The most seriously ill patients with advanced renal cell (kidney) cancer will be denied the life extending medicine Torisel (temsirolimus) if the recommendations in the Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) today are adopted.1 This FAD discriminates against a small group of patients with the poorest prognosis by failing to recommend a treatment indicated exclusivelyfor them.

Dietary acrylamide was not associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, according to data from a large prospective case-cohort study in the April 28 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Acrylamide is formed in some starchy foods, such as potato chips and French fries, during high-temperature cooking.

PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that results from a second Phase II study of SparVax(TM) were presented yesterday at the 12th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, being held in Baltimore, MD, April 27-29, 2009. The conference is sponsored by the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases. David P.

On the heels of dismaying reports that a promising antitumor drug could, in theory, shorten patients’ long-term survival, comes a promising study by a Japanese team of researchers that suggests a potentially better option. The study appears in the May 11 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine (online April 27). Many cancer treatments work by disrupting the formation of new blood vessels that feed growing tumors.

ASCO Young Investigator Awardee at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute will lead research team The Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute will evaluate whether the state-of-the-art image-guidance system called Calypso® (Calypso® Medical, Seattle, Wash.) is as effective in delivering highly precise radiation therapy to head and neck cancer patients as it has been in those with prostate cancer.

Dr. Joel Selanikio’s innovative technology is not only saving lives, it is changing the face of the public health system around the world. Merging his expertise in the areas of computer science, medicine and public health with his business partner’s background in technology, spurred the development of a sustainable mobile software tool to aid in disease surveillance and the collection of public health data in developing nations.

Many low-income minority adults with type 2 diabetes have misconceptions about the disease that could affect its management, according to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, Reuters Health reports. For the study, researcher Devin Mann of Mount Sinai

ASCO Young Investigator Awardee at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute will lead research team The Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute will evaluate whether the state-of-the-art image-guidance system called Calypso® (Calypso® Medical, Seattle, Wash.) is as effective in delivering highly precise radiation therapy to head and neck cancer patients as it has been in those with prostate cancer.

Reaching optimal levels for cholesterol and high blood pressure in people who’ve had a stroke adds up to prevent a second stroke or heart attack, according to a study presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 - May 2, 2009. Researchers looked at four risk factors for stroke: high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure.

In the first neuroimaging study to examine motor execution in children with autism, researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute have uncovered important new insight into the neurological basis of autism. The study, published online in the journal Brain’s April 23 Brain Advanced Access, compared the brain activity of children with high functioning autism and their typically developing peers while performing a simple motor task tapping their fingers in sequence.