Natalizumab (Tysabri® | Biogen Idec and Elan) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease in patients who are unable to tolerate, or respond adequately, to standard therapies.

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A study published in the January 2008 issue of Cancer Investigation has reported that the detection and quantification of specific protein tumor markers in human saliva could aid in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The researchers based in America have developed a unique test to identify and measure these protein markers in saliva samples that would indicate an increased risk for developing breast cancer.

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Based on the data from a randomized, prospective, clinical study, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved an expanded indication for a human plasma-derived, liquid fibrin sealant (Evicel™ | Omrix) in general surgery. Results from the study demonstrated that Evicel was superior to oxidized regenerated cellulose (Surgicel®| Ethicon), (used as control in the study), in providing hemostasis in less than 10 minutes.

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In a case study, published in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Neuroinflammation, Edward L. Tobinick, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Hyman Gross, Department of Neurology, USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles, have reported rapid cognitive improvement in a patient with late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) within minutes after injecting perispinal etanercept, biologic antagonist of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).

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Data from a randomized open-labeled phase II trial, findings of which were published in the recent issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, indicate that a novel tetravalent meningococcal glycoconjugate vaccine, MenACWY-CRM (Menveoâ„¢ | Novartis) is well-tolerated and highly immunogenic against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y, in infants. The novel tetravalent glycoconjugate vaccine (MenACWY) uses a natural mutant of the diphtheria toxin (CRM-197), and an aluminum phosphate adjuvant, in contrast to the detoxified diphtheria toxoid present in currently licensed vaccines.

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Findings from a recent retrospective study, published in the recent issue of the journal, Liver Transplant, reports that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is safe in children with non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (ALF). The study conducted by researchers from the Pediatric Liver Center at the King’s College Hospital in London showed that pediatric non-acetaminophen-induced ALF patients who received NAC had a shorter hospital stay, improvement in condition without liver transplantation, as well as better post-transplantation survival.

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Maternal periodontal health is not a risk factor for adverse birth outcomes, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Department of Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, findings of which were published in the recent issue of the Journal of Dental Research.

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The US Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing approval for a unique respiratory viral panel test (xTAG | Luminex), which is a novel diagnostic assay that can simultaneously detect and differentiate as many as 12 specific respiratory viruses from secretions obtained from the back of the throat.

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Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), as an adjuvant to external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT), delays the progression of prostate cancer by up to 8 years according to a study reported in the recent online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (January, 2008).

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Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is one of the major side-effects of prolonged use of bisphosphonates (BPs). But little is known regarding the difference in the risk of ONJ among oral and intravenous (IV) bisphosphonate users. Now, in a recent article published in the Journal of American Dental Association, it has been reported that patients receiving IV BPs are at a higher risk of developing adverse jaw outcomes compared to patients receiving oral BPs.

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