Body

SEATTLE—People have more and more chances to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up— or diminish—test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a new study in the May 17, 2012 early online issue of Genetics in Medicine.

People have increasing opportunities to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up or diminish test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a study performed by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues at other institutions.

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other.

CHICAGO — A breast cancer vaccine already shown to elicit a powerful immune response in women with varying levels of HER2 expression has the ability to improve recurrence rates and is well tolerated in an adjuvant setting, according to new research from a clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Toronto, CANADA (May 17, 2012)— By focusing on the identification of common genetic variants, researchers have identified 57 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predict—with a high degree of certainty--the risk that siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will also develop the condition. The findings were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research.

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 — Screening lung cancer tumor samples for cancer-causing, or "driver," genetic mutations can help physicians tailor patients' treatments to target those specific mutations. While scientists have identified cancer-causing mutations for the majority of lung adenocarcinomas — the most common type of non-small cell lung cancer — and have developed drugs that can successfully address them, scientists have not yet identified targeted therapies for another type of non-small cell lung cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.

CHICAGO, IL (May 16, 2012)––For some patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, treatment may begin before they undergo cystectomy, or surgical removal of the bladder. They may be advised by oncologists to receive chemotherapy before surgery. A large randomized clinical trial published in 2003 demonstrated a survival benefit for neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin) using a standard dose and schedule. However, in an effort to improve toxicity, standard MVAC has been essentially abandoned in favor of other regimens.

CHICAGO, IL (May 16, 2012)––If racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer exist, they are not due to differences in the use of imaging to assess the extent of tumors before surgery, according to new findings that will be presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Monday, June 4.

"It's encouraging that we didn't see any differences between black and white women in the use of imaging before surgery," says lead study author Richard J. Bleicher, M.D., a breast surgeon at Fox Chase.

CHICAGO, IL (May 16, 2012)––Nearly half of the research presented at ASCO's annual meeting last year came from researchers with ties to companies, and the amount appears to be increasing every year, according to new findings from Fox Chase Cancer Center. The new findings will be presented this year at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting on Monday, June 4.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today highlighted five studies in a press briefing from among more than 4,500 abstracts publicly posted online at abstract.asco.org in advance of ASCO's 47th Annual Meeting.

Plenary, late-breaking and other major studies will be released in on-site press conferences at the Annual Meeting to be held June 1-5, 2012, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. The meeting, which will feature the theme Collaborating to Conquer Cancer, is expected to draw approximately 30,000 cancer specialists from around the world.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers will present several landmark studies, including data on treatment trends in late-stage cancer, a promising multiple myeloma vaccine, and predictive models of soft tissue sarcomas, prostate and bladder cancer, at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting June 1-5, 2012 in Chicago.

Highlights of Mount Sinai research at ASCO:

Technology is helping communication companies merge telephone, television and Internet services, but a push to deregulate may leave some customers on the wrong side of the digital divide during this convergence, according to a Penn State telecommunications researcher.

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have succeeded in engineering algae to produce potential candidates for a vaccine that would prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria, an achievement that could pave the way for the development of an inexpensive way to protect billions of people from one of the world's most prevalent and debilitating diseases. Initial proof-of-principle experiments suggest that such a vaccine could prevent malaria transmission.

We've said farewell to Friendster. Netscape Navigator is nevermore. As an Internet service provider, AOL is AWOL. What happened to these companies that once ruled their individual markets? According to two University of Alberta researchers, their market dominance made them vulnerable.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston have determined that pediatric epilepsy significantly impacts sleep patterns for the child and parents. According to the study available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), sharing a room or co-sleeping with their child with epilepsy decreases the sleep quality and prevents restful sleep for parents.