NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sept 03 - Joint Commission Resources, Inc. launched a new campaign this week — the Flu Vaccination Challenge — to increase influenza vaccination rates among hospital employees.

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sept 03 - Motor impairment is predictive of affective, behavioral and cognitive changes in HIV patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), investigators with the Manhattan HIV Brain Bank report.

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According to research presented recently, many older cancer patients can tolerate more aggressive treatment than they typically receive, and age, income, and education all can impact the physical health of cancer caregivers. More than 400 of the nation’s leading experts in cancer survivorship have convened for Cancer Survivorship Research: Mapping the New Challenges, where these and other findings about living with and beyond cancer are being presented this week. Researchers, health professionals, survivors and cancer advocates are here to discuss the latest scientific information on coping, health outcomes, and new directions in research and services for those living with a history of cancer, their caregivers and health care providers.

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Canopus BioPharma, Inc. (OTC: CBIA), is pleased to announce that the South African Medicines Control Council has granted approval for a Phase II study in 30 cancer patients evaluating the protective effect of CB1400 on the gastrointestional tract from radiation-induced mucositis. This new trial is an important step forward in the development of CB1400 as a novel, preventative, anti-mucositis agent.

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Canopus BioPharma, Inc. (OTC: CBIA), is pleased to announce that the South African Medicines Control Council has granted approval for a Phase II study in 30 cancer patients evaluating the protective effect of CB1400 on the gastrointestional tract from radiation-induced mucositis. This new trial is an important step forward in the development of CB1400 as a novel, preventative, anti-mucositis agent.

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Data from a new survey of 550 physicians and specialists across Europe indicate that 47% of physicians are not carrying out regular molecular monitoring for patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML).1 Results from the UK show that a quarter of physicians surveyed do not follow molecular monitoring recommendations; this may impact clinical decision making in CML.1,2

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Four characteristics of mammography facilities have been found to be associated with higher overall levels of accuracy in screening, reports a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (online June 10). The study showed that higher interpretative accuracy is seen with facilities offering only screening mammography, which have breast imaging specialists to interpret mammograms, which undertake single readings (as opposed to double) and which undertake independent audits at least twice yearly.

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A biomedical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is using a concept called “grid computing” to allow the average person to donate idle computer time in a global effort to fight cancer.

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Lamellipodia are veil-shaped protrusions of the plasma membrane, that can turn into upward-curled ruffles if they fail to adhere to the substrate. A dendritic meshwork of short and highly branched actin filaments might constitute their main structural component. The other type of protrusion, the filopodia, are finger-like and consist of parallel, long and unbranched actin filaments. Interestingly, fast-crawling cells mainly form lamellipodia/ruffles while poorly migrating or non-motile cells often show the coexistence of both lamellipodial and filopodial protrusions. These observations suggest that the lamellipodia-to-filopodia selection might regulate cell migration. Moreover, the pivotal contribution of lamellipodial and filopodial protrusions to important developmental and homeostatic processes certainly requires tight regulatory mechanisms.

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Women’s reports of persistent, recent-onset symptoms linked to ovarian cancer abdominal or pelvic pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and abdominal bloating when combined with the CA125 blood test may improve the early detection of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published online in CANCER.

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