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Biomarker in urine for appendicitis

Appendicitis is the most common childhood surgical emergency, but the diagnosis can be challenging, especially in children, often leading to either unnecessary surgery in children without appendicitis, or a ruptured appendix and serious complications when the condition is missed.

23 Jun 2009

Nine in ten survive early stage bowel cancer

Nine in ten people with bowel cancer that is caught early will survive the disease, according to new statistics published today (Tuesday).

22 Jun 2009

Transplant drug Rapamycin stimulates immune memory

Rapamycin, a drug given to transplant recipients to suppress their immune systems, has a paradoxical effect on cells responsible for immune memory, scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center have discovered.

22 Jun 2009

Caucasians more likely to develop Ewing's sarcoma than other races

The largest analysis of its kind has found that Caucasians are much more likely that people in other racial/ethnic groups to develop a rare bone and soft tissue cancer called Ewing's sarcoma. In addition, among Caucasians with this cancer, men are more likely to die than women.

22 Jun 2009

Medical insurers' billing claims can help researchers track patient complications

Billing claims from health insurance companies can provide insights on the long-term health of kidney transplant patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

18 Jun 2009

Fallopian tubes: a new source of multipotent adult mesenchymal stem cells

Human tissues normally discarded after surgical procedures could be a rich additional source of stem cells for regenerative medicine. New research from BioMed Central's open access Journal of Translational Medicine shows for the first time that human fallopian tubes are abundant in mesenchymal stem cells which have the potential of becoming a variety of cell types.

17 Jun 2009

Bariatric surgery raises kidney stone risk

The most popular type of gastric bypass surgery appears to nearly double the chance that a patient will develop kidney stones, despite earlier assumptions that it would not, Johns Hopkins doctors report in a new study. The overall risk, however, remains fairly small at about 8 percent.

17 Jun 2009

Minimally invasive treatment of brain tumors on the horizon

Duke University engineers have taken a first step toward a minimally invasive treatment of brain tumors by combining chemotherapy with heat administered from the end of a catheter.

17 Jun 2009

Bartering for health care rises

With no health insurance and little money, Gilberto Carrasco, a Reno, Nev., auto mechanic, didn't see much point in getting a physical. At 50, he felt healthy and couldn't afford treatment even if a doctor found a medical problem.

17 Jun 2009

Simple blood test detects molecular marker of aging in humans

In 2004, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center announced a crucial discovery in the understanding of cellular aging. They found that as cells and tissues age, the expression of a key protein, called p16INK4a, dramatically increases in most mammalian organs. Because p16INK4a is a tumor suppressor protein, cancer researchers are interested in its role in cellular aging and cancer prevention.

17 Jun 2009

Adding antiviral agent to corticosteroids to treat facial paralysis not linked to improved recovery

Adding an antiviral agent to corticosteroids for treatment of Bell's palsy (a condition characterized by partial facial paralysis) is not associated with improved recovery of facial movement function, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

16 Jun 2009

Marker in blood may explain susceptibility to interstitial cystitis

A marker in the blood of both cats and humans that was identified in a recent study might signal both species' susceptibility for a painful bladder disorder called interstitial cystitis, a condition that is often difficult to diagnose.

16 Jun 2009

Maryland hospital fined for not reporting errors

Regulators have fined a hospital in Lanham, Maryland, for not reporting errors. The Washington Post reports that "Doctors Community Hospital in Prince George's County has been fined by Maryland health regulators after failing to notify them that a patient had died and that at least seven others suffered serious harm last year as a result of mistakes by the medical staff.

15 Jun 2009

Rhinosinusitis may be a factor in toxic shock syndrome in children

Rhinosinusitis (infection and inflammation in the sinus passages surrounding the nose) appears to be a primary factor in about one-fifth of toxic shock syndrome cases in children, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

15 Jun 2009

Severe obesity brings greater risks of health problems during medical procedures

Healthcare providers must carefully consider the unique risk factors related to severe obesity in patients undergoing all types of surgery, according to an American Heart Association scientific advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Jun 2009

Non-toxic radioactive patch successfully treats skin cancer

A new study shows that a radioactive skin patch can safely and successfully treat basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common types of skin cancers, according to researchers at the SNM's 56th Annual Meeting. The skin patch, which delivers the radioactive phosphorus-32, is nontoxic and could be an excellent alternative to surgery or radiotherapy in cases where carrying out these treatments is difficult.

15 Jun 2009

Cancer immunotherapy can use small numbers of ‘stem-like’ immune cells to destroy large tumors in mice

A new approach to stimulating immune cells enhances their anticancer activity, resulting in a powerful anti-tumor response in mice, according to a study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health. This work represents an important advance in the development of immunotherapy for cancer and appears online June 14, 2009 in Nature Medicine.

15 Jun 2009

Single gene found to control growth of some cancers

Research led by Ashok Aiyar, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, showing that a single gene can control growth in cancers related to the Epstein-Barr virus and that existing therapeutics can inactivate it, will be published in the June 12, 2009 online issue of PLoS Pathogens.

15 Jun 2009

Misonix purchase patents from ProRhythm

Misonix, Inc. has announced that it has purchased three patents associated with High Intensity Focused Ultrasound ("HIFU") technology from ProRhythm, Inc.

14 Jun 2009

Michigan hospitals suffer GM's bankruptcy, new Medicaid cuts

Health care could be the next Michigan industry to take a tumble, as hospitals anticipate caring for more uninsured patients in the wake of General Motor's bankruptcy and cuts to the state Medicaid program, the Detroit Free Press reports.

13 Jun 2009