Combination Therapy For Type 2 Diabetes With Rosiglitazone (RECORD Study) Shows No Increase Of Cardiovascular Disease Or Death

The results of the RECORD study are reported in an article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet. The findings are presented at the same time at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in New Orleans, USA. They indicate that the use of rosiglitazone (Avandia) together with regular diabetes treatments (metformin or a sulfonylurea) to reduce blood glucose in type 2 diabetics does not raise the risk of cardiovascular disease or death. On the other hand, the research establishes that using rosiglitazone multiplies by more than two the risk of heart failure, and increases the risk of fracture, mostly in women.

Combination Therapy For Type 2 Diabetes With Rosiglitazone (RECORD Study) Shows No Increase Of Cardiovascular Disease Or Death

The results of the RECORD study are reported in an article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet. The findings are presented at the same time at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in New Orleans, USA. They indicate that the use of rosiglitazone (Avandia) together with regular diabetes treatments (metformin or a sulfonylurea) to reduce blood glucose in type 2 diabetics does not raise the risk of cardiovascular disease or death. On the other hand, the research establishes that using rosiglitazone multiplies by more than two the risk of heart failure, and increases the risk of fracture, mostly in women.

ZIOPHARM Presents Positive Data From Phase I Study Of Palifosfamide In Combination With Doxorubicin At ASCO

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZIOP) announced that it presented final data from a Phase I study of palifosfamide (ZymafosTM) in combination with doxorubicin at the 45th Annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting held in Orlando, FL, May 29th to June 2nd.

The Phase I trial of palifosfamide in combination with doxorubicin was fully enrolled with 13 patients, predominantly with soft tissue sarcoma and non-small cell lung cancer, and who had received a median of two prior therapies. Of 12 evaluable patients, there were 3 partial responses. Of the 8 patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) 75 percent had stable disease or better, with 2 having partial responses and 4 having prolonged stable disease. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 19 weeks.

Black Women More Likely To Have Vitamin D Deficiency, Bacterial Vaginosis, Study Finds

Black women are nearly three times as likely as white women to have a vitamin D deficiency, which is linked with an increased risk of the vaginal infection bacterial vaginosis, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the New York Times reports. Black women likely have lower levels of vitamin D because the higher amount of pigment in their skin prevents the body from absorbing the vitamin.

For the study, researchers led by Lisa Bodnar, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, examined 209 white pregnant women and 260 black pregnant women at a Pittsburgh clinic. More than half of the women had low levels of vitamin D, the study found. Women whose vitamin D levels were 50 nanomoles or less had a 26% increased risk of BV, while women whose vitamin levels were less than 20 nanomoles had a 65% increased risk of the infection. About 52% of black women had the infection, compared with 27% of white women, the study found (Bakalar, New York Times, 5/26). The study found that 93% of women with BV had low vitamin D levels and that BV prevalence decreased as vitamin levels increased.

Under-Use Of Hospice Care By Many Terminally Ill Patients: Study

Hospice, a well-established approach to palliative care, has enabled countless people worldwide to die with dignity. Through focusing on the patient rather than the disease, individuals can spend the last weeks of their lives in an environment where hospice caregivers minimize their pain, maximize their comfort, and provide bereavement services for loved ones and family members.

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School, however, found that only about half the patients diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer discuss hospice with their physician within 4 to 7 months of their diagnosis.

Risk Factors For LRTIs In Inuit Children Identified In First Of Its Kind Study

Inuit children have the highest rate of hospital admission for Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) globally, but new research shows that lowering risk factors though public health interventions and an enhanced immunization program could improve health for Inuit children and lower health care costs significantly. The first-of-its-kind case control research was conducted by Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital.

BPA Chemical Leaches From Hard Plastic Drinking Bottles Into The Body, Study

New research from the US suggests that people who drink from bottles made of polycarbonate plastic, such as that used to make hard-plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, have a considerably higher level of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies compared to when they do not.

The finding confirms concerns expressed by consumer groups and public health experts, that polycarbonate plastic bottles are an important source of the BPA that finds its way into the human body. BPA has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals, and has been linked to cardivascular disease and diabetes in humans, among other things.

HIV Transmission In Europe Occurs Primarily In Vacation Destinations, Study Finds

HIV in Europe is transmitted primarily in vacation destinations, according to a study published recently in the journal Retrovirology, the PA/Google.com reports. For the study, researchers led by Dimitrios Paraskevis of the University of Athens analyzed samples of HIV-1 subtype B virus, the most prevalent form of HIV in Europe, from 16 European countries and Israel (PA/Google.com, 5/20). The researchers created a family tree of the virus and examined its genetic characteristics to determine how it has evolved.

Those With Darker Skin Might Be More Susceptible To Nicotine Addiction, Study Finds

Blacks and others with darker skin might be at greater risk for tobacco addiction than whites and those with lighter skin because the greater the amount of melanin, the coloring pigment in skin, the more nicotine appears to be stored, according to preliminary findings published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, the New York Times reports. For the study, lead researcher Gary King, a professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University, looked at 150 black smokers and measured their levels of melanin and cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine. They also surveyed the participants to determine the level of their smoking habit.

UPMC Cardiovascular Institute Recruiting For Severe Coronary Heart Disease Study

The UPMC Cardiovascular Institute currently is enrolling participants for a Phase 2 clinical trial to examine whether administering a naturally occurring protein improves blood supply to the cardiac muscle in patients with severe coronary artery disease.

The study, known as Angiogenesis for the Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease (ACORD), is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that compares the use of a protein at three dose levels with a placebo. The therapy is delivered to the heart muscle by threading a catheter through a small incision in the upper leg.