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New diagnostic tool to measure blood flow could prevent needless stents

Doctors may be implanting too many artery-opening stents and could improve patient outcomes - and ultimately save lives - if they did more in-depth measurements of blood flow in the vessels to the heart.

15 Jan 2009

Morbidly obese patients face high risk for complications after colectomy

New research published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that morbidly obese patients are at higher risk than normal weight patients for complications after colectomy ¨C surgical removal of all or part of the colon ¨C for the treatment of cancer.

15 Jan 2009

Simple surgical checklist during major operations lowers deaths and complications

A collection of hospitals in eight cities around the globe has successfully demonstrated that the use of a simple surgical checklist during major operations can lower the incidence of deaths and complications by more than one third.

15 Jan 2009

Treatment may need to be modified for elderly glioblastoma patients

Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of brain tumor, accounts for a majority of the brain tumors seen in patients 65 years or older.

14 Jan 2009

Older women less likely than men to be listed on a kidney transplant list

A Johns Hopkins transplant surgeon has found strong evidence that women over 45 are significantly less likely to be placed on a kidney transplant list than their equivalent male counterparts, even though women who receive a transplant stand an equal chance of survival.

13 Jan 2009

Photoacoustic tomography changes lymph node biopsy, reduces radiaiton exposure

Information obtained from a new application of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is worth its weight in gold to breast cancer patients.

13 Jan 2009

Research confirms value of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy for women with BRCA mutations

Prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy-removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes--reduces the relative risk of breast cancer by approximately 50 percent and the risk of ovarian and fallopian tube cancer by approximately 80 percent in women who carry a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, researchers report in the January 13 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

13 Jan 2009

Variations in mismatch repair genes predict prognosis in pancreatic cancer

Variations in mismatch repair genes can help predict treatment response and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center presented today in advance of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

13 Jan 2009

Gene therapy kills brain tumors through selective recruitment of immune cells

Scientists seeking to harness the power of the immune system to eradicate brain tumors face two major hurdles: recruiting key immune cells called dendritic cells into areas of the brain where they are not naturally found and helping them recognize tumor cells as targets for attack.

13 Jan 2009

Epidurals and spinal anesthetics safer than previously reported

The largest ever prospective study [1,2] into the major complications [3] of epidurals and spinal anaesthetics published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia today (Monday 12 January 2009) concludes that previous studies have over-estimated the risks of severe complications of these procedures.

12 Jan 2009

Abbott to acquire Advanced Medical Optics

Abbott and Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) have announced a definitive agreement for Abbott to acquire AMO for $22 per share in cash, for a total transaction value of approximately $2.8 billion, inclusive of estimated net debt at the time of closing.

12 Jan 2009

Calls for iconic surfers cap to be scrapped for health reasons

Australian surf lifesaving clubs have come in for some harsh criticism from experts who say they are promoting dangerous beach behaviour by not forcing children to wear protective hats and vests.

12 Jan 2009

New cataract early detection device

A compact fiber-optic probe developed for the space program has now proven valuable for patients in the clinic as the first non-invasive early detection device for cataracts, the leading cause of vision loss worldwide.

8 Jan 2009

Multifidus muscle design contributes to spine stability

The novel design of a deep muscle along the spinal column called the multifidus muscle may in fact be key to spinal support and a healthy back, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

7 Jan 2009

Osteotech starts trial for DuraTech BioRegeneration Matrix

Osteotech, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a pivotal clinical trial for its DuraTech BioRegeneration Matrix.

7 Jan 2009

New method for implanting aortic heart valves

An innovative approach for implanting a new aortic heart valve without open-heart surgery is being offered to patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

7 Jan 2009

Health-care providers and patients differ on views of knee replacement

Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common treatment for osteoarthritis, a disease affecting more than 20 million Americans.

7 Jan 2009

A new state-of-the-art approach to brain and spine surgery

A medical revolution emerges when technology blends with smart care.

7 Jan 2009

UK survival for children's bone cancer lowest in Western Europe

Survival for childhood bone cancer is slightly lower in the UK than in any other Western European country, according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday).

7 Jan 2009

Levitating nanomechanics shows potential to improve medicine

Magicians have long created the illusion of levitating objects in the air. Now researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University have actually levitated an object, suspending it without the need for external support.

7 Jan 2009