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The once youngest person in the world to survive a heart by-pass operation is expecting her 2nd child

Lorraine Stone was born with heart disease. When just three days old she was the youngest person in the world at that time to survive a heart by-pass operation. Since then she has had five major heart operations. Miraculously, at the age 29, she is expecting to give birth to her second child in July.

10 Jun 2004

Early hormone therapy for metastatic prostate cancer increases life expectancy

Men with aggressive, metastatic prostate cancer who receive immediate early hormone therapy live on average three to four years longer than others who delay similar treatment, according to researchers at the University of Rochester.

10 Jun 2004

Non-aspirin pain drugs may help men with recurrent prostate cancer

Early results from a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine study may determine if drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors, a newer type of non-aspirin pain medicine now widely prescribed for arthritis symptoms, may benefit men with recurrent prostate cancer.

10 Jun 2004

FDA approval for miniature robot for spinal procedures

A miniature robot for fail-proof spinal procedures has received FDA approval. Named SpineAssist, the robot is the brainchild of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Professor Moshe Shoham.

10 Jun 2004

Knee replacement operations have more than doubled in a decade

The findings are based on an analysis of hospital treatment statistics in England between 1991 and 2000. The number of first time hip replacements increased by 18% during this period, while the need to revise the procedure more than doubled.

10 Jun 2004

Russian doctors appreciate benefits of natural remedies

"It would appear that American doctors have a long way to go compared to Russian doctors who are, after recognizing the limited results with traditional drugs, are now successfully testing natural remedies," according to nutritional researcher Peter Gillham.

10 Jun 2004

Patients play computer games using only the signals from their brains

For the first time in humans, a team headed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis has placed an electronic grid atop patients' brains to gather motor signals that enable patients to play a computer game using only the signals from their brains.

10 Jun 2004

New blood test may help detect breast cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have developed a blood test that can detect amplification of a certain gene found in circulating cells associated with breast cancer.

9 Jun 2004

SU11248 proves effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors

A drug originally developed to block the formation of blood vessels in tumors has been shown to overcome resistance to treatment with Gleevec in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

9 Jun 2004

Assessment of spinal cord stimulator in treatment of chronic pain

A neurosurgeon at the University of Illinois at Chicago is assessing how well an implanted electronic device that stimulates nerve fibers in the spinal cord relieves chronic pain.

7 Jun 2004

New medical imaging research helps diagnosis fetal brain abnormalities, epilepsy and autism

The world's leading neuroscience and radiology experts today shared new research and technological developments in medical imaging that facilitate diagnosis and breakthrough treatments of fetal brain abnormalities, epilepsy and cognitive disorders such as autism and Alzheimer's.

7 Jun 2004

Herceptin shows real promise in treatment of HER-2 positive breast disease

According to a study conducted at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, more than twice as many women with early stage, HER-2 positive breast disease who received Herceptin as part of their pre-surgery chemotherapy had their tumors completely disappear compared to like patients who received only chemotherapy.

7 Jun 2004

Traumatic bone breaks can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder

Research that appears in the June 5 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery is available online and explains why some people take longer to recover after an injury even though their bone has physically healed.

7 Jun 2004

Crucial discovery may help better diagnose and treat children with Hirschsprung disease

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have made a crucial discovery that may help physicians better diagnose and treat children with Hirschsprung disease, a debilitating and sometimes life-threatening ailment that causes bowel obstruction and involves an array of genetic changes.

5 Jun 2004

Surgery in addition to compression treatment could reduce the risk of recurrent leg ulcers

A UK study in this week's issue of THE LANCET highlights how surgery in addition to compression treatment could substantially reduce the risk of recurrent leg ulcers.

5 Jun 2004

Cervical cerclage, stitching to close cervix called into question

A common surgical procedure to prevent the cervix opening during pregnancy-thought to reduce the risk of preterm delivery-is called into question by results of a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET.

5 Jun 2004

Study finds sports injuries preventable through psychology

A University of Auckland PhD student has shown that psychology has an important part to play in injury vulnerability for sportspeople and their ability to recover.

3 Jun 2004

Fibroid tumors lack crucial structural protein

Fibroid tumors-the sometimes painful uterine growths affecting many American women-lack a key protein that plays a role in holding tissues together, according to a study by researchers from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health

3 Jun 2004

Uterine cancer, also called endometrial cancer, will strike more than 40,000 U.S. women annually

A Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) study, headed by Cornelia Trimble, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, has revealed that pathologists who evaluate uterine biopsies disagree 60 percent of the time on whether the specimens contain cancerous cells.

3 Jun 2004

BMA to publish an A to Z of Doctors Making a Difference

The British Medical Association will today (Thursday 3 June 2004) publish an A to Z of Doctors Making a Difference. This UK-wide report illustrates how doctors are leading developments to increase patient care, improve access to services and enhance the patient experience.

3 Jun 2004