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Vaporized Viral Vector Shows Promise In Anti-Cancer Gene Therapy
A new lung cancer therapy employing a vaporized viral vector to deliver a cancer-inhibiting molecule directly to lung tissue shows early promise in mouse trials, according to researchers at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Korea.
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Green Tea Slows Down Prostate Cancer Progression Significantly
A study carried out by researchers in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, USA, found that men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds found in green tea had considerable reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression. The study has been published in Cancer Prevention Research, an American Association for Cancer Research journal.
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HIV Infection And Chronic Drinking Have A Synergistic, Damaging Effect On The Brain
More than half of clinic patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) report they also drink heavily. While highly active antiretroviral therapy has helped to reduce HIV-related cognitive and motor deficits, neuropsychological deficits may continue and even be exacerbated by alcohol. A study of memory deficits has found that HIV infection and chronic alcoholism have synergistic, damaging effects on brain function.
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Tocilizumab Blunts Joint Damage Worsening In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

COPENHAGEN - The interleukin (IL)-6 receptor inhibitor tocilizumab (ActemraR) combined with methotrexate is more effective than methotrexate monotherapy in inhibiting the progression of structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to results released at the 10th Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2009. Joel Kremer, MD, Research Director at the Center for Rheumatology in Albany, New York, and co-workers examined the efficacy of adding tocilizumab to methotrexate in patients who had an inadequate response to methotrexate. The two-year, phase 3 LITHE (Tocilizumab Safety and The Prevention of Structural Joint Damage) trial was conducted in more than 1,200 patients in 15 countries. Patients received stable doses of methotrexate with tocilizumab (4 mg/kg or 8 mg/kg) or placebo (control) every four weeks and could receive blinded rescue therapy starting at week 16. Interim results at 52 weeks showed disease remission, demonstrated by DAS28 less than 2.6, in 30 percent of tocilizumab patients on the 4 mg/kg dose and 47 percent of patients on the tocilizumab 8 mg/kg dose versus eight percent of placebo-treated patients. Both tocilizumab cohorts also had a significant inhibition in the progression of structural joint damage as measured by the change in the mean Genant -modified Total Sharp Score versus patients assigned to methotrexate plus placebo (0.29, 0.34, and 1.1, respectively, p less than 0.001). In addition, there were significantly more patients in the tocilizumab groups with no radiographic progression whatsoever from baseline versus control, (pò‰¤0.0001.) Most tocilizumab-treated patients had significantly more improvement in their physical function than control patients. "Inhibiting rheumatoid arthritis from progressing further by achieving disease remission provides real-life benefits to patients while at the same time helping them maintain day-to day function,"" Dr. Kremer, who is the study"s principal investigator, said in a news release. "The study also demonstrated the efficacy of tocilizumab, even in patients with a relatively long disease duration, which suggests that it may be an effective treatment option for many rheumatoid arthritis patients." Written by Jill Stein Jill Stein is a Paris-based freelance medical writer. jillstein03(at)gmail.com Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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