- FDA Appoints Tobacco Advisory Panel Members
- School Meal Programs Have Major Impact on Children's Diet: First Lady
- Scientists Spot Breast Cancer Genes That Influence Drug's Effectiveness
- Study May Lead To New Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Obama In Excellent Health: Doctor
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
FDA Appoints Tobacco Advisory Panel Members
The health impacts of menthol in cigarettes will be on the agenda when the new U.S. Food and Drug Administration tobacco advisory panel holds its first meeting at the end of March.
On Monday, the agency named nine members of the 12-person panel, which will include three nonvoting members representing the tobacco industry. The panel will advise the FDA on a range of tobacco-related public health, science and regulatory issues, the Associated Press reported.
Of the nine members named Monday, seven are health professionals, one represents state governments, and another represents the general public. The panel chair is Dr. Jonathan Samet, director of the University of Southern California's Institute for Global Health and former director of the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins University.
"The breadth of knowledge amassed by this highly qualified group will supplement and enhance the agency's understanding of tobacco control, prevention and health promotion issues," said Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, the AP reported.
-----
School Meal Programs Have Major Impact on Children's Diet: First Lady
People who prepare meals for students have more control over what children eat than parents, according to first lady Michelle Obama.
She noted that children enrolled in school meal programs consume about half their daily calories at school. About 31 million children in the United States take part in school-based lunch and breakfast programs, the Associated Press reported.
The first lady spoke Monday at the School Nutrition Association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The group is participating in Michele Obama's new campaign to reduce childhood obesity.
About one in three children in the U.S. is either overweight or obese, the AP reported.
-----
Scientists Spot Breast Cancer Genes That Influence Drug's Effectiveness
Genes that can predict which breast cancer patients will respond to the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel have been identified by an international team of scientists.
They analyzed 829 genes in breast cancer cells and pinpointed 6 that had an impact on whether the drug was effective, BBC News reported.
"Our research shows it is now possible to rapidly pinpoint genes which prevent cancer cells from being destroyed by anti-cancer drugs and use these same genes to predict which patients will benefit from specific types of treatment," said study leader Dr. Charles Swanton, head of translational cancer therapeutics at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute.
The study was published in The Lancet Oncology.
It's hoped the same gene identification method can be used for other cancers and treatments, BBC News reported.
-----
Study May Lead To New Prostate Cancer Treatment
A new method of treating prostate cancer has been identified by Australian researchers.
In tests on lab animals and human cells and tissues, the team at Monash University in Melbourne used a drug compound to selectively activate prostate beta estrogen receptor cells, United Press International reported.
The researchers found that triggering these estrogen receptor cells leads to the death of prostate cancer cells that are often resistant to conventional treatment and can cause recurrent incurable prostate cancer.
"It is a significant piece of the puzzle that will help medical research in this field -- an achievement that could eventually enhance treatment options for patients around the world with advanced prostate cancer," study co-author Gail Risbridger said in a news release, UPI reported.
Reader Comments