The problem with treating breast cancer: Until now, it has not been possible to predict the individual effectiveness of the various breast cancer therapies currently available. It therefore cannot be ensured that each patient will receive the therapy that is optimal for her. In order to improve this situation, 40 Siemens employees in Cologne have been developing innovative diagnostic tests which can be used to precisely describe the molecular characteristics of a patient’s tumor cells. The results should help the treating physician adapt the therapy to the individual patient.

In addition, Siemens has been researching innovative biochips at its Cologne laboratory with which the newly developed breast cancer tests can be performed. Biochips can perform hundreds, and in extreme cases hundreds of thousands, of diagnostic tests simultaneously. Many different tumor characteristics must be investigated in order to identify the possible of various therapies. Biochips are therefore especially suitable for performing a high number of required tests both fast and efficiently.

“Siemens Healthcare chose Cologne as the new site for its molecular diagnostics research in Germany because this city is one of Europe’s leading competence centers in the field of biomedicine”, said Donal Quinn, Chief Executive Office of the Diagnostics Division of Siemens Healthcare. “Viewed from the perspective of Siemens, a medicine that is more strongly based on molecular medical and knowledge-based techniques will be able to make important long-term contributions toward improving the quality and increasing the efficiency of healthcare.”

Breast cancer causes death among women, more often than any other cancer. Over 150,000 women are treated for breast cancer in Germany every year. More than 17,000 of them die from this disease annually. For this reason, not only quality-tested early detection of breast cancer, but also individual therapies ensured by reliable diagnostics are important. Siemens Healthcare has therefore developed comprehensive solutions for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer under the name “Breast Care Solutions”. These solutions comprise a combination of different imaging techniques including ultrasound, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging, which are now supplemented by innovative laboratory diagnostic tests and DP based evaluation systems.

MentalHelp.net, a site dedicated to educating and informing the public, has announced that additional resources are available on the site for soldiers, their families and anyone with questions about how the Iraq war is impacting suicide rates and depression among military personnel.

“The soldiers, their families and the public are increasingly concerned about suicide, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health issues related to the Iraq war,” Mark Dombeck, Ph.D., founder of MentalHelp.net said. “The number of Iraq war veterans needing mental health care continues to rise sharply.”

“MentalHelp.net is an excellent resource for finding information on certain mental illnesses and disorders. MentalHelp.net’s mission is to help educate the public about mental illness and the importance of treatment,” he added. “Mental health is an integral part of health care, but is often overlooked because of inaccessibility. Many people are not sure if they need help, and that is where the material at MentalHelp.net comes in. From symptoms of certain mental illnesses and disorders, to living with someone who has a mental illness, MentalHelp.net is an excellent free resource for anything regarding mental illnesses.”

Natalie Staats Reiss, Ph.D and an editor at the site added, “Many soldiers coming home from war are in desperate need of help from a therapist, but many think they do not need the help. MentalHelp.Net has a plethora of articles about disorders and mental illnesses that may be affecting veterans. Two common ones are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression.”

“There are a variety of other issues that can arise when a soldier returns from war, and MentalHelp.net has information on these as well. These articles can help not only the veterans themselves, but the families of these veterans. Family members can access hundred of articles explaining a mental illness or disorder and learn the symptoms so they can help their loved one” Riess explained.

“PTSD is very common among veterans and can be treated in a variety of ways. Some can be helped by therapy visits, and others can be helped by medication. Recent statistics show that one in five soldiers returning from war suffer from PTSD. Left untreated, serious consequences can occur,” added Dombeck. “MentalHelp.net strives to get the word out to the public about the importance of treatment for these issues and get our veterans the help that they need.”

MentalHelp.net has a therapist finder feature on their website that allows anyone to search for a therapist in their area based on the issue for which they would be seen. Veterans and family members alike can use this feature to locate a mental health professional who will be able to provide the services needed. Other features on the MentalHelp.net website are question and answer sections, an online mental help support community where people can give and receive advice on certain mental illnesses, and blogs written by mental health professionals.

“With all of the information that MentalHelp.net has to offer, help for veterans is just a click away. By spending a little time on the website, you can read about a mental illness, read about the symptoms, and find a mental health professional in your area,” Dombeck said. “This free resource is extremely valuable and easy to use in order to get our veterans the help they need–and deserve.”

The new learning resources are provided in a series of modules—those available immediately include courses on self-harm and the Medical Capacity Act, the management of acute coronary syndromes, and syncope. Future modules will include courses ranging from acute management of diabetic ketoacidosis and back pain to non-clinical issues such as conflict resolution.

Dr Taj Hassan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and the Clinical Lead for the ENLIGHTENme e-learning project at the College said:

“The new CPD courses on the BMJ Learning platform are part of our wider web-based strategy to deliver effective e-learning to our members and fellows. We are delighted to be working with the BMJ Group which has a distinguished track record in providing high quality e-learning for medical professionals”

Dr Kieran Walsh of BMJ Learning said:

“We welcome the partnership with the College of Emergency Medicine and the opportunity this provides to extend our expertise in medical education to more health care professionals.”

Note to editors:

BMJ Group is one of the world’s leading providers of trusted medical information for healthcare professionals and patients. BMJ Group publishes BMJ (British Medical Journal), over 20 specialist journals, BMJ Clinical Evidence and BMJ Best Treatments (currently available in the UK from AskBoots.com). The Group also provides through BMJ Learning, continuing professional development online modules and exam revision materials, as well as events and workshops for the healthcare profession. BMJ Group is owned by the British Medical Association. It is editorially independent and the articles and content it publishes are not intended to reflect BMA policy.
http://www.bmj.com

The College of Emergency Medicine became a College by Royal Charter on 29th February 2008. The College is established to advance education and research in Emergency Medicine. The College is responsible for setting standards of training and administering examinations in Emergency Medicine for the award of Fellowship and Membership of the College as well as recommending trainees for CCT in Emergency Medicine. The College works to ensure high quality care by setting and monitoring standards of care, and providing expert guidance and advice on policy to relevant bodies on matters relating to Emergency Medicine.
http://www.collemergencymed.ac.uk

“Not only did XIENCE V clearly differentiate itself from the TAXUS stent in the first year after treatment, it has now demonstrated even more positive effects at two years in the SPIRIT III trial,” said Dr. Stone, Columbia University Medical Center and chairman, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York. “As measured by clinically significant reductions in target vessel failure and MACE, XIENCE V demonstrated an even greater improvement in patient outcomes compared to TAXUS at two years than at one year, driven by numerically lower rates of heart attacks and lower observed rates of re-intervention of the target lesion. We also saw encouraging trends for lower observed rates of late and very late stent thrombosis in XIENCE V-treated patients, especially in those who discontinued dual antiplatelet therapy.”

The SPIRIT III trial of 1,002 patients, which is the basis for the pre-market application of XIENCE V to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), demonstrated the following key results for XIENCE V at two years:

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· A 45 percent reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) compared to TAXUS (7.3 percent for XIENCE V vs. 12.8 percent for TAXUS, p-value=0.004)*. MACE is an important composite clinical measure of safety and efficacy outcomes for patients, defined as cardiac death, heart attack (MI), or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR driven by lack of blood supply).

· A 32 percent reduction in the risk of Target Vessel Failure (TVF, cardiac events related to the treated vessel) compared to TAXUS (10.7 percent for XIENCE V vs. 15.4 percent for TAXUS, p-value=0.04)*. TVF is a composite clinical measure of safety and efficacy outcomes defined as cardiac death, heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI) or target vessel revascularization (TVR).

· A 40 percent reduction in the risk of ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (ID-TLR) as compared to TAXUS (4.6 percent for XIENCE V vs. 7.5 percent for TAXUS, p-value=0.07)*.

· Low rates of stent thrombosis between one and two years, defined as very late stent thrombosis, per Academic Research Consortium (ARC) definition of definite/probable stent thrombosis (0.3 percent for XIENCE V and 1.0 percent for TAXUS) and per the SPIRIT III protocol (0.2 percent for XIENCE V and 1.0 percent for TAXUS). The ARC definitions of stent thrombosis were developed to eliminate variability in the definitions across various drug eluting stent trials.

“From these results, it is clear that XIENCE V can deliver sustained benefits to patients over the long term,” said John M. Capek, Ph.D., executive vice president, Medical Products, Abbott. “We continue to be pleased with the way XIENCE V is performing, with outstanding results that are consistent with what we have seen throughout the SPIRIT III trial.”

About the SPIRIT III Trial

SPIRIT III is a prospective, multi-center, randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial comparing XIENCE V to TAXUS in 1,002 patients (669 XIENCE V patients, 333 TAXUS patients) with either one or two de novo native coronary artery lesions. The trial was conducted across 65 academic and community-based centers in the United States between June 22, 2005 and March 15, 2006.

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The primary endpoint of the SPIRIT III trial was in-segment late loss at eight months, wherein XIENCE V demonstrated superiority to TAXUS with a statistically significant 50 percent reduction in late loss (mean, 0.14 mm for XIENCE V vs. 0.28 mm for TAXUS). In-segment late loss is a measure of vessel renarrowing. In the co-primary endpoint of TVF at nine months, XIENCE V demonstrated statistical non-inferiority compared to TAXUS with an observed 20 percent reduction in TVF (7.2 percent for XIENCE V vs. 9.0 percent for TAXUS).

Additionally, in the pre-specified secondary endpoint of MACE, XIENCE V demonstrated a 43 percent reduction at nine months (4.6 percent for XIENCE V vs. 8.1 percent for TAXUS) and a 42 percent reduction in MACE at one year (6.0 percent for XIENCE V vs. 10.3 percent for TAXUS) compared to TAXUS.

About XIENCE V

The XIENCE V stent system utilizes everolimus, which has been shown to reduce tissue proliferation in the coronary vessels following stent implantation, and is based upon the highly deliverable and proven MULTI-LINK VISION coronary stent platform.

XIENCE V was launched in Europe and other international markets in October 2006. XIENCE V is currently an investigational device in the United States and Japan, and is under review for approval by the FDA. Abbott expects to gain FDA approval for XIENCE V in the second quarter of 2008.

Abbott also supplies a private-label version of XIENCE V to Boston Scientific called the PROMUS Everolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System. PROMUS is designed, studied and manufactured by Abbott and supplied as part of a distribution agreement between the two companies.

Everolimus is licensed to Abbott by Novartis for use on its drug eluting stents.

For images of Abbott’s XIENCE V stent and other information, please visit the company’s online newsroom at www.abbottvascular.com/presskit.

* Event rates are based on Kaplan-Meier estimates; p-values are for descriptive purposes only.

The speciality health camps are designed specially for people suffering from Stress, Cardiac ailments and Hypertension, Diabetes and Orthopaedic problems. In addition, there are camps for women to deal with Pregnancy and Post-natal care as also Menopause.

“The speciality health camps are geared to equip the participants with a holistic way of managing their problems,” said Dr Hansa Jaidev, Director, the Yoga Institute. “Besides training in yoga techniques, the participants would be advised on diet, recreation and self-management methods.”

Each of the Two-Day speciality workshops will be conducted by qualified yoga practitioners under the guidance of Dr Hansa Jaidev, Director, the Yoga Institute. Specialist doctors would also counsel participants on effective disease management at the workshops.

The Health Camp Series for May 2008 will be inaugurated at 9.30 am on May 3, 2008.

For further details, please visit the Institute’s web site www.yogainstitute.org or call them at +91 22 26110506, +91 22 261122185.

About the Yoga Institute, Santacruz
The Yoga Institute was founded by Shri Yogendraji in 1918. Set up in Santacruz East, Mumbai, India, the Institute carries the distinction of being the oldest organised centre of Yoga in the world. The Institute is spread over one acre and comprises three buildings dedicated to yoga activities. About 1000 persons visit the Institute every day for training health benefits and consultation.

For further information, please contact:
Suvarna K (9820615737)
Armaiti Desai (+91 22 26110506, +91 22 261122185)