Rural Colon Cancer Patients Are More Likely To Receive Late-Stage Diagnosis And Inferior Treatment

Colon cancer patients living in rural areas are less likely to receive an early diagnosis, chemotherapy, or thorough surgical treatment when compared with patients living in urban areas. Rural residents are also more likely to die from their colon cancer than urban patients, according to new research findings from surgeons at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The study was presented at the American College of Surgeons 2012 Annual Clinical Congress...
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Elderly Patients With Colorectal, Bladder Cancers May Benefit From Advanced Surgical Approaches

Advanced surgical techniques such as robotic-assisted operations and minimally invasive surgical procedures may extend survival and improve recovery in octogenarians with bladder and colorectal cancers when compared with patients who undergo conventional open operations according to two new studies presented at the 2012 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons...
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Phase IIb Data Show Investigational Once-Weekly DPP-4 Inhibitor MK-3102 Significantly Lowers Blood Sugar In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

New data announced at the 48th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting show Merck Sharp & Dohme's (MSD) investigational once-weekly DPP-4 inhibitor significantly lowers blood sugar compared with placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes. The 12 week study also shows that treatment with MK-3102 is associated with an incidence of symptomatic hypoglycaemia similar to placebo, in patients with type 2 diabetes...
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Type 2 Diabetes Patients Need More Individualized Care To Avoid Hypoglycemia, International Survey Warns

More than half of type 2 diabetes patients taking part in an international survey reported having had symptoms of hypoglycemia at least once, but only around one-third said they had discussed low blood sugar during routine check-ups with their physician. Researchers reporting the results at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting (1-5 October 2012; Berlin, Germany) said the findings underline the need for individualised treatment and advice to take account of patients' lifestyle and risk factors...
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Excellent Interim Results Reported From Phase I/II Study With Anti-IL-6R Nanobody, ALX-0061, In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Ablynx [Euronext Brussels: ABLX] has announced that its anti-IL-6R Nanobody, ALX-0061, met the efficacy endpoint of a significant improvement in key indicators of disease activity at the 12 week interim analysis of the Phase I/II study in patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on a stable background of methotrexate. Final 24 week results are expected in the first quarter of 2013. In this Phase I/II study, 37 RA patients were recruited to the multiple dose Phase II part...
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Kidney Failure And Heart Disease In Diabetic Patients May Be Affected By Race

Diabetes is among the ten leading causes of death in both white and African American patients, but the prevalence of diabetic complications are race-specific, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). "This study is one of only a few to assess whether there is a racial difference in the incidence of diabetic complications," said Gang Hu, MD, PhD, of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and lead author of the study...
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NICE Recommends Lucentis® (Ranibizumab) For Some Patients With Visual Impairment Due To Diabetic Macular Oedema (VI-DMO) In Draft Guidance

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today issued positive draft guidance on the use of ranibizumab for the treatment of VI-DMO, an eye condition which can occur in people with diabetes that causes blurred vision, severe vision loss and sometimes blindness[1],[2],[3]. This means that some patients (those with a retinal thickness of 400 micrometres or more), could soon benefit from a treatment which can potentially restore vision, prevent vision loss and sustain visual improvement[4]...
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Hospitals Not Qualified To Treat Dementia Patients

According to nursing students in the UK, their placement hospitals do not have suitable environments to care for dementia patients. Additionally, certified nurses felt unable to give the proper care and somewhat out of touch with their patients. Students reported that nurses "saw the disease", rather than the patient, resulting in treatment without dignity and difficulties with basic care such as nutrition. The nursing students determined that the cultural and physical habitats of the hospitals were not equipped to care for people with dementia...
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