Ovarian Cancer :: New Therapy for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Mayo Clinic reported promising interim results from a Phase II trial of a new combination therapy for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer that is resistant to platinum therapy. Thirty-three percent of study participants achieved either complete or partial tumor regression from the therapy, which combines flavopiridol and cisplatin.

Healthcare :: Promote India as the new emerging medical value travel destination abroad, says Ambika Soni

The Tourism and Culture Minister Smt. Ambika Soni has stressed the need to promote India as the new emerging Medical Value Travel destination abroad. She was speaking at the 4th India Health Summit here. Smt. Soni said the way medial tourism has developed in recent times is largely linked to economics and technology and India is positioning itself as the primary medical destination for the most complex medical procedures in the world.

Diabetes :: India to launch special programme to control diabetes

The Indian Government is launching a special programme next month for control and prevention of diabetes, a silent killer worldwide. The National Programme for Prevention of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases will concentrate on spreading awareness about the disease and screen people for the life-threatening disease, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said at a press conference here today.

Heart :: Aging heart changes shape, shrinks and loses pumping function too

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have evidence to explain why the supposedly natural act of aging is by itself a very potent risk factor for life-threatening heart failure.

Antioxidant :: Antioxidants could provide all-purpose radiation protection

Two common dietary molecules found in legumes and bran could protect DNA from the harmful effects of radiation, researchers from the University of Maryland report. Inositol and inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) protected both human skin cells and a skin cancer-prone mouse from exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, the damaging radiation found in sunlight, the team reported today at the American Association for Cancer Research Centennial Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine.

Colorectal Cancer :: Curry-derived molecules might be too spicy for colorectal cancers

Curcumin, the yellowish component of turmeric that gives curry its flavor, has long been noted for its potential anti-cancer properties. Researchers from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, report on an apparent improvement upon nature: two molecular analogues of curcumin that demonstrate even greater tumor suppressive properties.

HIV :: HIV-TB spreads in Africa, undermines control of world’s 2 deadliest infectious diseases

The largely unnoticed collision of the global epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) has exploded to create a deadly co-epidemic that is rapidly spreading in sub-Saharan Africa. However, health systems cannot adequately diagnose, treat, or contain the co-epidemic due to unanswered scientific and medical questions, according to a report issued today by The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research and amplified by experts from leading global health organizations.

Food :: Consumer demand flavors food import safety issues

An ever-changing U.S. consumer who enjoys the convenience of ready-to-eat produce and seasonable fruits during the dead of winter has brought new challenges to food import safety, experts said Oct. 18. With U.S. food imports set to top more than $2 trillion this year and expected to triple by 2015, a panel on food safety commissioned by President Bush met at Texas A&M University to discuss ways to strengthen the national and global import infrastructure.