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Health News Disclaimer This section comprises news items gathered from various sources ( as acknowledged) providing health and related content. www.webhealthcentre.com makes no claims whatsoever, expressed or implied, about the authenticity, accuracy, reliability, completeness or timeliness of the material, software, text, graphics and links given in this section. In no event shall www.webhealthcentre.com, its suppliers, affiliates or any third parties be liable in any manner whatsoever for any damages arising upon use of any information given in this section in any manner whatsoever.
More Options, More Hope for Blood Cancer Patients After 25 years working with cancer patients, 63-year-old oncology nurse Barbara Stevens knew how scary a diagnosis could be. The grandmother of 10 underwent back surgery to stabilize a fracture, but was still experiencing painful muscle spasms after the operation. When x-rays showed additional fractures in her spine, doctors ordered additional blood tests. Stevens was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, the second most common cancer of the blood. Multiple myeloma affects an estimated 50,000 Americans, with approximately 15,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The cancer attacks plasma cells, or white blood cells, primarily in bone marrow - which can damage the immune system’s ability to fight against infection and disease. Myeloma tumors can also spread to multiple sites, causing bone destruction and fractures. Like Stevens’ case, the disease is often discovered by chance and is not noticed until it has reached an advanced stage. “Despite advances in treatment, only 30 percent of patients with advanced multiple myeloma typically live for more than five years after diagnosis,” said Dr. Paul Richardson of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “So it’s important for patients to have access to new medicines.” Richardson is a leading investigator for new multiple myeloma treatment options. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, led by Richardson, shows multiple myeloma patients treated with Velcade had a better chance at survival compared to patients who used the standard treatment. “Velcade has been shown to significantly increase chances for survival when compared to standard therapy, showing great promise for improving patient outcomes,” Richardson said. The study also shows that Velcade slowed the progress of the disease longer than the standard treatment and more patients responded better. Some patients whose cancer still progressed with radiation and chemotherapy saw their conditions improve after treatment. Clinical trials are underway to further evaluate the medicine’s potential with multiple myeloma and other cancers. Now on Velcade, with her multiple myeloma in remission, Stevens fights against cancer as a mentor for newly diagnosed patients. “I am doing well and I want to give hope to others when the initial diagnosis is scary,” she said. On the Net:
Velcade site: http://www.millennium.com/ products/velcade/index.asp
New Study Reveals Potential for Revolutionary New Treatment for Paralysis and Brain Disease A study just released could reveal the key to treating nearly 140 million people who suffer from spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's disease, ALS and other devastating neurological diseases. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, shows how a protein called KDI tri-peptide (KDI) can block the harmful effects of the substance glutamate - which is present in all degenerative brain diseases and spinal cord injuries - and leads to debilitating paralysis and brain damage in millions of people. Glutamate causes vital brain cells to die and prevents the repair of damaged nerve connections. It is produced as part of the body's natural reaction to central nervous system damage. In the new study, researchers at the Brain Laboratory at the University of Helsinki and at the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida show KDI to be a potent and wide-ranging blocker of glutamate's damaging chemical processes. The research team applied KDI to human brain cells. The study concludes that KDI is able to block various forms of glutamate function - leading researchers to believe it may have wide-ranging applications for a host of different diseases that currently have no cure. The new findings follow from previous studies in which KDI was injected into the spines of paralyzed rats. After only three months, the rats were able to bear weight and walk again. Human clinical trials are expected as soon as next year. To date, no toxic side effects have been noted nor do researchers expect any, as KDI occurs naturally in the human body. For more information, visit www.brainlab.fi Produced for University of Helsinki, Finland
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University of Minnesota Researchers Reverse Memory Loss in Mice Research Has Promise For Future Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Researchers at the University of Minnesota were able to reverse memory loss in mice with brain degeneration for the first time, a breakthrough that offers hope to the estimated 4 million people living with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers first manipulated the genetic makeup of the mice so they developed dementia; the mice experienced memory loss that worsens over time and had brain atrophy similar to what a person with Alzheimer's disease goes through. The researchers further designed the mice so that the transgene that causes these symptoms could be "turned off." Transgenes are genes from one organism that have been incorporated into another organism. The researchers predicted that when the transgene expressing the dementia was turned off, memory loss would stop. The results, however, surpassed their expectations. The mice's symptoms of dementia were reversed-in other words, they regained memory. The results will be published in the July 15 issue of the journal Science. Produced for University of Minnesota
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