Medicine News and Research

RSS

Researchers find medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use may benefit from brief intervention

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that some medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use may benefit from a brief intervention.

23 Apr 2009

Alternative non-surgical method to treat chronic tendinosis

Researchers have found an alternative, "non-surgical" method to treat chronic tendinosis (tendinitis) of the Achilles tendon that fails conservative treatment, according to a study performed at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

23 Apr 2009

Breakthrough method for sequencing-based methylation profiling

Bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a breakthrough method for sequencing-based methylation profiling, which could help fuel personalized regenerative medicine and even lead to more efficient and cost-effective methods for studying certain diseases.

23 Apr 2009

New study argues for CT colonography as primary colon cancer screening test

CT colonography allows radiologists to predict, with a high degree of confidence, whether or not a polyp needs to be evaluated through colonoscopy or removed through polypectomy, according to a study performed at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI.

23 Apr 2009

T2-weighted BLADE MR sequence helps radiologists more accurately evaluate abnormalities of the uterus and ovaries

A new MR imaging sequence, T2-weighted BLADE, used to image the female pelvis improves image quality and helps radiologists make a more accurate diagnosis, according to a study performed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.

23 Apr 2009

Breast density easily determined with new computer algorithm

A new computerized assessment has been developed that can help physicians objectively assess a patient's breast density and monitor it over time to detect any alarming changes that may suggest cancer, according to a study evaluating this technology that was performed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

23 Apr 2009

MR enterography eliminates unnecessary radiation exposure in patients with small bowel disease

MR enterography is an effective tool to evaluate and guide treatment of patients with Crohn's Disease (a common form of inflammatory bowel disease that typically affects young people) without exposing them to radiation, according to a study performed at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine/Brown University in Providence, RI.

23 Apr 2009

Majority of ordering physicians lack knowledge of radiation exposure risks from CT

Ordering physicians have limited knowledge of CT-related radiation exposure and its associated risks, according to a study performed at the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA.

23 Apr 2009

Prostate cancer patients worry less than their spouses or partners

Researchers at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York have found that, when it comes to worrying about the recurrence of prostate cancer, male patients worry less than their female spouses or partners.

23 Apr 2009

Immune cell type controls onset and course of severe malaria

Scientists have determined that a subset of immune cells may cause malaria patients to contract the severe form of the disease, suffering worse symptoms.

23 Apr 2009

Proof-of-concept for a DNA-based therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis C

The first-proof-of-concept for a DNA-based therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis C was announced today at EASL 2009, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Copenhagen, Denmark.

23 Apr 2009

Discrepancies between reports of HRT dangers and supporting data

In recent years, a series of highly publicized reports have warned of increases in breast cancer and other health problems in postmenopausal women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

23 Apr 2009

Breakthrough in generating safer, therapeutic stem cells from adult cells

The new technique solves one of the most challenging safety hurdles associated with personalized stem cell-based medicine because for the first time it enables scientists to make stem cells in the laboratory from adult cells without genetically altering them.

23 Apr 2009

Inherited impulsivity predicts alcoholism

Solving the age-old chicken and the egg dilemma, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis researchers report that genetic predisposition to impulsivity is a trait predictive of alcoholism. The study appears on the July print issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, available online on April 22.

23 Apr 2009

Immune-boosting vaccine helps body fight cancer

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered that linking a molecule which initiates antibody production,to a 'saboteur' molecule, triggers the immune system to selectively destroy faulty cells. These findings published in Blood, could potentially be used to selectively destroy tumour cells while ignoring healthy cells.

23 Apr 2009

Researchers discover that gene switches on during development of epilepsy

A discovery made by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine while studying mice may help explain how some people without a genetic predisposition to epilepsy can develop the disorder.

23 Apr 2009

Many people skipping health care in the past year

As economic conditions remain poor, a majority of the public continues to say that they or a member of their household have delayed or skipped health care in the past year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's April health tracking poll.

23 Apr 2009

Trial of unique malaria vaccine candidate to begin

In a move that highlights the strength of public-private collaboration in tackling international health challenges, the Maryland-based company Sanaria Inc., with support from the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial - the first tests in adult volunteers - of its unique malaria vaccine candidate. Unlike other malaria vaccine candidates, Sanaria's approach deploys a weakened form of the whole malaria parasite harvested from irradiated mosquitoes instead of small portions of the parasite.

23 Apr 2009

Link found between vitamin D insufficiency and asthma severity

Serum levels of vitamin D in more than 600 Costa Rican children were inversely linked to several indicators of allergy and asthma severity, including hospitalizations for asthma, use of inhaled steroids and total IgE levels, according to a study that will appear in the first issue for May of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

23 Apr 2009

Discovery of molecule that could improve success of blood stem cell transplants

University of British Columbia researchers have discovered a "molecular key" that could help increase the success of blood stem cell transplants, a procedure currently used to treat diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and aplastic anemia.

22 Apr 2009