Hospital News and Research

RSS

Children who survive cancer face educational difficulties and social isolation

A new study finds children who survive cancer have about twice the rate of educational and social problems compared to children without a history of cancer.

12 Sep 2005

HOXA1 is a gene that's been looking for a disorder for a long time

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, who specialize in studying the genetics of rare eye-movement disorders, have found a rare genetic syndrome whose implications go far beyond the eye, raising intriguing questions about human cardiovascular and brain development.

12 Sep 2005

Large scale study to see if angioplasty can be safely performed in small hospitals

Cardiologists at Johns Hopkins have launched a nationwide study of more than 16,000 patients to see if a potentially life-saving procedure called angioplasty can be safely performed in smaller, community hospitals, easing access to the therapy for patients. Researchers expect to enroll the first study patients in early fall 2005.

12 Sep 2005

Amantadine resistant avian influenza viruses more common in Southeast Asia than North America

Resistance to the antiviral drug amantadine is spreading more rapidly among avian influenza viruses of H5N1 subtype in Southeast Asia than in North America, according to the study done by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

12 Sep 2005

Improper use of seat belts puts kids at risk

New South Wales Special Minister of State, John Della Bosca, announced this week the results of new research which shows an alarming number of children are being put at risk through the improper use of seat belts and child restraints.

10 Sep 2005

Low-fat, plant-based diet is more effective at helping women lose weight

A low-fat, plant-based diet is more effective at helping women lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity than an omnivorous diet, shows a new study appearing in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

10 Sep 2005

Safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess

Researchers at Westmead Millennium Institute have discovered a safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess, and an accurate and rapid way of diagnosing meningitis.

10 Sep 2005

Medicine remains a white male dominated profession

Despite a record number of female medical students, medicine remains a white male dominated profession – but its days as such are numbered, says a paper in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ).

10 Sep 2005

One in four cases of hospital MRSA bacteraemia occurs in new arrivals

One in four cases of MRSA blood stream infection in hospital occur in patients who have just arrived from the community. These patients tend to be older and have been in hospital before.

10 Sep 2005

New device for removing liver tumours with virtually no blood loss

The revolutionary new device uses radiofrequency energy to 'seal' tissue around a tumour site, allowing the tumour to be removed while preventing blood loss and other complications. The device has enabled surgeons to operate where previously it would have been too risky.

10 Sep 2005

Transplantation of organs from animals to humans could soon be a reality

Speaking at the BA Festival of Science in Dublin, Dr Anthony Warrens, discussed how xenotransplantation, the process of transplanting organs from one species into another, could soon be a reality, easing the current shortage of organs for transplantation.

10 Sep 2005

India struggling to cope with encephalitis outbreak in Uttar Pradesh

According to a local health official, authorities are struggling to cope with an encephalitis epidemic in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, where more than 600 people have died from the disease.

10 Sep 2005

Depression may hasten the progression of heart disease

In a study of 32 people with heart failure, the 14 patients who felt the most depressed had nearly twice the levels of this protein in their blood.

7 Sep 2005

More heart victims die when clot-buster drug is used before angioplasty

Currently it is fairly common practice to give heart attack patients a clot-busting drug a few hours before planned angioplasty.

7 Sep 2005

Health officials insist they were prepared for Katrina

Federal health officials in the U.S. are defending themselves against criticism that the government was not prepared to deal with disaster left by Hurricane Katrina.

7 Sep 2005

Parents advised to turn off the TV, encourage outdoor play

If mothers of preschoolers perceive their neighborhood as unsafe, their children tend to watch more television, but differ little in amounts of outdoor play or overweight, compared to peers in safer neighborhoods. Drawing from a study of three-year-olds in 20 U.S. cities, researchers reported these findings in the September issue of Pediatrics.

7 Sep 2005

Call for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders

Speaking at the BA Festival of Science, at Trinity College, Dublin, Dr Kirstin Goldring from Imperial College London and Charing Cross Hospital is calling for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders.

7 Sep 2005

Batch reading mammograms can significantly reduce the number of patients who have to return for additional mammograms

Batch reading, the process of interpreting screening mammograms during a set-aside block of time in a quiet environment that prevents interruption or distraction, can significantly reduce the number of patients who have to return for additional mammograms - although few hospitals use it, say researchers from the University of Wisconsin.

7 Sep 2005

Letrozole following tamoxifen may benefit women with breast cancer

Switching to the drug letrozole following 5 years of treatment with tamoxifen reduces the risk of hormone-dependent breast cancer recurrence, but not overall survival, among postmenopausal women, according to a new study in the September 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

7 Sep 2005