Non-Invasive Brain Tumor Blaster Gets FDA Panel Support

A new non-invasive device that uses alternating electrical fields to blast brain tumors and kill cancer cells before they can multiply has received the backing of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel, although two panel members abstained from voting because of concerns that while trials showed the device was safe, it did not appear to be effective. The main argument in support of the device appears to be that it offers patients a higher quality of life, and is not necessarily about longer survival, where its effect appears to be minimal. Brain Tumor Blaster Gets FDA Panel Support Patients who attended the panel hearing last week urged members to recommend FDA approval. The Neurological Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory...

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Progression of Cancerous Tumors

A new method of examining cancerous tumors suggests that tumors may not evolve gradually, but rather in a punctuated or staccato-like bursts. The finding has shed new light on the process of tumor growth and metastasis, and may help in the development of new methods to clinically evaluate tumors. Progression of Cancerous Tumors The new analytic method, devised by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Michael Wigler and colleagues, features a process called single cell sequencing (SNS), which enables accurate quantification of genomic copy number within a single cell nucleus. Genomic copy number refers to the amount of DNA in the nucleus. In cancer, portions of the genome are amplified or deleted, giving rise to extra or...

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Kidney Transplantation Not Equally Available to All

Not all racial and ethnic groups have equal access to kidney transplantation, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results indicate that the reasons for these disparities are varied and that more focused efforts are needed to address them. Increasing patients on dialysis who need kidney transplants For most individuals who develop kidney failure or end-stage renal disease, kidney transplantation is the best treatment option. Unfortunately, certain racial and ethnic groups are less likely to receive kidney transplants than others. Despite the increasing diversity of patients on dialysis who need kidney transplants, no prior studies had comprehensively compared the...

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Patients With Hypertension Should Avoid Sugar-Sweetened Drinks

In the International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP), for every extra sugar-sweetened beverage drunk per day participants on average had significantly higher systolic blood pressure by 1.6 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure higher by 0.8 mm Hg. This remained statistically significant even after adjusting for differences in body mass, researchers said. Researchers found higher blood pressure levels in individuals who consumed more glucose and fructose, both sweeteners that are found in high-fructose corn syrup, the most common sugar sweetener used by the beverage industry.  Hypertension should avoid Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Higher blood pressure was more pronounced in people who...

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