Monthly Archives: July 2012

Widely prescribed MS treatment may not slow progression of disease: VCH-UBC research

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

Public release date: 17-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Brian Lin brian.lin@ubc.ca 604-822-2234 University of British Columbia Researchers with the UBC Hospital MS Clinic and Brain Research Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia have published important data in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) about the impact of a common drug therapy on the progression of multiple sclerosis for people with the relapsingremitting form of the disease. The study, led by Drs. Helen Tremlett, Afsaneh Shirani, Joel Oger and others, shows no strong evidence that a group of drugs, beta interferons (-IFNs), prescribed to treat MS had a measurable impact on the long-term disability progression of the disease. The team examined the linked health records of 2656 BC patients between 1985 - 2008 in a retrospective cohort study, which means data from already collected sources were linked together in an anonymized form and studied. Data sources included the BC Ministry of Health, PharmaNet and the BC Multiple Sclerosis (BCMS) database, facilitated by Population Data BC. The study population included patients with MS who were treated with beta interferons (-IFNs), the most widely used treatment for relapsingremitting MS, as well as untreated … Continue reading →

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Widely prescribed MS treatment may not slow progression of disease

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

ScienceDaily (July 17, 2012) Researchers with the UBC Hospital MS Clinic and Brain Research Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia have published important data in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) about the impact of a common drug therapy on the progression of multiple sclerosis for people with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. The study, led by Drs. Helen Tremlett, Afsaneh Shirani, Joel Oger and others, shows no strong evidence that a group of drugs, beta interferons (-IFNs), prescribed to treat MS had a measurable impact on the long-term disability progression of the disease. The team examined the linked health records of 2656 BC patients between 1985 -- 2008 in a retrospective cohort study, which means data from already collected sources were linked together in an anonymized form and studied. Data sources included the BC Ministry of Health, PharmaNet and the BC Multiple Sclerosis (BCMS) database, facilitated by Population Data BC. The study population included patients with MS who were treated with beta interferons (-IFNs), the most widely used treatment for relapsing-remitting MS, as well as untreated MS patients. The research team discovered that administration of -IFN was not associated with a … Continue reading →

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Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with Interferon Beta Not Linked with Less Progression of Disability

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

Newswise CHICAGO Among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with the widely-prescribed drug to treat MS, interferon beta, was not associated with less progression of disability, according to a study in the July 18 issue of JAMA. "A key feature of MS is clinical progression of the disease over time manifested by the accumulation of disability. Interferon beta drugs are the most widely prescribed disease-modifying drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsing-onset MS, the most common MS disease course," according to background information in the article. The authors add that there is a lack of well-controlled longitudinal studies investigating the effect of interferon beta on disability progression. Afsaneh Shirani, M.D., of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues conducted a study to investigate the association between interferon beta exposure and disability progression in relapsing-remitting MS. The study included prospectively collected data (1985-2008) from British Columbia. Patients with relapsing-remitting MS treated with interferon beta (n = 868) were compared with untreated contemporary (n = 829) and historical (prior to the approval of interferon beta) (n = 959) groups. The primary outcome measured was time from interferon beta treatment eligibility (baseline) to … Continue reading →

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UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz Sounds off on Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

UFC light heavyweight Tito Ortiz has gone on air to warn of a coming epidemic of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) use. In an interview with HDNets Inside MMA, six-time champion Ortiz said: The sport has come so far in such a short space of time, I hope this hasnt become an epidemic. What type of message are we sending to the youths that are watching our sport? TRT is a treatment for people with abnormally low levels of the male hormone testosterone. It requires regular injections of the steroid. It has been used by an increasing number of fighters in order to gain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to allow them to compete while undergoing the treatment. Fighters such as Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, Todd Duffee, Nate Marquardt and Frank Mir have all been granted TUEs. This is the same thing that weve been trying to stop from happening, and all of a sudden in the last six months its legal to do, said Ortiz. Youre allowed to be six times over the average? Since day one since Ive been competing over the last 15 years, Ive always been on an even field. Why all of a sudden other fighters … Continue reading →

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Stem-cell discovery: reversing Alzheimer's?

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

Human neural stem cells. Courtesy UC Irvine radiation oncology professor Charles Limoli. Human neural stem cells restored memory in mice with brain symptoms similar to Alzheimers disease, UC Irvine scientists reported Tuesday, opening the door to eventual treatment for human sufferers. The announcement, made at an Alzheimers science conference in Vancouver, involves versatile though still largely mysterious neural stem cells grown in the lab by StemCells Inc., of Newark, Ca. The cells, researchers at UCI and elsewhere have shown, can become many types of cells once injected into the body restoring limb movement in mice with crushed spines, halting blindness in rats and, now, improving memory and brain function in mice bred to exhibit the kinds of impairment seen in Alzheimers. Youve probably heard about the God particle scientists have been working on, said Martin McGlynn, president and CEO of StemCells Inc. This isnt quite the God cell, but its an incredibly fascinating biological agent. Over the past 12 to 18 months, scientists including Frank LaFerla, director of UCI MIND, worked on a treatment involving injection of the human neural stem cells into the brains of two kinds of mouse models those bred to model the effects of Alzheimers, and … Continue reading →

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Stem cell research aids understanding of cancer

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

(Phys.org) -- An international team of researchers led by renowned stem cell scientist Professor Martin Pera has discovered a novel marker that plays an important role in our understanding of how cancer develops in the liver, pancreas and oesophagus. The study, published in the journal Stem Cell, adds to our understanding of the role of stem and next stage progenitor cells in tissue regeneration and in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. While stem cells are known to reside in organs such as the liver and pancreas, they are difficult to isolate. The new findings show that an antibody developed by the team can be used to capture the stem cells. Professor Pera, program leader for Stem Cells Australia and Chair of Stem Cell Sciences at the University of Melbourne, said the antibody was able to detect progenitor cells in disease states such as cirrhosis of the liver, and in cancers such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma and oesophageal carcinoma. By being able to identify these cells, we hope to be able to learn more about their role in tissue regeneration and in cancer especially in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer, he said. Cancers of the liver, pancreas and oesophagus … Continue reading →

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Stem Cell Therapeutics Annual General Meeting

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -07/17/12)- Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (SSS.V) ("SCT" or the "Company") a life sciences development company of stem cell-related therapeutics, today announced a reminder that its annual general meeting and corporate update will be held in the Offices of McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower, 66 Wellington Street West, 53rd Floor, J.J. Robinette Boardroom, Toronto, ON M5K 1E6, on Wednesday, July 18, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Interested shareholders, unable to attend the meeting in person, can listen to the proceedings live via conference call. Mr. David Allan, Executive Chairman of Stem Cell Therapeutics, will host a question and answer session following the corporate update. Conference call participants wishing to ask a question will be instructed by the operator on how to do so at this time. Details to listen live: About Stem Cell Therapeutics Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (SSS.V) is a Canadian commercialization receptor company in the business of developing stem cell-based therapeutics through partnerships with research institutions or technology transfer organizations. SCT has extensive expertise and experience in the stem cell biotechnology sector based on the intellectual property of Dr. Sam Weiss in stem cell research. SCT continues to develop and build upon this existing … Continue reading →

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Test cuts need for prostate cancer repeat biopsy

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

SAN DIEGO Karim Kader, M.D., Ph.D., associate clinical professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, together with a team of researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, have developed a genetic test to predict a man's risk for prostate cancer. Use of the test could reduce the need for repeat biopsies in men who have had a negative biopsy. Results of the multicenter study were recently published online in the journal of European Urology. "The genetic test outperformed the PSA test in assessing cancer risk," said Kader, co-investigator and urologic surgeon at UC San Diego Health System. "If results of this blood test were factored into prostate cancer predictors such as total free PSA, free PSA, number of core samples taken at biopsy and family history, we would have a more accurate picture of a whether or not a man is likely to develop the sometimes fatal disease." Kader and researchers evaluated 1,654 men in the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) clinical trial. All the men had biopsies and consented to genetic studies that looked for the presence of germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs are genetic variations within an individual's DNA sequence which … Continue reading →

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New test may help predict prostate cancer

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

ScienceDaily (July 17, 2012) Karim Kader, MD, PhD, associate clinical professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, together with a team of researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, have developed a genetic test to predict a man's risk for prostate cancer. Use of the test could reduce the need for repeat biopsies in men who have had a negative biopsy. Results of the multicenter study were recently published online in the journal of European Urology. "The genetic test outperformed the PSA test in assessing cancer risk," said Kader, co-investigator and urologic surgeon at UC San Diego Health System. "If results of this blood test were factored into prostate cancer predictors such as total free PSA, free PSA, number of core samples taken at biopsy, and family history, we would have a more accurate picture of a whether or not a man is likely to develop the sometimes fatal disease." Kader and researchers evaluated 1,654 men in the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) clinical trial. All the men had biopsies and consented to genetic studies that looked for the presence of germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs are genetic variations within an individual's DNA … Continue reading →

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Drug shown to improve memory in those with Down syndrome

Posted: Published on July 18th, 2012

Public release date: 17-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jacque Montgomery jacque.montgomery@ucdenver.edu 303-928-9093 University of Colorado Denver AURORA, Colo. (July 17, 2012) Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found a drug that boosts memory function in those with Down syndrome, a major milestone in the treatment of this genetic disorder that could significantly improve quality of life. "Before now there had never been any positive results in attempts to improve cognitive abilities in persons with Down syndrome through medication," said Alberto Costa, MD, Ph.D., who led the four- year study at the CU School of Medicine. "This is the first time we have been able to move the needle at all and that means improvement is possible." The study was published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry. Costa, an associate professor of medicine, and his colleagues studied 38 adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. Half took the drug memantine, used to treat Alzheimer's disease, and the others took a placebo. Costa's research team hypothesized that memantine, which improved memory in mice with Down syndrome, could increase test scores of young adults with the disorder in the area of spatial and episodic memory, functions … Continue reading →

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