Medicine News and Research

RSS

Stroke patients at greater risk of committing suicide compared with other population groups

Stroke patients can be up to twice as likely to commit suicide compared with the rest of the population, and the risk of attempted suicide is highest within the first two years after a stroke. These are the findings of a study from Umeå University published in the journal Neurology.

8 Apr 2015

Sensor system helps physicians improve quality of clinical breast examinations

NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a highly effective sensor system to improve the quality of clinical breast examinations by physicians. The training system addresses a critical need for physicians to develop the technique and skill necessary to consistently detect the presence of breast lesions during a clinical breast exam (CBE).

8 Apr 2015

CUMC researchers identify cellular defect that could lead to potential new treatment for diabetes

A cellular defect that can impair the body's ability to handle high glucose levels and could point the way to a potential new treatment for diabetes has been identified by Columbia University Medical Center researchers.

8 Apr 2015

New study could point to potential ways to address defects in learning, memory

Just as some people seem built to run marathons and have an easier time going for miles without tiring, others are born with a knack for memorizing things, from times tables to trivia facts. These two skills—running and memorizing—are not so different as it turns out.

8 Apr 2015

HPV may cause oropharyngeal cancer

Tobacco and alcohol use may be the most common cause of head and neck cancers, but a new culprit has come on the scene in recent years.

8 Apr 2015

Study identifies gut immune system as new, effective target for diabetes

A commonly-used drug to treat inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in obese mice, potentially identifying the gut immune system as a new and effective target in treating diabetes in humans.

8 Apr 2015

Experimental oligonucleotide-based drug stimulates human immune system to fight infections

An experimental single-stranded oligonucleotide-based drug, MGN1703, comprised only of natural DNA components, stimulates the human immune system to fight infections and attack cancer cells without causing the harmful side effects associated with similar compounds that also contain non-natural DNA components.

8 Apr 2015

TOAST classification remains effective, easy-to-use system to classify strokes

In 1993, neurologists Harold P. Adams Jr., MD, and Jose Biller, MD, and colleagues proposed a new way to classify strokes. It became known as the TOAST classification. Twenty-two years later, the TOAST classification remains an effective and easy-to-use system that is routinely employed in stroke studies around the world, Drs. Adams and Biller report in the journal Stroke, published online ahead of print.

8 Apr 2015

Aging associated with development of dysphagia

Nearly 40 percent of Americans 60 and older are living with a swallowing disorder known as dysphagia. Although it is a major health problem associated with aging, it is unknown whether the condition is a natural part of healthy aging or if it is caused by an age-related disease that has yet to be diagnosed, such as Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

8 Apr 2015

Study examines new Ebola Prediction Score

Abdominal pain, fever and unexplained bleeding - which are commonly believed to indicate infection with the Ebola virus -- are not significantly predictive of the disease, according to the results of a study examining a new Ebola Prediction Score published online Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Derivation and Internal Validation of the Ebola Prediction Score for Risk Stratification of Patients with Suspected Ebola Virus Disease").

8 Apr 2015

Combining nortriptyline and morphine successfully relieves chronic neuropathic pain

The combination of two well-known drugs will have unprecedented effects on pain management, says new research from Queen's.

8 Apr 2015

Study examines effective ways to explain key insurance details to uninsured people

The federal health-care law has reduced the number of uninsured people by about 10 million. But challenges remain, including how to educate new enrollees about their coverage options.

8 Apr 2015

Women with inherited BRCA1/2 mutations at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers

In a study that involved more than 31,000 women who are carriers of disease-associated mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, researchers identified mutations that were associated with significantly different risks of breast and ovarian cancers, findings that may have implications for risk assessment and cancer prevention decision making among carriers of these mutations, according to a study in the April 7 issue of JAMA.

8 Apr 2015

St. Luke’s Cancer Center offers new Phase II oncolytic viral therapy clinical trial for advanced melanoma

St. Luke’s Cancer Center is a leader in offering clinical trials for patients with melanoma, the most unusual type of skin cancer and also the most deadly. Physicians such as Sanjiv Agarwala, MD, Chief of Medical Oncology and Hematology for St. Luke’s University Health Network and an internationally recognized melanoma specialist, are committed to bringing the most promising studies to the Lehigh Valley.

8 Apr 2015

Study identifies genetic variants linked to Hirschsprung’s disease

Genetic studies in humans, zebrafish and mice have revealed how two different types of genetic variations team up to cause a rare condition called Hirschsprung’s disease. The findings add to an increasingly clear picture of how flaws in early nerve development lead to poor colon function, which must often be surgically corrected.

8 Apr 2015

Brain's primary visual cortex can drive the timing of actions

When managing, assigning each task to a specialist is often the most efficient strategy. Most researchers regard the brain as working similarly, with each region specialized to a given task. But Johns Hopkins neuroscientists have found, in rats, that the brain's primary visual cortex (VC) not only portrays the visual world but can also drive the timing of actions.

8 Apr 2015

Northwestern University researchers find safer way to improve surgery outcomes

A Northwestern University research team potentially has found a safer way to keep blood vessels healthy during and after surgery.

7 Apr 2015

New blood test may more accurately identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease

A new blood test may more accurately identify blood signatures, or biomarkers, for Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study published in the journal Movement Disorders.

7 Apr 2015

US health care providers reluctant to prescribe HIV prevention plan

Many health care providers across the United States may be reluctant to prescribe an increasingly important prevention approach to some of their patients who are at substantial ongoing risk for HIV.

7 Apr 2015

Medinatura now offers Traumeel and Zeel injections for knee OA

MediNatura Incorporated, a Delaware Corporation headquartered in greater Philadelphia, announced today that the company has become the exclusive importer for the following injection solutions: Traumeel, Zeel, LymphomyosotX, Spascupreel, Neuralgo-Rheum and Engystol.

7 Apr 2015