Two beautiful baby girls had their public debut today at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Allison June and Amelia Lee Tucker, formerly conjoined twins, separated at the Hospital on Nov. 7. The Hospital held a press conference this morning to highlight this new phase in the lives of both infants.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59552-children-s-hospital-of-philadelphia-tucker-conjoined-twins-separated
A pill designed to zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers has produced encouraging early results in children with an uncommon but aggressive type of lymphoma, as well as in children with a rare form of neuroblastoma.
A phase 1 clinical trial of the drug crizotinib achieved remissions, with minimal side effects, for 10 of the children participating in a clinical study carried out by the multicenter Children’s Oncology Group (COG). The results were “an exciting proof-of-principle” for the targeted treatment, said the study leader, Yaël P. Mossé, M.D., a pediatric oncologist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“We are entering a new era of cancer therapy, in which we use knowledge of basic biology to design very specific drugs that target cancer cells with potentially less side effects on healthy tissue,” said Mossé. “In addition, as we concentrate on targets in molecular pathways, we move away from an exclusive focus on one form of cancer to customizing treatments according to biological activity. Abnormal ALK activity occurs in subtypes of neuroblastoma and subtypes of lymphoma, so identifying ALK activity in individual patients may enable us to provide the most effective care.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/50776-childrens-hospital-philadelphia-lymphoma-neuroblastoma-oncology-gene-trial
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a nationwide public outreach campaign – including a letter to doctors and a new public service announcement – to raise awareness about the preventive benefits now covered at no charge to Medicare beneficiaries as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The campaign will run throughout the summer, with online ads and community events all over the country starting in July. As part of the Share the News, Share the Health campaign, CMS recently upgraded its dedicated caregivers’ website Ask Medicare, including a link to prevention information for caregivers’ reference.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/cms/49739/
Today, a new study from P&G Beauty & Grooming and lead investigator Nancy Etcoff, PhD., Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard University and Associate Researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, confirms for the first time that using color cosmetics does, in fact, significantly alter how women are perceived by others, at first glance and over time. Results of the study, published on October 3, 2011 in PLoS ONE, show that makeup application specifically impacts judgments of attractiveness and character when viewed rapidly or for unlimited amounts of time.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52087-p-g-harvard-study-reveals-cosmetics-alter-instinctual-perception
Researchers have identified the first gene mutation associated with a chronic and often fatal form of neuroblastoma that typically strikes adolescents and young adults. The finding provides the first clue about the genetic basis of the long-recognized but poorly understood link between treatment outcome and age at diagnosis.
The study involved 104 infants, children and young adults with advanced neuroblastoma, a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. Investigators discovered the ATRX gene was mutated only in patients age 5 and older. The alterations occurred most often in patients age 12 and older. These older patients were also more likely than their younger counterparts to have a chronic form of neuroblastoma and die years after their disease is diagnosed.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52992-st-jude-pediatric-cancer-genome-project-neuroblastoma-research
ORBIS is excited to announce the return of its Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) to EAA AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This is the first time since 2003 that the aircraft has been featured at the airshow – the largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts in the United States. ORBIS will be opening the aircraft’s doors at this year’s airshow, giving visitors the opportunity to tour the world’s only airborne ophthalmic training facility in the world. Today, ORBIS will announce details of its new FEH – a MD-10 aircraft that is currently undergoing transformation from a cargo plane into the next generation Flying Eye Hospital.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/51620-orbis-flying-eye-hospital-airventure-oshkosh-airshow
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Cord Blood Registry® (CBR) are launching the first FDA-approved, Phase I safety study on the use of cord blood stem cells to treat children with sensorineural hearing loss.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53686-cord-blood-childrens-memorial-hermann-fda-approved-stem-cells-hearing-loss
Researchers have discovered that a subtype of leukemia characterized by a poor prognosis is fueled by mutations in pathways distinctly different from a seemingly similar leukemia associated with a much better outcome. The findings from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital — Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) highlight a possible new strategy for treating patients with this more aggressive cancer.
The work provides the first details of the genetic alterations fueling a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) known as early T-cell precursor ALL (ETP-ALL). The results suggest ETP-ALL has more in common with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) than with other subtypes of ALL. The study appears in the January 12 edition of the journal Nature.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/46768-st-jude-cancer-genome-sequencing-project-combat-aggressive-leukemia
Fifty-two year-old Paul McNeel, a fire chief from Leonardtown, Maryland was 37 in 1996 when a sudden health problem caused the loss of his small intestine. Almost all of it had to be surgically removed to save his life. For 13 years after that, McNeel continued to fight fires and stayed alive by feeding himself a special liquid formula through a tube that went from a port in his chest directly to his heart and into his bloodstream. Over time that feeding process called TPN or total parenteral nutrition took a toll on his body; it was damaging his liver and he began to suffer frequent and worsening infections. McNeel needed a life-saving transplant that 13 years earlier would not have been survivable. Thanks to research into improved surgical methods, better anti-rejection medications and a better understanding of the small intestine, McNeel was able to have that transplant in May 2009 at Georgetown University Hospital under the care of Thomas Fishbein, MD, executive director of the Georgetown Transplant Institute and a specialist in small bowel transplants.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52073-small-intestine-transplant-experts-hosted-by-georgetown
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Symptoms improved significantly in adults with the bleeding disorder hemophilia B following a single treatment with gene therapy developed by researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and demonstrated to be safe in a clinical trial conducted at the University College London (UCL) in the U.K.
The findings of the six-person study mark the first proof that gene therapy can reduce disabling, painful bleeding episodes in patients with the inherited blood disorder. Results of the Phase I study appear in the December 10 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The research is also scheduled to be presented December 11 at the 53rd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Diego.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/46766-st-jude-children-s-research-hospital-gene-therapy-bleeding-disorder
New findings from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) have helped identify the mechanism that makes the childhood eye tumor retinoblastoma so aggressive. The discovery explains why the tumor develops so rapidly while other cancers can take years or even decades to form.
The finding also led investigators to a new treatment target and possible therapy for the rare childhood tumor of the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye. The study appears in the January 11 advance online edition of the scientific journal Nature.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/46767-st-jude-genome-project-treatment-childhood-eye-tumor-retinoblastoma
