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.

Cytori Completes Enrollment In First Adipose Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy Trial For Chronic Heart Disease

Cytori (NASDAQ:CYTX) completed enrollment in the first study to investigate adipose derived stem and regenerative cells in chronic heart disease. The trial, which has been named the PRECISE study, was carried out at leading cardiology centers in Europe. It specifically enrolled patients suffering from an advanced form of chronic heart disease, known as chronic myocardial ischemia, for which there is no generally accepted treatment.

The trial enrolled 27 patients and was designed as a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, dose escalation study. It is unique in that the patients’ own cells were extracted from adipose tissue and processed for delivery at the point of care using Cytori’s Celution System. The cells were then injected back into the patients using the NOGA XP System (Biologics Delivery Systems, Cordis Corp., a Johnson and Johnson company), which identifies and guides cells to damaged regions of the heart.

DxS And Exiqon Diagnostics To Host A Joint Personalized Cancer Therapy Workshop During The ASCO Annual Meeting

DxS Ltd, a personalized medicine company and leader in the field of companion diagnostics is working in partnership with Exiqon Diagnostics, a company on the forefront of individualizing cancer care through its novel molecular and cell-based oncology clinical laboratory services, to present a timely and relevant workshop on personalized cancer therapy.

The workshop, which will take place on Friday, May 29, 2009 will coincide with the start of the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida, and is entitled ‘Personalizing Cancer Therapy: KRAS and other Predictive Assays’.

New Strategies For Cell Therapy To Regenerate Damaged Heart

Research undertaken at the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) and the University Hospital of Navarra has shown that, in animal models, stem cells derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue enhance heart function after a cardiac attack. In concrete, bone marrow cells act on the damaged tissue, while fatty cells have the ability to transform themselves into both blood vessels and cardiac cells. The results obtained with rats are maintained over a long time period, explained biochemist Mr Manuel Mazo, principal researcher.

Statin Therapy Ineffective In Breast Cancer Prevention

Laboratory work in animals showed limited activity when statins were given to prevent breast cancer, according to a report in the February issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Statins, sold under brand names like Lipitor and Zocor, are primarily given to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease, and prominent cardiologists almost universally agree that their use has changed the landscape.

Breast Cancer Risk Rapidly Declined After Women Stopped Taking Postmenopausal Combined Hormone Therapy

Women who stopped taking the postmenopausal hormone combination of estrogen plus progestin experienced a marked decline in breast cancer risk which was unrelated to mammography utilization change, according to a study from the Women’s Health Initiative led by a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) investigator.

The study, based on data from the Women’s Health Initiative, will be published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

American Physical Therapy Launches Campaign To Brand Physical Therapists As Experts In Human Motion

A new branding campaign that positions physical therapists as the experts in human motion will launch during the Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Feb 9-12, 2009, in Las Vegas, NV., at the Brand Launch Reception, Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm in the Palm Foyer of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

As motion experts, physical therapists will be positioned as specialists who can help improve mobility and quality of life without the expense and pain of surgery or side effects of prescription medication. The tagline will be: “Move Forward. Physical Therapy Brings Motion To Life.”

Schering-Plough Announces FDA Approval Of PEGINTRON(TM) And REBETOL(R) Combination Therapy For Treating Pediatric Hepatitis C

First and only approved peginterferon in combination with ribavirin for previously untreated children with chronic hepatitis C addresses unmet medical need Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval to PEGINTRON(TM) (peginterferon alfa-2b) and REBETOL(R) (ribavirin, USP) combination therapy for use in previously untreated patients 3 years of age and older with chronic hepatitis C. This represents the first and only approved peginterferon in combination with ribavirin for treating pediatric hepatitis C. It is estimated that approximately 130,000 children in the United States are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The most common mode of HCV infection for pediatric patients today is maternal-infant transmission.

Fighting Gum Disease With Gene Therapy

Scientists at the University of Michigan have shown that gene therapy can be used to successfully stop the development of periodontal disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

The findings will be published online Dec 11 in advance of print publication in Gene Therapy.

Using gene transfer to treat life threatening conditions is not new, but the U-M group is the first known to use the gene delivery approach to show potential in treating chronic conditions such as periodontal disease, said William Giannobile, professor at the U-M School of Dentistry and principal investigator on the study.