Surgery News and Research

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New molecular information on hundreds of inherited diseases

An international research team has compiled the first catalogue of tissue-specific pathologies underlying hundreds of inherited diseases.

17 Dec 2008

Informed consent process has lost its educational value

It's time patient consent forms came back full circle to a tool for patient education, rather than the waiver of liability they have become.

17 Dec 2008

$Lower-dose fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy results in better hearing preservation$

Lower-dose fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy results in better hearing preservation

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have found that a lower dose of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for acoustic neuromas results in better hearing preservation and has the same tumor local control rate as a higher dose of therapy.

17 Dec 2008

Circumcision reduces risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men

A new U.S. study has found that being circumcised significantly reduced the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual African American men known to have been exposed to the virus.

17 Dec 2008

Cardiac stent patients with diabetes may benefit from drug that counteracts the effects of leptin

The naturally high levels of leptin in diabetic patients may reduce the effectiveness of drug-eluting stents used to treat heart blockages, but using a chemical that differs from the one commonly used to coat stents could counteract this effect.

17 Dec 2008

American surgeons carry out first U.S. face transplant

Surgeons in the United States have carried out America's first face transplant at a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio where a woman has had 80% of her face replaced with that of a deceased female donor.

17 Dec 2008

People with blindness from cataract are poorer than those with normal sight

A new study conducted in three developing countries-Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh-finds that people with cataract-induced visual impairment are more likely to live in poverty than those with normal sight.

16 Dec 2008

Study to examine how breastfeeding impacts cost of healthcare for very low birth weight babies

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded nearly $3 million to support Rush University Medical Center's study analyzing how human breast milk impacts the health outcomes and health care cost savings for very low birth weight infants – babies less than 1500 grams.

16 Dec 2008

GPs 'could do more' to help obese avoid surgery

Surgery to treat obesity could be avoided if GPs and healthcare trusts put more time and money into early stage weight management programmes, a senior clinical researcher will say today (Wednesday, 17 December, 2008).

From The University of Manchester 16 Dec 2008

Voriconazole effective in combating fungal infections

The effectiveness of voriconazole in combating fungal infections has been confirmed by a new study to be featured in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, published by Elsevier.

16 Dec 2008

New bone and tissue regeneration technique

Using stem cell lines not typically combined, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have designed a new way to "grow" bone and other tissues.

15 Dec 2008

Discovery of promising new target in the battle against colorectal cancer

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have identified a promising new target in the battle against colorectal cancer - a biochemical pathway critical to the spread of tumors to new locations in the body.

15 Dec 2008

Physical therapy best for musculoskeletal pain relief

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging patients with musculoskeletal pain to consider treatment by a physical therapist, in light of a new federal survey showing that more than one-third of American adults and nearly 12 percent of children use alternative medicine - with back and neck pain being the top reasons for treatment.

15 Dec 2008

Psychological distress a growing heart health problem

Anyone will tell you that stress is bad for the heart. Many people also know about the toxic effects of anxiety and depression.

15 Dec 2008

Colonoscopy significantly reduces death from left-sided colon cancer but not from right-sided

A new study finds that colonoscopy is strongly associated with fewer deaths from colorectal cancer.

15 Dec 2008

Sleep-related breathing disorders linked to calories burned at rest

Individuals with sleep-related breathing disorders appear to burn more calories when resting as their conditions become more severe, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

15 Dec 2008

Allergic rhinitis not associated with snoring or daytime sleepiness

Allergic rhinitis does not appear to be associated with snoring or daytime sleepiness, but individuals with obstructed nasal passages are likely to experience both regardless of whether they have allergies, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

15 Dec 2008

Tongue reconstruction at University of Michigan

The night before her surgery for tongue cancer, 30-year-old Lisa Bourdon-Krause realized she might never be able to speak to her toddler son again. So she sat up half the night recording messages to him: "Hi, how was your day?," "You're so handsome," "You have a stinky butt. I need to change you." She read two of his favorite books.

15 Dec 2008

Exparel (DepoBupivacaine) shows promise in hernia repair

A Phase II trial of a single intraoperative administration of Exparel (DepoBupivacaine) resulted in significantly reduced pain with activity in the first 8 to 24 hours following surgery, when pain is generally greatest, compared to conventional treatment.

14 Dec 2008

Zometa (zoledronic acid) shown to enhance chemotherapy in reducing breast tumor size

New data released demonstrates that the addition of Zometa (zoledronic acid) injection to standard chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery reduces the size of breast tumors more effectively than chemotherapy alone in women with early-stage disease.

14 Dec 2008