REUTERS
Fri May 30, 2008 6:42am EDT
Reporting by Sam Cage and Paul Arnold; editing by Sue Thomas
ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG's Herceptin, when added to chemotherapy Xeloda, prolonged survival without progression of breast cancer by three months compared to chemotherapy alone, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday.
Roche also reported results from a mid-stage trial, which showed that patients whose disease had progressed during a Herceptin regimen benefited from a combination of Herceptin and pertuzumab, another Roche drug.
Roche stock rose 1.1 percent to 182.20 Swiss francs by 1013 GMT, versus a 0.6 percent rise in the European sector.
"Incremental positive news for Herceptin should also help sentiment towards Roche," Dresdner Kleinwort analysts said in a note.
The data are due to be presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.
For the Roche statements, click here or here
Friday, May 30, 2008
Vitamin D for babies may prevent type 1 diabetes
REUTERS
Fri May 30, 2008 1:23pm EDT
By Anne Harding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new analysis of current research provides "the strongest evidence to date" that giving small children supplemental vitamin D will help prevent them from developing type 1 diabetes later on, according to the review's co-author.
"This is just another reason why current recommendations regarding vitamin D supplementation should be rigorously adhered to," Dr. Christos S. Zipitis told Reuters Health.
Vitamin D is produced in the skin with sun exposure. Deficiency in the nutrient can lead to a host of health problems, Zipitis said. Because breast milk typically contains little vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vitamin D supplements for nursing infants and UK public health authorities say that all children should receive the supplements for at least the first two years of life.
There are a number of clues suggesting a link between low vitamin D levels and type 1 diabetes, Zipitis of Stockport National Health Service Foundation Trust and Dr. A. K. Akobeng of Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Manchester, UK, note in their report in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
The investigators reviewed all published research on vitamin D supplementation and diabetes risk. Overall, they found, infants who were supplemented with Vitamin D were 29 percent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than children who had not received supplements.
Proper clinical trials are required to determine the optimal dose and formulation of vitamin D, as well as when and for how long children should be given the supplements, Zipitis and Akobeng conclude.
In the meantime, Zipitis said, "I would advise parents to encourage their pediatricians to prescribe vitamin D supplements for their infants. However, parents can also obtain these over the counter and provided they are used as per manufacturer instructions they should be extremely safe to use."
Fri May 30, 2008 1:23pm EDT
By Anne Harding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new analysis of current research provides "the strongest evidence to date" that giving small children supplemental vitamin D will help prevent them from developing type 1 diabetes later on, according to the review's co-author.
"This is just another reason why current recommendations regarding vitamin D supplementation should be rigorously adhered to," Dr. Christos S. Zipitis told Reuters Health.
Vitamin D is produced in the skin with sun exposure. Deficiency in the nutrient can lead to a host of health problems, Zipitis said. Because breast milk typically contains little vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vitamin D supplements for nursing infants and UK public health authorities say that all children should receive the supplements for at least the first two years of life.
There are a number of clues suggesting a link between low vitamin D levels and type 1 diabetes, Zipitis of Stockport National Health Service Foundation Trust and Dr. A. K. Akobeng of Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Manchester, UK, note in their report in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
The investigators reviewed all published research on vitamin D supplementation and diabetes risk. Overall, they found, infants who were supplemented with Vitamin D were 29 percent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than children who had not received supplements.
Proper clinical trials are required to determine the optimal dose and formulation of vitamin D, as well as when and for how long children should be given the supplements, Zipitis and Akobeng conclude.
In the meantime, Zipitis said, "I would advise parents to encourage their pediatricians to prescribe vitamin D supplements for their infants. However, parents can also obtain these over the counter and provided they are used as per manufacturer instructions they should be extremely safe to use."
Monday, May 12, 2008
Child safety seats should be centered in back seat
Child safety seats should be centered in back seat
REUTERS
Mon May 12, 2008 7:37am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Positioning child safety seats in the center of the back seat could cut infants' and toddlers' injury risks by nearly half, a new study suggests.
In a study of car crash data from 16 U.S. states, researchers found that children younger than 3 years old were 43 percent less likely to be injured when their seat was fastened in the center of the back seat rather than one of the side seats.
Experts already recommend that parents position car seats in the center of the rear seat, and the current findings bolster that advice, according to Michael J. Kallan and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, only 28 percent of children in their study were sitting in that position at the time of the car accident, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics.
There are obstacles to placing a car seat in the center position, Kallan's team acknowledges.
It is physically harder to strap a child, especially a heavier child, into a center-positioned seat. A centered child seat can also make it difficult for other people to sit in the rear of the car.
But based on the current findings, the researchers write, this center position is the safest place for babies and toddlers to ride.
The results are based on data from 4,790 car crashes involving children ages 3 and younger that occurred between 1998 and 2006. At the time of the accident, 41 percent of the children were in a car seat positioned in the right-hand back seat, while 31 percent were in the left-hand seat.
The center position was the least popular, but the safest. The reason, in part, was that children in a centered seat were better protected during a side-impact crash, according to Kallan's team.
"Recommendations should continue to encourage families to install child-restraint systems in the center of the rear seat," the researchers conclude.
They note that there are several online resources for parents who need information on installing child safety seats. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia maintains such a site, at www.chop.edu/carseat.
Parents can also go to a local child safety seat inspection station, where inspectors will give them advice on properly using the seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a searchable database of inspection stations, here
SOURCE: Pediatrics, May 2008.
REUTERS
Mon May 12, 2008 7:37am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Positioning child safety seats in the center of the back seat could cut infants' and toddlers' injury risks by nearly half, a new study suggests.
In a study of car crash data from 16 U.S. states, researchers found that children younger than 3 years old were 43 percent less likely to be injured when their seat was fastened in the center of the back seat rather than one of the side seats.
Experts already recommend that parents position car seats in the center of the rear seat, and the current findings bolster that advice, according to Michael J. Kallan and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, only 28 percent of children in their study were sitting in that position at the time of the car accident, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics.
There are obstacles to placing a car seat in the center position, Kallan's team acknowledges.
It is physically harder to strap a child, especially a heavier child, into a center-positioned seat. A centered child seat can also make it difficult for other people to sit in the rear of the car.
But based on the current findings, the researchers write, this center position is the safest place for babies and toddlers to ride.
The results are based on data from 4,790 car crashes involving children ages 3 and younger that occurred between 1998 and 2006. At the time of the accident, 41 percent of the children were in a car seat positioned in the right-hand back seat, while 31 percent were in the left-hand seat.
The center position was the least popular, but the safest. The reason, in part, was that children in a centered seat were better protected during a side-impact crash, according to Kallan's team.
"Recommendations should continue to encourage families to install child-restraint systems in the center of the rear seat," the researchers conclude.
They note that there are several online resources for parents who need information on installing child safety seats. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia maintains such a site, at www.chop.edu/carseat.
Parents can also go to a local child safety seat inspection station, where inspectors will give them advice on properly using the seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a searchable database of inspection stations, here
SOURCE: Pediatrics, May 2008.
Prostate cancer deaths fall after screening program
Prostate cancer deaths fall after screening program
REUTERS
Mon May 12, 2008 7:38am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Prostate cancer deaths fell substantially in the decade after one Austrian state began free PSA screening tests for all men ages 45 to 75, according to a new study.
Researchers found that after the state of Tyrol began a program of free PSA screening and prostate cancer treatment in 1993, the expected death rate from prostate cancer dropped by 54 percent. That compared with a decline of 29 percent in the rest of Austria, where free screening was not available.
The findings, reported in the journal BJU International, suggest that routine PSA testing can save men's lives -- something that has long been an open question.
PSA tests measure the amount of a protein called prostate-specific antigen in a man's blood. Because prostate tumors cause PSA levels to rise, routine PSA testing can catch the cancer early.
But PSA screening is controversial because it is not clear that the benefits outweigh the risks. Prostate cancer is often very slow-growing, and PSA screening may lead to treatment of tumors that would never have become life-threatening; treatment can carry side effects, like incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
In addition, PSA concentrations can increase for a reason other than prostate cancer and confirmation of prostate cancer requires a biopsy of the prostate gland, which itself can have side effects, such as infection or bleeding.
However, in the current study, early detection through widespread PSA screening is likely the driving force behind the greater drop in death rates seen in Tyrol, according to the researchers.
Between 1993 and 2005, nearly 87 percent of men ages 45 to 75 in Tyrol had at least one PSA screening test, the study found. That was up from 11 percent before the free program began.
And while prostate cancer death rates declined throughout Austria during the same period, they fell faster in Tyrol.
"Before the program was introduced, prostate cancer death rates in the Tyrol were similar to the rest of the country," lead researcher Dr. Georg Bartsch, of the University of Innsbruck, said in a statement.
"But after the program was launched the death rate in the Tyrol started falling by an average of 7.3 percent a year, more than twice the 3.2 percent observed in the rest of Austria."
The researchers acknowledge, however, that routine PSA screening remains controversial, and questions such as which men stand to benefit most from screening are still unresolved.
In general, experts recommend that men speak with their doctors about the potential benefits and risks of PSA screening for them personally. The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors offer most men PSA testing and a digital rectal exam yearly, starting at age 50.
SOURCE: BJU International, April 2008.
REUTERS
Mon May 12, 2008 7:38am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Prostate cancer deaths fell substantially in the decade after one Austrian state began free PSA screening tests for all men ages 45 to 75, according to a new study.
Researchers found that after the state of Tyrol began a program of free PSA screening and prostate cancer treatment in 1993, the expected death rate from prostate cancer dropped by 54 percent. That compared with a decline of 29 percent in the rest of Austria, where free screening was not available.
The findings, reported in the journal BJU International, suggest that routine PSA testing can save men's lives -- something that has long been an open question.
PSA tests measure the amount of a protein called prostate-specific antigen in a man's blood. Because prostate tumors cause PSA levels to rise, routine PSA testing can catch the cancer early.
But PSA screening is controversial because it is not clear that the benefits outweigh the risks. Prostate cancer is often very slow-growing, and PSA screening may lead to treatment of tumors that would never have become life-threatening; treatment can carry side effects, like incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
In addition, PSA concentrations can increase for a reason other than prostate cancer and confirmation of prostate cancer requires a biopsy of the prostate gland, which itself can have side effects, such as infection or bleeding.
However, in the current study, early detection through widespread PSA screening is likely the driving force behind the greater drop in death rates seen in Tyrol, according to the researchers.
Between 1993 and 2005, nearly 87 percent of men ages 45 to 75 in Tyrol had at least one PSA screening test, the study found. That was up from 11 percent before the free program began.
And while prostate cancer death rates declined throughout Austria during the same period, they fell faster in Tyrol.
"Before the program was introduced, prostate cancer death rates in the Tyrol were similar to the rest of the country," lead researcher Dr. Georg Bartsch, of the University of Innsbruck, said in a statement.
"But after the program was launched the death rate in the Tyrol started falling by an average of 7.3 percent a year, more than twice the 3.2 percent observed in the rest of Austria."
The researchers acknowledge, however, that routine PSA screening remains controversial, and questions such as which men stand to benefit most from screening are still unresolved.
In general, experts recommend that men speak with their doctors about the potential benefits and risks of PSA screening for them personally. The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors offer most men PSA testing and a digital rectal exam yearly, starting at age 50.
SOURCE: BJU International, April 2008.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)