Health :: Think safety first, not candy, when prepping for Halloween treats
As Halloween approaches, taking a few safety precautions can ensure that trick-or-treaters and their families have a safe and enjoyable autumn holiday.
Medical
Eyes :: Receptor that enables clear corneas is identified
The cornea stays clear by expressing a soluble form of a receptor that traps factors enabling growth of vision-obstructing blood vessels, researchers say. When sflt-1, a free-floating receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor A, is eliminated, vision-obstructing blood vessels start growing, teams of researchers led by the Medical College of Georgia and University of Kentucky report in Nature. The paper was published online Oct. 18 and will be in the Oct. 26 print issue.
Breast Cancer :: Mammograms reduce breast cancer deaths, but increase overdiagnosis
A new review of studies offers good news and bad news for women faced with the decision about whether to get regular mammograms. The good news is that screening mammography does reduce breast cancer mortality. The review found that women offered screening mammograms are 15 percent less likely to die of breast cancer than women who are not offered mammograms.
Cancer :: Cancer stem cells linked to radiation resistance
Certain types of brain cancer cells, called cancer stem cells, help brain tumors to buffer themselves against radiation treatment by activating a “repair switch” that enables them to continue to grow unchecked, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found.
Asthma :: New asthma medicine – Xolair – targeting vulnerable inner-city children
UT Southwestern Medical Center is one of a handful of top research institutions evaluating a promising new medication researchers hope can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks in inner-city children, a population known to have a high prevalence of severe asthma.
Heart Disease :: Ivabradine – treatment for individuals with angina, stable angina
Heart rate reduction is the cornerstone of the treatment of angina. To date, β-blockers have been the best drugs with which to achieve this. Heart rate is set by the pacemaker cells in the sinus node. Specific cardiac ion channels, f-channels, have been identified that control the rate at which these pacemaker cells initiate cardiac contraction. A selective and specific f-channel (f) current inhibitor, ivabradine, has now been developed that reduces heart rate to a degree similar to that achieved with β-blockers, but without their side effects. Ivabradine is now available for clinical use and promises to be a major and exciting treatment for individuals with angina.
Diabetes :: NovoMix insulin – effective & safe for patients with type 2 diabetes
Data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 42nd Conference in Copenhagen showed NovoMix? 30 (biphasic insulin aspart) to have comparable efficacy to basal-bolus combination therapy, with a similar safety profile in patients previously treated with oral antidiabetic therapy. These findings follow on from the European Commission?s recent decision to approve NovoMix? 30 as the first premixed insulin suitable for once-daily initiation and subsequent intensification of treatment, if needed. The data also confirm the position of NovoMix? 30 as an appropriate treatment choice for patients who prefer a convenient, effective once or twice-daily insulin therapy.
Erectile Dysfunction :: Cialis – tadalafil for erectile dysfunction, with Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire ICOS Corporation (Nasdaq: ICOS), based in Bothell, Washington, in a cash transaction. Since 1998, Lilly and ICOS have been partners in Lilly ICOS LLC, the joint venture that manufactures, markets and sells Cialis?(tadalafil). Successfully launched in 2003, Cialis is an oral PDE-5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction that is available in more than 100 countries.
Diabetes :: JANUVIA, sitagliptin phosphate – the First and Only DPP-4 Inhibitor for Type 2 Diabetes
Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved JANUVIA (sitagliptin phosphate), the first and only DPP-4 inhibitor available in the United States for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. JANUVIA has been approved as monotherapy and as add-on therapy to either of two other types of oral diabetes medications, metformin or thiazolidinediones (TZDs), to improve blood sugar (glucose) control in patients with type 2 diabetes when diet and exercise is not enough. The recommended dose of JANUVIA is 100 mg once daily. JANUVIA should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis, as it would not be effective in these settings.
Cholesterol :: Lipitor – atorvastatin sold in Austria as Sortis
Pfizer said today that the Austrian Patent Office has ruled that a claim in the company’s basic patent covering the use of atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor, would be infringed by generic manufacturer Ranbaxy. Ranbaxy can appeal the ruling, but the patent will remain in effect during the appeals process. Lipitor is sold in Austria under the brand name Sortis.