Metal-removing therapy may help some heart patients-study 
November 5th, 2012
By Deena Beasley and Bill Berkrot LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 4, 2012 7:36pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A controversial therapy to remove heavy metals from the bloodstream was shown in a large trial to cut the risk of another major heart problem in patients who have already suffered a heart attack, but researchers cautioned that the benefit was small and more study is needed. Chelation therapy, an alternative treatment dismissed by many medical professionals as quackery, has its origins in unproven 50-year-old theories about the cause of arterial plaques, the fatty deposits that can cause heart attacks.
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Scientists say heartbeat, not battery, could power pacemakers
November 4th, 2012
By Deena Beasley and Bill Berkrot LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 4, 2012 6:56pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Your own beating heart may generate enough electricity to power a heart-regulating pacemaker, ending the need for expensive surgeries to replace expiring batteries, according to an early study of an experimental energy-converting device. Researchers at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor tested an energy-harvesting device that runs on piezoelectricity – the electrical charge generated from motion, according to the study which was released at the annual American Heart Association scientific conference on Sunday. The approach is a promising technological solution for pacemakers, because they require only small amounts of power to operate, said M.
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U.S. jury awards troops $85 million over Iraq chemical exposure
November 3rd, 2012
By Teresa Carson PORTLAND, Oregon | Fri Nov 2, 2012 8:51pm EDT PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – An Oregon jury awarded 12 Army National Guardsmen $85 million in damages from defense contractor KBR Inc. on Friday after finding that the company failed to protect them from exposure to cancer-causing chemicals when they served in Iraq
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UK cost agency backs melanoma drugs after price cuts
November 2nd, 2012
LONDON | Thu Nov 1, 2012 8:01pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) – Two new drugs for skin cancer have been recommended for use on Britain’s state-run health service after the rival manufacturers – Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb – agreed to cut their prices. The move underscores the growing pressure on drug companies to cut deals with austerity-hit European governments in order to prove their expensive new medicines offer value for money.
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FDA approves Teva leukemia drug
October 26th, 2012
Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:51am EDT (Reuters) – The U.S.
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Web info on prostate cancer tough to understand
October 25th, 2012
By Amy Norton NEW YORK | Thu Oct 25, 2012 3:11pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – There’s no shortage of websites with information on prostate cancer treatment, but they may be well beyond the average person’s comprehension, a new study finds. The study, of 62 such websites, found that only three had treatment information written below a 9th-grade reading level. Most often, sites aimed for the reading level of a high school senior – far beyond the reading skills of many Americans.
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Report casts doubt on medical guidelines
October 24th, 2012
By Frederik Joelving NEW YORK | Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:39am EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Many medical guidelines don’t stick to quality standards designed to make them trustworthy, and the situation hasn’t improved over the past two decades, researchers have found. “Everybody everywhere is developing guidelines and there is no real quality control,” said Dr.
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Green tea drinkers show lower cancer risks
October 23rd, 2012
By Amy Norton NEW YORK | Tue Oct 23, 2012 4:58pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Older women who regularly drink green tea may have slightly lower risks of colon, stomach and throat cancers than women who make no time for tea, a large study suggests. Researchers found that of more than 69,000 Chinese women followed for a decade, those who drank green tea at least three times a week were 14 percent less likely to develop a cancer of the digestive system. That mainly meant lower odds of colon, stomach and esophageal cancers
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Study finds why Roche’s Avastin only works in some patients
October 23rd, 2012
By Kate Kelland LONDON | Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:01pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) – Genetic testing could help doctors find the small number of patients with advanced bowel cancer likely to benefit from cancer drug Avastin, scientists said on Tuesday. In a study of Roche’s blockbuster drug, which targets and blocks a protein called VEGF-A, researchers found that different forms of the protein lead to varying responses and Avastin had no benefit in at least half of those taking it
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FDA extends review of Biogen’s multiple sclerosis drug
October 18th, 2012
By Esha Dey Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:03am EDT (Reuters) – Biotechnology company Biogen Idec Inc said U.S. health regulators extended by three months the review date of its much-awaited multiple sclerosis (MS) drug BG-12, but analysts said the delay was only a minor setback. Shares of Biogen were down 2 percent at $150.72 in morning trading on the Nasdaq
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