Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Senate Republicans Ask For More Background On Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans on Wednesday sent a letter to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor requesting additional background information to supplement a committee questionnaire, CQ Today reports. The Republicans said that Democrats are rushing the nomination process by scheduling Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing to begin July 13 and that they need more information on the nominee. According to CQ Today, Democrats are unlikely to budge from their determination to confirm Sotomayor before the Aug. 7 recess, although Republicans might convince Leahy to postpone the hearing for a week in exchange for a GOP pledge not to delay a committee vote on Sotomayor for a week, as allowed under the panel"s rules (Perine, CQ Today, 6/10). Among their requests, Republicans asked that Sotomayor provide copies of the Yale Law Journal, for which she served as an editor, and that she elaborate upon her role with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt said that the Obama administration has made clear that it plans to provide additional information but that it has presented most of the information quickly to allow the Senate to begin its review (Herszenhorn, "The Caucus," New York Times, 6/10). Judiciary Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said that the information requested is not "little itty-bitty matters" but "important" components of Sotomayor"s background. He added, "If we"re going to move forward in a record-breaking time frame, the least we can expect is complete and full answers to these questions." Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member on the committee, said there is "a lot of irritation and discomfort" among Republicans "about the way it"s being handled." He added that he does not think Republicans want to filibuster the nomination but implied that they might use procedural tools to slow the process (CQ Today, 6/10).

Billions Lost In Productivity Due To Vision Impairment
Corrected vision impairment could prevent billions of dollars in lost productivity annually, according to a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of School of Public Health, the International Centre for Eyecare Education, the University of New South Wales and the African Vision Research Institute. Researchers estimate that nearly 158 million people globally suffer with vision impairment resulting from uncorrected refractive error, which can usually be eliminated with a pair of eyeglasses and an eye examination. This is the first study to estimate the productivity loss from uncorrected refractive error and is published in the June 2009 issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
News of the day
What Is The Difference Between Hip Resurfacing And Total Hip Replacement?
If hip resurfacing is an option, the surgeon will simply reshape the damaged surface of the femoral ball and then cover it with a round metal cap. The limitation here is that the procedure only works for bone that is not too damaged by arthritis. Generally speaking, surface replacements are not performed on patients with serious arthritic conditions, because if the bone is not strong enough, there is a small but real risk of fracturing. Therefore the average age of resurfacing patients may be 50 years or younger. Statistically, the resurfacing operation is an option for about 7 out of a 100 patients.
Mental Health

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Announces Release Of Two ASCO Abstracts

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI) announced the release of two abstracts to be presented during oral presentations at the upcoming American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Abstracts are now available to the public online on the OncoGenex Web site at http://www.oncogenex.com in addition to the ASCO Web site, http://www.abstract.asco.org. Highlights from the OGX-011 Abstract At the time data was submitted to ASCO and as previously disclosed in December 2008, the preliminary median overall survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer who were treated with OGX-011 plus docetaxel in a randomized Phase 2 trial was 27.5 months compared to 16.9 months for patients treated with docetaxel alone. The hazard ratio (HR), a measure used to determine the difference in survival between treatment groups, was 0.60, representing a 40% reduction in the rate of death for patients treated with OGX-011. New data disclosed today include a prospectively defined multivariate analysis evaluating variables predictive of overall survival. The analysis defined only three variables predictive of overall survival: performance status, presence of visceral metastasis and assignment to the OGX-011 treatment arm. Based on the multivariate analysis, patients treated with OGX-011 had a rate of death 46% lower than patients treated with docetaxel alone (HR=0.54; p=0.04). The abstract represents survival data as of November 2008. Final survival data as of April 2009 for this trial will be presented during an oral presentation at ASCO. Highlights from the OGX-427 Abstract At the time the data was submitted to ASCO, 34 patients with a variety of cancers had been treated with OGX-427 as a single agent in a dose escalation Phase 1 trial. OGX-427 was well tolerated. Declines in circulating tumor cells (CTCs), an emerging metric to assess treatment effect, have been observed at all dose levels. Changes in tumor markers (i.e declines of PSA, CA-125) have also been observed. Reductions in CTCs and tumor markers both suggest single-agent activity. The abstract represents preliminary data on OGX-427 as a single agent. Updated data will be presented during an oral presentation at ASCO. The oral presentations are scheduled to be held as shown below at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Presentation Information Title: Mature results of a randomized phase II study of OGX-011 in combination with docetaxel/prednisone versus docetaxel/prednisone in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer Authors: K. N. Chi, S. J. Hotte, E. Yu, D. Tu, B. Eigl, I. Tannock, F. Saad, S. North, J. Powers, E. Eisenhauer, National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group Date: 4:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. EDT, Saturday, May 30, 2009 Location: Level 3, Chapin Theatre, W320, Orange County Convention Center Abstract: No. 5012 Title: OGX-427, a 2"methoxyethyl antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), against HSP27: Results of a first-in-human trial Authors: S. J. Hotte, E. Y. Yu, H. W. Hirte, C. S.Higano, M. Gleave, K. N. Chi Date: 2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. EDT, Saturday, May 30, 2009 Location: Level 4, Valencia Room, W415A, Orange County Convention Center Abstract: No. 3506 About OGX-011 OGX-011 is designed to inhibit the production of clusterin, a protein that is associated with cancer treatment resistance and is currently being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical trials in prostate, lung and breast cancer. At the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, OncoGenex reported Phase 2 data with OGX-011 in combination with second-line treatment of metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer showing better than expected survival results, reductions in levels of clusterin, durable reductions in pain, and a decline in PSA, a protein that is often elevated in patients with prostate cancer. Based on clinical results to date, OncoGenex intends to conduct Phase 3 registration trials with OGX-011 in metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer, subject to the receipt of additional funding. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed on the design of two Phase 3 registration trials, via the Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) process, of OGX-011 in combination with second-line chemotherapy. One trial design investigates overall survival as the primary endpoint; the other trial design investigates pain palliation as the primary endpoint. Based on the survival benefit observed after combining OGX-011 with first-line docetaxel chemotherapy, OncoGenex has initiated discussions with the FDA regarding evaluating the overall survival benefit in patients treated with first-line chemotherapy, rather than second-line chemotherapy. OGX-011 has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for the treatment of progressive metastatic prostate cancer in combination with docetaxel. About OGX-427 OGX-427 is designed to reduce production of Hsp27, a protein that is over-produced in response to many cancer treatments including hormone ablation therapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Hsp27 production has been shown to inhibit cell death in tumor cells through a variety of mechanisms. OGX-427 is being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of solid tumors including prostate, non-small cell lung, breast, ovarian, and bladder cancers. Like OGX-011, this product candidate has potential as a treatment in a broad number of cancers. OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009