all Brigham and Women's Hospital stories

Researchers ‘NOTCH’ a victory in war on cancer

404132862 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:01 -0500

Cancer cells fueled by the mutant KRAS oncogene, which makes them notoriously difficult to treat, can be killed by blocking a more vulnerable genetic partner of KRAS, report scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT.

Not having health insurance is expensive

404132862 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0400

New findings from researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) demonstrate that individuals who were either continuously or intermittently uninsured between the ages of 51 and 64 cost Medicare more than those who had continuous insurance coverage in the years prior to Medicare eligibility.

NIH funds risky, potentially transformative research by Harvard faculty members

404132862 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:17:05 -0400

Eighteen faculty members at Harvard and Harvard-affiliated institutions are among 115 scientists nationally whose promising and innovative work was recognized today with the announcement of three grant programs by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Study finds promise in combined transplant/vaccine therapy for high-risk leukemia

404132862 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:00:28 -0400

Two of the most powerful approaches to cancer treatment — a stem cell transplant and an immune system-stimulating vaccine — appear to reinforce each other in patients with an aggressive, hard-to-control form of leukemia, Harvard scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) have found.

Kauffman Foundation awards researcher entrepreneurial fellowship

705287540 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:48:42 -0400

Regular use of aspirin after colorectal cancer diagnosis may reduce the risk of cancer death, report Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In today's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study’s authors also find that the aspirin-associated survival advantage was seen primarily in patients with tumors expressing the COX

Lifestyle culprit in increase in cardiovascular disease

404132862 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:43:45 -0400

Despite the perception that cardiovascular disease is a problem of industrialized countries, it is the leading cause of death everywhere except Africa, where it is eclipsed by the raging AIDS epidemic, experts gathered at Harvard Medical School (HMS) said Wednesday.

An unusual collection : A brain tumor tissue bank

404132862 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:22:27 -0400

Five years ago, as she was walking into Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center in Methuen, Mass., Patricia Fay saw a priest she knew and cornered him. “I’m like ‘Oh, Father Peter! And I sort of grabbed him by his arm,” she recounts.“I said, ‘What are you doing here? Father Peter! I could use a prayer right now. He asked me what was going on and I told him, “They found a brain tumor and I’m about to get set up for radiation. It’s cancer.”

“Father Peter put his hand on the top of my head, closed his eyes, and started saying a prayer,” Fay continues. But all she could think was, “Oh no! He’s blessing the wrong side!”

Bone Proteins Costly In Surgery, Study Says

50443248 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:35:38 -0400

Study Finds Problems With Bone-Growth Products in Neck Surgery

50443248 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:25:15 -0400

Bone agent linked to problems in neck surgeries

50443248 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:28:31 -0400

Spinal fusion protein associated with complications, higher costs

50443248 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:55:36 -0400

In the United States, back pain continues to be a leading cause of disability and one of the most common reasons to see a physician for evaluation. Among various treatment options is spinal fusion surgery, which may use a biological agent known as bone-morphogenetic protein (BMP).

Low blood sugar in hospital linked to higher death risk

50443248 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:58:07 -0400

Harvard researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) found that diabetics hospitalized for noncritical illnesses who develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) during hospitalization have an increased likelihood of remaining hospitalized longer and a greater risk of mortality both during and after hospitalization.

First-Degree Atrioventricular Block Shows Heightened Risk

50443248 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:52:30 -0400