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CT screening lowers negative appendectomy rate from 20% to 3% at urban hospital

Five years ago, the negative appendectomy rate at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston was 20%, but since the advent of CT screening, it has dropped to 3%, say MGH researchers. The negative appendectomy rate measures how often patients with symptoms of appendicitis have their appendix removed and then are diagnosed as not having acute appendicitis.

8 Jun 2005

Baby born to woman following an ovary transplant from her sister

Doctors in St. Louis say a woman whose ovaries stopped working when she was a teenager, after an ovary transplant from her identical twin sister, has given birth to a baby girl.

8 Jun 2005

Superbug possibly the same as US killer strain

Microbiologists at the Health Protection Agency suspect that the superbug which has already caused 12 deaths at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire, may be the same strain that has spread in many American hospitals since 2001, and killed more than 100 patients in Quebec, Canada, last year.

8 Jun 2005

Simple blood test can quickly identify type of congestive heart failure

A simple blood test can quickly identify what type of congestive heart failure (CHF) a patient has, improving diagnostic accuracy; eliminating the need for extensive diagnostic tests, such as heart muscle biopsy or exploratory surgery; and enabling the patient to be treated sooner, according to a study published in the June 7 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

6 Jun 2005

Doctors study surgery to stop epileptic seizures

Melinda Hillyard of Winchester, Va., first had epileptic seizures when she was eight years old. The seizures went away for years, then returned after the birth of her first child. "I never knew when my world would turn upside down," she recalled.

6 Jun 2005

Gene therapy for arthritis is both feasible and safe

Gene therapy for arthritis and other non-terminal, debilitating conditions and diseases is both feasible and safe, report researchers who conducted the world's first such test on the approach in patients with advanced rheumatoid arthritis.

6 Jun 2005

Patients with advanced heart failure significantly improved after receiving stem cell therapy

The study showed, 30 days after receiving the stem cells by injection into their hearts, patients improved an average of 41 percent in their hearts' pumping efficiency and the distance they could walk nonstop increased by 72 percent in a standard test widely used to assess heart patients.

6 Jun 2005

Solving the hospital crisis with mathematical, statistical and software tools

Melbourne researchers are hoping to ease the strain of bed shortages and limited resources in Australian hospitals in a project to develop mathematical, statistical and software tools that will enable hospital managers to see where queues or available resources exist within the hospital system.

6 Jun 2005

Study clarifies risk of recurrence for high-risk breast cancer patients

High-risk breast cancer patients do not appear to have a higher risk of relapse than the general breast cancer population during the first two years after diagnosis, unless their cancer has spread to more than 10 axillary lymph nodes, Italian researchers reported at the 2nd ESMO Scientific & Educational Conference (ESEC) in Budapest, Hungary.

6 Jun 2005

Link between the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning in skeletal muscles and the substance that triggers hibernation

A phenomenon known as ischemic preconditioning (IP), in which blood flow to muscle is reduced and then restored, has previously been shown to increase muscle function, especially in the heart.

6 Jun 2005

'Miracle Mermaid Baby' Milagros meets the media after her successful operation

The world had its first glimpse of 13-month-old Milagros Cerron last Thursday since she had surgery to separate her fused legs. This is only the second such successful operation on record performed to correct "mermaid syndrome."

5 Jun 2005

New generation of lenses makes evolutionary leap in eliminating need for glasses

The need for reading glasses or bifocals as we age may begin fading from sight with the latest generation of intraocular lenses.

3 Jun 2005

Fungal contamination of saline-filled breast implants is readily preventable

The key steps are to use closed systems for filling the devices and to adhere to the strict moisture control and operating room ventilation standards in force at major hospitals.

3 Jun 2005

Chemo combo increases breast cancer survival

A new Spanish study has found that a combination of chemotherapy drugs can increase the five-year survival rate of women with metastatic, node-positive breast cancer by 7 percent.

2 Jun 2005

Study links TNF to androgen deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis patients and suggest a novel pathway in inflammation

A protein involved in multiple cell functions, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is perhaps best known for provoking destructive inflammation. Recently, drugs blocking the action of TNF have shown promise in the early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

2 Jun 2005

Genetic variation alters response to anti-clotting drug warfarin

Millions of people take the anticoagulant drug warfarin to prevent harmful clotting after a heart attack, stroke, or major surgery. But the proper dose of warfarin can vary greatly and can be hard to predict.

1 Jun 2005

Losing weight for a better night's sleep

Significant weight loss can improve the sleep patterns of severely obese people, leading to less daytime sleepiness and better quality of life, a study by the Monash University Centre of Obesity Research and Education has found.

1 Jun 2005

Scientists develop a way to block the signals responsible for neuropathic pain

Remember how it felt the last time you burned your finger on a hot stove? Imagine what it's like to have that burning pain in your hands or feet all the time and know there's virtually nothing you can do about it.

1 Jun 2005

UMHS study finds premium rates affect where ob/gyns choose to practice

The high cost of malpractice insurance for some medical specialties affects not only how many doctors are entering the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but also where they offer their widely needed obstetric, prenatal and gynecological care, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

1 Jun 2005

Hypertension, diabetes and obesity are important independent predictors of increased complications for patients undergoing major joint replacement surgery

Using a database of nearly 1 million Americans who underwent major joint replacement surgery, a team led by researchers at Duke University Medical Center have determined those surgical patients with diabetes, hypertension or obesity were significantly more likely to suffer post-operative complications.

1 Jun 2005