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Metabolic and neurological disorders may share common risk factors

Metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes appear to share risk factors with and may influence the development of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to several reports published in the March issue of Archives of Neurology.

10 Mar 2009

How to avoid colon problems

Most adults would rather keep talk about colons behind the bathroom door.It's time to talk, says Kim Turgeon, MD, FACP, gastroenterologist in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.

10 Mar 2009

Male lumpectomy - first line treatment for prostate cancer

The so-called "male lumpectomy" - a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment for prostate cancer - is as effective as surgery in destroying diseased tumors and can be considered a first-line treatment for patients of all risk levels and particularly those who have failed radiation, according to studies released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 34th Annual Scientific Meeting.

10 Mar 2009

Freezing kidney cancer - interventional cryoablation

Freezing kidney tumors - using a safe minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment that kills the cancer 100 percent effectively without surgery - should be the gold standard or first treatment option for all individuals with tumors that are 4 centimeters in size or smaller.

10 Mar 2009

Advances in stem cell research

Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are on the forefront of stem cell research, developing novel therapies designed to generate heart cells, repair traumatic lung injuries, grow new bone and stanch the spread of cancer cells.

8 Mar 2009

New NYP course: Surgical approaches to the skull base

The skull base is not just a simple platform for the brain but an anatomically intricate area with an array of connections necessary to the body's essential functions.

8 Mar 2009

Detailed diagnosis boosts child cancer survival

More accurate disease classification now means some young children with neuroblastoma will have less intensive treatment with better survival, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Mar 2009

Pulmonary hypertension in children may result from reduced activity of gene regulator

Too little activity by gene regulators called PPARs appears to be a major player in the irreversible lung damage that can occur in children with heart defects, researchers say.

5 Mar 2009

Diabetes linked to cognitive deterioration

Blindness, renal failure, stroke and heart disease are potential complications of type 2 diabetes, which currently afflicts more than 15 million Americans.

5 Mar 2009

Cultured stem cells and bioengineered skin used to successfully treat scleroderma

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that leads to thickening and severe scarring of skin as well as thickening and failure of internal organs, including the lungs, heart, kidneys and intestines.

5 Mar 2009

Seven steps to success for overweight children

Overweight children and adolescents, with the active involvement of their parents and families, can successfully lose weight by following the Seven Steps to Success described in the current issue of Obesity Management , a journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

5 Mar 2009

New study using combination of bioengineered skin and stem cells shows promise in treatment of non-healing wounds

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that leads to thickening and severe scarring of skin as well as thickening and failure of internal organs, including the lungs, heart, kidneys and intestines.

5 Mar 2009

Penis extender shown to increase length by third over six months

Men who wore a penile extender every day for six months were able to increase the flaccid length of their penis by up to 32% and their erectile function by up to 36%, according to an independent clinical study published in the March issue of BJU International.

5 Mar 2009

Stereotactic body radiotherapy doubles survival in lung cancer

Countless people have heard the phrase, "You have lung cancer," but only 50 can say they've completed a new treatment at Temple University that doubles their chances of surviving the deadly disease - and without the conventional radiation regimen or surgery.

4 Mar 2009

Naked mole rats may hold clues to successful aging

Naked mole rats resemble pink, wrinkly, saber-toothed sausages and would never win a beauty contest, even among other rodents.

4 Mar 2009

Pretreatment MRI and PET/CT for cervical cancer improves chances for optimal treatment

Pretreatment MRI and PET/CT for cervical cancer may direct more women to optimal therapy choices and spare many women potential long-term morbidity and complications of trimodality therapy (surgery followed by chemoradiation), according to a study performed at the Institute for Technology Assessment in Boston, MA.

4 Mar 2009

Immune reaction to metals in joint replacement devices leads to early failure

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have identified a key immunological defense reaction to the metals in joint replacement devices, leading to loosening of the components and early failure.

4 Mar 2009

Hypertension linked to earlier death among African-American breast cancer patients

A study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has shown that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a predictor of mortality among breast cancer patients, especially those who are African-American, and that hypertension accounts for approximately 30 percent of the survival disparity between African-American and white breast cancer patients.

4 Mar 2009

History of major depression increases risk for heart disease more than genetics or environment

A history of major depression increases the risk of heart disease over and above any genetic risks common to depression and heart disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the VA.

4 Mar 2009

New computer-aided method effectively detects and measures pneumothoraces in chest trauma patients

A new computer-aided method used with MDCT to detect and measure pneumothoraces in trauma patients helps physicians make quicker and more accurate decisions in busy emergency room settings, according to a study performed at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

4 Mar 2009