Posts Tagged ‘research’

New medication improves health in cystic fibrosis patients

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

There may be hope for those with cystic fibrosis, as researchers have discovered a drug that targets the cause of the lung disease, reports HealthDay.

The condition, which affects the exocrine glands and causes mucosal buildup within the lungs and other organs, is caused by a “faulty protein.” Ivacaftor is the new medication that reportedly improves cystic fibrosis and reduce its symptoms.

“It has a huge significance for the whole cystic fibrosis community,” Bonnie Ramsey, a professor and doctor in Seattle who authored the study, told the source. “It’s the first time we have developed a therapy directed at the abnormal proteins and showing that it can be corrected.

This research is good news for the 5 percent of cystic fibrosis patients who were born with a specific protein that leads to the disease, as approval by the Food and Drug Administration could lead to improved health and a longer life expectancy.

The study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine showed improvements in participants health in just two weeks, with some patients experiencing better lung function and hydration. Increased hydration helps clear the mucus out of one’s airways.

Ivacaftor is currently pending approval by the FDA and will be manufactured under the brand name Kalydeco by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The drugmaker has applied for expedited approval and is expecting a decision to be made by April.

Further testing of Ivacaftor is currently underway to study its effects in conjunction with other medications, reports the news provider.

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Could your vitamin intake impact your risk of cancer?

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

A recent study presented to the American Society for Radiation Oncology has revealed a link between low vitamin D levels and various cancers, according to WebMD.

Patients with the lowest vitamin D levels were reportedly tree times more likely to suffer from more advanced cancers, such as stage III breast, colorectal, prostate, lung and thyroid cancers.

According to Thomas Churilla, a medical student at Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Medical College, the study suggested that vitamin D helps regulate cancerous cells and may slow progression of tumors. While participants were given supplements that contained high doses of vitamin D to help normalize their levels, it is not yet known whether this treatment had any positive affect on their diseases.

There have been multiple studies suggesting a connection between low levels of vitamin D and the risk for cancer, but further research is required to confirm the connection. It is currently unknown whether there is a causal relationship, though it cannot hurt to take precautions.

To ensure that you maintain healthy levels of vitamin D, the source suggests including “fatty fish, milk, and fortified cereals” in your diet. The body also absorbed vitamin D through a safe level of sun exposure.

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Millions around the world living with undiagnosed dementia

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

An alarming new study performed by a patient advocacy group has revealed that approximately 28 million people around the world suffer from undiagnosed forms of dementia like Alzheimer’s disease, reports Reuters.

This number accounts for about 75 percent of all cases of dementia, as there are an estimated 36 million people with dementia worldwide. Many of these cases are often not discovered until the disease has reached a later stage when the patient is far gone.

“Failure to diagnose Alzheimer’s in a timely manner represents a tragic missed opportunity to improve the quality of life for millions of people,” Dr. Daisy Acosta, chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), said in a statement.

The findings will hopefully urge doctors to diagnose dementia as early as possible, which could lead to more precise treatments in the long run. Because diseases like Alzheimer’s are often not diagnosed until a later stage, many treatments are focused on patients whose conditions have progressed further than those who have received an early diagnosis, the latter of whom cannot benefit from the drugs in the same way.

“Earlier diagnosis can also transfer the design and execution of clinical trials to test new treatments,” ADI’s executive director, macro Wortmann, said in a statement.

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25% of adults are at risk for developing COPD, study says

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which refers to the coexistence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema in a patient’s body, is on the rise. A recent study has revealed that 1 in 4 people ages 35 and over is likely to develop the disease, according to WebMD Health News.

To put this risk in perspective, respiratory disease specialist Andrea Gershon, who co-authored the study published this week in The Lancet, told the news provider that women carry three times the risk of developing COPD as they do with breast cancer, and men have the same increased risk compared to that of prostate cancer.

This progressive condition causes lung inflammation and impairment, which could be potentially fatal if not treated properly. COPD is most commonly caused by smoking.

“This is a disease that is underreported, but it is still the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and it is projected to be the third cause of death within two decades,” Gershon told the news source.

Taking a look at the records of 13 million adults in various Canadian health registries, researchers studied up to 14 years of data to assess the lifetime risk of developing COPD. For those aged 35 and over, 27 percent had developed the disease by 80 years old. Men were shown to have a higher risk than women, as well as individuals in a lower socioeconomic class.

“The lifetime risk of COPD was comparable to that of diabetes and asthma, roughly double that of developing congestive heart failure, and three to four times greater than the risk of having a heart attack,” said the news outlet.

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Virus could be a lifesaver for cancer patients

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

A virus is the last thing a cancer patient may want, but a new study has shown that it could be a lifesaver.

Researchers have genetically engineered a virus that targets tumor cells without damaging any tissue, reports Reuters.

A study published in the science journal “Nature” this week had eight patients take a high dose of the intravenous drug; tumors in six of the participants stopped growing or decreased in size. The modified virus was replicated in cancer cells as well in 90 percent of the patients in the study, which gives researchers hope that the treatment could potentially reduce the risk of cancer cells metastasizing.

Side effects of the viral therapy have reportedly been minimal for the patients.

“With chemotherapy, you get drastic side effects,” Bell told Reuters. “Patients on this treatment only had 24-hour flu symptoms, and nothing after that.”

While these participants had various types of cancer, researchers want to focus on hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer, for the next round of viral therapy trials. Dr. John Bell, chief scientific officer at biotech company Jennerex and senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, told the news provider that they wanted to move on to liver cancer because there was “strong activity” for this condition in the initial study.

There is plenty of ongoing research focused around viral cancer therapy, but the Jennerex virus (known as JX-594) is different from other treatments, as it does not need to be injected directly into a tumor, nor does it require chemotherapy, reports the news source.

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Posted in Cancer, Conditions, Liver Cancer | 1 Comment »