Medpills news

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay news) — New research offers early evidence that hormones produced by the heart to control both blood pressure and volume could be harnessed to treat — and possibly cure — a wide range of cancers.

Following a month of intravenous treatment with any of four like a human being cardiac peptide hormones, mice engineered to develop human pancreatic and breast cancer experienced dramatic results: On average, 54 percent of those with breast cancer and 37 percent of those with pancreatic cancer were cured, without tumor recurrence or treatment side effects.

Even tumor shrinkage among non-cured mice was striking, with size reductions of 90-plus percent.

(Read the full post about ‘Heart Hormones Beat Back Cancers in Mice (HealthDay)’…)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New York State's name-based HIV reporting and partner notification law, which went into effect June 1, 2000, has not led to a degeneracy in HIV testing or the willingness of high-risk individuals to be tested, research shows.

The law requires named reporting, by doctors and laboratories, of persons with HIV infection, HIV-related illness and AIDS. The reporting of known partners is also required, as is screening for intimate partner violence.

"A preparatory concern with named HIV reporting is that it might deter HIV testing behavior," Dr.

(Read the full post about ‘Name-based HIV reporting doesn’t deter testing (Reuters)’…)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US officials Thursday said 40,000 people may have been infected by HIV and hepatitis in a major health scare after a Las Vegas clinic was found to have re-used syringes and drug vials.

Authorities in southern Nevada said they were notifying some 40,000 patients who received anesthesia injections at the clinic's endoscopy center between March 2004 and January 11, 2008 about potential exposure to hepatitis and HIV.

They recommended in a statement that the patients "contact their primary care physicians or health care providers to get tested for hepatitis C as well as hepatitis B and HIV."

The move comes after several acute cases of hepatitis C showed up in the area.

(Read the full post about ‘HIV, hepatitis scare may affect 40,000 US clinic patients (AFP)’…)

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay news) — It's long been known that smoking causes lung cancer, but a new contemplate is the first to show that the hydrogen peroxide in cigarette smoke is what actually causes healthy lung cells to turn cancerous.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, said their findings may help lead to new treatments for lung cancer and may help the tobacco industry develop "safer" cigarettes by eliminating such substances in the smoke.

"With the five-year survival rate for people with lung cancer at a dismally low 15.5 percent, we hope this study will provide better insight into the identification of new therapeutic targets," senior author Tzipora Goldkorn said in a prepared statement.

In this laboratory study, the researchers exposed different sets of human lung cells to cigarette smoke or hydrogen peroxide and then incubated the cells for united to two days.

(Read the full post about ‘Scientists Find Cancer Culprits in Cigarette Smoke (HealthDay)’…)

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay news) — A concentrated extract of freeze-dried broccoli sprouts reduced bladder swelling development by more than half in laboratory rats, according to a new study.

Researchers said the finding supports human epidemiologic studies indicating that eating broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is associated with a lower risk of bladder cancer.

"Although this is an animal study, it provides potent evidence that eating vegetables is beneficial in bladder cancer prevention," senior investigator Dr.

(Read the full post about ‘Broccoli Sprout Extract Hinders Bladder Cancer Development (HealthDay)’…)

LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc's new breast cancer drug Tykerb is to go head-to-head strong with Genentech Inc's blockbuster Herceptin to see whether one is better or if patients should get both.

the U.S.

(Read the full post about ‘Glaxo’s Tykerb goes head-to-head with Herceptin (Reuters)’…)

ZURICH (Reuters) - Japan's health authorities have approved Roche's cancer drug Herceptin for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, the Swiss drugmaker said steady Friday. (Read the full post about ‘Japan clears Herceptin for breast cancer: Roche (Reuters)’…)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - practice of less-expensive generic medicines for high cholesterol and other conditions slowed growth of U.S. prescription drug costs last year to its lowest level since at least 1996, pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Inc said on Friday.

Total spending on prescription drugs in 2007 grew 4.7 percent, according to Express Scripts, one of the largest U.S.

(Read the full post about ‘Generics damp 2007 drug costs: Express Scripts (Reuters)’…)

LAS VEGAS - A former patient sued a surgical center believed to require spread hepatitis C by reusing syringes and vials of medication, saying Thursday he fears for his health.

The suit comes a day after the Southern Nevada Health District announced that unsafe practices at the clinic may have led to six reported cases of hepatitis C, a potentially fatal blood-borne virus.

Another 40,000 people who received anesthesia at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada between March 2004 and January 2008 are conscious urged to exist tested for hepatitis, strains C and B, and HIV.

“I feel like a ticking time bomb.

(Read the full post about ‘Clinic accused of reusing syringes sued (AP)’…)

A think about by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the University of Florida suggests that ‘tweens’ should receive alcohol prevention programs prior to sixth grade, when nearly one in six children are before that time alcohol users.

The study found that adolescents who already use alcohol are less amount receptive to prevention programs aimed at all students. Intervening at earlier ages, specifically between third and fifth grade, would allow for truly universal anti-alcohol messages that would also provide support for high-risk students. (Read the full post about ‘Study Recommends That ‘Tweens’ Alcohol Prevention Programs Occur As Early As Third Grade’…)