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UT Arlington assistant professor develops computational model to predict epileptic seizure

A UT Arlington assistant engineering professor has developed a computational model that can more accurately predict when an epileptic seizure will occur next based on the patient's personalized medical information.

22 Nov 2013

Electronic health records may be used to measure patient-centeredness of primary care practices

Although electronic health records (EHR) are primarily used to store patient clinical data, the non-clinical data they collect may be used to measure patient-centeredness of primary care practices, finds a new study in Health Services Research. In addition, two of the process of care measures collected via EHRs, volume of between clinician e-messages and frequency of in-person patient visits, were associated with better patient health outcomes.

22 Nov 2013

Board of Visitors approves resolution to create Faculty of Health Sciences

At its quarterly meeting this week, Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors approved a resolution to create a Faculty of Health Sciences.

22 Nov 2013

Longer looks: Parents' crusade on rare diseases; fighting obesity; experts' view of alternative medicine

In the beginning, Chris Hempel noticed the clumsiness. Her girls tripped over toys on the floor. Their grandfather said he couldn't teach them to pedal their tricycles. … The Hempels learned of people who called themselves citizen-scientists. Many shared research papers and their day-to-day experience. Some talked of their willingness to try any promising drug. Others sought a role as equal partners with researchers. Scientists, while sympathetic, generally believe their work should be left to experts. Families are encouraged to raise money if they want to help, but the traditional view is that amateurs can't shape research or find cures. The Hempels found a maddening gap between the search for scientific knowledge and the search for treatments (Amy Docker Marcus, 11/2013).

22 Nov 2013

New NIH grant to help Chicago Stroke Trials Consortium accelerate treatment for stroke

A new network dedicated to advancing research and therapies for stroke is forming in Chicago thanks to $2 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health. The Chicago Stroke Trials Consortium is a partnership among Northwestern Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, Loyola University Medical Center, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, and University of Chicago Medicine that will build an infrastructure to support clinical trials for stroke prevention, treatment and recovery. Northwestern University will be the regional coordinating center for the consortium and administer the project over the next five years.

22 Nov 2013

Targeting single enzyme in the obese could help prevent and treat diabetes

A single overactive enzyme worsens the two core defects of diabetes—impaired insulin sensitivity and overproduction of glucose—suggesting that a drug targeting the enzyme could help correct both at once, according to mouse studies done by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. The findings were published today in the online edition of Cell Metabolism.

22 Nov 2013

Studies link hundreds of gene mutations in the brain to increased autism risk

Pity the poor autism researcher. Recent studies have linked hundreds of gene mutations scattered throughout the brain to increased autism risk. Where do you start?

22 Nov 2013

Neurosurgeons use novel technique to visualize the brain's delicate anatomy prior to surgery

Neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health System are using a new approach to visualize the brain's delicate anatomy prior to surgery. The novel technique allows neurosurgeons to see the brain's nerve connections thus preserving and protecting critical functions such as vision, speech and memory. No needles, dyes or chemicals are needed to create the radiology scan. The main imaging ingredient? Water.

22 Nov 2013

Frequent consumption of peanuts lowers risk of death

A major study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that men and women who ate an ounce of peanuts daily reduced their risk of death from all causes by up to 20%. Results also showed that peanut eaters were leaner. This gives people another great reason to get their daily handful of peanuts.

22 Nov 2013

CKD children with lower socio-economic status less likely to grow to normal height ranges

Even with more prescriptions for growth hormone, children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease were less likely to grow to normal height ranges if they came from lower-income families, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Study are published in the December issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and online today at http://www.ajkd.org.

22 Nov 2013

High knowledge about HIV and risky sexual activity does not make teens more likely to get tested for HIV

Having high knowledge about HIV and engaging in risky sexual activity do not make high-school-aged teens more likely to get tested for HIV. Those are the findings of a new study by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

22 Nov 2013

Brown fat stem cells may lead to new treatments for heart and endocrine disorders

Obesity and diabetes have become a global epidemic leading to severe cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Utah believe their recent identification of brown fat stem cells in adult humans may lead to new treatments for heart and endocrine disorders, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells.

22 Nov 2013

Combinatory therapy may be effective in suppressing drug resistance in treatment of melanoma

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the charitable initiative supporting ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, announces that the Allan H. (Bud) and Sue Selig Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Innovative Research Grant Recipient Roger S. Lo, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has published two studies in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research which indicate that treatment using combinatory therapy may be effective in suppressing drug resistance in the treatment of melanoma.

21 Nov 2013

Research: New drugs show ability to rapidly shrink melanoma tumors

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing more than 8,000 in the U.S. each year. Approximately 40 percent of advanced melanoma tumors are driven to grow by the presence of mutations in a gene known as the BRAF gene.

21 Nov 2013

New technique can diagnose cancer with high degree of accuracy, say researchers

A team of researchers from UCLA and Harvard University have demonstrated a technique that, by measuring the physical properties of individual cells in body fluids, can diagnose cancer with a high degree of accuracy.

21 Nov 2013

QoL, BMI predict exacerbations in Japanese COPD patients

Analysis of a cohort of Japanese chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with a low exacerbation frequency shows that low body mass index and poor health-related quality of life independently predict flare ups of the disease.

21 Nov 2013

Unemployed men show signs of faster ageing in their DNA

Men who are unemployed for more than two years show signs of faster ageing in their DNA, a new study has found.

21 Nov 2013

Antibiotic resistance holds stable in U.S. children's hospitals

Two studies published in the December issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology show antibiotic resistance patterns for children have held stable over a seven-year period and surgical patients in U.S. children's hospitals account for 43 percent of all antibiotic use in children's hospitals, presenting an opportunity for targeted intervention.

21 Nov 2013

Study: Patients staying on medications does not lower hospital readmission rates

A targeted effort to help high-risk heart failure patients stay on their medications did improve adherence to drug regimens, but had surprisingly little effect lowering hospital readmission rates, according to a study at Duke Medicine.

21 Nov 2013

Kennedy Krieger Institute researchers find therapeutic benefits of virtual sailing

Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the results of a pilot study demonstrating use of a virtual therapeutic sailing simulator as an important part of rehabilitation following a spinal cord injury. Published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, findings show that using a hands-on sailing simulator over a 12-week period helped participants safely learn sailing skills in a controlled environment, ultimately improving their quality of life by gaining the ability to participate in a recreational sport.

21 Nov 2013

Medicine News and Research

UT Arlington assistant professor develops computational model to predict epileptic seizure

Electronic health records may be used to measure patient-centeredness of primary care practices

Board of Visitors approves resolution to create Faculty of Health Sciences

Longer looks: Parents' crusade on rare diseases; fighting obesity; experts' view of alternative medicine

New NIH grant to help Chicago Stroke Trials Consortium accelerate treatment for stroke

Targeting single enzyme in the obese could help prevent and treat diabetes

Studies link hundreds of gene mutations in the brain to increased autism risk

Neurosurgeons use novel technique to visualize the brain's delicate anatomy prior to surgery

Frequent consumption of peanuts lowers risk of death

CKD children with lower socio-economic status less likely to grow to normal height ranges

High knowledge about HIV and risky sexual activity does not make teens more likely to get tested for HIV

Brown fat stem cells may lead to new treatments for heart and endocrine disorders

Combinatory therapy may be effective in suppressing drug resistance in treatment of melanoma

Research: New drugs show ability to rapidly shrink melanoma tumors

New technique can diagnose cancer with high degree of accuracy, say researchers

QoL, BMI predict exacerbations in Japanese COPD patients

Unemployed men show signs of faster ageing in their DNA

Antibiotic resistance holds stable in U.S. children's hospitals

Study: Patients staying on medications does not lower hospital readmission rates

Kennedy Krieger Institute researchers find therapeutic benefits of virtual sailing

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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