Medicine News and Research

RSS

Some medical schools trim time to degree

A survey of 120 medical schools, conducted by the New York University School of Medicine, found that 30 percent were considering or already planning three-year programs.

4 Aug 2014

New spinal fixation technique: an interview with Dr. Ian Armstrong, Medical Director, Southern California Spine Institute

Traditionally, the most commonly used medical devices for spinal fusion procedures have been pedicle screws and rods, and interbody cages or spacers. Each are coupled with bone grafts and limit movement while the area being fused heals.

4 Aug 2014

Pelvic anatomy changes after prostatectomy linked to LUTS

Japanese researchers have identified certain pelvic anatomic features in men who have undergone radical prostatectomy that are associated with specific lower urinary tract symptoms.

4 Aug 2014

Study shows new potential mechanism to better understand AD in African Americans

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine report that two rare variants in the AKAP9 gene significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in African-Americans.

4 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 4, 2014

Today's headlines include a variety of health policy stories reflecting developments on the state level.

4 Aug 2014

Findings shed light on why PPARγ activators have side effect of promoting weight gain

The brain plays a central role in regulating appetite and whole-body metabolism. A protein known as PPARγ is important in the brain's control of food intake and body weight, but the identity of the neurons regulating this process has been unclear.

4 Aug 2014

FSMB takes effort to educate physicians on safe prescribing of opioid analgesics

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) announced today that the nation's state medical boards have kicked off a multi-state effort to educate health care professionals on the safe and responsible prescribing of extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioid analgesics for patients with chronic pain.

4 Aug 2014

Biomarker for head and neck cancers identified

Although mutations in a gene dubbed "the guardian of the genome" are widely recognized as being associated with more aggressive forms of cancer, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found evidence suggesting that the deleterious health effects of the mutated gene may in large part be due to other genetic abnormalities, at least in squamous cell head and neck cancers.

4 Aug 2014

LGBT individuals who want to conceive child often face physiological and legal challenges

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals who want to conceive a child may face the same problems as some of their heterosexual and cisgendered peers, such as reduced fertility, but in addition they often face additional physiological and legal challenges to become parents.

4 Aug 2014

New molecular test kit predicts survival outcomes in kidney cancer patients

Researchers and doctors at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) have co-developed the first molecular test kit that can predict treatment and survival outcomes in kidney cancer patients. This breakthrough was recently reported in European Urology, the world's top urology journal.

4 Aug 2014

Research roundup: The effect of expensive cancer therapies; missed hospital handovers; children's mental health needs

Medicare uses more than a dozen different payment systems to set payment rates for the medical items and services the program covers for beneficiaries.

4 Aug 2014

Review of recent advances in stem cell biology

Advances in stem cell research will provide enormous opportunities for both biological and future clinical applications.

4 Aug 2014

Bacteria that aid in digestion help keep intestinal lining intact

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that bacteria that aid in digestion help keep the intestinal lining intact.

4 Aug 2014

ACA provides opportunities to increase availability of CR programs in workplace

Through financial incentives and an emphasis on proven health outcomes, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides opportunities to increase the availability of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs—including offering CR as part of worksite health programs (WHPs), according to an article in the August Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

4 Aug 2014

Study: Spicy capsaicin can reduce risk of colorectal tumors

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin - the active ingredient in chili peppers - produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.

3 Aug 2014