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Steven Piantadosi named as first Director of Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute

Internationally renowned cancer researcher Steven Piantadosi, M.D., Ph.D, has been named director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

20 Apr 2007

School playgrounds important in the fight against childhood obesity

A RAND Corporation study issued today says school playgrounds and athletic facilities can be important tools in the fight against childhood obesity, but many are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends - especially in poor and minority neighborhoods.

20 Apr 2007

Protecting infants from viral infections may prevent the development of asthma late in childhood

Researchers studied 198 children at high risk of atopy, from birth to five years. All episodes of acute respiratory illness in the first year were recorded, and nasal aspirates were collected for viral identification.

20 Apr 2007

Determining transfusion requirements of pediatric patients

In its April 19th, 2007 edition, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article about the findings of a multi-center randomized clinical trial that compared transfusion strategies for patients in pediatric intensive care units.

20 Apr 2007

Talk beyond pain: Understanding diabetic nerve pain

Results from a new survey of more than 600 physicians who treat diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, or diabetic nerve pain, reveal that nearly all (97 percent) believe that the condition is often misdiagnosed.

20 Apr 2007

Antibiotics before dental procedures may do more harm than good

Taking a precautionary antibiotic before a trip to the dentist isn't necessary for most people, and in fact, might create more harm than good, according to updated recommendations from the American Heart Association.

20 Apr 2007

New research may help identify patients most likely to benefit from cisplatin treatment

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center have identified a subgroup of hard-to-treat breast cancers that may be sensitive to the drug cisplatin, rarely used in the treatment of breast tumors.

20 Apr 2007

Jefferson researchers study whether common heart defect may cause of some forms of migraine headaches

Researchers of the heart and headaches at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are combining efforts to determine if a common heart defect may be the cause of some forms of migraine headaches.

20 Apr 2007

International Menopause Society reaction to report on breast cancer

A special report in the April 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine [1] brings initial analysis of data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) registries, showing that the incidence of breast cancer in women in the US fell by 6.7% in 2003, and stayed at the same level in 2004.

20 Apr 2007

Should government negotiate drug prices?

The following is written by Dr. Gary A. Puckrein, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Minority Quality Forum, on the topic of drug prices and the emerging majority:

20 Apr 2007

Novel forms of synaptic plasticity uncovered

The Chicago Medical School (CMS) of the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) have announced that Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Athanasios Tzounopoulos, has uncovered novel forms of synaptic plasticity that occur at the very first step in the processing of sound in the central nervous system. His findings are released in Neuron.

20 Apr 2007

Cardiologist John Gordon Harold receives "Passion of the Heart" award

Patients know cardiologist John G. Harold, M.D., as an excellent, caring physician.

20 Apr 2007

Local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrom

A single corticosteroid injection in the wrist can offer at least a month of relief to people suffering from severe carpal tunnel syndrome, according to an updated review of studies by Canadian researchers.

20 Apr 2007

AstraZeneca addresses lack of ethnically diverse patients in clinical trials

To address the lack of ethnically diverse patients in clinical trials across the U.S., AstraZeneca has announced, in collaboration with the National Medical Association (NMA) and the Interamerican College of Physicians and Surgeons (ICPS), new efforts to increase ethnically diverse physician investigator participation in clinical trials.

20 Apr 2007

Early-life respiratory viral infections, atopic sensitization, and risk of subsequent development of persistent asthma

Protecting infants from viral infections may prevent the development of asthma late in childhood, according to new research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).

20 Apr 2007

Utilization, organization and management of intensive care services in the United States not optimal

The demand for critical care services in the United States will soon outpace the supply of specialists trained in intensive care , a situation that, if not remedied, may prove fatal for critically ill patients.

19 Apr 2007

First large-scale study to assess treatment for prescription drug addiction

UCSF is launching a new study to evaluate treatments for addiction to prescription painkillers and has openings for patients to enroll.

19 Apr 2007

Cigarette smoking status can be used as a clinical indicator for alcohol misuse

Where there is cigarette smoking there is probably misuse of alcohol too, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

19 Apr 2007

New approach to cystic fibrosis treatment

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that an enzyme produced by lung-infecting bacteria further shuts down a protein that is defective in cystic fibrosis patients.

19 Apr 2007

New automated test for gene mutations causing fragile X syndrome

A new automated test could enable population screening to identify carriers of the gene mutations causing fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited form of mental retardation, reports a study in the April issue of Genetics in Medicine, published by the American College of Medical Genetics and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

19 Apr 2007