Mutations within a small cluster of genes tied to tumor growth are involved in three-quarters of the cases of the most common form of lung cancer, according to a study that could help link treatment to specific genetic flaws. Matthew Meyerson, professor of pathology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is a lead investigator on the study.
Nearly 1 in 9 children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and most take prescription stimulant drugs for years to calm their behaviors and help them focus in school. While drug manufacturer clinical trials clearly demonstrate that these drugs — which include methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall) — work to alleviate symptoms, very few were designed to investigate the long-term safety of these drugs, according to a new study conducted by Boston Children’s Hospital researchers. Florence Bourgeois, assistant professor of pediatrics, is the lead author of the study. Kenneth Mandl, professor of pediatrics, is a coauthor.
The Food and Drug Administration is considering adding a “black box” — its most serious safety warning — to the laparoscopic power morcellator due to reports that it can spread cancer. A panel of outside FDA advisers will hold a hearing on the issue Thursday and Friday. Hooman Noorchashm, lecturer on surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
Once derided as “Doc in a Box” medicine, urgent care has mushroomed into an estimated $14.5 billion business, as investors try to profit from the shifting landscape in health care. Ateev Mehrotra, associate professor of health care policy, is quoted.
Mental health experts are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to remove its most severe label – the so-called “black box warning” – on all categories of antidepressants because it has been “highly correlated” with a more than 33 percent jump in suicide attempts over the last decade as doctors and patients who could benefit from the drugs have shied away from using them. A recent HMS study is cited. Gene Beresin, professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Researchers say architectural design cues make people want to gamble, perhaps more than digital environments do. HMS studies are cited. Howard Shaffer, associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, was one of the authors.
When Harvard Medical School decided to tackle a DNA sequencing algorithm that already had been “solved” by the National Center of Biotechnology Informatics’ (part of NIH) MegaBLAST algorithm, it turned to open innovation. Harvard Catalyst is featured. Eva Guinan, professor of radiation oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, coauthored the study.
A woman in the US has developed a tumor-like growth eight years after a stem cell treatment to cure her paralysis failed. George Daley, professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Boston Children’s Hospital, is quoted.
In recent years, generics have curbed the rise of drug prices, saving the American health care system billions of dollars. But increasingly, experts say, the costs of some generic drugs are going the other way. Aaron Kesselheim, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
