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Doctors have always hoped that scientists might one day create a vaccination that would treat a broad spectrum of maladies. They could only imagine that there might be one vaccine that would protect against, say, 2,500 strains of Salmonella.

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced that it has submitted its Preâ?�Market Approval (PMA) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for InterStim® Therapy for the treatment of fecal incontinence. InterStim Therapy is a reversible treatment for patients with fecal incontinence after conservative treatments have failed.

New data presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) confirm the efficacy and safety of prucalopride, a novel enterokinetic compound, in patients with chronic constipation for whom laxatives do not provide adequate relief. Prucalopride was evaluated in a large double-blind (n=231), placebo-controlled, phase II dose-finding trial (USA-3) that supports the choice of 2 mg as the lowest effective dose.

ADELAIDE, Australia (MedPage Today) -- In patients with advanced colorectal cancer, mutations in K-ras portend a poor response to cetuximab (Erbitux), showed a large randomized clinical trial.

SEATTLE (MedPage Today) -- A genetic variation in a bone marrow donor may affect the recipient's odds of coming down with aspergillosis, a potentially fatal fungal infection, researchers here said.