Virtual Colonoscopy saves livesThree-dimensional computed tomography (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, is an accurate screening method for colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the recent issue of the journal Radiology. In addition, when covered by third-party payers, virtual colonoscopy may entice more people to be screened.
"Our positive experience with virtual colonoscopy screening covered by health insurance demonstrates its enormous........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/17/2006 9:22:13 PM)
Older Breast Cancer Patients May Be Under-treatedElderly patients with breast cancer who received care in a community hospital setting may have been under-diagnosed, under-staged and under-treated, according to a report in the recent issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The number of older breast cancer patients has increased along with overall elderly population, according to background information in the article. About half of breast cancer patients are older........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/17/2006 5:03:46 AM)
New Hope For Children With LeukemiaClinicians at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have successfully demonstrated an improved technique for blood stem cell transplantations in children that shows promise for those most likely to fail standard therapy for leukemia.
The St. Jude technique allows blood stem cells to come from parents or unmatched adult siblings; and it avoids the aggressive, toxic therapys that commonly must accompany the transplant. This allows the majority........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/17/2006 4:44:18 AM)
Promise For Herpes VaccineA study by a Montana State University researcher suggests a new avenue for developing a vaccine against genital herpes and other diseases caused by herpes simplex viruses.
As per a research findings published earlier this year in the Virology Journal, MSU virologist William Halford showed that mice vaccinated with a live, genetically-modified herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) showed no signs of disease 30 days after being exposed to a........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/15/2006 7:26:51 PM)
Adolescent And FluoxetineA new study offers clues as to why some teenagers taking common anti-depressants may become more aggressive or kill themselves. The research is published in the October Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Neuroscientists at the University of Texas at Austin found that juvenile hamsters given low doses of fluoxetine hydrochloride, which is sold in the United States as Prozac, became........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/15/2006 7:10:29 PM)
Commonplace Sugar Controls SeizuresThis sugar has been in clinical use for decades, but now it is finding new uses, a potential cure for epilepsy.
2-deoxy-glucose, or 2DG, has long been used in radio labeling, medical scanning and cancer imaging studies in humans. But now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found the substance also blocks the onset of epileptic seizures in laboratory rats.
Reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the findings have........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/15/2006 6:20:53 PM)
Potential New Drug For Multiple SclerosisVirginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified a unique mechanism of action of a new drug that shows great promise for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
The researchers report the unique action of FTY720, or Fingolimod, an immunosuppressant drug that was already known to affect the functioning of the immune system by preventing the egress of white blood cells from the lymph nodes into the blood. The article was pre-published........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/12/2006 5:11:13 AM)
Antioxidants Fish Oil And AMDThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces a nationwide study to see if a modified combination of vitamins, minerals, and fish oil can further slow the progression of vision loss from AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for people over age 60. This new study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), will build upon results from the earlier Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). The original study........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/12/2006 4:51:20 AM)
Hiv Gets A MakeoverThe slow pace of AIDS research can be pinned, in no small part, on something akin to the square-peg-round-hole conundrum. The HIV-1 virus won't replicate in monkey cells, so researchers use a monkey virus - known as SIVmac, or the macaque version of simian immunodeficiency virus - to test potential therapies and vaccines in animals. But therapies and vaccines that are effective on SIV don't necessarily translate into human success. Now, using a........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/11/2006 5:18:38 AM)
Material That Stops Bleeding In SecondsMIT and Hong Kong University scientists have shown that some simple biodegradable liquids can stop bleeding in wounded rodents within seconds, a development that could significantly impact medicine.
When the liquid, composed of protein fragments called peptides, is applied to open wounds, the peptides self-assemble into a nanoscale protective barrier gel that seals the wound and halts bleeding. Once the injury heals, the nontoxic gel is........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/10/2006 9:58:14 PM)
Celiac Disease And Cognitive DeclineMayo Clinic researchers have uncovered a new link between celiac disease, a digestive condition triggered by consumption of gluten, and dementia or other forms of cognitive decline. The investigators' case series analysis -- an examination of medical histories of a group of patients with a common problem -- of 13 patients would be published in the recent issue of Archives of Neurology.
"There has been very little known about this connection........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/9/2006 9:28:36 PM)
Progress In HIV ResearchHow a harmless virus called GB Virus type C (GBV-C) protects against HIV infection is now better understood. Researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Iowa City Health Care System and the University of Iowa have identified a protein segment that strongly inhibits HIV from growing in cell models.
The team found that an 85-amino acid segment within a GBV-C viral protein called NS5A greatly slows down HIV from replicating in cells........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/9/2006 9:13:41 PM)
Genome Id Method Against CancerA mathematical discovery has extended the reach of a novel genome mapping method to humans, potentially giving cancer biology a faster and more cost-effective tool than traditional DNA sequencing.
A student-led group from the laboratory of Michael Waterman, USC University Professor in molecular and computational biology, has developed an algorithm to handle the massive amounts of data created by a restriction mapping technology known as........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/9/2006 8:50:25 PM)
Some Breast Cancer Patients Unhappy With Lumpectomy[imgl]/images/blog/lumpectomy.jpg[/imgl]Women with breast cancer often undergo a lumpectomy and radiation to save their breasts and avoid the need for additional reconstructive surgery. However, approximately one-third of all patients are unhappy with how their breasts look after undergoing breast conservation treatment and a number of would consider reconstruction, as per a research studypresented today at the American Society of Plastic........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/8/2006 6:15:01 PM)
Antidepressants After Plastic SurgeryIt has been proven that plastic surgery can improve self-esteem, but can it also act as a natural mood enhancer? A significant number of patients stopped taking antidepressant medicine after undergoing plastic surgery, according to a study presented today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2006 conference in San Francisco.
"Plastic surgery patients are taking a proactive approach in making themselves happier........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/8/2006 5:29:07 PM)
Babies With Persistent Pulmonary HypertensionIf he can figure out which babies will be born unable to breathe properly, Dr. Stephen M. Black thinks he can help change that.
"When these kids are born, you have a short amount of time to intervene or you get brain damage," says Dr. Black, cell and molecular physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia Vascular Biology Center.
Unfortunately, persistent pulmonary hypertension comes as a surprise in full-term babies, says Dr. Jatinder........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/6/2006 4:48:45 AM)
Brain Mapping Safe For ChildrenDispelling a stubborn myth, researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that children with strokes, brain tumors and other cerebrovascular diseases can safely undergo a potentially life-saving brain-mapping test that many doctors have long shunned over concerns for side effects. Analysis of 241 cerebral angiograms performed on 205 children at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center between 1999 and 2006 showed that not a single patient suffered........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/5/2006 10:01:12 PM)
Williams Syndrome, And Love Of MusicChildren with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, just love music and will spend hours listening to or making music. Despite averaging an IQ score of 60, a number of possess a great memory for songs, an uncanny sense of rhythm, and the kind of auditory acuity, than can discern differences between different vacuum cleaner brands.
A study by a multi-institutional collaboration of scientists, published in a forthcoming issue of........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/3/2006 9:30:17 PM)
Dissolving Jaw SyndromeDrugs belonging to the group of bisphosphonates like aredia are good in strengthening the bone in cancer patients including breast cancer. There is a downside to this group of drugs. These drugs can erode the jaw bone and literally dissolve the jaw bone.
This condition, called osteonecrosis of the jaw, is marked by exposed bone in the jaw and can lead to infection, inflammation and pain.
While scientists do not fully understand the........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/2/2006 9:17:40 PM)
Tamiflu Reduces Death From InfluenzaTamiflu (oseltamivir), is effective in reducing the risk of death associated with seasonal influenza in severely ill patients,1 according to new data presented today. Treatment of infected adults was associated with a 71 per cent reduction in mortality.1 These results demonstrate the importance of the role of antivirals in the management of seasonal influenza and highlights the seriousness and risk of mortality associated with it.
"The........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/1/2006 8:34:53 PM)
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Ethnic Variations In Hormone Levels And Breast CancerResearchers have known that a woman's natural hormone levels can affect her risk of developing breast cancer. A new study from the University of Southern California (USC) has found that the natural levels of estrogens in post-menopausal women varies by ethnicity and race, and may explain the differences in the groups' breast cancer rates. The study appears in the recent issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Using data from........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/17/2006 9:46:16 PM)
Listening To The Sound Of Skin CancerResearchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia can now detect the spread of skin cancer cells through the blood by literally listening to their sound. The unprecedented, minimally invasive technique causes melanoma cells to emit noise, and could let oncologists spot early signs of metastases -- as few as 10 cancer cells in a blood sample -- before they even settle in other organs. The results of the successful experimental tests appear in........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/17/2006 4:54:48 AM)
Prescription Pain Medication Abuse On IncreaseResearchers at Rush University Medical Center found prescription pain medicine (PPM) abuse is a rapidly growing problem with surprising and often unpredictable distribution patterns. The research was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Anesthesiologists in Chicago, October 13, 2006.
Mario Moric, PhD, a researcher in the department of Anesthesiology at Rush, and colleagues used survey data from the National Survey on........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/16/2006 10:10:19 PM)
Women On Hormone Therapy Sensitive To Negative EventsOlder women on hormone therapy are more sensitive to negative events, confirming speculation that age-related estrogen loss affects the brain's ability to process emotion, an Oregon Health & Science University study shows.
But that sensitivity to negative emotional events, such as viewing a photograph of a dead person, doesn't necessarily mean women taking estrogen remember those events any better.
In the study by researchers in the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/16/2006 9:53:15 PM)
High Blood Sugar Level Before Surgery Is DangerousPatients who have high blood sugar before undergoing surgery run an increased risk of developing blood clots, deep vein thrombosis and even pulmonary embolism after surgery.
Boris Mraovic, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology in the Artificial Pancreas Center at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and his colleagues examined records of nearly 6,500 hip or knee replacement surgery patients at........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/15/2006 6:49:18 PM)
New Mechanisms For Dopamine ReleaseThe neurotransmitter dopamine continues to be released for nearly an hour after neurons are stimulated, suggesting the existence of secondary mechanisms that allow for sustained availability of dopamine in different regions of the brain including areas critical for memory consolidation, drug induced plasticity and maintaining active networks during working memory, as per a University of Pittsburgh study being presented today at the 36th Annual........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/15/2006 6:36:38 PM)
Algae Provide Clues To CancerA microscopic green alga helped scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies identify a novel function for the retinoblastoma protein (RB), which is known for its role as a tumor suppressor in mammalian cells. By coupling cell size with cell division, RB ensures that cells stay within an optimal size range.
Their findings, which would be published in the October 13 online edition of PLoS Genetics, show that RB blocks cells from........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/12/2006 10:12:22 PM)
Test To Predict Response In Pancreatic CancerBy slicing up bits of patient tumors and grafting them into mice, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center specialists have figured out how to accurately "test drive" chemotherapy drugs to learn in advance which drug treatments offer each individual pancreatic cancer patient the best therapeutic journey.
Although "xenografting" with either cells or fresh tissue is already used widely to test cancer therapies, the Hopkins design is personalized to........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/11/2006 9:00:49 PM)
Timing Of Spinal SurgeryWhen it comes to a devastating spinal injury, says spine surgeon Alexander Vaccaro, M.D., timing might be nearly everything. It's also a topic of great debate and discussion among orthopaedic surgeons.
Dr. Vaccaro, professor of orthopaedic surgery and neurological surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and colleagues are trying to........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/11/2006 4:43:53 AM)
New Hope For Borderline Personality DisorderFor the first time, a major outcome study has shown that a high percentage of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder can achieve full recovery across the complete range of symptoms. The controlled study, appearing in a recent issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry published by the American Medical Association, shows that a new approach -- Schema Therapy -- is more than twice as effective as a widely practiced psychodynamic........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/10/2006 10:18:37 PM)
Target For Leukemia TreatmentCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center today announced the publication of pioneering research identifying the crucial role and novel mechanism of action of the protein RhoH GTPase in the development and activation of cells critical to the immune system. The findings, along with other studies, suggest that RhoH GTPase may provide a target for therapeutic intervention in some types of leukemia. The paper is due to appear in an upcoming........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/9/2006 10:04:04 PM)
mammalian 'disorderly' proteinsInvestigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital turned up the heat on "disorderly" proteins and confirmed that most of these unruly molecules perform critical functions in the cell. The St. Jude team completed the first large-scale collection, investigation and classification of these so-called intrinsically unstructured proteins (IUPs), a large group of molecules that play vital roles in the daily activities of cells.
The new........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/9/2006 9:22:34 PM)
Antibiotic Resistance In HospitalsIn one of the first national studies on guidelines that control antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in hospitals, scientists from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute, Inc. and the Richard Roudebush Veterans.
Administration Medical Center report that hospitals that follow national.
guidelines on controlling antibiotic use have lower rates of antibiotic.
resistance.
As per a research findings........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/9/2006 8:34:30 PM)
Genes Diet And Heart DiseaseResearchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and colleagues have found another link among genes, heart disease and diet. The study, published in Circulation, examined apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5), a gene that codes for a protein, which in turn plays a role in the metabolism of fats in the blood. The results show that people who carry a particular variant of APOA5 may have elevated risk........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/8/2006 7:10:50 PM)
Tongue scrapers only slightly reduce bad breathBad breath is a common problem for many people, given the wide variety of substances traveling through our mouths daily. Some people avoid offensive foods and drinks, chew gum, use mouth rinses, or eat mints to mask unpleasant odor. Others cannot escape bad breath quite so easily. At least 40 million Americans suffer from halitosis. Unfortunately, there is no standard treatment for it.
According to a study in the September/recent issue of........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/6/2006 5:04:49 AM)
Cola Might Increase Osteoporosis RiskAccording to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 55 percent of Americans, mostly women, are at risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease of porous and brittle bones that causes higher susceptibility to bone fractures. Now, Katherine Tucker, PhD, director of the Epidemiology and Dietary Assessment Program at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and colleagues have reported findings in........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/6/2006 4:42:34 AM)
Parent's Conversational StyleParents who use a particular conversational style with their children--drawing them out to elicit detailed memories about past shared events and to talk about emotions--contribute to the child's secure attachment, sense of self-worth, and eventual social competence, says a new University of Illinois study published in a September special edition of Attachment and Human Development.
"As soon as children start talking, parents develop........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/4/2006 10:24:08 PM)
Uncoveing Roots Of DNA SecretsDNA's simple and elegant structure - the "twisted ladder," with sugar-phosphate chains making up the "rails" and oxygen- and nitrogen-containing chemical "rungs" tenuously uniting the two halves - seems to be the work of an accomplished sculptor.
Yet the graceful, sinuous profile of the DNA double helix is the result of random chemical reactions in a simmering, primordial stew.
Just how nature arrived at this molecule and its sister........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/3/2006 9:59:11 PM)
Foodborne Pathogens Hard To Remove From ProduceWill you ever feel comfortable eating fresh spinach again? All raw agricultural products carry a minimal risk of contamination, said a University of Illinois scientist whose research focuses on keeping foodborne pathogens, including the strain of E. coli found recently on spinach, out of the food supply.
That won't keep Scott Martin, a U of I food science and human nutrition professor, from eating bagged greens or other produce although he........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/2/2006 10:03:28 PM)
What Drives Your Taste BudsWhat are the genes that are crucial to the taste bud development?
The gene, SOX2, stimulates stem cells on the surface of the embryonic tongue and in the back of the mouth to transform into taste buds, according to the researchers. Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into several different cell types depending on what biochemical instructions they receive.
"Not only did we find that SOX2 is crucial for the development of taste........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/1/2006 8:16:39 PM)
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