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The following reflects new findings and outcomes in medical research as presented at major medical meetings and published peer-reviewed medical journals. In this section members can view reports from important congresses as well as summaries of some recently published journal articles. Please let us know if you have a particular area of interest you would like to see covered. RESOURCE LINE VACCINEJuly-September 2010 Quadrivalent HPV vaccine: strong, sustained protection against low-grade lesions
RESOURCE LINE - Pediatric Nutrition Simple Strategies and Solutions for Common Nutritional Deficiencies in Infants and ChildrenSummer 2010 Vancouver - Here at the Canadian Paediatric Society Conference, the nutritional needs at different stages of infants’ and young children’s lives were discussed. Firstly, very low birth-weight preterm infants require fortified feeding to ensure growth matches growth rates of in utero infants of the same gestational age. Secondly, for all infants, both term and preterm, breastfeeding is recommended for up to 6 months of age. With the exception of vitamin D, breast milk is nutritionally complete (...) Read more... NEW FRONTIERS - XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAS) Seeking Optimal First-line NRTI Backbones: Weighing the EvidenceVienna, Austria / July 18-23, 2010 Vienna - Prior efforts to rank nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) combinations by safety are being confounded by an evolving understanding of lifetime risks in an aging HIV-infected population. The relative risks posed by NRTIs on specific organ systems over time have required frequent reassessment as new data have been generated by the increasing population of long-term HIV survivors. However, because the spectrum of long-term risks on NRTIs differs, it is inappropriate to (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAS) Relative Strengths and Clinical Use of CCR5 Entry InhibitorsVienna, Austria / July 18-23, 2010 Vienna - The expansion of antiretroviral drug classes is permitting a far more strategic order of first-, second- and third-line treatments. After a long period in which cross-resistance within classes produced a situation in which newer therapies were often reserved for salvage, the expansion of new drug classes, such as fusion inhibitors, entry inhibitors and integrase inhibitors, are permitting a far more individualized approach. In general, the recommended treatment for initial therapy (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD) New Diagnostic Criteria and Evaluations of Alzheimer’s Disease TreatmentsHonolulu, Hawaii / July 10-15, 2010 Honolulu - Recent research discussed here during the scientific sessions has highlighted the increasing prevalence and high cost of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). On the other hand, studies are also showing that early interventions with case management and medications such as cholinesterase inhibitors may not only alleviate symptoms in mild to advanced AD for extended periods, but also significantly decrease health care expenditures. New diagnostic criteria for preclinical dementia, mild (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 26th International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical and Public Health Workshops Enhanced Treatment Strategies for External Genital WartsMontreal, Quebec / July 3-8, 2010 Montreal - External genital warts (GWs) are the most common sexual health disorder for which young men and women seek medical attention and, globally, more cases and recurrent episodes are being reported. GWs are associated with considerable psychological distress and potentially very unpleasant and painful treatment. Although the natural history of GWs suggests that most patients will eventually clear the warts, treatment with an immune response modifier may accelerate the natural immune (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 26th International Papillomavirus Conference Reducing the Burden of HPV-related Disease in Men and WomenMontreal, Quebec / July 3-8, 2010 Montreal - Genital warts are the earliest manifestation of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A rapid decline in their incidence with widespread uptake of the quadrivalent vaccine in Australia is the first concrete proof of its efficacy. Trial data discussed here this week during the scientific sessions continue to confirm exceptional efficacy rates in women and men. This was demonstrated against not only genital warts but also other manifestations of HPV infection, including low- and (...) Read more... MEDICAL FRONTIERS - 2010 Congress of the European Renal Association and European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Controlling Hyperphosphatemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney DiseaseMunich, Germany / June 25-28, 2010 Munich - Even between non-calcium-containing agents, phosphate binders used in dialysis patients appear to differ substantially. While these differences are now being closely evaluated for their influence on outcome, the attention generated by these comparisons may have more immediate importance for drawing attention to an acute need for more aggressive serum phosphorus (SP) control. Despite guidelines, surveys suggest that a large proportion of dialysis patients continue to have SP levels (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 23rd International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer New Data in the Prevention of CINVVancouver, British Columbia / June 24-26, 2010 Vancouver - Prior to the modern era of emetic prophylaxis, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) was one of the most worrisome side effects from chemotherapy. Significant improvement has been achieved since the introduction of the serotonin antagonists (5-HT3 receptor antagonists [RA]) plus corticosteroids. Yet with even moderately emetogenic chemotherapy regimens, standard antiemetic regimens often fail to achieve complete emesis control in all patients. Promising results (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - Alabama Dermatology Society Summer Symposium Field Therapy as an Adjunct to Cryosurgery for Actinic KeratosesSandestin, Florida / June 24-27, 2010 Sandestin - Cryosurgery is currently the most commonly used treatment for actinic keratoses (AK). Cryosurgery does not, however, target the area of skin surrounding clinically apparent AKs, where field cancerization may exist. Use of the topical cream imiquimod 3.75% following cryosurgery has been demonstrated as an effective sequential adjunct to cryotherapy. The compound has also sustained complete clearance for at least 12 months in ≥40% of study participants, an important result given (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 15th Congress of the European Hematology Association Update on the Treatment of Iron OverloadBarcelona, Spain / June 10-13, 2010 Barcelona - Patients who become transfusion-dependent due to chronic anemia are highly predisposed to iron overload and iron overload in turn is toxic to many organs. Guidelines indicate that patients with high serum ferritin concentrations should receive iron chelation to reduce iron stores and help preserve organ function. New data presented here at the EHA demonstrate that a once-daily oral iron chelator is both efficacious and well-tolerated, thereby improving patient satisfaction with (...) Read more... FRONTLINE - Geriatric Medicine Translating Research into Clinical PracticeJune 2010 Based on Sessions from the 30th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Geriatrics Society
PRIORITY PRESS - 12th Milan Breast Cancer Conference The ATAC Trial: 10-year AnalysisMilan, Italy / June 16-18, 2010 Milan - Studies have now established the efficacy of adjuvant third-generation aromatase inhibition over the antiestrogen tamoxifen in reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive tumours. The efficacy of anastrozole after five years compared to tamoxifen, for example, has also been shown to improve disease-free survival (DFS) and reduce early distant metastasis, which may ultimately translate into improved overall survival. As (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 2010 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) Targeted Cytokine Blocker Efficacy in Rheumatoid Arthritis TrialsRome, Italy / June 16-19, 2010 Rome - The rapid expansion of biological drug classes that downregulate the inflammatory response is substantially broadening the therapeutic options in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Following a proliferation of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibiting agents, newer drugs with different targets within the inflammatory cascade - such as interleukin 6, activated B cells and surface antigens that stimulate T cells - may offer similar efficacy with a different and perhaps more favourable safety (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 15th Congress of the European Hematology Association Novel Agents Significantly Improve Outcomes in Multiple MyelomaBarcelona, Spain / June 10-13, 2010 Barcelona - Novel agents, including a proteasome inhibitor and two immunomodulatory drugs, are changing the therapeutic landscape for multiple myeloma. Unlike in the past, the goal of treatment today is to attain complete remission. Treatment is still highly individualized, based on both patient and disease characteristics; but some novel agents may be able to overcome classic resistance to treatment and triple therapy. Combinations that include at least one novel agent are leading to (...) Read more... MEDI-NEWS - Based on: Mateos et al. Bortezomib plus melphalan and prednisone compared with melphalan and prednisone in previously untreated multiple myeloma: Updated follow-up and impact of subsequent therapy in the phase III VISTA trial. J Clin Oncol 2010;28(13):2259-66. Emerging Standard for Previously Untreated Multiple Myeloma PatientsJune 2010 The standard first-line regimen for symptomatic multiple myeloma patients ineligible for high-dose chemotherapy preserves its survival advantage over the previous standard even when patients are followed across subsequent rescue regimens, according to new long-term data from a phase III study. In the new data set, median survival from the start of subsequent therapy was almost 50% greater (30.2 vs. 21.9 months) among those initially randomized to the newer regimen. The advantage was (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 45th Annual Congress of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation Headache: New Advances Expand Management Choices but Treatment Gaps PersistQuebec City, Quebec / June 8-11, 2010 Quebec City - Migraine and other headaches are a relatively common phenomenon, yet experts here at the CNSF congress agreed the migraine “iceberg” persists, with many headaches still going undiagnosed. Meanwhile, there have been important advances in headache management. For example, recent research suggests that triptans may be effective during aura and that transcranial magnetic stimulation is a viable treatment option. While more treatment options exist now than ever before, and with even (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE - Nutrition Strategies to Improve and Maintain Intestinal Flora Balance: The Role of Prebiotics and ProbioticsJune 2010 Las Vegas – Research into prebiotics and probiotics on human health continues and emerging evidence appears promising. Both are able to provide optimal balance in the vast ecology of intestinal microbes and both have been associated with significant clinical benefit in a variety of therapeutic areas. Among their many proven effects is an ability to reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea, including diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile, alleviation of pouchitis and symptoms of ulcerative (...) Read more... JOURNAL CLUB - Transplantation Immunosuppression for Kidney Transplant Recipients: Evidence-based KDIGO Practice GuidelinesJune 2010 Based on The KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for the Care of Kidney Transplant Recipients.
MEDICAL FRONTIERS - 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Update on Optimal Long-term Control of GIST with Targeted TherapiesChicago, Illinois / June 4-8, 2010 Chicago - The efficacy of imatinib, an oral small molecule inhibitor in the long-term control of metastatic or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST), has provided an impressive demonstration of the potency of targeted therapy in malignant diseases. Recently, the indication for its use in GIST was expanded in Canada and elsewhere to include adjuvant treatment after primary resection. The new indication was based on results of a phase III study published in 2009 which (...) Read more... |