In the early 1980s cognitive psychologist Amos Tversky and his colleagues set out to study if the way a question was framed influenced the way people think. They presented patients, medical students, and doctors with statistics about the effectiveness of surgery versus radiation therapy in treating cancer. The participants were given information about effectiveness and...
Category: <span>Miscellaneous</span>
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Allergan unit to plead guilty to fraud, pay $125 million
Allergan PLC’s Warner Chilcott unit will pay $125 million and plead guilty to felony health-care fraud charges stemming from an investigation into its marketing that included improper payments to doctors, the Justice Department said Thursday. Warner Chilcott has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges that the company paid kickbacks to physicians to entice them...
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Grappling with cancers like John McCain’s glioblastoma that break all the rules
Arizona Sen. John McCain’s recent diagnosis of the hard-to-treat cancer glioblastoma stands in contrast to recent media reports that paint an optimistic picture of cancer treatment in America. A sampling of headlines includes “Cancer survival rates at all-time high” and “Cancer death rates continue to decrease in the United States.” Driving much of the progress...
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Landmark FDA approval bolsters personalized medicine
Our understanding of cancer has been morphing from a tissue-specific disease — think lung cancer or breast cancer — to a disease characterized more by specific genes or biomarkers than by location. A recent FDA decision underscores that transition and further opens the door to personalized medicine. Two years ago, the director of the FDA’s...
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World first: Stem cell treatment for lethal STAT1 gene mutation shows ‘disappointing,’ but promising results
The first ever study assessing how patients with “gain of function” mutation of the STAT1 gene respond to stem cell transplantation has taken place. It involved 15 young patients, from nine different countries, each suffering a range of complications caused by the gene’s mutation. Of these, only six survived a regime of stem cell transplantation...
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Blind grandmother, 65, will be able to SEE for the first time in 40 years – following pioneering surgery using her TEETH
Honor Davis lost her sight when she was 26 due to a rare skin and eye disorder Surgery which involves placing a tooth into her eyes will help restore her vision Ms Davis said that she was unable to ‘imagine what it will be like to see better’ A blind mother will be able to...
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Radiation therapy vital to treating brain tumors, but it exacts a toll
Radiation therapy (RT) using high-energy particles, like x-rays or electron beams, is a common and critical component in successfully treating patients with brain tumors, but it is also associated with significant adverse effects, such as neuronal loss in adjacent healthy tissues. In a new study, published in the June issue of Brain Connectivity, researchers at the...
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Aspirin ‘major bleed’ warning for over-75s
People over 75 taking daily aspirin after a stroke or heart attack are at higher risk of major – and sometimes fatal – stomach bleeds than previously thought, research in the Lancet shows. Scientists say that, to reduce these risks, older people should also take stomach-protecting PPI pills. But they insist aspirin has important benefits...
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One in seven American adults estimated to have chronic kidney disease
The number of Americans affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) is higher than previously estimated and affects 15% of the U.S. adult population, this according to new data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in seven American adults, or 30 million people, are estimated to have CKD. However, 96% of those with early kidney...
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How oxygen-producing pond scum could save your life after a heart attack
If you’re having a heart attack, your life might someday be saved by pond scum. That’s because these lowly bacteria are capable of producing something a stricken heart desperately needs: oxygen. In fact, when Stanford scientists injected massive doses of cyanobacteria into the hearts of rats who suffered the equivalent of a “widow-maker” heart attack,...