New recommendations from the American Society of Clinical Rheumatologists (ASCR), published in Postgraduate Medicine, highlight updated management recommendations for patients with acute gout. These new recommendations come at a time when the incidence of gout is soaring; 8.3 million Americans are estimated to be gout patients.
Instead of challenging, restrictive dieting, patients are encouraged to consume a balanced diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts and grains. More importantly, patients should limit their intake of high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in many processed foods and drinks, and purine-rich foods, particularly red meat, beer and shellfish.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56234-gout-uric-acid-education-arthritis-lifestyle-change-treatment-options
Today, politicians, patients and health and work experts of the Fit for Work Europe Coalition added their voices to national advocates from across Europe for their countries to take bold steps to reduce the staggering €240 billion economic burden of chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to European society.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/fitforwork/52154/
Janssen Healthcare Innovation, a team within Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen), today announced Discharge Decision Support System (D2S2) is the winner of the crowdsourcing-inspired Janssen Connected Care Challenge and the $100,000 prize. D2S2 is a discharge decision support system that uses a proprietary algorithm to assemble and score key data upon hospital admission in order to identify patients who should be referred to post-acute care services to reduce the risk of 30-day readmissions.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56342-discharge-decision-support-system-janssen-connected-care-challenge
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
“Explore Your Treatment Options,” a new multimedia ad campaign announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council, encourages patients to become more informed about their options before choosing a treatment for a health condition or illness.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/50583/
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
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
Under the leadership of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), the primary organization in the U.S. representing people with rare diseases, millions of Americans will gather tomorrow to observe the 5th annual Rare Disease Day. This international observance unites people around the globe to focus attention on the estimated 300 to 350 million patients worldwide afflicted with rare diseases and to recognize that their needs are a global public health concern. In the U.S., a rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60507-nord-rare-disease-day
Miramar Labs today announced that the miraDry System for the treatment of primary axillary hyperhidrosis, commonly known as excessive underarm sweat, is now available to select physicians in the U.S. The miraDry procedure provides a safe and lasting solution for this debilitating condition.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted clearance for miraDry following a robust, randomized, blinded clinical study that involved 120 patients at seven clinics and followed them 12-months post treatment. The miraDry System delivers energy non-invasively to the area under the arm where the sweat glands reside which creates localized heat to destroy and eliminate the glands. Since sweat glands do not regenerate, results are lasting.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54021-miramar-labs-miradry-treat-excessive-underarm-sweat-axillary-hyperhidrosis
Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. [http://www.upsher-smith.com] today announced that its epilepsy-focused educational website, http://www.Epilog.us, has been expanded to include thought-leader commentary on issues related to Epilepsy and Comorbidities. The newly updated website will make its debut at the 64th Annual American Academy of Neurology Meeting in New Orleans on April 23 – 26, 2012, at the Upsher-Smith exhibit, booth number 128.
TO view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55934-upsher-smith-expands-epilog-us-on-epilepsy-comorbidities
Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that data from two Phase 2 trials with SAR236553/REGN727, an investigational, high-affinity, subcutaneously administered, fully-human antibody targeting PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9), were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 61st Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.
The data showed that treatment with SAR236553/REGN727 over 8 to 12 weeks significantly reduced mean low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C, or “bad” cholesterol) by 40% to 72% in patients with elevated LDL-C on stable dose of statins.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55299-sanofi-regeneron-pharmaceuticals-lipid-lowering-medications-pcsk9-antibody
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
