Mexican researchers are beginning clinical trials of a treatment that could prevent the recurrence of different types of cancer, Latin Times reports. “The new therapy trains the immune system to recognize and eliminate remaining cancerous cells" after conventional treatment, team leader Dr. Juan Pablo Márquez Manriquez, of the International Cancer Center in Sonora, told EFE. In the early stages of their research Dr. Marquez and his team tested the vaccines on mice that were genetically modified to develop cancer. “The animals that received the vaccine, both individual vaccines and the cocktail, never developed colon, pancreatic or ovarian cancer,” Dr. Márquez explained. During clinical trials the treatment will be tested in Mexico City, Sonora and Ciudad ...
OpenNotes is a national initiative that urges medical practitioners to allow patients access to their visit notes. This change in practice, according to research, represents a key step toward greater transparency in healthcare. “OpenNotes aligns with Cambia Health Foundation’s mission to make the health care system more person-focused, and proves the power of funders coming together to support a game-changing movement in which patients can instantly become active participants in all of their health care delivery,” said Steven Lesky, a program officer with Cambia Health Foundation which is one of the foundations partnering on OpenNotes. The results of OpenNotes thus far, involving 100 primary care doctors and 20,000 of their patients, was published in the Annals of Internal ...
The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting solutions to childhood obesity, poor diet, and weight bias through research and policy. Deputy Director of the University of Conneticut Rudd Center, Dr. Rebecca Puhl, lead the development of this course for health care providers to improve obesity care and prevent stigmatization towards obese patients. The Rudd Center Continuing Medical Education course provides strategies to increase awareness of personal biases that may negatively influence patient care, as well as strategies to improve communication, which could positively influence provider-patient relationships and patient health outcomes. Reducing bias and stigmatization is particularly important for the Latino population because ...
Latinos are underrepresented in genetic studies, but did you know just how underrepresented they are? Whites make up 96% of participants in genome-wide association studies and next-generation genome sequencing, which make it harder for scientists to develop personalized therapies specifically for Latinos and other minority groups. A new report, Genes, Culture, and Medicines: Bridging Gaps in Treatment for Hispanic Americans from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, offers three main recommendations in response to this lack of diversity in genetic studies: Improve the Science. Fully implement federal research guidelines for inclusion of underrepresented groups in all study and grant applications, including pilot studies, and encourage non-federal granting bodies to do the ...
Latina breast cancer patients given information about clinical trials in multiple ways, including a culturally sensitive video on breast cancer clinical trials, had much greater awareness of trials than patients who got usual-care information, according to new data. After receiving the extra information—an interactive video about clinical trials, a bilingual booklet, and access to a patient navigator who can help answer their questions—the proportion of Latina breast cancer patients taking steps toward participating in a clinical trial increased from 38% to 75%, according to the study. The study was led by researchers from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (the team behind SaludToday) and presented at an ...
Only 5% percent of Latinos participate in federal clinical trials, giving researchers fewer chances to find new cancer treatments for this population. What can a health agency do to get more Latinos into clinical trials? A new guide, Clinical Trials Outreach for Latinos: Program Replication Manual, developed by researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio, was created to help health agencies reach into Latino communities and increase their participation in cancer clinical trials. With the guide, a health agency can: Learn about cancer clinical trials;
Learn about donation of biospecimens (human materials such as skin, hair, and bodily fluids);
Learn the need for Latino-focused outreach to increase trial accrual and ...
Are you a cancer researcher? You're invited to join a free webinar to learn more recruiting minorities into clinical research. The webinar, which is at 11 a.m. CST (9 a.m. PST) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, is hosted by Redes En Acción, a Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, to highlight critical challenges that must be addressed to accelerate the advancement of the science of recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse populations into clinical studies. For the webinar, Redes researchers will present evidence of the relative lack of attention by researchers to recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse populations and what we ...
Latinos don’t know much about clinical trials, surveys show. Clinical trials are research studies in which people help doctors find new prevention, screening, and treatment options. New treatments that look promising, and have already been tested extensively in the laboratory, are then tested with patients who volunteer to participate. It’s especially important for Latinos to participate in research so that doctors can learn more about the types of cancer that affect our community and what treatments are most effective, says Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director and professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. For those who speak Spanish, listen to Dr. Ramirez talk about the importance of ...
A new National Institutes of Health website, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, is designed to help people learn about clinical trials and how they can participate. The resource, offered in English and Spanish, answers basic questions such as What are clinical trials and why do people participate? and What do I need to know if I am thinking about participating? In addition, the website offers volunteer stories, researcher stories and educational resources. You can also get help finding a clinical ...
