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Study explores cost-effectiveness of targeted treatment for cancer

Health economics helps insurers, health care systems and providers make treatment decisions based on the cost of extra "units" of health arising from a specific treatment.

9 Feb 2015

Artificial mini-organism: An alternative to animal testing

No one wishes to dispense with the blessings of modern medicine, which took away the dread of many diseases. The flipside of the coin: To ensure that effective and safe medications are available, experiments on animals in research laboratories are indispensable.

9 Feb 2015

Researchers identify physical, cognitive signs associated with imminent death in patients with cancer

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified eight highly specific physical and cognitive signs associated with imminent death in cancer patients. The findings, published in the journal Cancer, could offer clinicians the ability to better communicate with patients and families.

9 Feb 2015

Prevalence of geriatric conditions among older, insured patients with diabetes vary little by ethnicity

In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers found that the prevalence of geriatric conditions and diabetic complications among older, insured patients with diabetes did not vary significantly by ethnicity.

9 Feb 2015

Researchers conduct environmental scan to understand physical activity services offered by FHTs

To better understand the current use of physical activity as medicine among Family Health Teams (FHTs) in Ontario, researchers at the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo and the Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team conducted an environmental scan of 102 FHTs.

9 Feb 2015

PE/GHTN linked to higher frequency of cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities

In a study to be presented on Feb. 5 in an oral concurrent session at 2:45 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, in San Diego, researchers of the MFMU Network will present findings of long term cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities five to ten years later in women with preeclampsia/gestational hypertension during pregnancy.

9 Feb 2015

Study shows preeclampsia and low birth weight reoccur in the next generation

In a study to be presented on Feb. 6 in an oral concurrent session at 1:15 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, in San Diego, researchers will present findings on a study of mothers and daughters where low birth weight and preeclampsia were found to reoccur in the next generation.

9 Feb 2015

DNA strands predict life expectancy

BYU biologist Jonathan Alder has a startling secret he doesn't freely share: he knows when most of us are going to die.

9 Feb 2015

New AGA guideline provides guidance to prevent HBV reactivation

Long-term immunosuppressive therapy can cause the hepatitis B virus (HBV) to become active, even in patients who are not aware that they are infected with the virus. A new guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association provides guidance to physicians and patients who use immunosuppressive agents for the treatment of a variety of disorders, including gastrointestinal, dermatologic, neurologic and rheumatologic, among others.

9 Feb 2015

Use of STAN in addition to usual monitoring does not improve perinatal outcomes

In a study to be presented on Feb. 5 in an oral plenary session at 8 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, in San Diego, researchers will report that use of the ST segment (STAN) as an adjunct to conventional intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate monitoring did not improve perinatal outcomes or decrease operative deliveries in hospitals in the United States.

9 Feb 2015

Induced or augmented labor does not increase risk of autism spectrum disorder

A research collaboration between Intermountain Healthcare, the University of Utah's Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, and the University of Utah's Psychiatry Department found that induced or augmented labor does not result in an increased risk of children developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

9 Feb 2015

New RT-DC technology enables faster and continuous mechanical screening of cells

Cells, like any other material, have mechanical properties that can serve for their characterization. For example, cancer cells are characteristically more deformable than healthy cells.

9 Feb 2015

Risk of rehospitalization for older heart patient remains high for up to a year

In the month following an older heart patient's hospital discharge, there is a one in five risk of rehospitalization or death, but little is known about how these risks change over time. A new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers found that risks remain high for up to a year, but can be addressed with targeted care.

9 Feb 2015

Groundbreaking study reveals potential dangers of ice hockey for young athletes

James Hudziak, M.D., has two children who love ice hockey. His son skates for his college team and one of his daughters plays in high school.

9 Feb 2015

HCV more common in West Africa yet lacks equal attention as HIV/AIDS or Ebola

More than 180 million people in the world have hepatitis C, compared with the 34 million with HIV/AIDS and the roughly 30,000 who have had Ebola.

9 Feb 2015

Study explores effects of medical marijuana in children and teens with ASD, ADHD

As medical marijuana becomes increasingly accepted, there is growing interest in its use for children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral problems such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a review in the February Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

9 Feb 2015

Investigators develop microbiome map of New York City subway system

The microbes that call the New York City subway system home are mostly harmless, but include samples of disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to drugs -- and even DNA fragments associated with anthrax and Bubonic plague -- according to a citywide microbiome map published today by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators.

9 Feb 2015

Two researchers receive Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy

Recognized for their pioneering work in the development of gene transfer technology using retroviral vectors to deliver therapeutic genes into cells, Richard C. Mulligan, PhD, Director of the Harvard Gene Therapy Initiative, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, and A. Dusty Miller, PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, received the Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 Feb 2015

Abiraterone drug improves survival in prostate cancer patients when given before chemotherapy

Pioneering prostate cancer drug abiraterone significantly extends the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer if given before chemotherapy, the results of a major phase III clinical trial have shown.

9 Feb 2015

Researchers assess causes of febrile illnesses in Tanzanian children

Valérie D'Acremont led the research team from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel and the Policlinique Médicale Universitaire in Lausanne, who systematically assessed the causes of febrile illnesses in Tanzanian children. According to the published paper, in most cases a treatment with antimalarials or antibiotics is not required.

9 Feb 2015