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GVAX cancer immunotherapy improves prostate cancer survival

Interim analysis supports continuation of Cell Genesys’ VITAL-1 Phase 3 Clinical Trial of GVAX Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer – Cell Genesys, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEGE) announced that the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) for VITAL-1, the first of two ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials of GVAX immunotherapy for prostate cancer, has completed a pre-planned interim analysis and has recommended that the study continue, as GVAX cancer immunotherapy improves prostate cancer patients survival.

Lhx2 creator gene for brain tissue repair

UCI study identifies the specific role for gene linked to cortical development, cerebral cortex points to potential stem cell treatments. – University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene that is specifically responsible for generating the cerebral cortex, a finding that could lead to stem cell therapies to treat brain injuries and diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s.

Gay men vulnerable to infectious MRSA superbug bacteria

A new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine is reporting that a super resistant bacteria MRSA superbug is spreading in gay communities. – Sexually active gay men are many times more likely than others to acquire a new, highly antibiotic-resistant strain of the so-called MRSA bacteria widely know as the “superbug,” a UCSF-led study shows.

Sickle cell disease pain occurs daily

In adults with sickle cell disease, pain can occur daily and is much more severe than previously believed. – Sickle cell disease pain can occur daily, and is far more prevalent and severe than previous large studies have indicated. Patients are at home mostly struggling with their pain rather than coming into the hospital or emergency department.

Newly discovered virus linked to skin cancer

A new strategy to hunt for human viruses described in this week?s issue of the journal Science by the husband-and-wife team who found the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma has revealed a previously unknown virus strongly associated with another rare but deadly skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. – Researchers using sequencing technique discovered a new cancer virus Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) causing Kaposi’s sarcoma, is associated with another rare but deadly skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma.

Osteoporosis drugs increase bone necrosis risk

FDA is highlighting the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint, and/or muscle (musculoskeletal) pain in patients taking bisphosphonates. – A popular class of osteoporosis drugs, bisphosphonates nearly triples the risk of developing bone necrosis, a condition that can lead to disfigurement and incapacitating pain, revealed by researchers in a study. The research conducted by reasearchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Canada.

Enbrel, etanercept improved psoriasis in children and adolescents

Etanercept (Enbrel) significantly reduces psoriasis disease severity in children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. – A Phase 3 study showed that children and adolescents with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who received treatment with Enbrel experienced significant improvements in the signs and symptoms of their disease psoriasis.

Selective reporting of antidepressant trials may have adverse consequences

Evidence-based medicine is valuable to the extent that the evidence base is complete and unbiased. Selective publication of clinical trials ? and the outcomes within those trials ? can lead to unrealistic estimates of drug effectiveness and alter the apparent risk?benefit ratio. – Selective publication in reporting results of antidepressant trials exaggerates the effectiveness of the drugs, and may have adverse consequences for researchers, study participants, health care professionals, and patients, revealed in a new study.

Genetic testing can gauge prostate cancer risk

Five genetic variants and a family history accounted for almost half (46 percent) of prostate cancer patients. Researchers identified five genetic locations associated with risk of developing prostate cancer: three on chromosome 8q24, one on chromosome 17q12 and one on 17q24.3. – Genetic testing of DNA in a blood sample can determine which men are likely to develop prostate cancer, as five genetic variants previously associated with prostate cancer risk have a strong cumulative effect.

Arthritis drug celecoxib can adversely affect heart rhythm

There has been much concern about the possibility of increased risk for heart attack and stroke in users of NSAID drugs, particularly COX-2 selective NSAIDs such as celecoxib. – COX-2 inhibitors like Celecoxib have come under scrutiny lately due to adverse cardiovascular side-effects stemming from COX-2 reduction. In both fruit fly and rat models, researchers reveal another adverse effect of Celecoxib; this drug can induce arrhythmia. More interestingly, this effect is independent of the COX-2 enzyme.