According to the results of a study presented today, researchers found that treatment with the anti-epileptic drug (AED) Keppra (levetiracetam) used alone resulted in seizure freedom in elderly patients.
Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center鈥檚 (UHCMC) Seidman Cancer Center will present findings from two studies evaluating new technologies designed to address common barriers to patient enrollment in clinical trials. Results from a large-scale, randomized trial demonstrated that the use of tailored, web-based videos delivering educational information to patients before an oncologist visit can significantly improve knowledge and reduce attitudinal barriers that impact enrollment in clinical trials. A second, preliminary study showed that a new automated technology created by UHCMC researchers helped oncologists identify clinical trials for individual patients in a busy outpatient oncology clinic.
In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-scientists at University Hospitals Case Medical Center found that sleep quality impacts skin function and aging. The study, commissioned by Est茅e Lauder, demonstrated that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin aging and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors, such as disruption of the skin barrier or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Poor sleepers also had worse assessment of their own skin and facial appearance.
Researchers publish findings that a new form of imaging 鈥 PET/MRI 鈥 is promising for several types of cancer. Article is titled 鈥淧ET/MRI: Applications in Clinical Imaging,鈥 and is published in the September issue of Current Radiology Reports.
In a new paper published early online by the Annals of Surgery, physician-researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center describe a new tool called the HARM score that reliably measures quality and clinical outcomes for colon and rectal surgery patients. The name of the tool reflects the data sources used to calculate the score: HospitAl stay, Readmission rate, and Mortality. The paper demonstrates a strong correlation between the HARM score, and the quality of clinical outcomes achieved by surgeons and hospitals for patients having major abdominal surgery.
Advanced imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan shows great promise in predicting which patients with inoperable lung cancer have more aggressive tumors and need additional treatment following standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy, according to new research recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The multi-site trial, led by study author and principal investigator Mitch Machtay, MD, University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center, enrolled 250 patients at 60 cancer centers around the country.
CLEVELAND: New recommendations for overcoming issues related to cancer clinical trial accrual have been published online in the Journal of Oncology Practice. Following a National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) co-sponsored symposium, the research team compiled a summary of best practices and strategies for future research aimed at advancing cancer trials more rapidly.
鈥淐ancer clinical trials provide the evidence base for new advances in oncology. However, only a few percent of cancer patients participate in them,鈥 says Neal J. Meropol, MD, senior author, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. 鈥淧oor enrollment onto trials threatens to slow progress in cancer care at a time when advances in science are enabling new opportunities for prevention and treatment."
New research study finds that children ages 1 to 3 years account for one-fifth of all emergency department visits caused by complications from asthma, representing the highest proportion of visits among asthma patients under age 21. In addition, 55 percent of all ED visits due to asthma occur in boys, and fall months 鈥 September, October and November 鈥 have a relatively high proportion of visits compared to other times of the year. The research was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference in Orlando.
At AAP, the same research team also presented an analysis of adverse drug events (ADE) among hospitalized children in the U.S. from 2003 to 2010. Results reveal that medication errors and ADEs in pediatric inpatient settings gradually increased between 2003 and 2010, although the cause for this increase requires further study.
New research examined how changes in the genetic composition of breast cancer tumors after brief exposure to either biologic therapy or chemotherapy can predict future clinical outcomes in patients.
Promising results from a Phase III study published in this week鈥檚 New England Journal of Medicine finds upper airway electronic stimulation to be effective in reducing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms.