerosis.
[ MOV ] play video » harvard.edu
Common genetic variation is linked to substantial risk for heart attack
A common genetic variation on chromosome 9p21 is linked to a substantial increase in risk for heart attack, according to a new international research study. The findings are published in the online edition of Science, and will appear in an upcoming printed edition of the journal.
Researchers found individuals with the variation have a 1.64-fold greater risk of suffering a heart attack (myocardial infarction) and a 2.02-fold greater risk of suffering a heart attack early in life (before age 50 for men and before age 60 for women) than those without the variation. Approximately 21 percent of individuals of European descent carry two copies of the genetic variation (one from each parent), found on chromosome 9p21. The research project was led by the Icelandic genomics company deCODE Genetics, along with U.S. researchers at Emory University School of Medicine, Duke University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
» Emory UniversityFDA Seeks Antidepressant Warning
Young adults beginning treatment with antidepressants should be warned about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, federal health officials said Wednesday.
The Food and Drug Administration proposed labeling changes that would expand a warning now on the antidepressants. The current language applies only to children and adolescents. The expanded warning would apply to adults 18-24 during the first month or two of treatment with the drugs, the FDA said.
Virulent New Strain of TB Raising Fears of Pandemic; Bug Is Resistant to Most Available Drugs
A virulent strain of tuberculosis resistant to most available drugs is surfacing around the globe, raising fears of a pandemic that could devastate efforts to contain TB and prove deadly to people with immune-deficiency diseases such as HIV-AIDS.
Known formally as extensively drug-resistant TB, or XDR-TB, the strain has been detected in 37 countries. It arises when the bacterium that causes TB mutates because antibiotics used to combat it are carelessly administered by poorly trained doctors or patients don't take their full course of medication. Rather than being killed by the drugs, the microbe builds up resistance to them.
Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes
Calorie restriction while maintaining nutrient levels has long been known to dramatically increase life spans. Very different lab animals, from worms to mice, live up to 50% longer (or even more) on the restricted diets. However, so far, nobody has been able to figure out how this works.
Scientists at the Salk Institute have found a specific gene in worms (there's a very similar one in people) that is directly involved in the longevity effect. That opens up the interesting possibility that doctors may someday be able to activate that gene directly and we can live long and prosper.
Stark warning about rising Medicare costs
Medicare trustees issued the first ever statutory warning over the long-term finances of the government-backed health programme for senior citizens on Monday.
The warning, required by law, came as new projections showed the share of Medicare costs paid out of general taxation would exceed 45 per cent by 2013. More realistic assumptions suggest this threshold could be breached as early as 2010.
“Today is a historic occasion and not a happy one,” Hank Paulson, the Treasury secretary, said. He said he was frustrated at the lack of response to his efforts to generate a bipartisan initiative to tackle the problem of financing Medicare and the other main entitlement programmes, Medicaid and Social Security.
“There was a time when I was a bit more optimistic than I was today,” he said. “I am getting a little bit tired of playing solitaire.”
[ PDF ] 2007 Medicare Trustees Report
» HHS Press Release on the 2007 Medicare Trustees Report
» Financial Times
AstraZeneca to Buy MedImmune for $15.6 Billion
British pharma AstraZeneca plc has announced it will purchase MedImmune Inc. for $15.6 billion. AstraZeneca will pay $58 per share in cash, representing a premium of approximately 53% to MedImmune's share price on April 11, the day before news broke that the U.S. biotech company was for sale. The deal is expected to close in June.
Scientists map rhesus monkeys genome
Scientists have unraveled the DNA of another of our primate relatives, this time a monkey named the rhesus macaque — and the work has far more immediate impact than just to study evolution. These fuzzy animals are key to testing the safety of many medicines, and understanding such diseases as AIDS, and the new research will help scientists finally be sure when they're a good stand-in for humans. Having a third primate will allow scientists to compare the three genomes, with an added emphasis on singling out the genes possessed by humans alone. The end goal is to reconstruct the history of every single one of the approximately 20,000 genes, to determine when they first appeared in history, and in what species. All of this requires an extraordinary amount of information.
"This brings us much closer to understanding what makes us human," said Richard Gibbs, the project leader and director of Baylor's Human Genome Sequencing Center.
Why gene patents are bad / Michael Crichton op-ed
He begins with 'You, or someone you love, may die because of a gene patent that should never have been granted in the first place. Sound far-fetched? Unfortunately, it's only too real.' From there, he moves on to use logic, statistics, and his way with words to make his point. Arguing against the high costs of gene therapies thanks to related patents, he eventually offers hope that one day legislation will de-incentivize the hoarding of scientific knowledge. As he points out: 'When SARS was spreading across the globe, medical researchers hesitated to study it — because of patent concerns. There is no clearer indication that gene patents block innovation, inhibit research and put us all at risk.
Patentless cancer drug discovered / dichloroacetate (DCA)
Researchers working at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada have discovered that an existing drug called dichloroacetate (DCA) is effective in killing cancer cells, while leaving the host's healthy cells unharmed. DCA has already been used for years to treat metabolic disorders, and is known to be fairly safe. Sounds like great news, is it too good to be true? Why is the mainstream news media failing to report on this potential breakthrough? The University of Alberta and the Alberta Cancer Board have set up a site with more info, where you can also donate to support future clinical trials.
DNA tests theory of roman village in china
Many of the inhabitants of a lonely village in north western China seems to have distinctive western features. An old theory from the 50s suggests that a Roman legion lost in what is now Iran in the year 53BC lost their commanding officer. They traveled east, so the legend goes, working as mercenaries until they were caught by the Chinese 17 years later. The Chinese described them as using a 'fish-scale formation', which could be a reference to the well-known Roman phalanx technique called the 'tortoise'. The remainder of the legion, it is suggested, may have intermarried with the villagers in Liqian. Scientists are now trying to verify the fascinating theory by testing the DNA of the inhabitants of the Chinese village.
The U.S. healthcare system is dysfunctional, one that rewards the wrong things and doesn't create value for the consumer.
The United States has a system with the wrong kind of competition, on the wrong things. Instead, we have a zero-sum competition to restrict services, assemble bargaining power, shift the cost to others, or grab more of the revenue versus other actors in the system.
Zero-sum competition does not create value; it can actually destroy value by adding administrative costs and leads to structures involving health plans and providers and other actors, which are misaligned with patient value. In a world of zero-sum competition, for example, providers will consolidate into provider groups to gain clout against insurers. But, as we point out in our book, the provider group doesn't create any value. Value is not created by breadth of services but excellence in particular medical conditions.
» Search Risk-Specific Tags: prescription drug benefit - value-driven healthcare - healthcare reform
» HBS Working Knowledge
IMPACT 2007, Biotech Study Finds Challenges to Biotechnology Industry
BayBio, a biotechnology industry organization, published its study BayBio: IMPACT 2007.
What does Northern California know about the state of biotechnology? That region alone is home to 1/3 of the U.S.'s biotech companies, and has 30 years of involvement in the industry.
In the report, BayBio cites numerous existing challenges that threaten the prosperity of the biotech industry despite tremendous advances and achievements.
Some key facts and statistics of the report are:
- 393 marketed products, 400 products in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials
- 90,000 employees, accounting for more than $6 billion in payroll in 2006
- Estimated new jobs created in the past 12 months: 6,000
- 900 biotech companies in Northern California
- Collective market capitalization: $150 billion
- Average time for FDA approval of a new drug: 14 years
- Average cost for development of a new drug: $800 million
BayBio: IMPACT 2007
- [PDF] Public Policy: Trends, Challenges and Solutions
- [PDF] Autoimmune and Inflammation
- [PDF] Blood and Lymphatic System
- [PDF] Cancer
- [PDF] Cardiovascular and Circulatory
- [PDF] Central Nervous System
- [PDF] Dental
- [PDF] Devices and Diagnostics
- [PDF] Dermatology
- [PDF] Digestive System
- [PDF] Genetic Diseases
- [PDF] Infectious Diseases
- [PDF] Metabolic Disorders
- [PDF] Musculoskeletal Disorders
- [PDF] Ophthalmology and Optometry
- [PDF] Respiratory and Pulmonary System
- [PDF] Substance Abuse
- [PDF] Urinary Tract System
- [PDF] Women's Health
Science Business: The Promise, The Reality, and The Future of Biotech
In our feature segment, IdeaCast producer Steve Singer talks with Harvard Business School professor and author Gary Pisano about his new HBS Press book, Science Business: The Promise, The Reality, and The Future of Biotech.
Despite all its promise, Pisano contends that biotech suffers from some underlying problems, which are related to the business of science and the unique challenges these businesses face. Pisano offers insights into how to overcome these hurdles.
[mp3] Listen or Download / HBR IdeaCast
Vanda Pharmaceuticals' Insomnia Drug VEC-162 Registers Positive Results
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc (VNDA) announced early Wednesday that its insomnia drug, VEC-162, showed positive results in a phase III clinical trial. The drug met many endpoints, and had a statistically significant difference in inducing and maintaining sleep compared to placebo.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Vanda Pharmaceuticals - Drug VEC-162 - Insomnia Drug
» Wires
Study: Childhood soy intake was significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk
They found that women who ate the most soy-based foods (such as tofu, miso, natto) during ages 5-11 reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 58 percent, compared to women who ate the least amount. The corresponding reductions for adolescent and adult intake were about 25 percent.
The underlying mechanism is not known. However, Korde said that one hypothesis for the decreased risk associated with childhood intake is that soy isoflavones have estrogenic effects that cause changes in breast tissue, leading to decreased sensitivity to carcinogens. A similar protective effect has been found in studies of overweight girls, perhaps because fat tissue also secretes estrogens, she added.
» Search Childhood-Specific Tags: Breast Cancer Risk - soy isoflavones - soy intake
» American Association for Cancer Research
Intensive Lipitor Therapy Reduced Heart Attack and Stroke By One-Third In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Results of a new analysis showed that patients who have heart disease and chronic kidney disease who took Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) Tablets (80 mg) reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke by 32 percent compared with patients taking the 10 mg dose of Lipitor. This analysis of a subset of patients from the five-year TNT (Treating to New Targets) study was designed and completed after the end of the trial. The data were presented here today at the Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Lipitor - Heart Disease - Chronic Kidney Disease
» Pfizer
GlaxoSmithKline wins priority review for Tykerb breast cancer drug
GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L) new breast cancer pill Tykerb will receive a priority review from U.S. regulators in a move that should speed its path onto the world's biggest drugs market, it said on Thursday.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Tykerb - Breast Cancer Drug - GlaxoSmithKline
» Wires
Democrats will move to lift the prohibition against the government negotiating directly with pharmaceutical companies over drug prices.
Some Democrats want to use the savings to expand benefits, but just how much could be saved is in dispute. The Department of Veterans Affairs already negotiates directly with drug companies. A study by Families USA, a liberal advocacy group, contends that the VA's prices on major drugs are 48 percent lower than Medicare's.
The administration says the comparison is misleading. The VA program serves a smaller population (4.4 million vs. 23 million for Medicare), and drug companies wouldn't provide such steep discounts for a bigger program.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Medicare - Drug Prices - Medicare Drug Plans
» washingtonpost.com
Science Business: What Happened to Biotech?
Thirty years ago it appeared as if biotech would not only revolutionize healthcare, but also radically improve the very process of R&D itself. This hasn't happened. Though some firms such as Amgen have created dramatic breakthroughs, the overall industry track record is poor—in aggregate, the sector has lost money during this period, new research shows.
What went wrong? Professor Gary Pisano provides answers in the new book Science Business: The Promise, the Reality, and the Future of Biotech, in which he argues that the very structure of the industry, what he terms its "anatomy," has created poor conditions for a science-based business to flower. "The sector has indiscriminately borrowed business models, organizational strategies, and approaches from other high-technology industries under the (false) premise that if it worked there it will work here," Pisano writes.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Biotech - Science Business - Amgen
» The Promise, the Reality, and the Future of Biotech
» HBS Working Knowledge
Independent researcher faces off with major drug companies over timeliness of failed experimental heart drug findings.
Unexpected controversy at the American Heart Association conference over test results of a failed experimental drug pits an independent researcher against a massive drug company and its biotech partner.
The experimental heart disease drug, a joint venture between Procter & Gamble and Alexion Pharmaceuticals failed to improve the survivability of heart attack patients, announced the lead researcher of the company funded study, Dr. Paul Armstrong, a cardiologist at University Hospital of Alberta in Edmonton Canada, on Tuesday.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Alexion Pharmaceuticals - Pexelizumab - Soliris
» CNNMoney
Merck Launches Ad Campaign for GARDASIL, Cervical Cancer Vaccine
First and only vaccine indicated for the prevention of HPV types 16- and 18-related cervical cancer, cervical pre-cancers (CIN 2/3 and AIS), vulvar pre-cancers (VIN 2/3) and vaginal pre-cancers (VaIN 2/3) and for the prevention of genital warts and low-grade cervical lesions (CIN 1) caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Cervical Cancer - GARDASIL
» gardasil.com
Drug-Drug Interactions Clinically Manageable With PREZISTA
New studies on the use of PREZISTA(TM), an investigational anti-HIV medication, suggest that it can be co-administered with many common medications taken by people with HIV, including other antiretrovirals, proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. According to current HIV treatment guidelines, potential drug interactions between HIV antiretrovirals and other necessary drugs can be dangerous and require special monitoring.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: PREZISTA - HIV - H2 Blockers
» PRNewswire
Abbott Labs gets FDA approval for supplemental Humira indication
Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has received the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an expanded indication for HUMIRA (adalimumab) that includes inhibiting structural joint damage and improving physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis.
The Abbott Park, Ill. pharmaceutical company said the expanded indication is in addition to the psoriatic arthritis approval granted in October 2005.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Humira - Abbott Laboratories - Psoriatic Arthritis
» Newswires
Biotechnology company Genentech Inc. (DNA.N) has raised the price of its cancer drug Tarceva by 8 percent
Genentech raised the wholesale price of Tarceva -- which is approved to treat lung and pancreatic cancer -- to $2,893.86 from $2,679.50 for a 30-day supply of 150 milligram tablets, according to a document filed on Tuesday by Genentech's partner, OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OSIP.O) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Genentech - Tarceva - OSI Pharmaceuticals
» Reuters
Stem cell cure hope for diabetes
Scientists have used stem cells from human bone marrow to repair defective insulin-producing pancreatic cells responsible for diabetes in mice. The treatment also halted damage to the kidneys caused by the condition. Researchers from New Orleans' Tulane University are hopeful it can be adapted to treat diabetes in humans.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Stem Cell Diabetes - Type 2 diabetes - Type 1 diabetes
» BBC News
Human Genome reports positive trial of lupus treatment.
Human Genome Sciences said a 76-week Phase II trial of its lupus treatment LymphoStat produced positive results, reducing disease activity and appearing to be well-tolerated by patients. The percentage of patients who met the trial's primary endpoint for Phase III trials rose from 46% after 52 weeks to 56% after 76 weeks, the Rockville, Md. biotechnology company said.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: LymphoStat - Human Genome - Lupus
» Human Genome Sciences
Risk of Breast Cancer Among Premenopausal Women and Red Meat Intake.
Eating more red meat may be associated with a higher risk for hormone receptor-positive breast cancers in premenopausal women, according to a report in the November 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
"Breast tumors are often characterized by hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptor status," the authors write as background information in the article, meaning that the cancer is classified by whether these hormones can bind to proteins on the surface of the tumor. "Although the incidence rates of hormone receptor-negative tumors have remained relatively constant, the incidence of hormone receptor-positive tumors has been increasing in the United States, especially among middle-aged women." The diets of American women may be linked to this increase, since some foods--including certain components of red meat--can contain hormones or hormone-like compounds that influence tumors through their hormone receptors.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Breast Cancer - Breast Tumors - Premenopausal
» Internal Medicine
Fast test catches heart blockages quicker and with less trouble than existing tests.
"Because it takes less than 15 minutes to perform and does not require patients to be stabilized ahead of scanning, it could replace most other more time-consuming tests that help find blockages, including not only exercise stress testing and echocardiograms, but also positron electron tomography (PET) imaging or magnetic resonance imaging," Lardo said in a statement.
His colleague, Dr. Richard George, said current tests only show the worst blockages. "Even when patients have a normal exercise stress test, they may still be in the early stages of atherosclerosis, when vessels start to clog, narrow and harden, gradually straining circulation," said George.
"The new technique could also help eliminate many unnecessary, invasive catheterization procedures when there is no underlying blockage, or become a practical test to verify if treatments with drugs therapies, surgical bypass or stented arteries have worked to improve blood flow," Lardo added.
» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Heart Health - Atherosclerosis - Cardiac Catheterization
» Reuters
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