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Broncus Introduces Innovative Bronchoscopic Tools To Be Used In The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Lung Diseases
Broncus Technologies, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing minimally-invasive innovations for lung diseases, announced today at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) the release of its first commercial products: the LungPoint™ Virtual Bronchoscopic Navigation and Treatment Planning System, Yield™ Mini Doppler Probe, and Yield™ Transbronchial Coring Needles. These devices are for use in interventional bronchoscopic procedures for lung cancer and other diseases.
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Opinion Pieces Examine Recent Public Opinion Polls On Abortion
Two newspapers recently published opinion pieces on abortion-related public opinion polls. Summaries appear below.~ Steven Kull, Baltimore Sun: Although "many Americans feel morally conflicted about" abortion, it is a "common error to believe that the American electorate is deeply divided about how the government should deal with" the procedure, Kull -- director of WorldPublicOpinion.org and the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- writes in a Sun opinion piece. He adds that "there is substantial consensus that the government should not criminalize abortion." According to Kull, a new CNN poll found that 68% of respondents believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, and a recent WorldPublicOpinion.org poll found that when asked, "Do you think the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortion or do you think the government should leave these matters to the individual," 69% said that the matter should be left to the individual. Kull adds that "of the 29% who said that the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortions, a remarkably low 8% favored using criminal enforcement methods." According to Kull, other polls have found if "given a middle option -- somewhere between strict prohibition and government permission -- a significant number will choose it." Kull writes that "once the moral question is differentiated from the question of how the government should act, it does appear that there is substantial consensus that abortion should not be criminalized." He concludes, "Once the option of criminal enforcement is taken off the table, constructive options are more likely to emerge and can be an effective focus for the energies freed up from the incessant debates about abortion" (Kull, Baltimore Sun, 5/22).~ Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times: "It"s rather ironic that as the most pro-choice government in U.S. history settles into its seats," a Gallup poll "finds that most Americans are pro-life," columnist Wetzstein writes in a Times opinion piece. She adds, "Some observers have tried to pooh-pooh this result, but it doesn"t surprise me for two reasons." Wetzstein writes that her "experience with youth, both personally and professionally, is that they often recoil at abortion," adding, "So I find a pro-life trend in youth to be quite plausible." She continues, "Second, I think some aging baby boomers are changing their views," adding, "People generally become more conservative and self-reflective with age. Legacies matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Regrets appear." Wetzstein concludes, "My suspicion is that in more than a few cases, baby boomers who were willing to have abortions are not at ease with the idea of losing their grandchildren," adding, "It may be that in the autumn of life, being "pro-life" has a whole new meaning" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/26).
News of the day
Human Genome Sciences Submits Biologics License Application To FDA For ABthrax(TM)
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) announced that it has submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its human monoclonal antibody drug ABthrax(TM) (raxibacumab) for the treatment of inhalation anthrax.
Medical Devices

Important Therapeutic Target For Breast Cancer: Newly Appreciated Membrane Estrogen Receptor

New research at Rhode Island Hospital has uncovered the biological effects of a novel membrane estrogen receptor, a finding that has potential implications for hormonal therapy for breast cancer. The study is published in the July edition of the journal Molecular Endocrinology. This new study by Edward Filardo, MD, and his research team further supports earlier published work by the group that linked the transmembrane receptor, GPR30/GPER-1, to specific estrogen binding, rapid estrogen signaling and breast cancer metastasis. "What is exciting about this new work," says Filardo, "is that it provides some insight into the influence of GPR30 at the cellular level. It shows that estrogen action through GPR30 allows for breast tumor cell survival, and not breast tumor cell proliferation." Prior studies by Filardo"s group showed that estrogen acts through GPR30 to promote the rapid release of preformed growth factors that are tethered to the surface of breast cancer cells. Their latest study was conducted in an effort to better understand the mechanism by which GPR30 triggered the release of epidermal growth factor (EGF) polypeptides from the surface of breast cancer cells. The investigator"s found that the "growth factors" did not promote cellular growth, which by itself is not a novel finding. It has long been appreciated that EGF-related factors are also important in other cellular activities such as cellular survival. Filardo and the research team, however, found that estrogen action through GPR30 had a more profound effect on tumor cell survival. They found that GPR30 promoted the assembly of what is called a "provisional extracellular matrix" -- a crucial event in cellular survival. More specifically, they found that release of growth factor by GPR30 required the activation of a latent adhesion receptor (known as integrin-5-1). Filardo says, "Activation of integrin -5-1 by GPR30 is a significant event because it provides a way for invading cells to gain hold once they metastasize to tissues distant to the primary breast cancer. This happens because activated integrin -5-1 can convert soluble plasma protein fibronectin into an insoluble cage. The breast cancer cells can use this to adapt to a new environment." In general, about two-thirds of all breast cancer cases involve tumors that retain expression of estrogen receptors (ER). They are presumed to proliferate in response to estrogen produced by the patient. Consequently, patients with ER-positive tumors receive hormonal agents (known as ER antagonists) that act by blocking the proliferative effects of estrogen promoted by the ER. As a result, the capacity of breast cancers to grow is reduced. The development of new drugs targeting GPR30 may be an important step in controlling breast cancer because this newly appreciated estrogen receptor is not promoting estrogen-dependent growth but may be critical in promoting breast tumor cell survival. Filardo says, "There has been a recent shift toward treating ER-positive breast tumor patients with aromatase inhibitors such as tamoxifen that block estrogen biosynthesis. The thought is that this is yet another way to prevent estrogen from acting as its sole receptor, the ER." He concludes, "The discovery that GPR30 represents yet another estrogen receptor with biological significance for breast cancer furthers the argument that aromatase inhibitors would effectively block estrogen action at both types of estrogen receptors." Other researchers involved in the study with Edward Filardo include Jeffrey A. Quinn, C. Thomas Graeber and A. Raymond Frackelton, Jr. of the department of medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Minsoo Kim of the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester and Jean E. Schwarzbauer of Princeton University. The study was funded in part by a research scholar award from the American Cancer Society and from a National Institutes of Health award. Nancy Cawley Jean Lifespan


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