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Viewpoints: How media missed Ryan AARP story; Romney and women voters; The price of medical mistakes

The headlines this weekend were all about the boos Paul Ryan elicited on Friday when he addressed the AARP, the self-styled seniors' lobby. The herd of independent media minds missed the real story, which is that the Republican Vice Presidential nominee went into the heart of the entitlement culture, told some hard truths, and even won applause for doing so.

25 Sep 2012

New nanotechnology detects micrometastases in mouse models of breast cancer

Malignant cells that leave a primary tumor, travel the bloodstream and grow out of control in new locations cause the vast majority of cancer deaths. New nanotechnology developed at Case Western Reserve University detects these metastases in mouse models of breast cancer far earlier than current methods, a step toward earlier, life-saving diagnosis and treatment.

25 Sep 2012

Combination of healing touch and guided imagery reduces depression, cynicism among US Marines

Healing touch combined with guided imagery (HT+GI) provides significant clinical reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for combat-exposed active duty military, according to a study released in the September issue of Military Medicine.

25 Sep 2012

Low aerobic fitness risk factor for chronic kidney disease in men

Young men with low levels of aerobic fitness are more likely to have albuminuria or glomerular hyperfiltration, both early signs of chronic kidney disease, than those with higher levels of fitness.

24 Sep 2012

Bone marrow transplants hold promise for sickle cell patients

Research shows that even partially matched bone marrow transplants are able to eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients with sickle cell anemia.

24 Sep 2012

Confusion reigns on best handover of patients from secondary to primary care

Several planned interventions have reportedly improved the quality and safety of patient handovers between hospital and primary care, yet robust evidence of their benefits is still lacking, conclude researchers who conducted a systematic review of studies to date.

24 Sep 2012

BG-12 effective for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Results of the CONFIRM and DEFINE studies suggest that dimethyl fumarate should be considered as an oral treatment for patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.

24 Sep 2012

Study on epigenetics link of PTSD and respiratory disease in 9/11 responders

The "Epigenetics Link of PTSD and Respiratory Disease in 9/11 Responders" study is the first to investigate the association between genetic changes and the development of both conditions in the 9/11 responder patient population. Approximately 500 patients treated at the LI-CCE for both conditions will be evaluated during the two-year study.

24 Sep 2012

ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation for 16 new centers

The European Society for Medical Oncology has awarded ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation to 16 new oncology centers. The centers will receive the acknowledgment at the ESMO 2012 Congress, in Vienna, Austria, 28 September - 2 October.

24 Sep 2012

Mailed sun protection kits lead to higher frequency of sun protective behaviors

A blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence more than doubles the adult risk of skin cancer. The accumulation of long-term sun exposure may be equally dangerous.

24 Sep 2012

Marijuana and testicular cancer: an interview with Victoria Cortessis

This is a set of malignancies that arise in germ cells of the testicles, the specialized cells that produce sperm. Taken together, testicular cancers are the most common form of malignancy that occurs in young men (approximately 15 to 35 years of age).

24 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 24, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan was booed and heckled on Friday when he told an AARP convention in New Orleans that he would repeal President Barack Obama's health law. In contrast, Obama's remarks about Medicare --delivered by live satellite an hour earlier -- were warmly received."

24 Sep 2012

Molecular similarity between one sub-type of breast cancer and ovarian cancer

A team of scientists with The Cancer Genome Atlas program reports their genetic characterization of 800 breast tumors, including finding some of the genetic causes of the most common forms of breast cancer, providing clues for new therapeutic targets, and identifying a molecular similarity between one sub-type of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

24 Sep 2012

New technique allows cells to make terpenes

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown how to synthesize in the laboratory an important set of natural compounds known as terpenes. The largest class of chemicals made by living organisms, terpenes are made within cells by some of the most complex chemical reactions found in biology.

24 Sep 2012

Researchers identify subgroups of B cells in MYC-positive germinal centers

Germinal centers are sites in the organs of the lymphatic system, formed during the course of an immune response to infection, where B cells intensely proliferate and modify their DNA in order to produce antibodies specific for the pathogen. However, it is known that the vast majority of lymphomas derive from the B cells at the germinal centers.

24 Sep 2012

Even partially matched bone marrow transplants can eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients

In a preliminary clinical trial, investigators at Johns Hopkins have shown that even partially matched bone marrow transplants can eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients, ridding them of painful and debilitating symptoms and the need for a lifetime of pain medications and blood transfusions.

24 Sep 2012

Latest research on stem cells discussed at Einstein symposium

The promise of stem cells seems limitless. If they can be coaxed into rebuilding organs, repairing damaged spinal cords and restoring ravaged immune systems, these malleable cells would revolutionize medical treatment. But stem cell research is still in its infancy, as scientists seek to better understand the role of these cells in normal human development and disease.

24 Sep 2012

Simple survey can effectively identify women with ovarian cancer symptoms

A simple three-question paper-and-pencil survey, given to women in the doctor's office in less than two minutes, can effectively identify those who are experiencing symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

24 Sep 2012

Sleep medicine and research: an interview with James K. Walsh

There are a variety of sleep medicines. I am going to refer to what are commonly described as hypnotics or sleeping pills. Sleeping pills have been around for a long time.

24 Sep 2012

Most basal-like breast and ovarian tumors have similar genetic origins

The most comprehensive analysis yet of breast cancer shows that one of the most deadly subtypes is genetically more similar to ovarian tumors than to other breast cancers.

24 Sep 2012