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Hirsutism in premenopausal women - new treatment guidelines

The Endocrine Society has released new clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of hirsutism in premenopausal women. The guidelines appear in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society.

22 Apr 2008

Number of general surgeons in U.S. declined by 26% since 1981

The ratio of practicing general surgeons to patients in the U.S. declined by 26% between 1981 and 2005, according to an analysis published Monday in the Archives of Surgery, Reuters reports.

22 Apr 2008

Chicago Tribune profiles home for HIV-positive men

The Chicago Tribune recently profiled the Jo-Ray House, a home for HIV-positive men in Chicago. Jo-Ray was founded in 2003 by Ida Byther-Smith, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1991.

22 Apr 2008

Life expectancy declines in some U.S. populations

Although life expectancy has been increasing in the U.S. for most people, there is a growing disparity in mortality depending on race, income and geography, according to a study published on Monday in the online journal PLoS Medicine, the New York Times reports.

22 Apr 2008

Pin1 is beneficial in Alzheimer's disease, detrimental to some forms of dementia

The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and a relatively rare hereditary form of dementia, frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-17, share a common pathology: Both are the result of an overaccumulation of tau proteins, which form tangled lesions in the brain's neurons and eventually lead to the collapse of the brain cells responsible for memory.

22 Apr 2008

Fat-cell hormone linked to kidney disease

Reduced levels of a hormone produced by fat cells and linked to the development of insulin resistance may also be related to a higher risk of kidney disease, according to a study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University.

22 Apr 2008

Sickest patients still struggle under new Medicare Part D benefit

A recent study finds that the advantages of the new Medicare Part D drug benefit-a program that for the first time offers Medicare recipients prescription drug coverage-are mixed.

22 Apr 2008

Still lack of knowledge regarding Medicare's Part D prescription drug program

There still appears to be some lack of knowledge regarding Medicare's Part D prescription drug program, although there is evidence that cost-related medication nonadherence may have improved overall, according to two studies in the April 23/30 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

22 Apr 2008

Effects of population tobacco control interventions on social inequalities in smoking

Population level tobacco control interventions have the potential to benefit more disadvantaged groups and to reduce health inequalities, suggests a new systematic review published ahead of print in the journal Tobacco Control.

22 Apr 2008

Discovery of protein that helps predict prostate cancer survival

An Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researcher has identified a protein that is a strong indicator of survival for men with advanced prostate cancer. The C-reactive protein, also known as CRP, is a special type of protein produced by the liver that is elevated in the presence of inflammation.

22 Apr 2008

Link found between relational victimization in adolescence and depression and anxiety in early adulthood

Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows.

22 Apr 2008

Discovery of new way to prevent cardiac fibrosis

In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis - the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage - researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro- and anti-fibrotic response.

22 Apr 2008

Lumbar supports for prevention and treatment of low back pain

Lumbar or lower back supports - those large belts that people wear around their waists when they lift or carry heavy objects - are not very useful for preventing low back pain, according to a new systematic review.

22 Apr 2008

Second annual Johns Hopkins NanoBio Symposium to focus on cancer

An estimated 600 experts on nanobiotechnology-a science that develops tools and machinery at the scale of one-billionth of a meter-are expected to attend the second annual Johns Hopkins NanoBio Symposium, May 1-2, 2008.

22 Apr 2008

Developing 'roadmaps' for enhancing the professional culture of medical schools

There is change afoot in the way medicine is being taught. Rigorous course work, state of the art laboratories and demanding clinical training are necessarily at the forefront. To complement the constant updating of the technical preparation of future physicians, a movement is growing determined to produce doctors who are not only outstanding clinicians, but who are also compassionate individuals able to communicate well with patients, their families and other caregivers.

22 Apr 2008

Hypnosis in surgery

Hypnosurgery using hypnosis for pain control has been gaining acceptance over recent years in medicine in the UK and other parts of the world. In addition to pain control, hypnosurgery can provide a range of other benefits such as anxiety reduction, less complications during surgery and faster recovery times.

22 Apr 2008

UT Southwestern Medical Center receives grant to investigate relationship between infant feeding practices and iron deficiency in Hispanic toddlers

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Physician Faculty Scholars program has awarded a two-year, $203,626 grant to Dr. Jane Brotanek, assistant professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

22 Apr 2008

Life expectancy of a significant segment of the U.S. population is declining or at best stagnating

One of the major aims of the U.S. health system is improving the health of all people, particularly those segments of the population at greater risk of health disparities. In fact, overall life expectancy in the U.S. increased more than seven years for men and more than six years for women between 1960 and 2000.

21 Apr 2008

Stroke pilot study results to be announced at University of Leicester

Preliminary results from a major multi-centre UK pilot trial into Stroke are to be announced at the University of Leicester on 22 April.

21 Apr 2008

HHS appeals decision that requires release of Medicare physician claims data

HHS last week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia filed an appeal of an August 2007 court decision that requires the department to release Medicare claims data on more than 40 million beneficiaries and 700,000 physicians, the Los Angeles Times reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 4/19).

21 Apr 2008