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Historic gene therapy trial to treat Alzheimer's disease underway at Georgetown

Washington, DC -- Researchers in the Memory Disorders Program at Georgetown University Medical Center are now recruiting volunteers for a national gene therapy trial -- the first study of its kind for the treatment of patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

People with type 2 diabetes improved muscular strength

Alexandria, VA -- Physical therapist-directed exercise counseling combined with fitness center-based exercise training can improve muscular strength and exercise capacity in people with type 2 diabetes, with outcomes similar to those of supervised exercise, according to a randomized clinical trial published in the September issue of Physical Therapy, the scientific journal of the Americ

Targeted heat therapy offers new standard treatment option for soft tissue sarcoma

Berlin, Germany: Patients with soft-tissue sarcomas at high risk of spreading were 30% more likely to be alive and cancer free almost three years after starting treatment if their tumours were heated at the time they received chemotherapy, according to new research. The finding bolsters the case for intensifying exploration of the strategy in other types of cancer.

Expert calls for new cancer research priorities

Berlin, Germany: Cancer research is too focused on new drug development, while not enough money and effort is being devoted to pursuing important advances in knowledge likely to have the biggest impact on combating the disease in the next few decades, a leading research policy expert says, adding that a major shift in research priorities will be crucial to the ability to cope with the coming wa

Adding cetuximab to chemotherapy reduces advanced lung cancer death risk by 13 percent

Berlin, Germany: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who are given cetuximab (Erbitux) in addition to chemotherapy are 13% less likely to die than those who receive chemotherapy alone, regardless of which chemotherapy drug cocktail is used, new research finds. They also experience slower disease progression and an increased chance of tumour shrinkage.

Whole-brain radiotherapy after surgery or radiosurgery not recommended for brain metastases

Berlin, Germany: Whole-brain radiotherapy should not be given routinely to all patients whose cancer has spread to the brain, say researchers who found that using it after surgery or radiosurgery in patients with a limited number of brain metastases and stable cancer in the rest of the body did not extend lives or help patients remain functionally independent for longer.

Switching early breast cancer patients to exemestane improves long-term survival

Berlin, Germany: New research has found that switching post-menopausal women with early breast cancer to the drug exemestane (Aromasin) after two or three years of tamoxifen rather than keeping them on tamoxifen for five years improves the chance of remaining cancer free and reduces the risk of death for at least the next six years.

Study: Speaking, eating possible after tonsil cancer surgery with reconstruction

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A new technique for reconstructing the palate after surgery for tonsil cancer maintained patients' ability to speak clearly and eat most foods, a new study shows.

The technique, developed at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is described in the September Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.

Alcohol in bloodstream associated with lower risk of death from head injury

Individuals with ethanol in their bloodstreams appear less likely to die following a moderate to severe head injury, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Study of hospital relocation provides insights to aid in disaster planning

Restricting elective surgeries, limiting incoming transfers and enhancing the efficiency of the discharge process helped one major hospital reduce capacity before a relocation without interrupting emergency or trauma services, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Incomplete radiation therapy common among medicare recipients with head and neck cancer

Medicare recipients with head and neck cancer commonly do not complete radiation therapy without interruptions or at all, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Otolaryngology?Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

New blood tests promise simple, cost-effective diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers

Berlin, Germany: Promising results from two new blood tests that can aid in the early identification of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers will be presented at Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 [1], in Berlin today (Monday September 21).

Mount Sinai first in nation to ablate atrial fibrillation using new visually-guided balloon catheter

Physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York became the first in the U.S. to ablate atrial fibrillation using a visually-guided laser balloon catheter. The procedure was performed September 15 by Vivek Y. Reddy, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Mount Sinai Heart, and his colleague, Srinivas R.

How to reach proficiency in laparoscopic splenectomy?

Laparoscopic splenectomy has become the gold standard intervention for the removal of the spleen, especially for benign causes. However, the organ's high anatomic location, fragility and generous blood supply makes the procedure an advanced laparoscopic operation. Furthermore, unlike patients with gall bladder stones, patients who need splenectomy for benign disorders are rare.

Gut ecology in transplant patients

Small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy -- an opening into their small bowel -- have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed, researchers from UC Davis and Georgetown University Medical Center have found. The results are published online Sept. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



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