Findings of a major new study, conducted at Duke University, confirm that hospice services save money for Medicare while bringing quality care to seriously ill patients and their families. With more than 1.2 million patients utilizing the hospice benefit annually in the United States, the cost-savings of the Medicare Hospice Benefit is significant. [click link for full article]

Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:INGN) reported summary data from clinical studies of its lead product, ADVEXIN®. These data confirm and extend previous biomarker data correlating the abnormal p53 biomarker with increased tumor responses following ADVEXIN treatment and support its use as a biomarker to predict ADVEXIN efficacy. [click link for full article]

In 2004, Olivia Goldsmith, author of the First Wives’ Club, died during cosmetic surgery. More recently, Dr. Donda West, mother of rapper Kanye West, died following cosmetic surgery. “Aside from post-mastectomy reconstruction, there are NO medical reasons for cosmetic surgery. Therefore, no avoidable anesthesia risks, like those associated with general anesthesia, are acceptable,” claims Dr. Barry L. Friedberg, a globally recognized leader in the field of anesthesia. [click link for full article]

Physical therapist treatment for COPD, which includes breathing training and exercise, can help improve the quality of life for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) stated in recognition of November’s National COPD Awareness Month. COPD, also called emphysema or chronic bronchitis, is a serious lung disease that over time makes it difficult for a person to breathe. [click link for full article]

Researchers from Loyola University Medical Center have recently reported on the safety and efficacy of two treatment options commonly recommended to patients with early larynx cancer. The largest and only study of its kind examined a total of 3898 patients from a NCI sponsored national database who underwent either surgery or radiation. The lead investigator, Dr. Gopal Sachdeva concluded that long term cure rates were equivalent with both of these options. [click link for full article]

Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (OTCBB:ORMP), a developer of oral delivery systems, is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed animal studies as part of Phase 1B clinical trials for its oral insulin capsule. These positive results follow the successful completion of a Phase 1A study on eight healthy volunteers. [click link for full article]

Researchers from Loyola University Medical Center have recently reported on the safety and efficacy of two treatment options commonly recommended to patients with early larynx cancer. The largest and only study of its kind examined a total of 3898 patients from a NCI sponsored national database who underwent either surgery or radiation. The lead investigator, Dr. Gopal Sachdeva concluded that long term cure rates were equivalent with both of these options. [click link for full article]

An intervention is an organized, planned process in which family and friends, and sometimes colleagues and clergy or faith leaders, join together in a meeting to compassionately confront a loved one in an effort to encourage him or her to seek treatment for alcoholism, addiction or a mental health problem. A new feature on MayoClinic.com offers insights regarding how to prepare for an intervention. [click link for full article]

The US Food and Drugs Administration has decided no to ban the use of the diabetes drug Avandia, also known as Rosiglitazone.However, the drug will now carry a ‘black box’ warning that it could increase the risk of chest pains or heart attacks.The ‘black box’ warning is the strongest warning that the FDA adds to labels on medications that may pose a health threat to users. [click link for full article]

New research from The Department of Environmental Medicine at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that users of Swedish smokeless tobacco called ’snus’ run a higher risk of dying from cardiac arrest and stroke. Although the study did not show an increased risk of snus use and [incidence of] myocardial infarction, it did show a 30 per cent increased risk of fatal heart attack compared with people who have never used the product. [click link for full article]