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Vitamin E Helps Prevent Lung Disease
Scientists in New York have found that Vitamin E, acting as an antioxidant, can play an important role in preventing lung disease. Eight researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo and from the U.S. Veterans Administration medical center in Buffalo tested more than l,600 people, comparing their antioxidant levels to how well their lungs functioned. more
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Colorectal Cancer Trials Involving Irinotecan And The Saltz Regimen Are Temporarily Suspended
Suspensions of two phase III clinical trials for colorectal cancer occurred after the Data Safety Monitoring Boards DSMBs -- oversight groups made up of physicians, statisticians, and patient advocates who ensure the safety of study participants and the validity of data being collected -- determined after an analysis of data from each trial that there were more deaths with the regimens than were to be expected. Most of the deaths occurred early in treatment and all within the first 60 days, and at least half during the first six weeks of the therapy. At the recommendation of the DSMBs, the sponsoring cooperative groups jointly announced preliminary results of the data analysis on the Web site of the New England Journal of Medicine on 17 May 2001. The authors urged caution in the routine administration of the Saltz regimen for advanced colorectal cancer and called for vigilant patient monitoring. They also suggested that oncologists may want to use an alternative dosing regimen. more
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More Information: Questions and Answers About Colorectal Cancer Trials Involving Irinotecan And The Saltz Regimen
In April 2001, two Phase III, NCI-funded colorectal cancer trials (N9741 and CLB 89803) were temporarily suspended because 28 of 2,060 patients receiving treatment had died, apparently as a result of known toxic side-effects. The treatment used in both trials was a standard multi-drug treatment known as the Saltz regimen, the most widely used combination of irinotecan, 5-flurouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) in the United States. The Saltz regimen has been considered the standard treatment for advanced colorectal cancer since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2000. Intensive examination into the causes of the deaths is ongoing, but it is expected that the trials will eventually continue. This question and answer handout should help resolve questions patients and professionals may have. more
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World No-Tobacco Day --- 31 May 2001
World No-Tobacco Day is 31 May 2001. The theme, "Second-Hand Smoke Kills---Let's Clear the Air," was designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness of the hazards of exposure to second-hand smoke. Tobacco use worldwide will cause an estimated 10 million deaths annually by 2030. more
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Prevalence Of Parasites In Fecal Material From Chlorinated Swimming Pools
As a result of the 1998 outbreak of infection with the chlorine-sensitive pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 at a waterpark in Georgia, many public health departments updated their guidelines for disinfecting pools following a fecal accident. Many of these guidelines recommended treating all fecal accidents as if they contained the highly chlorine-resistant parasite Cryptosporidium parvum, generally resulting in hyperchlorination and pool closures of up to a day. To determine whether fecal accidents commonly contained Cryptosporidium, the prevalence of this parasite and the moderately chlorine sensitive parasite Giardia intestinalis was assessed by asking swimming pool operators throughout the United States to collect formed stools from fecal accidents in their pools. This report summarizes the results of this study and provides recommendations for disinfecting pools following fecal accidents. Vidyya is offering this report to our readers as Memorial Day weekend festivities get underway and swimming pools open all over the US. more
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