Body

Airline pilots who have flown for many years may be at risk of DNA damage from prolonged exposure to cosmic ionising radiation, suggests a study published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The research team compared the rate of chromosomal (DNA) abnormalities in blood samples taken from 83 airline pilots and 50 university faculty members from the same US city.

The two groups were matched for age (35 to 56), sex (male), and smoking habit (light or non-smokers). Age and smoking are known risk factors for cumulative DNA damage.

One in three UK adults—or 13 million people—will be obese by 2012, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

And almost half of them will be from low income and disadvantaged communities, widening the health gap between the haves and have-nots even further, say the authors.

The researchers draw their conclusions on an analysis of annual data between 1993 and 2004 from the Health Survey for England.

For patients with moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD), higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are associated with increased calcification of the major arteries and heart valves—which may contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with CKD, reports a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

The antidiabetes drug rosiglitazone may have the potential to protect kidney function in patients with a condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The phase I clinical findings indicate that the drug warrants further study in phase II and phase III trials.

Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes and celiac disease appear to share a common genetic origin, scientists at the University of Cambridge and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, have confirmed.

BOUDRY, Switzerland & PARIS (December 10, 2008) -- Celgene International Sarl (Nasdaq: CELG) and the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA) today announced the initiation of an international randomized, double-blind, controlled Phase III study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of REVLIMID (lenalidomide) as a maintenance therapy for elderly, high-risk patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who have responded to standard first line Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Oncovin and Prednisolone (R-CHOP).

BOUDRY, Switzerland--(December 10, 2008)--Celgene International Sarl (Nasdaq:CELG) today announced more mature data from clinical studies of REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma were presented at a joint symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) on Sunday, Dec. 7.

BOUDRY, Switzerland--(December 10, 2008)--Celgene International Sarl (NASDAQ: CELG) reported that results of a Phase I study presented today combining REVLIMID and VIDAZA in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) found that the combination of these two therapies is well tolerated and has high activity. The data were reported during the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

BOUDRY, Switzerland--(December 10, 2008)--Celgene International Sarl (Nasdaq: CELG) today announced that its next IMiDs compound, pomalidomide, has shown promising activity with manageable safety and tolerability for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) and myelofibrosis. The data were presented at the 50th Annual American Society of Hematology meeting in San Francisco, CA.

BOUDRY, Switzerland--(December 10, 2008)--Celgene International Sarl (NASDAQ: CELG) announced that data from a landmark analysis of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma found that continuous treatment with REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in combination with dexamethasone after achieving best response resulted in significantly longer overall survival and increased time to disease progression compared to those who discontinued treatment after ten months or less. The results of this analysis were presented today at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Crosswicks, NJ – (December 10, 2008) – The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Foundation announced today that a subanalysis of the AZA-001 phase III international clinical trial shows that treatment with VIDAZA (azacitidine) can extend overall survival and reduce the risk of death in elderly higher-risk MDS patients.

Crosswicks, NJ – (December 10, 2008) – The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Foundation announced today that a new analysis of the AZA-001 phase III clinical trial demonstrates that continued treatment with VIDAZA (azacitidine) can improve response rates for higher-risk MDS patients.

Crosswicks, NJ – (December10, 2008) – The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Foundation announced today that data presented at this year's American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting in San Francisco demonstrate that patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who were treated with VIDAZA (azacitidine) had significantly increased overall survival compared to those treated with conventional care regimens (CCR).

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Children with diabetes are at an increased risk for developing eating disorders and researchers want to know if it's their disease or treatment that's to blame.

(Boston, Mass.) – Deaths due to dementia and Alzheimer's disease are underreported on death certificates, according to a study conducted by Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), raising concerns about the accuracy of mortality statistics based on these documents.