Blood Test News and Research

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Research looks at ways to reduce the over-prescribing of antibiotics

Improving communications skills and the use of a simple blood test could help cut the growing number of inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics, a joint Cardiff University trial has discovered.

22 May 2009

New hope for warding off diabetes nerve loss

A common blood test for triglycerides - a well-known cardiovascular disease risk factor - may also for the first time allow doctors to predict which patients with diabetes are more likely to develop the serious, common complication of neuropathy.

18 May 2009

Old diabetes drug Metformin teaches experts new tricks

Research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center reveals that the drug most commonly used in type 2 diabetics who don't need insulin works on a much more basic level than once thought, treating persistently elevated blood sugar - the hallmark of type 2 diabetes - by regulating the genes that control its production.

15 May 2009

Urologists say don’t give up on prostate cancer screening just yet

What's a guy to do? While prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing has been the standard screening tool for prostate cancer for several decades, results of a study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine question the effectiveness of PSA screening in reducing death from prostate cancer. But many urologists argue that men should not be swayed from getting the test-it still saves lives.

13 May 2009

Muscular dystrophy diagnosis delayed in boys

Boys show signs of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) for 2 ½ years before they obtain a diagnosis and disease-specific treatment, about the same length of delay children have endured for the past 20 years despite advances in genetic testing and treatment.

11 May 2009

New early detection studies of lung cancer in non-smokers launched

Government and private sector cancer scientists today launched a research partnership to find biomarkers for lung cancer that develops in people who have never smoked. The research studies are designed to create a better understanding of the biology of lung cancer and to develop a test to detect early-stage lung cancer in lifetime nonsmokers.

4 May 2009

Simple blood test proves powerful ally in the fight against malaria

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown that rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for malaria infection can provide valuable support for healthcare in low and mid-income countries in the fight against the disease.

30 Apr 2009

Researchers study why people who are obese become hypertensive

When Francois Abboud began his work at the University of Iowa in 1960, little was known about the constant physiological chatter between the brain and the blood vessels.

22 Apr 2009

Naltrexone appears to relieve fibromyalgia pain

For Tara Campbell, the onset of her fibromyalgia began slowly with repeated sore throats, fevers and fatigue.

20 Apr 2009

Rockefeller University Hospital opens clinical trial into statin-associated muscle complaints

The most widely prescribed class of drugs in the country, statins have helped millions of people lower their cholesterol and reduce their risk of heart attacks - but their side effects, including muscle pain and cramping, have proven to be something of a sore point for many patients.

14 Apr 2009

Colonoscopy versus virtual colonoscopy

Today, patients have a wide selection of colorectal cancer screening exams from which to choose, unlike with other types of cancers.

2 Apr 2009

A need for better ovarian cancer screening tools

The only available screening tests for ovarian cancer fail to catch early signs of the disease and often result in unnecessary surgery, said researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center.

1 Apr 2009

FDA approves generic Topamax tablets (topiramate)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic versions of Topamax tablets (topiramate) to prevent seizures.

1 Apr 2009

Blood test that predicts seriousness of a head injury gains momentum

A blood test that can help predict the seriousness of a head injury and detect the status of the blood-brain barrier is a step closer to reality, according to two recently published studies involving University of Rochester Medical Center researchers.

31 Mar 2009

Ultrasound saves money, improves rheumatologic care

A few years back, 76-year-old Joseph Buggie woke up to pain so throbbing, he couldn't muster the strength to roll over, let alone crawl out of bed.

31 Mar 2009

Improved predictive value of biomarkers in HF makes earlier diagnosis and better management possible

With an ever ageing population and more people surviving a heart attack, heart failure is now the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease.

29 Mar 2009

Improved predictive value of biomarkers in heart failure now makes earlier diagnosis and better management possible

With an ever ageing population and more people surviving a heart attack, heart failure is now the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease.

29 Mar 2009

Link between sleeping medicine use and driving impairment

A new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows a positive link between the amount of the hypnotic (sleeping medicine) zopiclone in the blood and the chance of being assessed as impaired in a clinical examination.

29 Mar 2009

Ovarian cancers detected early may be less aggressive, questioning effectiveness of screening

The biology of ovarian cancers discovered at an early stage may render them slower growing and less likely to spread than more aggressive cancers, which typically are discovered in an advanced stage, according to a study led by investigators in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

24 Mar 2009

New test for breast cancer metastasis

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have previously shown that the co-mingling of three cell types can predict whether localized breast cancer will spread throughout the body.

24 Mar 2009