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Counting during anesthetic injection lessens pain

Patients who counted aloud during the injection of an intravenous anesthetic experienced and recalled less pain, according to new research by anesthesiologists in Japan.

16 Oct 2007

Knee buckling common in older adults

Knee buckling which is a sudden "giving way" of the knee is not an uncommon event particularly for older people.

16 Oct 2007

Mortality rates 71 percent lower at top-rated hospitals

Patients have on average a 71 percent lower chance of dying at the nation's top-rated hospitals compared with the lowest-rated hospitals across 18 procedures and conditions analyzed in the tenth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, issued today by HealthGrades, the healthcare ratings company.

16 Oct 2007

Sharp declines in hospital death rates in 2004

Sharp declines in the hospital death rates of patients from heart attack and five other leading conditions meant that an estimated 136,000 who would have died had they been hospitalized a decade earlier survived their stays in 2004, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Oct 2007

GERD can masquerade as persistent cough or even severe chest pain

Many people may not realize that symptoms such as chronic cough or chest pain can be caused by acid reflux into the esophagus, because they do not experience classic heartburn symptoms or acid regurgitation.

16 Oct 2007

Gastric bypass surgery may cause post-op nutrient deficiencies

Two studies by a group of researchers at Washington Hospital Center highlight potential postoperative nutritional deficiencies among patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery to treat obesity.

16 Oct 2007

Research needed to overcome bariatric surgery objections

Bariatric surgery has become more acceptable, but additional research is needed to demonstrate to insurance companies and the public that it is the best long-term treatment for obesity, according to an editorial in the October issue of Archives of Surgery.

16 Oct 2007

Chemists turn carbon monoxide into potential cardiovascular therapy

During Carbon Monoxide Awareness week, EPSRC highlights how researchers are harnessing the gas for beneficial use.Despite its deadly reputation, the gas carbon monoxide (CO) could actually save lives and boost health in future as a result of leading-edge UK research.

16 Oct 2007

Capsule endoscopy finds undiagnosed Crohn's disease

A small capsule that takes "snapshots" of the small intestine as it moves through the digestive tract helped doctors spot cases of Crohn's disease that had gone undiagnosed for up to 15 years, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

16 Oct 2007

Health-care costs of NSAIDs injury

Patients underreported their use of common but potentially dangerous over-the-counter pain medications known as NSAIDs, according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

16 Oct 2007

20% of bariatric surgery candidates not psychologically cleared for surgery

A new study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University researchers reported that 18 percent of 500 candidates for bariatric surgery did not receive the initial psychiatric clearance for the surgery.

16 Oct 2007

New near-infrared contrast agent reveals bone and breast-cancer-related microcalcifications

Mammography continues to be the method of choice for the early detection of breast cancer. However, because this technique is not as selective or specific as one would wish, and does not deliver reliable results for every level of tissue density, alternatives are being sought.

15 Oct 2007

Pregabalin decreases pain after knee replacement surgery

The drug pregabalin, administered before and after knee replacement surgery, significantly decreased patient pain while increasing and expediting mobility after surgery, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

Anesthesia passport ensures optimal care

A patient “passport,” outlining individual anesthetic experiences and side effects, can help patients to better understand the procedures they have undergone in the operating room and potentially avoid future, unnecessary complications.

15 Oct 2007

Nicotine patch for prostate surgery relief?

The use of a nicotine patch - successfully used to help many smokers decrease their dependency on nicotine - was shown to reduce pain in men after prostate removal surgery in a new anesthesiology study.

15 Oct 2007

Chili peppers and pain relief

Purified capsaicin, a drug derived from chili peppers, reduced pain for at least three days following groin hernia surgery, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

AMDL submits data to FDA for clearance to market its diagnostic test to monitor colorectal cancer patients

AMDL, Inc., developer and marketer of tests for the early detection of cancer and other serious diseases, announced today that it has filed with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for clearance to market its unique, proprietary DR-70 (FDP) ELISA tumor marker test for use as an aid in monitoring patients previously diagnosed with colorectal cancer. AMDL used the guidance provided at the meeting they had with the FDA on January 25, 2007.

15 Oct 2007

Penn awarded $2.1 million grant for cardiovascular research

Cardiac researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pioneer studies in cardiovascular disease management and participate in a novel collaboration network to develop and implement research in this critically important field.

12 Oct 2007

Pioneering approach to cardiovascular care

Thousands of heart patients in the Greater New York region will receive top quality, comprehensive cardiac care in an innovative cardiovascular program in which physicians at a major academic medical center will receive incentive payments based on 60 performance measures for outpatient and inpatient care.

12 Oct 2007

A tumor-blocking protein may be key in developing deadly form of pancreatic cancer

A tumor-blocking protein previously implicated in prostate and breast cancer development may also be behind the most aggressive type of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia have discovered that the protein pp32 – which normally applies the brakes on a cancer-causing gene – is missing in an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.

12 Oct 2007