research finding may accelerate the development of treatments for PTSD

research finding may accelerate the development of treatments for PTSD -

TAC2 major gene for fear memory consolidation

Scientists at the Yerkes National primate Research Center, Emory University have identified a drug that seems to make memories of terrible events lasting less mice.

conclusion may accelerate the development of treatments to prevent PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The drug, called osanetant targets a distinct group of brain cells in a brain region that controls the formation and consolidation of memories of fear.

The results were published in the journal Neuron .

"potentially, drugs that affect this group of cells could be used to block memory consolidation of fear shortly after exposure to trauma, which would help prevent PTSD," says Kerry Ressler, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University school of Medicine and Yerkes National Primate Research Center "PTSD is unique among psychiatric disorders in what we know when it begins. - when trauma of finding ways to prevent its development in the first place. - in emergency or battlefield Service - is an important and exciting avenue of research in this field "

the first author. Article is postdoctoral fellow Ra-l Ander Gal, PhD.

Ressler and Ander were sifting through a list of many genes that are activated in mouse brains after they learn to be afraid of her, because the sound is associated with a slight shock electric. The researchers were probing changes in the central amygdala, a region of the brain known to regulate learning of fear.

Of the thousands of genes they examined, their "top gene" was tachykinin 2 or TAC2. TAC2 The gene was turned on more strongly during fear learning in mice that were previously exposed a model of post-traumatic stress ..

"the gene is robust TAC2 activated after learning of fear and belongs to a path that can be specifically blocked with a drug," says Ressler. "He Interestingly TAC2 that is highly expressed in a particular part of the amygdala, but with little or no expression in other brain areas related to the formation of fear memories. In addition, we found that cells that express TAC2 are distinct from those of other investigators had previously identified as being involved in the expression of fear. "

TAC2 is part of a family of messengers in the nervous system known as tachykinins. Drugs that block a product encoded by report of TAC1 TAC2 are antiemetics, often prescribed when someone receives chemotherapy for cancer.

Osanetant, which blocks the action of TAC2, was tested in previous clinical trials for schizophrenia and was safe but not effective in the fight against this disease. He has not been tested in humans for the prevention of post-traumatic stress.

"Osanetant is a safe drug and well tolerated in humans and could be potentially used to prevent PTSD when given little after trauma, although more research is needed, "Ander said.

Under the influence of osanetant, mice could still learn to be afraid of a sound associated with a shock, but the mice did not freeze in response to sound as one day later, even if the drug was administered one hour after training.

"Our goal is to specifically impair emotional memories of a traumatic event instead of all the memories associated with it. Thus, the trauma and the circumstances are recalled, but the consolidation of fear memories is impaired, which could decrease the likelihood of developing fear-related disorders, "said Ander.

Extract from Chinese herb god of thunder vine suppresses pancreatic cancer cells

Extract from Chinese herb god of thunder vine suppresses pancreatic cancer cells -

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the US-can be devastating. Thanks in part to the aggressive cell replication and tumor growth, pancreas cancer progresses rapidly and has a survival rate five-year low (less than 5 percent).

GRP78, a protein that protects cells from dying, is more abundant in cancer cells and tissues than in normal organs and is thought to play a role in helping pancreatic cancer cells survive and prosper. University of Minnesota researchers have found triptolide, an extract of the Chinese herb thunder god vine ( Tirpterygium wilforii ), suppresses GRP78, possibly leading to death of pancreatic cancer cells.

For mammals to use proteins in the body, a process called protein folding must occur in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cells. If the proteins are folded rather quickly, the unfolded proteins and begin to build the cell becomes stressed. Stress activates extended RE a cellular process called the "unfolded protein response (UPR)." Initially, the UPR helps prime the ability of the protein-folding of the cell, enabling it to function properly again. But if the problem does not resolve, the UPR triggers cell death.

GRP78 helps cells survive long enough for the UPR to launch and correct protein folding problems. However, GRP78 is available higher amounts in cells of pancreatic cancer, which helps cancer cells to escape cell death, to live and multiply them.
Triptolide has previously been shown to have a negative effect on pancreatic cell viability cancer and growth of the block and the spread of these cells. in this study, led by Ashok Saluja, Ph.D., the researchers observed the effects of triptolide on cells of pancreatic cancer and tissue. They found that the UPR was successful in triptolide treated cells to allow cell death in cells defective.

"Our study shows that although increased expression of GRP78 confers a survival advantage to tumor cells, prolonged exposure to stress Triptolide induces chronic RE, which ultimately leads to cell death" the authors said. "In this context, inhibition of GRP78 by activation of the stress pathway RE by triptolide provides a new mechanism to inhibit the growth and survival of pancreatic cancer cells."

The article "Triptolide active response of the unfolded protein leading to chronic ER stress in cells of pancreatic cancer" is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. It is highlighted as one of the "best of the best" this month as part of APSselect program of the American Physiological Society.

Researchers find a way to restore the corneal surface

Researchers find a way to restore the corneal surface -

Discovery should translate quickly into improved human therapies

A Boston-based scientific collaboration led by Harvard Stem cell Institute (HSCI) researchers has discovered a way to gather the best type of cells for the regeneration of the damaged cornea clear membrane that covers the pupil and focuses light on the back of the eye . The investigators report in the journal Nature that purifies human stem cells can be used to improve the long-term vision in mice. The team is currently pursuing FDA approval of the technology before moving to clinical trials of patients.

The study, conducted by researchers co-managers Natasha Frank, MD, and Markus Frank, MD, is a highly collaborative effort with the work done at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear / Schepens Eye Institute research, children's Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.

corneal blindness is a clouding of vision that results when blood vessels grow into the cornea. It can be caused by injury, infection or an autoimmune disease that destroys an active population of regeneration of stem cells located in an area located behind the cornea, known as the lamina. Limbal stem cell transplants from a deceased donor or intact eye had promising results, but the results were contradictory.

"previously published work on the transplantation of skin cells limbic showed that when more than three percent of the transplanted cells were stem cells, the transplants were successful, for at least three hundred and transplants are not "HSCI affiliated member said Natasha Frank Faculty.

"the question in the field then was whether we could expand the limbal stem cells. But until this study there was no specific marker that could isolate these cells," said Frank, who is a doctor of VA Boston Healthcare system and Brigham and women's Hospital and Harvard medical School assistant professor of medicine in the Division of genetics at Brigham and women's Hospital.

The biomarker researchers found ABCB5 is the protein which is located on the surface of limbal stem cells. The team then developed an antibody that could mark the limbal stem cells in a general sample of human limbal cells, making it possible to only purify the cells responsible for the successful transplant limbal cells.

The researchers transplanted limbal stem cells purified human adults in damage to corneal blindness and checked to see if mice corneas had repulsed five weeks later, and 13 months later. They found that mice corneas looked normal, with the same thickness and protein expression as corneas of healthy mice.

"I think a very exciting part of the study is that while there is much evidence that adult stem cells contribute to the regeneration of tissues, what we see is essentially the first evidence that you can take adult stem cells and push the organ that has been damaged, "said Frank.

The following research team hopes to find a way to replicate the limbal stem cells so that a single eye donor can produce enough transplantable cells to help several patients. They will also be partnering with biopharmaceutical companies to produce commercial grades of ABCB5 antibodies to humans, and they plan to work more with co-author Victor Perez, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Miami, to move the techniques used in this study in clinical trials.

"This discovery is now much easier to restore the surface of the cornea. It is a very good example of basic research are rapidly moving to the implementation of the translation," said Bruce Ksander, PhD , associate researcher at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and co-first author of the study with postdoctoral fellow Paraskevi Kolovou, MD.

MEF2 gene: A potential therapeutic target for protecting neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson

MEF2 gene: A potential therapeutic target for protecting neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson -

A new study by researchers from the Research Institute Sanford-Burnham medical (Sanford-Burnham) has identified a "switch" chemical that controls both the generation of new neurons from neural stem cells and survival of nerve cells in the existing brain. The switch that cuts the signals that promote the production of neurons and survival is in abundance in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and stroke victims. The study, published July 3 in cell reports , suggests that the chemical switch, MEF2, may be a potential therapeutic target to protect against neuronal loss in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer ' Alzheimer, Parkinson and autism.

"We showed that when nitric oxide (nO) -a highly reactive free radical reacts with MEF2, MEF2 can no longer bind and activate genes that lead neurogenesis and neuronal survival" said Stuart Lipton, MD, Ph.D., Director and Professor in neuroscience and aging Research Center at Sanford-Burnham, and a clinical neurologist practicing. "What is unique here is that a single change in both MEF2 control separate events: generation of new neurons and survival of existing neurons, "said Lipton, who is the lead author of the study

in the brain, the transcription factors are critical for binding. external stimuli in the production of proteins, which allows to adapt to changing environments neurons. the family members MEF2 transcription factors were found to play an important role in neurogenesis and neuronal survival, as well as learning and memory processes. And MEF2 gene mutations have been associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and autism.

The process of NO-protein modifications-known as S-nitrosylation-name has been first described by Lipton and colleagues some 20 years ago. S-nitrosylation has important regulatory functions in normal physiological conditions in the body. However, with aging, environmental toxins, or stress-related injuries, abnormal S-nitrosylation reactions may occur, which contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease.

"Our laboratory had already shown that S-nitrosylation of MEF2 controlled neuronal survival in Parkinson's disease," said Lipton. "Now we have shown that this reaction is even more ubiquitous, occurring in other neurological conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease. While the main MEF2 target genes may be different in various diseases and areas the brain, the remarkable new discovery here is that we may be able to address each of these neurological disorders by preventing a change S-nitrosylation common to MEF2.

"the results suggest that the development of a small therapeutic molecule-one that can cross the blood-brain barrier and S-nitrosylation of MEF2 block or otherwise increase MEF2 transcriptional activity could promote new growth of brain cells and protect cells existing in many diseases neurodegenerative, "said Lipton.

"We've already found several of these molecules in our screening and drug discovery broadband efforts, so that the new drug development potential to attack this way is very exciting," said Lipton .

Study examines whether men going up have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction, infertility, prostate cancer

Study examines whether men going up have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction, infertility, prostate cancer -

Cycling is a popular activity that provides obvious health benefits, but there is controversy over whether the men going up have a higher risk of genitourinary disorders such as erectile dysfunction, infertility, or prostate cancer. The results of a study of nearly 5,300 male cyclists who participated in the Cycling for the UK's Health Study are presented in an article Health Journal men , a publication evaluated peer Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the website Journal of Health of Men to http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jomh.2014.0012 until August 7, 2014.

Milo Hollingworth, MBBS and Alice Harper, MBBS, University College London Medical School, and Mark Hamer, PhD, University College London, analyzed the risk for these three disorders in relation to the amount of weekly cycle times ranging of <3.75 hours up to > 8.5 hours per week. They report their findings in the article "An observational study of erectile dysfunction, infertility and prostate cancer among regular cyclists: Cycling for the Study of Health in the UK."

"Physicians should discuss the potential risks and health benefits of cycling with their patients, and how it can affect their overall health," says Ajay Nehra, MD, editor of health Journal and Chairman, Department of Urology, Director of men, men's health, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.

national prevention strategy for a healthy lifestyle

national prevention strategy for a healthy lifestyle

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cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases - the impact of these diseases noncommunicable (MNT) is constantly rising in industrialized countries. The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) is therefore in the process of developing a national prevention strategy to improve the competence of the health of the population and encourage healthier behavior . Attention focuses, among others, the main risk factors for these diseases that are related to personal behavior -. Ie, smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol

In this context private Docent Brian Martin and colleagues at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) at the University of Zurich examined the effects of these four factors - both individual and combined - on life expectancy. For the first time the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle can be represented in number. A person who smokes, drinks a lot, physically inactive and unhealthy food was 2.5 times higher risk of mortality in epidemiological terms that an individual who looks at his health. Or to put it positively: "A healthy lifestyle can help you stay ten years" young, "says senior author Eva Martin-Diener

The analysis of data from the Swiss cohort

for the study, researchers used data from the Swiss national cohort (CNS). The Zurich public health physicians focus on cardiovascular disease and cancer because they represent most of the deaths in Switzerland. The researchers were able to correlate data on tobacco consumption, the consumption of fruits, physical activity and alcohol consumption from 16.721 participants between 16 and 0 from 1977 to 1993 with the corresponding deaths until 08 . the impact of the four forms of behavior was still visible when the biological risk factors such as weight and blood pressure were taken into account.

"The effect of each factor on the life expectancy is relatively high," said Eva Martin-Diener. But smoking seems to be the most harmful. Compared to a group of non-smokers, smokers have a risk 57 percent more likely to die prematurely. The impact of poor diet, not enough sports and alcohol abuse carries a high risk of mortality of about 15 percent for each factor. "We were very surprised by the 2.5 times higher risk when the four risk factors are combined," says Brian Martin. Therefore, the probability of a 75 year old man with all the risk factors surviving the next ten years, for example, 35 percent, without risk factors of 67 percent -. For a woman of 47 and 74 percent respectively

effects only appear in later life

According to Martin unhealthy lifestyle especially a long-term impact . While high consumption of wine, cigarettes, poor diet and physical inactivity had almost no effect on mortality among the 45 to 55 years, it has a visible effect of 65 to 75 years. The likelihood of a man of 75, with none of the four risk factors for surviving the next ten years is 67 percent, exactly the same as the risk for a smoker who is ten years younger, do not exercise, eat unhealthily and drink a lot.

social and public health physicians represent the dependence of life expectancy and the four risk behaviors age groups in what is called the graphics survival. The impact of individual risk factors and their combined effect on mortality are visible at a glance. "In the future, doctors will be able to view the tables easy to understand by giving health advice to their patients in primary care," says Eva Martin-Diener with confidence. "In addition, they may also be important for political discussions prevention strategies for noncommunicable diseases. "

A study examining the use of electronic patient portals for patients with cancer

A study examining the use of electronic patient portals for patients with cancer -

There was a strong increase in the number of cancer patients in the UT Southwestern Medical Center using MyChart, the online interactive service that allows patients to view lab and radiology results, communicate with their health care providers, appointment schedule, and renew prescriptions.

over a period of six years, the number of patients actively using

"this model suggests that not only are many more patients using this technology, but also they use more intensively, "said Dr. Gerber.

These results, published in the Journal of Oncology Practice are remarkable because no previous study has systematically examined the use of electronic patient portals for patients with cancer, although the use of this technology is surging nationally, creating a new field in clinical care and the doctor-patient relationship.

increased use MyChart reflects the convenience and perceived ease of use by patients.

Darla Robinson, an Arlington resident 75 years with lung cancer, said she uses MyChart response to his appointment with Dr. Gerber and other UT Southwestern physicians. Her husband, Jim, navigates in the pages of MyChart and type in messages that it wants to send its carers.

"It is very effective to find your appointments and information about your tests after seeing the doctor," she said. "There is no problem. It is easy to use."

In 09, Congress allocated $ 27 billion to support the adoption of electronic medical records. The Department of Health and Human Services began to allocate funding in 2011. UT Southwestern began offering these services years ago.

"UT Southwestern is MyChart available to patients with cancer in 07 and, wow, do they use. Many patients use, and they frequently use, with the majority of these patients are over 60, "said Dr. Lee, noting that these patients are different from non-patient demographics, generally younger using Internet more heavily than the rest of the general population.

Dr. Lee, a medical anthropologist, said he will use the study as a basis to inform its efforts to learn more about how the doctor-patient relationship can be modified by an increase "meaningful use" of health care technologies, such as electronic medical records.

Nearly 6,500 patients

"I am struck by the immediacy of the absorption and volume of use," said Dr. Gerber. "I suspected that the volume would be high. I did not think it was going to be multiple times higher than other patient populations. "

Using MyChart was higher among cancer patients than among other other groups patients except for children with life threatening medical conditions, according to the study.

"We undertook this study because we suspected that the volume of electronic portal usage could be higher among cancer patients than in other populations, "Dr. Gerber said.

Although the study did not directly compare use patterns with non-cancer groups, the average use in current study were four to eight times greater than what was previously reported in primary care, pediatric, surgical subspecialists and other populations.

Dr. Gerber explained that the use of patients electronic gates to receive and transmit information may have particular implications in the treatment of cancer. Laboratory and radiology results may be more likely to represent important clinical outcomes such as disease progression.

"I think we are still learning how patients understand and use complex medical data, such as analytical reports, they receive electronically firsthand," he said Dr. Gerber.

Furthermore, the symptoms reported by cancer patients may be more likely to represent medical emergencies. In particular, the study found that 30 percent of requests for medical advice to patients were sent after hours clinic.

Charles H. Hennekens won the prestigious Ochnser Alton

Charles H. Hennekens won the prestigious Ochnser Alton -

The Foundation Ochnser Clinic recently announced the annual recipient of the prestigious 29 Ochnser Alton Charles H. Hennekens, MD , Dr.PH, the first Professor Sir Richard Doll and principal education consultant Dean Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. The Alton Ochsner Award is supported by the Ochsner Clinic Foundation and recognizes outstanding scientific achievements outlined pivots on biological and clinical fundamental mechanisms that relate smoking to human disease. Hennekens will receive a cash prize, a special medallion and a scroll to be presented to him at the annual Convocation of the American College of Chest Physicians in scientific sessions that take place in Austin, Texas Sunday, October 26th

Hennekens seminal work on smoking includes being among the first to discover that for heart disease, it is never too late to quit, but for cancer, it's never too early. It was also among the first to demonstrate that in women of childbearing age, oral contraceptives have a relatively low risk absolute heart attack, but that cigarettes increase the risk about 13 times. For those who use oral contraceptives and smoke the increased risk was 40 times.

Ochsner was a mentor Michael DeBakey, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon world-famous and together they were among the first to notice in the late 1930s that almost all their cancer patients lung smoked cigarettes. In 1950, Sir Richard Doll and Sir Austin Bradford Hill were the first to quantify the relationship between smoking and lung cancer.

The Alton Ochnser Award was established in 1986, and previous winners include Doll and Hill in 1988, DeBakey in 1993. Doll and Professor Sir Richard Peto were his mentors, colleagues and friends to Hennekens remembered Charles Darwin's words who said "if I have seen further, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants."

numerous honors and recognition received Hennekens include Price 2013 Fries for improved health for his contributions to the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, the Presidential Award in 2013 from his alma mater, Queens College, for his distinguished contributions to society, and a special recognition 2013 American heart Association, which he shared with Charles E. Schmidt College of medicine FAU, for past, current and future contributions to the reduction of suffering and death from heart attack and stroke.

Watch Hennekens science has ranked as the third most widely cited medical researcher in the world from 1995-05 and five of the 20 were his former trainees and / or fellows. In 2012, Science Heroes Hennekens ranked No. 81 in the world's history for having saved more than 1.1 million lives.

Researchers create drug combination that controls both tumor growth and metastasis

Researchers create drug combination that controls both tumor growth and metastasis -

Researchers at UC Davis, University of Massachusetts and Harvard Medical School have created a combination of medications that control both tumor growth and metastasis. By combining a COX-2, similar to Celebrex, and an epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor, drug control angiogenesis (blood vessel formation), which limits the ability to grow and spread a tumor. The study appears today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

"We studied the effects of COX and sEH, both by themselves and in combination, for several years," said lead author and UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock. "We were surprised to find that the dual inhibitor was more active than higher doses of each compound individually or together. by combining the two molecules in one we had a lot more power against several diseases and effects quite unique in terms of growth of the blocking tumor and metastasis. "

COX and sEH enzymes control signaling lipid that has long been associated with inflammation, cell migration, proliferation, hypertension and other processes. COX inhibitors block the production of lipids and inflammatory pain inducing while sEH inhibitors retain antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory and analgesic compounds. COX inhibitors and separate sEH have previously been found to work together to reduce inflammation and neuropathic pain.

After testing inhibitors of COX-2 and sEH individual, the team synthesized the drug (PTUTB), the first COX-2 handset / inhibitor of sEH. They then tested the dual inhibitor against lung and breast human tumors in vitro and in mice. They found that PTUTB blocked angiogenesis, inhibition of the proliferation of endothelial cells, which are essential for formation of blood vessels. This limited steering of tumor growth and metastasis, which reduces the growth of lung tumors, and breast 70 to 83 percent.

In the breast and lung, the dual inhibitor blocked angiogenesis, blocking solid tumor growth, "said hammock." This represents a new blood vessel control mechanism and growth of the tumor. "

Robert Weiss, a co-author and professor of nephrology at UC Davis, added that the combination of drugs obtained results with minimal side effects and no cardiovascular effect or gastrointestinal.

"This is particularly important when administering the COX-2 inhibitors, which have well-known cardiovascular risk," he said. "However, the inhibitor of sEH added appears to block the side of the COX-2 effects. "

research was initiated by the first author Guodong Zhang when he was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory Hammock. Zhang previously demonstrated that inhibitors of sEH improve the power of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) plans to reduce tumor growth and metastasis, and involved epoxides of DHA dietary supplement as a causative agent.

by advancing a new anti-angiogenic compound, the study extends the work of the famous physician and researcher Judah Folkman at Harvard Medical School, who illuminated the importance of angiogenesis in tumor growth, inspiring a new class of anti-cancer drugs. Two of the authors of the study, Dipak Panigrahy and Mark Kieran, has worked with Folkman at Harvard Medical School.

Although research has focused exclusively on cancer, the researchers said that the double compound could benefit other conditions, such as macular degeneration.

"If we go beyond cancer, this drug combination may block a number of pathologies, ranging from cardiac hypertrophy to neuropathic pain," said Hammock. "The compound seems powerful enough to a number of conditions. "

The search teams are continuing their work on many fronts." a member of our research team has already made more potent inhibitors with more drug-like properties, "said Hammock. "We are looking at the molecules for a variety of indications alone and in combination, including kidney disease, fibrotic diseases, pancreatic and colon cancer and other problems." The molecules are patented by the University of California and are available for licensing and testing.

Co-author Jun-Yan Liu, who conducted analytical chemistry for the study while a doctoral researcher at UC Davis, is examining the effectiveness of the compounds in disease kidney and gout in a laboratory of Shanghai tenth people hospital.

"one of the most exciting things about this project was the ability to work with experts in several areas to find new drugs and new class mechanism that promises to really help people with cancer "said Liu.

The research sheds new light on the complicated brain barrier fabrics

The research sheds new light on the complicated brain barrier fabrics -

Research from the University of Copenhagen, sheds new light on the complicated barrier of brain tissue . The blood-brain barrier is an effective barrier that protects the brain, but at the same time, it is hard to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. In a barrier in vitro blood-brain, researchers can recreate the brain of the transport process for development of new drugs to the brain. New research results are published in AAPS Journal .

Ninety-five percent of all pharmacological agents tested for the treatment of brain disorders fail because they can not cross the blood-brain barrier. It is therefore important to find a possible method to transport drugs past outpost effective brain and fervent protector.

Researchers from the Pharmacy Department of the University of Copenhagen have recreated the complex blood-brain barrier in a laboratory model that is based on cells from animals. In a new study, the researchers studied the protein rowdy bouncer into the fabric of the fence. Proteins protect the brain, but also prevent the treatment of brain diseases:

"The blood-brain barrier is chemically tight because the cells contain transport proteins that ensure that the substances used in the cells are thrown directly back into the bloodstream again, we have shown that the barrier that we have created in the laboratory contains the same protein bouncer -.. and they behave the same way as in a "real" brain This is important because the model can be used to test drive the hard way in the complex brain phenomena -. we have so far only been able to study live animals -can now be studied in experiments simple laboratory using cultured cells, "says postdoc Hans Christian Cederberg Helms of pharmacy Department.

The research team showed that the P-glycoprotein transporter proteins, breast cancer resistance protein and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 are active in the tissue barrier created artificially. Pharmacological agents pump proteins of the "brain side" to the "blood side" in the same manner as the human blood-brain barrier.

Collaboration finds a way

new findings resulted from the collaboration with industrial scientists at the pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck A / S

"It is important for the treatment of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease that we find a way around the effective defense of the brain. university and industry must work together to overcome the fundamental challenges inherent in developing pharmaceutical products for the future, "says Lassina Badolo, senior scientist with H. Lundbeck a / S and an expert on drug absorption into the body

associate Professor Birger Brodin added.

"We have shown that the models have the same bouncer protein than those found in the intact barrier We are studying proteins. the blood-brain barrier that accept pharmacological agents instead of throwing them away. If we can combine a beneficial substance that the brain needs a so-called "protein absorber," we will in the long run be able to pass pharmacological agents across the blood-brain barrier. "

Birger Brodin heads the group Drug Transporters in ADME research, which is responsible for the blood-brain barrier in vitro.

pill once a day for patients with constipation induced by opioids

pill once a day for patients with constipation induced by opioids -

- Opioid analgesics containing morphine boxes - are widely prescribed to patients with a severe chronic pain. Although these drugs are very effective in the treatment and management of pain, they have a particularly troublesome side effect: constipation. A new drug, called Naloxegol could bring relief. In stage 3 tests reported in New England Journal of Medicine , KU Leuven and international researchers provide new evidence that the drug relieves constipation without dulling the analgesic effects of opioids.

Until a There decade, doctors rarely prescribed opioids, especially reserving for the terminally ill. Today, drugs opioid-based proliferated thanks to their "friendliness" and efficiency. Millions of patients taking opioids on a daily basis to manage pain in the lower back and chronic joint problems. Opioids also play a key role in pain management plans for patients with cancer

However, opioids have a number of side effects including nausea, vomiting and -. Notoriously - constipation. Opioids block pain by binding to mu receptors' in the brain. But they also bind to the mu-receptors in the gut, causing constipation.

Some sixty percent of patients taking opioid painkillers experience constipation. For some, the pain is so great that they choose to stop taking the drug.

A newly developed opioid antagonist called Naloxegol can offer relief. Step 3 tests by an international team of researchers led by gastroenterologist January Belgian Tack (University Hospitals Leuven) confirms the effectiveness of the drug.

Naloxegol is based on the same active molecule as naloxone, a drug developed in the 1960s to counter the effects of opioid overdose. Naloxone is commonly used to wake the patient anesthesia induced by opioids after surgery.

In reaching Naloxegol, the researchers changed the molecular structure of naloxone. The result is an orally administered, a pill once a day for patients with constipation induced by opioids

The researchers tested the effectiveness of the pill in two Phase 3 -. With promising results. Naloxegol has been shown to maintain the pain killing effect of opioids in the brain and block their effects in the bowels. Bowel function in all test subjects in 1400 returned to normal stomach pain and accompanying discomforts and other decreased. No patients experienced relief in pain diminished as a result of the drug.

While studies addressed in the document focuses on patients taking opioids for non-cancer pain such as back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions, similar studies are now underway to examine Naloxegol the effect in patients with chronic cancer-related pain.

RPCI redesignated as Blue Distinction Center for providing quality transplant care

RPCI redesignated as Blue Distinction Center for providing quality transplant care -

BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York today redesignated Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) as Blue distinction Center® for the delivery of quality transplant care in the distinction Blue centers specialized program for Care®. 100 Blue Distinction Centers for Transplants have been designated in the United States, with only four located in the State of New York.

Blue Distinction Centers are medical facilities shown to provide specialized care quality based on objective and transparent measures for the patient results in safety and health that have been developed with the participation of the medical community. To receive a distinction Blue Transplants® designation centers, medical institutions must demonstrate success in meeting the safety criteria of patients as well as specific measures of quality transplant (including survival measures). RPCI received the same designation of Blue Distinction Center in 2011.

blood and marrow hematopoietic stem cell transplants, also known as bone marrow transplants are a common approach to treat many types of hematological malignancies, including forms of leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. They involve blood transplant marrow stem cells or bone - from a donor or patients themselves -. As a way to spare the patient the toxic effects of chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy intensive

"Because the blood and marrow transplantation is such a very complex procedure, the medical needs of a patient before, during and after a transplant procedure are extensive and labor, "said Philip McCarthy, MD, director of blood transplant program and bone marrow RPCI." given this context, we are particularly proud to win again blue Distinction for BlueCross BlueShield of our transplant program. "

Research shows that the distinction Blue centers demonstrate improved quality and better outcomes for patients with higher survival rates compared with their peers.

"We are pleased that RPCI has been recognized for their quality transplant care," said Dr. Thomas Schenk, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. "In BCBS network are measured and again nationally recognized quality care provider "

Although rare, the number of transplants. - including the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and bone marrow / blood stem cell. - in the nation have increased in recent years there were 28.954 transplant procedures performed in 2013 compared to 28052 in 2012. Today, more than 123,000 people are waiting for donations of organs for transplants, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

in 06, the Blue Distinction centers for special care program was developed to help patients find quality suppliers their needs specialized care while encouraging health professionals to improve the care they provide.

The Blue Distinction Centers specialized care program to identify medical facilities providing quality care in bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip surgery of the spine and transplantation. These specialty areas represent about 30 percent of hospital expenditure. For more information on the program and a complete list of designated institutions, please visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

Varian receives 510 (k) FDA for soft tissue Calypso Beacon transponder

Varian receives 510 (k) FDA for soft tissue Calypso Beacon transponder -

Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announced it has received 510 (k) of the Food and Drug administration (FDA) for soft tissue Calypso® BEACON® transponder that can help improve the accuracy of radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments for cancer.

the size of a grain of rice, the new transponders may be implanted in the soft tissue in the body except the lung. GPS Calypso Body® the system can continuously monitor and control the position of the transponders, so that the high energy treatment beams can be precisely to minimize the exposure of surrounding healthy tissue. An earlier version of Calypso Beacon transponder was authorized for a specific use of the prostate and prostate bed; the new game system makes it applicable to many other types of cancer.

Calypso Beacon transponders emit non-ionizing electromagnetic signal that is followed in real time by the Calypso system to guide the treatment beam to precisely target tumors during radiotherapy and radiosurgery with medical linear accelerators such as Edge ™ radiosurgery system from Varian.

"with the new transponder, clinicians can use the Calypso system most places they would have used standard reference markers, such as gold seeds, to locate a targeted tumor, but with additional advantage of the position of the tumor continues to follow throughout the delivery process, "said Andrea Morgan, product manager Calypso." other types of reference markers must be located using X-rays, that add more ionizing radiation in the process. We are pleased to be able to make the system available to clinicians who want to use more widely, not only for conventional radiotherapy, but some of the new approaches, such as body stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT), which is to deliver radiation doses higher very quickly. for treatments like this, precise targeting is essential, and new Calypso transponders have an important role to play. "

" I use standard benchmarks markers, especially for the treatment of tumors of the pancreas and liver, "said Mary Feng, MD, associate professor in the radiation oncology department at the University of Michigan . "It is essential that we know exactly where the tumor is at any time, and we have a way to respond if tumor motion during treatment. I am excited to use the treatment in areas where it is the Calypso tracking system very difficult to see the tumor due to lack of contrast with the surrounding soft tissues. "

new Calypso transponders soft tissue Beacon can be used with the latest upgrade Varian Calypso system (version 3.0). Beacon transponders current Calypso for prostate are not suitable for the new indication of soft tissues due to different devices and labeling. "The first use of the new device is expected towards the end of the year," said Corey Zankowski, vice president of product management at Varian. "We expect full commercial deployment times next year's product."

Analyzer available Zynx Health Knowledge

Analyzer available Zynx Health Knowledge -

Zynx Health ™, the market leader in providing clinical improvement solutions, evidence and based on experience, announced the general availability of knowledge Analyzer ™, a scalable solution that enables companies to rapidly achieve full electronic health record value (DSE).

time

health agencies have generally limited to making significant adjustments to the EHR in their efforts to quickly achieve the clinical purpose of the technology and financial benefits. Unfortunately, without the inclusion of content refined on the basis of evidence, many organizations fail to effectively optimize their EHR. Consequently, these organizations can never achieve the clinical benefits and anticipated financial savings promised their EHR systems. Knowledge analyzer allows not only access but to take optimal clinical advantage of business decision support, offering the possibility of using EHRs to improve clinical outcomes, reduce readmissions, improve financial performance, management purchases based on value, and achieve meaningful use and other mandates.

Mary Horan, MD, CMIO Medical Center (281 beds hospital in Seattle, Washington), UW Medicine / Northwest Hospital & explained, "With analyzer knowledge, we were able to analyze permanently and identify the content based on evidence considered most important to our clinicians. our team of healthcare professionals will undoubtedly provide for the most current care and evidence-based. the ability to streamline the review process the order set with an intelligent, current, and easy to -use tool makes the process of supporting clinical decision much easier updates and maintenance. it also ensures the availability of relevant clinical guidelines when we need most. We can now leverage our EHR with information that will make a real difference to patient care. "

" knowledge Analyzer allows us to continually improve our clinical guidelines while DSE supporting a wide range of quality improvement efforts, "added Dr. Horan. "Our doctors and nurses already see the value of the EHR with CPOE well designed, and they really embrace the system. Keep updated and relevant is the challenge once the initial buy-in has occurred, and Zynx Health helps us to do so. "

With the knowledge analyzer, health care organizations can quickly analyze large amounts of clinical content against the most recent evidence, which improves transparency in clinical practice. The evaluation will be instantly identify key opportunities to decrease variation in care and performance improvement in the practices of clinicians, focusing on the most critical interventions that advance clinical and financial outcomes.

"We enable health care organizations to provide critical care times to care tips that can really make a difference. with the knowledge analyzer, we are not simply provide the most current and most relevant content but help organizations analyze how the content can be used in their environment and in their situations to improve patient care, "Carol Leighton, vice president of product management at Zynx Health explained. "Basically, we support a mentality 'carpe diem' showing suppliers how to get the most out of their information technology sooner rather than later."

TFI standard definition still applies to the classification in SCLC relapse

TFI standard definition still applies to the classification in SCLC relapse -

By Laura Cowen, medwireNews Reporter

Italian researchers have confirmed that the use of an unpaid interval (IFT) failure 60 days to file a relapse of lung cancer small cell (SCLC) sensitive or resistant can be regarded as standard definition.

Marcello Tiseo (University Hospital of Parma) and colleagues explain that relapsed SCLC has historically been classified as sensitive or resistant in a TFI roughly 60 or 0 days.

"However, this definition was developed it several years ago based solely on retrospective small series at the standard first-line [treatment] was not based on platinum, and its validity has been under discussion by some recent studies, "they write in the European Journal of Cancer .

researchers used retrospective data on 631 patients with SCLC enrolled in phase II or III studies of treatment with second-line topotecan to validate these criteria. They also investigated whether the addition of other clinical parameters may improve discrimination between susceptible and resistant types of the disease.

Tiseo and team report that the sensitivity (97.1 vs 92.2%), specificity (22.7 vs 31.8%), positive predictive value (19.8 vs 21 0%) and negative predictive value (97.5 vs 95.4%) to correctly classify the response to treatment were similar in the TFI using thresholds 60 or 0 days.

increasing the interval TFI or adding information regarding the objective response to first-line treatment has not improved the accuracy significantly.

When the researchers considered other factors associated with objective response, they found that the presence of liver metastases, with a TFI cut 60 days off, were the only variables significantly and independently associated with it outcome on multivariate analysis. However, the combination of these two variables did not improve the ability to distinguish between sensitive and resistant disease.

independent prognostic factors for overall survival were 60 days cut TFI, age, liver metastases, the status of the performance, and serum albumin, hemoglobin and sodium .

These variables were combined in a prognostic model that enabled the team to separate patients into the categories low and high risk. In a set of bypass data including 419 patients included in the study, patients in the high risk group had a 2.56 times increased risk of death compared to those in the low risk group (median overall survival 20 , 0 vs. 41.4 weeks).

Similar results were observed in a validation data set comprising the remaining 212 patients with high-risk patients with a 2.53 times greater risk of death than those in the low risk category .

Tiseo and co-authors conclude that, in addition to TFI, other clinical parameters have a strong influence on the results and "should be considered in planning treatment and used as a stratification parameters future clinical studies. "

medwireNews licensed by permission of Springer Healthcare Ltd. © Springer Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved. None of these parties endorse or recommend any commercial products, services or equipment.

Study provides an overview of interactions between bacteria, viruses and the immune system during HIV infection

Study provides an overview of interactions between bacteria, viruses and the immune system during HIV infection -

study showed significant associations between bacteria, the virus and the immune system in semen during HIV infection

a new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) provides an overview of the interaction between bacteria, viruses and immune system during HIV infection.

Currently, doctors measure HIV infectivity men - their potential to infect other - depending on their viral load in the blood. However, some men produce large quantities of virus in semen despite low levels in the blood. Researchers call this "compartmentalization," where various levels of virus can be found in different parts of the body; in this case, in semen, blood against

Because of the importance of sperm in HIV transmission -. in both homosexual and heterosexual populations - researchers who conducted the study published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens sought to understand how HIV can be located, or compartmentalized in semen.

significantly, the study found a link between higher levels of HIV and higher levels of bacteria and cytokines, biochemicals that can be described as the system alarm bells immune.

"Our study tries to fight against a major problem in HIV research," said Dr. Lance Price, director of TGen Centre microbiomics and human health, and one of the study of the principal authors. "We found that HIV infection affects the relationship between sperm bacteria and the immune system, and both are related to HIV levels seed."

The findings could point to new ways to control the spread of HIV, said Dr. Price. "Our data suggest that sperm bacteria may play a role in localized inflammation and HIV viral load in semen, which is an important target for reducing HIV transmission. "

Although HIV can be found in many body fluids (semen, vaginal secretions, blood and breast milk), it is most often transmitted through semen in both gay and heterosexual.

homosexual men were the subject of this study as they continue to be the most at risk population for HIV in North America. the study included 27 men homosexuals infected with HIV, and 22 homosexual men who were not infected.

The 27 infected individuals were examined before treatment, and two intervals of one month and six months after antiretroviral therapy treatment (ART). Samples from the 22 uninfected participants in the study were used as controls.

"By comparing the sperm bacteria in uninfected and infected men, we found that HIV can cause an imbalance in semen microbiome," said Dr. Cindy Liu, lead author of the study , a clinical pathology resident at Johns Hopkins medical school and assistant professor at TGen at the time of the study. "This imbalance can be corrected by treating HIV. This suggests that there are complex host-microbe interactions in sperm. "

" We have taken the first step to show that bacteria, HIV, and the immune response in sperm can be connected " said Dr. Rupert Kaul, an immunologist at the University of Toronto, and another lead author of the study. "What we need to understand better the next is the precise relationship between these three factors -. If the bacterial imbalance is the trigger or the result of localized immune response "

The authors of the study, the semen microbiome and His relationship with the local immunological and viral load of HIV infection are particularly pleased that this research can mean to another important patient population.

"Although we focused on men whose viral load of semen can be controlled with HIV treatment in this study, "said Dr. Kaul," we need to study the men who continue to have high levels of HIV in their semen despite being on treatment. this will be important to improve how we treat patients and to control the spread of HIV. "

Hormonal imbalance is not the only cause of childhood obesity, say experts

Hormonal imbalance is not the only cause of childhood obesity, say experts -

The number of children who are obese remains alarming in the US and unfortunately , diseases associated with obesity are on the rise. Worried about their overweight children, many parents wonder when other diagnoses, such as hypothyroidism could be the reason behind the weight gain of their child.

But according to experts more often the underlying issues are more strongly influenced by environment factors, such as the largely sedentary lifestyle or caloric intake which exceeds the daily needs of a child. Other environmental influences and genetic profile are additional topics for research and discussion.

"Parents understand that obesity is a very serious disease. They are looking for ways to help their child become healthier and often distracted from the real issues. Rarely some children may have a hormonal problem. However, this represents less than 1 percent of all causes of childhood obesity, "said Himala, Kashmiri, DO, chief of pediatric endocrinology at Loyola University Health System and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine of.
"In general, weight gain and subsequent obesity are the result of the risk that predispose a child to obesity and the environment."

"If a child stops them straight up or slows down as regards the gain in height or otherwise shorter than expected because of the height of the parent, then that certainly could and should raise concerns for hormonal imbalance that can lead to weight gain. The only weight gain, however, is not only a sign of hormonal imbalance, "said Kashmiri

Other signs that a child may have a hormonal problem include :.
• Drinking and urinating more than before
• excessive hunger
• Experiencing unexplained weight loss
• Feeling tired and cold
• Bowl irregularities
• Hair changes, skin or nail
• poor linear growth or small

"If your child has a weight gain with these other symptoms, it is important to talk to your pediatrician about seeing a specialist," said Kashmiri. "While severe obesity continues to rise, strategies to intervene and prevent childhood obesity are actually effective. These include the reduction of sugary drinks, portion control, limiting fast food, to healthier food choices, increasing physical activity and decreasing screen time. "

" obesity can lead to many health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, low self -esteem, liver disease, high blood pressure and even cancer, "he said." If your child is gaining weight talk to your pediatrician about resources and strategies to help manage weight and reduce the risk of your child for these potential consequences. "

Janssen seeks expanded EU VELCADE approval for Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Janssen seeks expanded EU VELCADE approval for Mantle Cell Lymphoma -

Janssen-Cilag International NV today announced its submission of a variation type II to the European medicines Agency (EMA) to extend the label for VELCADE® (bortezomib) to include its use in combination with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone, for the treatment of previously untreated adult patients Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). MCL is an aggressive cancer of the blood that rare and usually occurs in older adults. VELCADE in combination with other agents, is currently approved to treat multiple myeloma that has not yet received any treatment or whose cancer started to progress after treatment.

"We are committed to develop and provide innovative therapeutic solutions to treat serious diseases," said Jane Griffiths, Group Company Chairman, Janssen Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "The encouraging data we have seen on VELCADE when used as part of a first-line mantle cell lymphoma reinforce our belief that this therapy has the potential to be an important option in the treatment of this cancer. "

Communication today is based on data from the LYM-3002 trial landmark. in the results of this study, presented at the 50 ^e annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the 19 ^e annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), significant benefits were observed when treating patients with newly diagnosed MCL using a combination of VELCADE based , compared to a widely used standard of care. Patients in the study were not previously treated for MCL and were not eligible or not considered for a bone marrow transplant. Compared to the combination treatment R-CHOP, the treatment with VELCADE, significantly improves progression-free survival VR-CAP (PFS) (the time patients live without disease progression) and showed through improvements range of secondary endpoints. An independent review committee reported increased median PFS to 59 percent (24.7 vs 14.4 months; HR 0.63; p <0.001), while the study researchers reported the increased median PFS to 96 percent (30.7 vs 16.1 months; HR 0.51 ;. p <0.001)

VR-CAP has been associated with most, but manageable, toxicity with respect to R-CHOP. Higher rates of thrombocytopenia and infection were observed with VR-CAP. However, there were no observed differences in events between the two treatment groups and peripheral neuropathy bleeding rates were similar. Overall, patients receiving VR-CAP compared with R-CHOP in 3002 LYM study, serious adverse events (AE) were reported in 38 percent against 30 percent of patients and grade ≥3 AEs were reported in 93 percent against 85 percent. Treatment discontinuations due to AEs were nine percent (VR-CAP) versus seven percent (R-CHOP), and on the treatment of drug-related deaths were two percent against three percent.

patients with wild-type KRAS MCRC can benefit from Cetuximab or Bevacizumab With Combi Chemo Equivalent For patients with KRAS wild-type MCRC

patients with wild-type KRAS MCRC can benefit from Cetuximab or Bevacizumab With Combi Chemo Equivalent For patients with KRAS wild-type MCRC -

ESMO 16th World Congress on GI gastrointestinal cancer

for patients with wild-type KRAS untreated colorectal cancer, adding cetuximab or bevacizumab in combination chemotherapy provides equivalent survival, the researchers told the World Congress of ESMO 16 on the gastrointestinal cancer to Barcelona.

"the CALGB / SWOG 80405 trial was designed and formulated in 05, and the reason is simple: we got new --bevacizumab cetuximab-- and drugs and the study was designed to determine whether one was better than the other in the front line for patients with colon cancer, "said lead study author Alan P. Venook, distinguished professor of medical oncology and translational research at the University of California San Francisco, USA.

the CALGB trial 80405 / SWOG studied patients whose tumors were KRAS wild-type level codons 12 and 13 patients received FOLFIRI mFOLFOX6 or at the discretion of their physician and were randomized to cetuximab ( 578 patients) or bevacizumab (559 patients).

"There was no significant difference in outcomes between treatment arms," ​​said Venook. "In both arms patients lived about 30 months. About 10% of patients lived more than 5 years. Patients Total did much better than expected and was indifferent to the type of treatment."

Because nearly 75% of the patients received chemotherapy mFOLFOX6, the interaction between experimental drugs and chemotherapy will be limited, but analysis is ongoing. Investigators also conduct molecular tests that can identify subsets of patients who did better or worse for each treatment.

Commenting on these data, ESMO spokesperson Dirk Arnold, director of the Department of Medical Oncology, Tumor Biology Center in Freiburg, Germany, said: "This was a highly anticipated Phase III trial with compared head-to-head in two different molecular approaches: the receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGFR) blocking cetuximab on one side and anti-angiogenic endothelial growth (anti-vascular factor [VEGF]) inhibiting bevacizumab treatment of other side, both in combination with a standard first-line chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. the trial is important because the primary endpoint was overall survival. FIRE-3 trial presented last year indicated that there may be an overall survival benefit with cetuximab but overall survival was only a secondary endpoint and data were inconclusive. "

" Each of the monoclonal antibodies in combination with standard chemotherapy, gave an overall survival of approximately 30 months: the longer overall survival in such a big test and clearly sets the standard " , Arnold continued. "We now know that the use of any monoclonal antibody with any standard chemotherapy in first-line treatment can give the patient the probability of survival of about 30 months. However, there is no clear winner in terms of overall survival. "

"Then we have to see the analyzes of cohort RAS pan. Then we need to know whether the various sub-groups benefit more from the anti-EGFR or anti-VEGF treatment. the type of chemotherapy or the location of the tumor may also play a role. "

as part of this test, the test results CRYSTAL now updated phase III and phase II OPUS trial show that adding cetuximab to FOLFIRI or FOLFOX4 in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer provides a greater benefit for patients with RAS wild-type tumors compared to the initial analysis with KRAS wild-type patients selected . Patients with tumor mutations RAS do not benefit

Commenting on these data, Dirk Arnold said .. "CRYSTAL and OPUS trials confirm the PRIME trial results of panitumumab and FOLFOX, another anti- EGFR These all mutations excluded trials in the KRAS gene and RNA and watched the anti-EGFR benefit in wild-type patients. three tests consistently show that EGFR and chemotherapy are better than chemotherapy alone. and EGFR in wild-type patients pan do better than the anti-EGFR in only patients exon 2 wild-type "

He added," the only issue raising questions is the fact that patients. who carry mutations may be at risk of adverse effect. therefore, genetic testing is not only a prerequisite to ensure maximum benefits, it is also necessary to ensure that we are doing a disservice by treating patients. "

The research could help reduce health care costs

The research could help reduce health care costs -

findings recently published in Annals of Internal Medicine Steven Lipshultz, MD, professor and President Wayne State University pediatrics and chief pediatrician at children's Hospital of Michigan, part of the Detroit Medical Center, and colleagues could help reduce health care costs while protecting childhood cancer survivors heart disease caused by drug treatment.

This is the bottom line "very exciting and very hopeful" of the recently published study, said co-author Lipshultz, who spent over 30 years studying the damaging potential impact - or "cardiotoxicity" - drug therapy on the hearts of children who have survived cancer.

The study "cost-effective Oncology Group long-term monitoring of children screening guidelines for childhood cancer survivors at risk for treatment-related heart failure," examined data from patient histories to show that medical directives current standards for protecting childhood cancer survivors of heart disease related to drug therapy and heart failure later in life through periodic cardiac analyzes (echocardiographs) are . too cautious

According to the data, the frequency of post-cancer screenings can be reduced safe for low-risk patients. - with great savings and a small reduction in the overall quality of care patients

"the potential savings to be gained by reducing the frequency of echocardiographic projections in patients who survived a childhood cancer are very promising," said Lipshultz. "Data from our study on the cost-effectiveness of these projections suggest that we could save 50 percent of costs for this screening cardiac care, while saving these children from unnecessary cardiac scanning rigors."

while stressing that the total expenditure of the United States for health care exceeds $ 3000000000000 a year and represents nearly 17 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States together, Lipshultz describes the revolutionary conclusions as "a classic example of the effectiveness of research in pediatric medicine can both ensure the quality of patient care and help in the effort to keep medical costs under control "

according to the results, guidelines for frequency of cardiac scans in childhood cancer survivors -. conceived in 03 by the normalization of the nation Oncology Group setting for children - could be in any revised security, so instead of undergoing scans all one, two or five years (depending on relevant health factors) , survivors of childhood cancer are scanned every two, four, five or 10 years.

While praising the study for its extensive exploration of the issue, an editorial accompanying AIM noted that the new recommended scan rate schedule would reduce "expenses by 50 percent."

editorial went on to note that "screening can be done cost-effective and is very likely to improve the quality and quantity of life of the patient."

new study "important implications" said Lipshultz for some 400,000 childhood cancer survivors in the United States in 2014.

"the National Institute cancer estimated that one in 530 young adults (aged 20-45) is a childhood cancer survivor, "said the veteran researcher who has frequently published over the years on the subject of the cardiotoxic effects of treatment of cancer-related drug abuse among childhood cancer survivors. "for these patients, ensuring the lasting impact of drug therapy does not lead to heart disease and heart failure later in life is vital.

" for survivors childhood cancer and their families, this new study is very good news, indeed -. because it shows that many of them in the low-risk category can safely reduce the frequency of heart screenings, with a significant reduction in support costs "

Lipshultz stressed that asking survivors childhood cancer suffer too frequent cardiac analysis also carries a "social cost".

"The risk you run, if you ask these patients to have frequent analyzes, is that they can start be seen by their friends and families and their teachers at school as "different" from other children around them. If this happens, the cancer survivors may even become youth whose life is dominated by an exaggerated focus on their heart health. "

Lipshultz also said that the new study highlights the importance of" linking research to clinical care in everything we do.

"If you want to see why this connection is so important," he added, "just look at the" miracle "in the treatment of treatment of pediatric leukemia in this country in recent decades . in 1970, only about 4 percent of childhood leukemia patients survived (the most common form of the disease) But today, the same survival rate is over 0 percent it was one of the greatest miracles of modern medicine -. .. and it happened largely because of a seamless connection has been achieved between research and clinical care "

" as a pediatrician in Chief, I feel very passionate about trying to connect research, education and quality care in everything we do at children's Hospital of Michigan! "

proton beam therapy improves cancers of the head and neck free survival compared to IMRT

proton beam therapy improves cancers of the head and neck free survival compared to IMRT -

A new study by radiation oncologists at Mayo Clinic comparing world literature on the results of proton beam therapy in the treatment of a variety of advanced head and neck cancers of the base of skull relative intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) found that proton beam treatment significantly improved disease-free survival and tumor control relative to IMRT. The findings appear in the journal Lancet Oncology .

"We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare clinical outcomes of patients treated with proton therapy with patients receiving IMRT photon," says lead author Robert Foote, MD, a radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic. "Our results suggest that the theoretical benefits of proton therapy beam may actually be real."

the researchers examined studies of the nasal cavity and tumors of the paranasal sinuses . through vast databases of research They included studies of patients who had no treatment - or primary radiation therapy or adjuvant radiotherapy. - and patients who have had recurrent disease researchers collected data on overall survival, disease-free survival, and tumor control in five years and longer patient follow-up. They used random effects models to pool results across studies and compared the event rates combined results for proton and IMRT therapy using a test for interaction.

The researchers found disease-free survival significantly higher at five years for patients receiving proton therapy for patients receiving IMRT (72% against 50%). Tumor control did not differ between the five treatment groups but the control of the tumor was higher in patients receiving proton IMRT for the longest follow-up (81% against 64%).

Study examines how surgical innovation can have side effects for patients

Study examines how surgical innovation can have side effects for patients -

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that the risk of harm to the patient rose two -fold in 06 - the record year that the country's teaching hospitals have adopted the pursuit of minimally invasive robotic surgery for prostate cancer. The results of the study are published in the July 2 online edition JAMA Surgery .

"This study focused on the stages of innovation and how the rapid adoption of new technology in surgery this case, a robotic surgical system may lead to undesirable effects for patients, "said Kellogg Parsons, MD, MHS, surgical oncologist, UC San Diego health system and the first author of the paper." There is a real need for standardized training, rules governing competence and accreditation surgeon, and guidelines for the hospital to focus when new technologies reach the operating rooms of academic and community hospitals. "

in 03, an estimated 617 minimally invasive robotic prostatectomies (MIRPs) conducted in the United States. in 09, this number increased to 37.753 procedures. in 05, patients were twice as likely to experience an adverse event if they were MIRPs the object relative to traditional open surgical procedure. The following year -06 - was considered the starting point for the adoption of tipping MIRP when he equaled or exceeded 10 percent of all cases

"The trend here is not new to robotic surgery the same phenomena occurred with the passage .. minimally invasive approaches to the gallbladder and kidney surgeries, the two surgical procedures that are now well documented to improve safety and outcomes, "said Christopher Kane, MD, professor of surgery and interim chair of the Department of surgery, UC San Diego School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. "Every time a new technology is adopted there is a temporary period where there may be an increased risk for the patient. This can be reduced by thorough surgical training, accreditation standards vigorous and prolonged mentoring by experienced surgeons. This report should encourage the adoption of more stringent certification standards proposed by the professional organizations rather than by the different hospitals. "

Kane added that robotic prostatectomy by experienced surgeons has proven beneficial to the patient with less blood loss, reduced infections and shorter hospital stays.

" a responsibility to deploy a surgical technology should include the responsibility to monitor as it diffuses into the real world to ensure security, "said David C. Chang, PhD, MPH, MBA, outcomes research director at UC San Diego School of Medicine and lead author of the paper. "Surveillance of surgical safety should be continuous, rather like the Centers for Disease Control monitor changes in trends of infectious diseases across the country."

The UC San Diego team used indicators patient safety, developed by the Agency for healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to develop a nationwide sample of data to analyze the performance of surgery providers and the potential for adverse events in '03-09 hospital. data on the prevalence of robotic prostatectomy was drawn from AHRQ and compared with data published by Intuitive Surgical Inc., maker of the da Vinci robotic system.

" a potential intervention is the development of standardized training and certification programs, as the aviation industry requires inexperienced crews with new types of aircraft, "said Parsons, who is also an associate professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "An independent monitoring system continuously updated for the adoption of a new surgical technology is also essential. Previous estimates of the absorption of robotic prostatectomy, exclusively supplied by the robot manufacturer, significantly overestimated how quickly it was adopted by the surgical community. "

Researchers CNIOA update number of human genes to 19,000

Researchers CNIOA update number of human genes to 19,000 -

Over 99% of the genes encoding human proteins have an earlier origin for primates by over 50 million years. The study challenges the genomic annotations of many different species

how nutrients are metabolized and how neurons communicate in the brain are some of the messages encoded by the 3 billion letters that make up the human genome . Detection and characterization of genes in this mass of information is a complex task that has been an ongoing source of debate since the first systematic attempt by the human genome project there are more than ten years.

A study by Alfonso Valencia, vice-director of basic research at the National Spanish Research on Cancer (CNIO) and Head of Structural Computational Biology Group, and Michael Tress, a researcher at Group updates the number of human genes-those that can generate proteins - 19,000; Less than 1700 genes in the annotation latest and significantly lower than the initial estimates of 100,000 genes. The work, published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics , concludes that almost all of these genes have ancestors before the appearance of primates there are 50 million years.

"The human genome shrinks," is how Valencia describes the continuous corrections to the numbers of genes encoding proteins in the human genome over the years which has resulted in 19,000 human genes described in this book. "The coding portion of the genome [which produces proteins] is constantly moving," he adds. " Nobody could imagine a few years ago that such a small number of genes could make something so complex "

The scientists began by proteomics experiments; Proteomics is the most powerful tool for detecting protein molecules. in order to determine human protein card researchers have incorporated data from seven large scale mass spectrometry studies, more than 50 human tissues, "to verify which genes not really produce proteins "says Valencia.

fewer than ten new GENES MICE AND MEN SEPARATE

results highlighted a little more than 12,000 proteins and researchers mapped these proteins in the corresponding regions of genome. They analyzed thousands of genes that were annotated in the human genome but not in proteomic analysis and concluded: "1700 genes that are supposed to generate almost certainly proteins for various reasons, either because they are also not all protein coding features, or because the preservation of their reading frames can not stand the protein coding capacity, "said Tress.

a hypothesis derived from the study is that over 0% of human genes produce proteins that come from metazoans or multicellular animal kingdom hundreds of millions of years ago, the figure is over 99% for genes whose origin predates the emergence of primates there are 50 million years.

"Our figures indicate that the differences between humans and primates in genes and proteins are very small," say the researchers. David Juan, author and researcher in the laboratory of Valencia, says that "the number of new genes that separate humans from mice [those genes that have evolved since the split from primates] may even be less than ten." This contrasts with the more than 500 human genes origination from primates that can be found in the current annotation. The researchers conclude:

"The physiological and developmental differences between primates may be caused by gene regulation rather than by differences in the basic functions of the proteins in question." do more with less

sources of human complexity lie more in how genes are used rather than the number of genes in thousands of chemical changes that occur in proteins or control of the production of these proteins by non-coding regions of the genome, which represent 0% of the entire genome and have been described in the recent conclusions of the international ENCODE project, a project in which the Valencian team participates.

work brings the number of the closest human genes with other species such as nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans worms that are just 1mm long, but apparently less complex than humans. But Valencia prefers not to make comparisons: "The human genome is the best annotated, but we still believe that 1700 genes can be re-annotated Our work suggests that we will have to redo the calculations for all genomes, not only the human genome. . "

the search results are part of Gencode, a consortium that is integrated in the ENCODE project and formed by research groups around the world, including the Valencia team, whose task is to provide an annotation all gene-based elements in the human genome.

"Our data are discussed by Gencode for incorporation into new annotations. When this happens, it will redefine the entire human genome mapping, and how it is used in macro projects such as those for cancer genome analysis, "said Valencia.

Caregivers of cancer patients can manage the end of life treatment decisions with the help of the support team

Caregivers of cancer patients can manage the end of life treatment decisions with the help of the support team -

Many caregivers of patients of terminal cancer suffer from depression and regret and guilt to report feeling they could have done more to eliminate the side effects and pain relief.

Thus, researchers from the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University designed and tested an intervention that rapidly integrates a cancer support team to guide caregivers and their patients through difficult treatment end of life decisions.

In the study, caregivers reported high levels of satisfaction to have a team consisting of an advanced practice nurse, a social worker, a spiritual counselor and the patient's oncologist explain what happening and why in the death process.

positive results to have a support team to inform and allow caregivers and patients the opportunity to think about what was important and that the measures that the disease has progressed are reported in the July issue of Oncology Nursing Forum . The National Nursing Research and the National Cancer Institute Institute (grant: NR018717) funded the study

The intervention support team are involved in end of life conversations with the patient and caregiver at the first diagnosis of. cancer at an advanced stage.

In the past, many of these conversations began late, days or weeks before the death of the patient, said Sara Douglass, PhD, RN, Associate Professor Frances Payne School Bolton Case Western Reserve Nursing and lead author.

"We owe it to patients and caregivers to start earlier and believe that through choice," said Douglas, who led the research with colleague and CWRU principal researcher, Barbara Daly, Ph.D. , RN, FAAN, professor of nursing.

The methodology

• their concept of intervention follows a larger study of 610 patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers at Case Medical Center- Cancer Seidman Center Cleveland, Ohio, between 08 and 2012.

• of this study, the researchers analyzed data from 106 caregivers with loved ones who have died of the lung, gastrointestinal or gynecological cancers . They were divided into two groups :. He that had received the support team cancer and one without additional support

• For those who have received cancer support team, a team member checked in with the monthly caregiver to answer questions and discuss the care and the patient's progress. At any time, the caregiver had concerns, the team was available.

• studied over 15 months, participants were asked about their mood and social support at enrollment, and again at three, nine and 15 months to assess whether intervention has made a difference in their moods, social support and satisfaction of end of life care. They were also interviewed after their loved died on patient care in the last week of life.

• Neither group showed changes in mood and feelings of social support. But caregivers with the cancer support team showed greater satisfaction with end of life care in five areas: pain relief, pain management, speed in processing symptoms, information on side effects and care coordination

measurable benefit to the bereaved families have had access to a comprehensive support before the death of their loved strengthens the need to include families in cancer care, Douglas said. The researchers argue support services targeting the psychosocial needs of patients and families should be incorporated as a routine adjuvant to cancer therapy directed, and that this type of team-based approach is an effective way to do it.

"The perception that loved one caregiver has been well maintained can have long term benefits in easing possible regrets that can occur after someone has died," said Douglas.

These results will be shared with the community clinical oncology.

The presence of the auditor is increasing hand hygiene rates among health workers

The presence of the auditor is increasing hand hygiene rates among health workers -

The hand hygiene rates were found to be three times high when auditors were visible to healthcare workers when there was no audience present, according to a study in a major Canadian short-term care hospital

the study, entitled "Quantification Hawthorne effect in compliance with hand hygiene monitoring with an electronic monitoring system: a retrospective cohort study, "published today in the online ON- BMJ Quality &. Safety Journal , first author Dr. Jocelyn Srigley, who did the study as part of his Masters in clinical Fellow thesis in prevention and infection control at University health Network and University of Toronto and lead author Dr. Michael Gardam, Director, prevention and infection control, University Health Network and women College Hospital.

The study examined the Hawthorne effect, also known as observer bias - the tendency for people to change their behavior when they are aware of an observer - using a hygiene system electronic monitoring hands in real time, eliminating many of the biases inherent to human observation. Ultrasound "tags" on the soap dispensers transmitted a signal to a nearby receiver whenever the levers were pushed, and washing hands with timestamped hygiene was recorded in a central database.

Two inpatient units at University Health Network were controlled electronically, with 60 volunteer health workers to be part of a study of the electronic monitoring system. The staff was aware that the data would be used in a variety of studies, but were "blind" to the questions in the studies. Accounts announce their presence during the investigations, but wore white blouses. Statements were also blinded to the questions in the research. exemption for hand hygiene were measured electronically while listeners were visible, and were compared to the same places before the arrival of auditors at one, two and three weeks before the audit, and in another area of ​​the not visible unity to the listener. Accounts generally do not go into patient rooms, so that the separate hand-washing rates were determined for distributors within the patient room and those in the corridors. Twelve audits were enrolled between November 2012 and March 2013.

The study found that there was an increase of about three times the rate corridor washes hands per hour in the staff health care when an auditor was visible (3.75 per hour), compared to a place where the listener is not visible (1.48 per hour) and previous week (1.07 per hour). Hand washing rate with the present auditor were compared with separate groups at different times and different places times to ensure that the differences are not due to reasons of hygiene of hands that could be attributable to time of day or location. In each case, hand washing rates were significantly higher when the auditors were present, with the increase occurring after the arrival of auditors, suggesting that the arrival of the listener triggered the increase hand hygiene.

"The difference in the rate of hand hygiene, when a listener is present compared to those times when we are not, is huge in this study, and we have shown that this effect is very consistent "says Dr. Gardam, who is also an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.

"the magnitude of what we found calls into question the accuracy of hand hygiene rates directly observed and the usefulness of the measurement and communication between them," says Dr. Gardam . "However, human auditing hand hygiene was useful to draw attention to this important prevention measure we just can not stop focusing on it because our posted rates are not nearly as high as we think they are. "

Dr. Srigley said that although researchers were "surprised by the triple effect" of having an auditor present, there can still be of value to audit as it could be educational opportunities in-the-moment with the health care staff. Dr. Srigley is assistant medical director of prevention and infection control at Hamilton Health Sciences, composed of seven hospitals in the Hamilton area.

Dr. Gardam approach suggests that "first line of personal property" that engages rather than "nags" staff is a good option. This approach was brought to the University Health Network about six years by Dr. Gardam, in which frontline staff have developed their own reminders to influence the staff to wash their hands, including: pancake breakfasts, reports from the public unit, pledges, posters, and holding each other accountable.
"We need to change the way we look at these complex problems," says Dr. Gardam, "We need to help people change by engaging them and bring them with local solutions."

New persimmon milkshake with a high antioxidant potential, researchers do

New persimmon milkshake with a high antioxidant potential, researchers do -

A team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia have a new milkshake persimmon with potential high antioxidant. Persimmons are an important source of antioxidants due to their carotenoid content and tannins. According to tests developed in the laboratory, one of these shakes might contain the same amount of carotenoids as a persimmon

The key to making a drink with these properties is a technique used in fruit processing :. high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). This technique increases the life of khakis and a new product with high nutritional value food.

"HHP is nonthermal technology that maintains the persimmon quality attributes and facilitates the extraction of bioactive compounds from cells, such as carotenoids and tannins, increasing its antioxidant potential," says amparo Quiles, a researcher at Group microstructure and food chemistry from the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

Furthermore, the application of high pressure techniques enables researchers to obtain a stable, adapted the needs of consumers and even better than those made using other technniques as pasteurization.

Benefits of carotenoids

thing more, the researchers said, the inclusion of carotenoids in the diet food can help reduce the risk of developing diseases such as certain types of cancer, heart disease or vision damage, especially those related to an aging population.

Economic profit

In addition to the nutritional and functional benefits, research developed in the laboratories of UPV is particularly interesting to the industry from an economic point of view because it would market access to the product throughout the year. The key is again in the processing of the product by high pressure.

"The persimmon is a seasonal fruit that can be eaten throughout the year. This technique allows us to go beyond its seasonal nature and preserves all the properties of the product, so that we can consume only fruit shakes or as ingredient like we have done in our labs, "said Amparo Quiles.

Georgia State hosts 21st World Meeting of the International Society for Research on Aggression

Georgia State hosts 21st World Meeting of the International Society for Research on Aggression -

More than 0 experts on aggression, which research issues ranging from abuse children to violence of urban street, will attend the 21st World meeting of the international Society for research on aggression (ISRA) Loews Atlanta, July 15-19.

Georgia State University hosts the prestigious global meeting, held every two years on alternating continents.

"We are delighted to be bringing together researchers from over 20 different countries, which will help you generate new ideas about the causes, consequences and solutions to aggressive behavior," said Dominic Parrott , associate professor of psychology at Georgia State and co-organizer of the conference.

a host of internationally renowned researchers will speak during the conference, including Dr. Richard Wright, curators professor Criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and editor of Oxford Bibliographies-criminology. Wright studied urban street criminals, including armed robbers, carjackers, drug traffickers and residential burglars in St. Louis for more than two decades.

Eighty researchers will visit the overseas conference, including Professor Esme Fuller -Thomson, the Sandra Rotman Chair at the University Toronto. She will discuss her research on the association between physical abuse of child and adult health, including cancer, migraine, arthritis, heart disease and ulcers.

As the main external sponsor of the World Meeting, Georgia State international exhibition will receive as a center of excellence in research on violence, Parrott said.

Criminal Justice Professor Volkan Topalli and Parrott organized the conference on site, as well as members of the International Society for Research on Aggression. Additional support for the World Meeting was provided by the Georgia State Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. Topalli research focuses on urban violence, focusing on the decision making of street criminals. And research centers Parrott on identifying risk factors for perpetrating aggressive behavior in order to inform intervention programs.

"Twenty participants are affiliated with Georgia State, which is the largest number of participants affiliated with one institution to the World Meeting," said Parrott

Other speakers and themes :.

Contagion of violence:
Dr. L. Rowell Huesmann, Amos N. Tversky Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Communication Studies at the University of Michigan and director of the aggression research Program in the research Center for group dynamics at the Institute of Michigan for social research, will be recognized at the meeting for a lifetime contribution to the search of the assault. For over 45 years, Huesmann studied the psychological foundations of aggressive behavior and how the observations of others who behave violently influence the development of aggressive and violent behavior of a young and produced a contagion of violence.

Historical Patterns of violence:
Dr. Manuel Eisner is professor of comparative criminology and Development at the University of Cambridge, deputy director of the Institute of Criminology and Director Research Methods social sciences Program. He is also Director of the Violence Research Centre. Eisner's work revolves around historical patterns of violence and research on individual development and the causes and prevention of aggressive behavior

Parallels between primate and human behavior.
Professor Frans B. M. de Waal is a Dutch biologist / American behavior known for his work on the social intelligence of primates. His first book, "Chimpanzee Politics," compared the schmoozing and intriguing chimpanzees involved in power struggles with the human politicians. Since then, de Waal drew parallels between the behavior of primates and humans, peace and morality to culture. De Waal is CH Candler Professor in the Department of Psychology at Emory University and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta

Workplace Bullying :.
Dr. The St. Einarsen, work professor and organizational psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway Bergen and Chief Workplace Bullying Research Group. In addition to his research on bullying in the workplace, he has published on issues related to leadership, sexual harassment, creativity and innovation and denunciation.

Acute glaucoma is largely an inflammatory disease, say researchers

Acute glaucoma is largely an inflammatory disease, say researchers -

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Sun Yat University sen in China have shown that acute glaucoma in mice is largely an inflammatory disease, and the high pressure in the eye causes vision loss by setting in motion an inflammatory response similar to that caused by bacterial infections.

The study, published in this week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has immediate clinical relevance in treating tens of millions of people around the world of what is known as acute angle-closure glaucoma.

"Our research is the first to show by which high eye pressure inflammatory mechanism causes vision loss in patients with acute glaucoma," said co-senior author Kang Zhang, MD, Ph. D. and Professor of ophthalmology.

The second leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, glaucoma refers to a group of eye diseases associated with elevated intraocular pressure generally classified as open-angle or acute angle. In open angle is sometimes called the silent thief of sight because of his slow, progress often overlooked. In contrast, acute angle-closure glaucoma is often a painful ophthalmic emergency in which there is a sudden increase in eye pressure and immediate damage to the eye.

Less than 10 percent of America glaucoma patients have an acute angle form, but in some parts of Asia, it represents almost half of all cases. The higher prevalence of angle closure glaucoma among Asians and women is believed to be due to ocular chamber (front) shallower anterior.

In the study, the researchers showed that rapid, sustained strong increase in eye pressure the mouse turns on a gene (TLR4) which activates a protein known as the caspase-8. This protein signaling in turn triggers the production of inflammatory proteins which normally assist mammals to combat microbial infections.

"This immune response is a double edged sword because while these proteins protect us from infection in a normal situation, they stimulate apoptosis (programmed cell death) in retinal cells in cases of acute glaucoma, "said Zhang, who is also a physician health system staff of former San Diego fighters.

To further confirm the mechanism linking high eye pressure in retinal damage, the researchers showed they could slow the cell death of the retina in mice with acute glaucoma by removing either the TLR4 gene or caspace-8 proteins.

latter is particularly important because caspace-8 inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and stroke. "By injecting these inhibitors in the eyes of patients with acute glaucoma, it is possible to evaluate and bring the vision saving treatment more quickly," said co-author Robert N. Weinreb, MD, chairman and professor emeritus ophthalmology.

Johnson & Johnson sales increased 9.1% to $ 19.5 billion in the second quarter 2014

Johnson & Johnson sales increased 9.1% to $ 19.5 billion in the second quarter 2014 -

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today announced sales of $ 19.5 billion for the second quarter 2014, an increase of 9.1% compared to the second quarter of 2013. operational results increased 9.4% and the negative impact of exchange is 0, 3%. Domestic sales increased 14.9%. International sales increased 4.4%, reflecting operational growth of 5.0% and a negative currency impact of 0.6%.

Net income and diluted earnings per share for the second quarter 2014 were $ 4.3 billion and $ 1.51, respectively. The second quarter results include a charge for special items after tax of about $ 0.4 billion, mainly related to increased litigation and the accumulated integration and transaction costs related to the acquisition of Synthes, Inc. . second quarter 2013 net earnings included a charge for special items after tax of approximately $ 0.5 billion as shown in the accompanying reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures. Excluding these items, net earnings for the quarter were $ 4.8 billion and diluted earnings per share was $ 1.66, representing an increase of 11.3% and 12.2% , respectively, compared to the same period in 2013 *

. "our solid second quarter results reflect the continued success of our new product launches and the progress we have made in achieving our priorities short term, "said Alex Gorsky, President and CEO." significant progress is being made in treatment options and access to care for patients and clients worldwide. Our diversified business model, focus on long-term growth factors and talented colleagues position us well in the global market for dynamic and evolving health care. "

The Company increased its earnings forecast for the full year 2014 to 5.85 $ -. $ 5.92 per share The orientation of the Company excludes the impact of special items

global sales of consumer $ 3.7 billion for the second quarter represented an increase of 2.4% compared to the previous year, consisting of an operational increase of 3.6% and a negative impact currency of 1.2%.

domestic sales decreased 0.5% mainly due to the sale of health protection activity. international sales increased 3.9% which reflected an operational increase of 5.8% and a negative currency impact of 1.9%.

positive contributors to operational results were sales of TYLENOL ^® and MOTRIN ^® analgesics, over-the-counter medicines upper respiratory tract as well as anti-smoking aids; NEUTROGENA ^® and AVEENO ^® skin care products; baby care products; and international sales of Listerine ^® mouthwash and feminine protection products.

The pharmaceutical global sales of $ 8.5 billion for the second quarter represented an increase of 21.1% compared to the previous year on a total and operational base. Domestic sales rose 36.6%. International sales increased 6.8%, reflecting operational growth of 6.9% and a negative currency impact of 0.1%.

The results of strong sales were mainly due to new products, including OLYSIO ^® / SOVRIAD ^® (Simeprevir) for the combined treatment of chronic hepatitis C in adult patients; XARELTO ^® (rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant; ZYTIGA ^® (abiraterone acetate), an oral medication, once a day for use in combination with prednisone for the treatment of metastases, prostate cancer castration-resistant; INVOKANA ^® (CANAGLIFLOZIN), for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes; and IMBRUVICA ^® (Ibrutinib), a kinase inhibitor for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in patients who had at least one prior therapy.

Additional contributors to the growth in operating sales were STELARA ^® (ustekinumab), a biologic approved for the treatment of moderate to severe forms of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; REMICADE ^® (infliximab) and SIMPONI ^® / SIMPONI ^® ARIA ™ (golimumab), biological products approved for the treatment of a number of inflammatory diseases immune-mediated; INVEGA ^® SUSTENNA ^® / XEPLION ^® (paliperidone palmitate), monthly, long-acting, injectable atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults; and PREZISTA ^® (darunavir), a treatment for HIV.

Sales results were negatively affected by the loss of exclusivity for ACIPHEX ^® (rabeprazole), a proton-pump inhibitor for gastrointestinal disorders, and CONCERTA ^® (methylphenidate HCl) for the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity.

in the quarter, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission (EC) has approved SYLVANT ^® (siltuximab) for the treatment of patients with the disease of multicentric Castleman which are virus negative human immunodeficiency human herpesvirus-8 negative. In addition, the EC approved for VOKANAMET ^® , a fixed-dose combination therapy CANAGLIFLOZIN and immediate-release metformin hydrochloride in one tablet for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes; OLYSIO ^® (Simeprevir) for the treatment of adult patients genotype 1 or 4 chronic hepatitis C; and INVEGA ^® (paliperidone ER) to expand its adult indication schizophrenia to include adolescents 15 years and older.

Furthermore, additional new drug application (sNDA) has been submitted to the FDA seeking approval for Simeprevir in combination with the nucleotide analog polymerase NS5B inhibitor sofosbuvir developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. sNDA additional were also submitted to the FDA for monthly long-acting atypical antipsychotic INVEGA ^® SUSTENNA ^® (paliperidone palmitate) for approval to treat schizoaffective disorder either as alone or in combination.

A marketing authorization application was submitted to the European Medicines Agency to expand the label for VELCADE ^® (bortezomib) to include its use in combination with rituximab , cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone, for the treatment of adult patients with cell lymphoma previously untreated mantle.

medical devices and diagnostics sales in the world to $ 7.2 billion for the second quarter represents an increase of 0.7% compared to the previous year, consisting of an operational increase of 0, 9% and a negative currency impact of 0.2%. Domestic sales decreased 1.4%. International sales increased 2.3%, reflecting operational growth of 2.6% and a negative currency impact of 0.3%.

main contributors to the operational growth were hip and trauma products in the company Orthopaedics, Biosense Webster's electrophysiology products in cardiovascular care company, with sales of energy products in the specialized surgery business .

results in sales in the US Diabetes Care sector were negatively affected by lower prices associated with the implementation of the Medicare competitive bidding on mail order and retail in July effective 1, 2013.

in the quarter, the SABER ™ catheter PTA dilation for treatment of patients with peripheral arterial disease received FDA and CE approval.

Subsequent to the quarter, on 30 June, the Company completed the sale of its Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics to The Carlyle Group for about $ 4 billion, subject to customary adjustments.