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U.S. conference on AIDS to focus on HIV/AIDS prevention among minorities

The 2008 U.S. Conference on AIDS, sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council, began on Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and through Sunday will focus on ways to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in minority communities, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (Lewis et al., South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/18).

22 Sep 2008

Blacks' mortality rate after liver surgery two times higher than that of whites

Blacks have a mortality rate after liver surgery that is about twice as high as that of whites, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgery, Reuters Health reports.

22 Sep 2008

House leaders say they will consider mental health parity as stand-alone bill this week

House leaders on Thursday told mental health lobbyists that mental health parity legislation will be taken up as a stand-alone bill next week under suspension of the rules, a procedure that prohibits amendments and requires a two-thirds majority for the bill to pass, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 9/19).

22 Sep 2008

Delaying elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery: post-operative death risks

Delaying elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may be a significant risk factor for post-operative death. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research reveals that when patients received timely surgery, the risk of death was reduced by a third.

21 Sep 2008

New kinds of optical sensors make MRI scans safer

Magnetic resonance scans will be safer for children and other patients needing anaesthesia, thanks to new kinds of optical sensors developed by a team of European researchers.

21 Sep 2008

Research provides new insights into how cells accessorize their proteins

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have gained new insight into how the cell's vast array of proteins would instantly be reduced to a confusion of lethally malfunctioning molecules without a system for proteins to "accessorize" in order to regulate their function.

21 Sep 2008

Hospital patients to be assessed for risk of venous thromboembolism

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, announced today the publication of a risk assessment for venous thromboembolism, recommended for all patients admitted to hospital in England.

21 Sep 2008

Researchers to look at relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear

Researchers at the University of Essex have received a three-year studentship from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to investigate the relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear.

18 Sep 2008

Toxic baby milk shocks China

In China's latest food scare 6,000 babies have been poisoned and three babies have died from drinking baby milk tainted by the industrial chemical melamine.

18 Sep 2008

No such thing as a 'safe' suntan

Three review papers from leading researchers in the fields of cell biology, dermatology and epidemiology have looked closely at the effects on skin of UV radiation, including that from indoor tanning beds.

18 Sep 2008

Nine types of 'problem drinkers' - which one are you?

Researchers in Britain have they say identified nine types of "problem drinkers".

18 Sep 2008

New tool for early diagnosis of breast cancer

Scientists from Finland, Germany and the ESRF have developed a new X-ray technique for the early detection of breast cancer. This allows a 3D visualization of the breast with a high spatial resolution and is extremely sensitive to alterations in the tissue, such as those generated by cancer. This technique could be used in the next years in hospitals. It may help doctors to detect tumours with greater precision than is possible using current X-ray mammography.

17 Sep 2008

Cardiologists find old-fashioned physical exams just as good for assessing heart failure as new technology

Patient history and physical examination, traditionally the cornerstone diagnostic tool for medical care, may still be among the most accurate and cost-efficient methods to assess patients with congestive heart failure, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

17 Sep 2008

Genetic screening effective for initial HIV treatment

A major study from a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that a recent change to HIV-treatment guidelines recommending genetic screening is cost-effective under certain conditions. The new recommendation suggests conducting a genetic screening test prior to prescribing the drug abacavir, one of the preferred first-line drugs for the treatment for HIV-infected adults.

17 Sep 2008

Women who smoke increase their risk of dying prematurely

A long term study by researchers in the United States has found that women can reduce their risk of a premature death by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

17 Sep 2008

Australian researchers have new model to predict long-term survival of critically ill patients

Researchers in Western Australia have come up with a new way of estimating the long-term survival of critically ill patients.

17 Sep 2008

New drug might make tumor cells more sensitive to therapy

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have shown that it might be possible to make tumor cells more sensitive to irradiation and some types of chemotherapy by treating them with a drug that cripples their ability to repair DNA damage caused by these therapies.

16 Sep 2008

New results help predict treatment response in colorectal cancer

Genetic testing can identify a group of patients with advanced colorectal cancer who are likely to survive on average twice as long if treated with the drug cetuximab, late breaking results show.

16 Sep 2008

Benefits of combined treatments against cancer

In cancer therapy, the best results are often achieved by combining treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. This multidisciplinary approach is the focus of special symposia at the meetings of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology (ESTRO) taking place in Sweden this month.

16 Sep 2008

Carbon nanotube coating improves electrical stimulation therapy used for Parkinson's, depression, chronic pain

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have designed a way to improve electrical stimulation of nerves by outfitting electrodes with the latest in chemically engineered fashion: a coating of basic black, formed from carbon nanotubes.

16 Sep 2008