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Children obese due to a host of unhealthy pressures

Unhealthy options and pressures influence nearly every part of children's daily lives, according to studies released this week in a special supplement of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

25 Sep 2007

Study helps determine best treatment for bladder cancer

Cancer specialists and researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network (UHN), are tackling an ongoing controversy about the best way to treat an aggressive form of bladder cancer – immediate radical surgery or a more conservative initial approach using immunotherapy?

25 Sep 2007

Risk of DVT on planes so small... not worth taking pills

The debate over the health risks associated with long-haul flights is in the news again with research from Holland.

25 Sep 2007

New skin patch treatment for Alzheimer's approved by the European Commission

A skin patch to treat Alzheimer's disease has been approved by the European Commission.

25 Sep 2007

USC receives $7.5 million for Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Minority Health

In an effort to stem the rise of childhood obesity and related health risks, the University of Southern California (USC) has received a $7.5 million grant to launch a Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Minority Health.

25 Sep 2007

Some cancer cells mimic stem cells to evade chemotherapy

Anti-cancer treatments often effectively shrink the size of tumors, but some might have an opposite effect, actually expanding the small population of cancer stem cells believed to drive the disease, according to findings presented Sept. 19 by Vasyl Vasko, M.D. Ph.D., a pathologist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) at the American Association for Cancer Research's second International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

25 Sep 2007

The value of preventive health services in the U.S.

An estimated 63.5 million U.S. adults visited a physician for a preventive health or gynecological examination each year between 2002 and 2004, at an annual cost of approximately $7.8 billion, according to a report in the Sept. 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

25 Sep 2007

Potential new treatment approach for schizophrenia

A new study reports important evidence for a potential new treatment approach for those diagnosed with schizophrenia.

25 Sep 2007

African American and Latino diabetics far less likely to blood sugar under control

Despite decades of advances in diabetes care, African Americans and Latinos are still far less likely than whites to have their blood sugar under control, even with the help of medications, a new nationally representative study finds.

25 Sep 2007

Possible cause of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis found

New findings from researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues suggest why some people with kidney failure can develop a rare tightening and swelling of the skin and other organs, including the lungs and heart.

25 Sep 2007

New study likely to fuel debate over annual physical exams

While most patients and physicians believe it's important for adults to have an annual physical exam, there's growing debate about this conventional wisdom.

25 Sep 2007

New cell culturing technique provides better understanding of hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems

In a breakthrough that will likely accelerate research aimed at cures for hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance problems, scientists have perfected a laboratory culturing technique that provides a reliable new source of cells critical to understanding certain inner-ear disorders.

25 Sep 2007

New technology improves physiotherapy ultrasound machines

Physiotherapy ultrasound machines are commonplace in medicine and sports injury treatment but limitations with current calibration equipment mean they may be producing inaccurate doses that could lead to further injury.

25 Sep 2007

Use of energy drinks in conjunction with alcohol popular among Italian university students

Energy drinks - known for their stimulant effects on the central nervous system - have become more and more popular among young people in recent years.

25 Sep 2007

Care by a hospital-based general physician strongly associated with shorter length of hospital stay in patients

Patients at an academic medical center who are cared for by a hospital-based general physician may have a shorter length of hospital stay than those who are not, especially if the patients require close monitoring or complex discharge planning, according to a report in the September 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Sep 2007

Black patients with asthma have worse control of their symptoms and higher rates of hospitalization

Patients with asthma who are black appear more likely to visit the emergency department or be hospitalized for the condition than those who are white, even in a managed care setting that provides uniform access to care, according to a report in the September 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Sep 2007

BioNanomatrix issued new nanofluidics patent

The patent covers a novel technique for the integration of nanofluidic channels with sample delivery systems, enabling single molecules of DNA, RNA or other proteins to be separated out from standard laboratory samples for direct imaging and analysis.

25 Sep 2007

Acupuncture effective for treating low back pain

Six months of acupuncture treatment appears to be more effective than conventional therapy in treating low back pain, according to a study in the September 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, although the study suggests that both sham acupuncture and traditional Chinese verum acupuncture appear to be effective in treating low back pain.

25 Sep 2007

Discovery of two new proteins associated with colorectal cancer

Researchers at the Zhejiang University, Hangzhou have discovered that mimecan and Thioredoxin Domain-Containing Protein 5 (TXNDC5) were differentially expressed in colorectal adenoma.

25 Sep 2007

The cost and value of that annual preventative health check up

Even though as many as an estimated 63.5 million American adults visit their doctor for a preventive health or gynecological examination each year, the value of such visits is a controversial issue.

24 Sep 2007