Treatment | Page 364 of 465

Multiple Myeloma :: Long-term therapy in the fight against multiple myeloma cancer

There is no known cure for multiple myeloma, so its diagnosis means high-dose chemotherapy followed by repeated treatments with each relapse of the cancer ? a watch and wait approach. A new approach of providing patients with continuous therapy to keep the cancer at bay was explored by a team of international researchers from France, Switzerland, and Belgium; their findings will be published in the November 15, 2006, issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

Health :: Research linking Ashkenazi Jews and breast cancer genes beset by problems

Genetic research over the past decade has linked Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity to an increased risk for hereditary breast cancer, so much so that certain gene mutations have become known as “Jewish ancestral mutations.” But a new study released in the November 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health challenges this population-based approach, warning that disparities in access to care and other unintended consequences for specific ethic groups can result, and may have already occurred.

Health :: Columbia research explores impact of gum disease therapy on pregnancy

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that treatment for periodontal disease in pregnant women does not result in a lower rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight. At the same time, the study showed that periodontal treatment during pregnancy is safe. The researchers recommend additional studies to assess the potential benefits of the treatment.

Child Care :: Low levels of neurotransmitter serotonin may perpetuate child abuse across generations

Infant abuse may be perpetuated between generations by changes in the brain induced by early experience, research shows. A research team found that when baby rhesus monkeys endured high rates of maternal rejection and mild abuse in their first month of life, their brains often produced less serotonin, a chemical that transmits impulses in the brain. Low levels of serotonin are associated with anxiety and depression and impulsive aggression in both humans and monkeys.

Health :: Call for Europe to lead in revitalizing family planning agenda in world’s poorest countries

A leading population expert will today make a plea for a revitalization of the family planning agenda in the world’s poorest countries, cautioning that soaring population rates are now a bigger threat to achieving the MDGs than HIV/AIDS.

Health :: Scientists identify a septic shock susceptibility gene

In the November 15th issue of G&D, Dr. Robert Schneider and colleagues at NYU School of Medicine report that the AUF1 gene underlies susceptibility to septic shock.

Backache :: Backache beaten by good vibrations?

University of Manchester researchers are recruiting people with backache caused by nerve root pain — commonly known as sciatica — in the first ever study to discover if therapeutic ultrasound can help their condition.

Hypertension :: Strong link between uric acid and hypertension in blacks

New research shows that higher levels of uric acid are strongly associated with high blood pressure in blacks, suggesting that a simple blood test could predict risk and that treatments to lower uric acid may be a novel way to reduce hypertension-related complications in this population.

Stroke :: Doctors launch new effort to treat stroke more effectively

Just a small fraction of patients who have a stroke receive the only drug — TPA — available to treat the condition. Now doctors and scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have developed a potential new treatment that will reach a milestone in the next few months, when the experimental treatment is tested for the first time in people who have suffered a stroke or “brain attack.”

Breast Cancer :: Some key laboratory breast cancer cell lines are, indeed, good models for the ‘real’ disease

In this era of molecular medicine, controversy among cancer researchers is increasing as to whether the laboratory cells they study — and upon which human treatment is based — accurately reflect the biology of “real” tumors growing in a person’s body. Some argue that cancer cells that learn to live in a flat lab dish cannot reflect cancer in the body, but others say that without any other way to study cancer, they seem to have performed well.