| Researchers advance stem cell gene therapy
Under this protocol, MGMT, a drug-resistance gene, is added into purified hematopoietic stem cells to protect these cells from the damage of chemotherapy regimens. In one of 24 presentations by Ireland Cancer Center researchers at the annual American Society of Hematology meeting, Stanton Gerson, MD, and colleagues presented that eight patients were enrolled on the trial and six were infused with their own stem cells which were engineered to carry the MGMT gene. In three patients, stem cells carrying the gene were identified in their blood or bone marrow. In one patient, stem cells carrying the gene were detected up to 28 weeks after their administration. This significant finding has never been reported before with this gene and drug combination. ??This study is the first to show the success of treatment with evidence that stem cells now carry the new gene,?? says Dr.
Reduce your risk: Colorectal cancer is ninth biggest killer in Wabash ...
In addition to the radiation therapy, two chemotherapy drugs were used in tandem. "A lot of patients did not have to have resections."That therapy has gone on to aid in treatment of other squamous cell cancers, including those of the esophagus, head, neck, stomach and pancreas. The combination therapy also is being used for lung cancer and patient's survival rates have increased, says Sue Jarvis, R.N., who will head the new Hux Cancer Center when it opens in January.There have been other therapy changes, too. It's not, Jarvis says, "your mother's aunt's neighbor's cousin's best friend's" cancer treatment any more.For one, there are more chemotherapy options to choose from. Also, Correa and other oncologists may opt to give chemotherapy in a continuous infusion of relatively minute amounts rather than a large amount all at once.
Dallas, Texas
Bishop Angell testified in a 1990 lawsuit that he did not take seriously allegations - made by both parishioners and assistant priests - that the Rev. William O'Connell was molesting boys. The priest was convicted, served a short sentence, moved to New Jersey, committed more crimes and died in prison. In another Rhode Island case, Bishop Angell in 1989 promised to "take care of it" when the Rev. Normand Demers was accused of misconduct with boys while working at a Haitian orphanage, according to a former orphanage staffer. The priest was brought back to work in the Providence diocese (see more under that listing). More recently, Bishop Angell allowed six accused priests to stay on the job in Vermont, then later gave their names to the state attorney general and suspended them. He would not identify them publicly.
Epoetin Alfa in Critically Ill Patients
To the Editor: Corwin et al. (Sept. 6 issue)1 report that the use of epoetin alfa in critically ill patients does not reduce the incidence of red-cell transfusion but may reduce mortality among patients with trauma. However, the drug was given subcutaneously. It is well known that skin perfusion is impaired in patients with critical illness. Did the investigators conduct a pharmacokinetic evaluation in a subgroup to ensure adequate erythropoietin absorption? In addition, a relatively large erythropoietin dose was used in the study. Such a large dose could be associated with endothelial dysfunction, a proinflammatory state,2 and increased thrombogenicity by inducing the expression of tissue factor.3 Giving smaller doses of erythropoietin at more frequent intervals in patients undergoing dialysis often improves responsiveness to the drug and decreases the total erythropoietin requirement.
MY PAST IS NOT MY PROLOGUE
I can accurately figure tips in restaurants. Again, it's smaller than a candy bar. The most delicious part of this hand-held bit of high technology is that I'm in control. I can turn it off. I remember thinking how apt the saying "stop the world, I want to get off," especially on those days that were just too hard to handle. Now, I can literally stop the world just by turning off my cell phone. Whether high technology is wireless or plugged in, it's in your own hands. When we thought of the future we simply built on the past. This is the way it was, this is the way it will be - only better. We understood "better" even if we didn't know how it would be made better. What an innovation to be able to write under water; that was the only claim to fame for the ball point pen, and that was in the 1940s.
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