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Specialized natural killer cells in human tonsils help protect against Epstein Barr virus

Tonsils are a source of sore throats and an excuse for ice cream. But they also provide an important protective service, their immune-cell-rich tissue acting as the body's first defense against the germs about to be swallowed or inhaled.

12 Mar 2008

Men's pride in sexual performance may help the fight against obesity

Australian men care about erection problems, perhaps more so than possible cardiovascular disease. This may present an opportunity to improve communication about the benefits of weight loss.

12 Mar 2008

Turning off rogue macrophages

University of Pennsylvania scientists studying macrophages, the biological cells that spring from white blood cells to eat and destroy foreign or dying cells, have discovered how these "policemen" differentiate between friend and foe.

12 Mar 2008

New imaging technique provides better view of Barrett's esophagus

Novel techniques to improve the quality of imaging are helping doctors get a better look at esophageal conditions such as Barrett's esophagus (BE), but they do not necessarily improve the diagnosis or physician agreement on images, according to a study published this month in Gastroenterology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

12 Mar 2008

New resuscitation approach for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest associated with increased survival

Patients who had cardiac arrests outside of the hospital setting and were treated with a resuscitation approach designed to limit interruption of chest compressions, termed minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation (MICR), were more likely to survive than those patients who received standard treatments, according to a study in the March 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Mar 2008

Monthly contact with counselor provides some benefit for maintaining weight loss

Weight-loss program participants who had a brief, monthly personal contact intervention - most often a 10-15 minute phone conversation - regained less weight than participants who were in a Web-based intervention or self-directed program, according to a study in the March 12 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

12 Mar 2008

UT Southwestern offers free educational sessions on weight-loss surgery

UT Southwestern Medical Center is now offering free monthly education sessions for potential patients interested in weight-loss surgery.

12 Mar 2008

Glaucoma associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death in black patients

In a population of African origin, persons with diagnosed and treated glaucoma appeared to have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes, according to a study by Suh-Yuh Wu, and colleagues in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Ophthalmology at Stony Brook University, the University of the West Indies, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

12 Mar 2008

Blood test for Parkinson's shows promise

A test that profiles molecular biomarkers in blood could become the first accurate diagnostic test for Parkinson's disease, new research shows.

12 Mar 2008

Combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy improves survival in late stage liver cancer patients

A combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy may improve survival rates for patients suffering from advanced liver bile duct cancer, according to a study published this month in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

12 Mar 2008

Warnings over DIY health tests

Leading health experts in Britain have expressed their concern about the boom in tests and scans for the "worried well".

12 Mar 2008

Toddler takes sildenafil in order to survive

A two year old in Britain has a rare condition that causes chronic high blood pressure and must take Viagra to stay alive.

12 Mar 2008

Simple blood test could show whether an antidepressant is working

Researchers in the United States have discovered that a single protein in the brain changes its location within a cell membrane when an antidepressant is working.

11 Mar 2008

Miniature chemical detection device awarded U.S. patent

The U.S. Patent Office has awarded Dr. George Radziszewski a U.S. Patent (No. 7,342,664) for his revolutionary ChemiD Mini Lab, a miniature device that will identify chemical compounds on demand.

11 Mar 2008

Personal counseling and web-based strategies show modest success for sustaining weight loss

Adults who lost weight in a six-month program were able to keep at least some of the weight off for 2.5 years with the help of brief monthly personal counseling, according to a new study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. A Web-based intervention also helped participants keep the weight off for two years, but the benefit waned during the last six months of the trial

11 Mar 2008

Weight-loss more effective than intensive insulin therapy for type 2 diabetics, according to expert

Weight-loss and major lifestyle changes may be more effective than intensive insulin therapy for overweight patients with poorly controlled, insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes, according to a diabetes researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

11 Mar 2008

New study proves Neoteric's BloodTrack increases hospital efficiency

Neoteric Technology Ltd. announced today that a new study released in this month's American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) Journal of Transfusion proves that dramatic time and cost savings can be achieved by hospitals that implement BloodTrack OnDemand.

11 Mar 2008

Low dose inhaled corticosteroids improve lung function in mild asthma patients

A study by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney is the first to demonstrate that in patients with very mild or well-controlled asthma, regular treatment with low dose ICS leads to significantly better day-to-day lung function.

11 Mar 2008

Adapting drug dosing to body size

University of Queensland researchers are leading the charge in adapting drug dosing to a society that is changing shape.

11 Mar 2008

Post-stroke clot-busting therapy beneficial for patients on aspirin

Patients given a clot-busting drug following stroke appear to have better outcomes if they were already taking anti-platelet medications, despite an apparent increased risk for bleeding in the brain, according to an article posted online that will appear in the May 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

11 Mar 2008