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Antibiotics Associated With Cancer Risk; Topiramate Effective Against Migraine; Statin Therapy For Heart Failure; FDA Actions; Drug Approved to Target Angiogenesis.
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In a multi-institutional cooperative effort, Rebbeck and colleagues followed the course of 105 women with either BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutations who had elected bilateral mastectomy as a breast cancer preventive measure. Only 2 cases of breast cancer developed in this group of operated patients compared with 184 cases in the control group, demonstrating a remarkable risk reduction of > 90%.
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In this phase III, randomized, multicenter trial, renal carcinoma patients with organ-confined tumors were randomized after radical nephrectomy to receive autologous renal tumor cell vaccine or observation. The primary clinical outcome was the time to tumor recurrence. Patients who received the vaccine had greater 5-year and 70-month progression-free survival rates and lower tumor progression hazard rates than those in the control group.
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Gefitinib, an inhibitor of EGFR tyrosine kinase, has been demonstrated to produce clinical responses in a small number of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Prior reviews had indicated that women and patients with adenocarcinoma histology had a somewhat higher response rate. In this review of 3 consecutive phase II trials, other clinical features were sought that might predict treatment response. Multivariable analysis revealed the presence of bronchioalveolar features and being a never smoker were additional, independent predictors of response.
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Includes the following Articles: Improved Blood Donor Screening for WNV, Azithromycin Failure as Prophylaxis or Treatment of Syphilis, United Kingdom Cracks Down on Potential Blood Donors and Human and Feline Sporotrichosis in Rio.
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This summary of selected abstracts from 3 meetings is published in multiple parts. The 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) met in Chicago September 14-17, 2003. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) met in San Diego October 9-12, 2003. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene met in Philadelphia December 3-7, 2003.
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Human metapneumovirus was the likely cause of 12% of all lower respiratory tract illnesses among a population of 2009 children studied from 1976 to 2001 presenting with acute respiratory symptoms. Clinical manifestations of metapneumovirus infection were bronchiolitis (59%), croup (18%), pneumonia (8%), and exacerbation of asthma (14%).
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While much attention has been paid to new hospital infection control standards for 2005, the Joint Commission also is adopting similar standards in long-term care facilities. A pre-publication edition of the new standards for long-term care, which will be effective Jan. 1, 2005, call for the following key provisions.
