Giving radiation therapy and chemotherapy at the same time after a lumpectomy helps keep breast cancer from returning locally, according to a study published in the Dec. 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.
Pfizer announced today that it plans to establish a multi-national Expanded Access Program (EAP) to make the investigational CCR5 antagonist maraviroc, currently in ongoing phase 3 clinical trials, available to HIV/AIDS patients with CCR5-tropic HIV-1 who have limited or no approved treatment options due to resistance or intolerance.
The advisory committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists confirms that the antidepressant Paxil (paroxetine) may cause fetal cardiac malformations. Obstetricians suggested to shun the antidepressants in pregnancy, if possible.
Vancouver’s False Creek Surgical Centre plans to offer emergency care, Canada’s first private emergency-care facility, in addition to the private day surgeries it already performs on a for-fee basis. The Urgent Care Centre plans to charge patients $199 for a comprehensive examination, plus additional costs for any treatment.
The December 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association contains articles and research studies you may find of interest. Below is a summary of some of this month’s articles.
Children with a form of bedwetting that does not respond to a common medication have more sodium and urea in their nighttime urine, possibly because of an imbalance of prostaglandin, a hormone-like substance, a new study has found.
Guanfacine, a medication commonly prescribed to alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, is no more effective than a placebo, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
A new study analyzing the economic implications of the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) concludes that the older (first generation) antipsychotic medication perphenazine was less expensive and no less effective than the newer (second generation) medications used in the trial during initial treatment, suggesting that older antipsychotics still have a role in treating schizophrenia.
A new study shows how psychological stress induces abnormalities in skin structure and function that could initiate or worsen skin disorders such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. The study provides a link for understanding the roles psychological stress and glucocorticoid, a type of steroid, play in skin disorders and shows that blocking glucocorticoid can prevent skin abnormalities induced by psychological stress.
The South African government is expected to announce a newly-revised AIDS-combating strategy this week with intensified prevention and treatment measures, a long-waited boost to the country’s arduous fight against the world’s most serious AIDS epidemic.