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Radiation hazard from diagnostic tests

In a nationwide safety effort launched this week in Chicago health care providers are pledging to stop the overuse of radiation on patients during medical examinations. The pledge at the Image Wisely campaign is signed so far by nearly 700 health care providers. It pledges to use the least radiation necessary on patients for a procedure. An expert panel at a radiology meeting Thursday said the campaign may lead to more review of protocols, more accreditation of imaging facilities and more widely shared standards on proper radiation doses.

2 Dec 2010

Early autism diagnostic test on the horizon

Soon scientists may have a test to diagnose autism spectrum disorders using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. As of now this dreaded developmental disorder is typically diagnosed through observations, along with educational and psychological testing.

2 Dec 2010

Expert panel at RSNA meeting to discuss medical imaging technique

An expert panel convened today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) to discuss medical imaging appropriateness, ionizing radiation from imaging procedures and efforts under way to curb overutilization, decrease radiation dose and educate patients on the risks and benefits of medical imaging.

2 Dec 2010

UMDNJ experts to discuss IOM guidelines on vitamin D

For media covering the new Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines on vitamin D, several experts at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) are available for comment. The new guidelines updated the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) that the IOM established more than a decade ago and represent a significant change from previous limits.

2 Dec 2010

Researchers develop best biologically based test for autism to date

Researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital and the University of Utah have developed the best biologically based test for autism to date. The test was able to detect the disorder in individuals with high-functioning autism with 94 percent accuracy. The study will be published online the week of November 29th in Autism Research.

2 Dec 2010

Daiichi Sankyo completes patient enrollment in Phase III edoxaban study for AF

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (TSE: 4568) announced today that it has successfully completed patient enrollment for its Phase III ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 clinical study of edoxaban, a direct, specific, oral Factor Xa inhibitor that is being investigated in two different dosing regimens given once daily, to prevent the occurrence of strokes and systemic embolic events (SEE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

2 Dec 2010

Noncancerous cells from primary site appear to facilitate tumor growth: Study

The process of metastasis requires that cancer cells traveling from a primary tumor find a hospitable environment in which to implant themselves and grow. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center researchers finds that circulating tumor cells prepare this environment by bringing along from their original site noncancerous cells that support tumor growth. The report has been published online in PNAS Early Edition.

1 Dec 2010

Diabetes plays a vital role in regulating brain cholesterol: Research

The brain contains more cholesterol than any other organ in the body, has to produce its own cholesterol and won't function normally if it doesn't churn out enough. Defects in cholesterol metabolism have been linked with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Now researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that diabetes can affect how much cholesterol the brain can make.

1 Dec 2010

Active surveillance improves quality of life in low-risk prostate cancer patients

In a study that compared initial treatment strategies for low-risk prostate cancer among men 65 years old, active surveillance showed higher measures on quality of life compared to an initial treatment such as radical prostatectomy, although the optimal strategy was highly dependent on individual patient preferences for surveillance or treatment, according to a study in the December 1 issue of JAMA.

1 Dec 2010

VCU receives $1 million to improve health care for geriatric patients

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine has received a Next Steps in Physicians' Training in Geriatrics grant totaling nearly $1 million from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to support programs to train medical students, residents and physicians in geriatrics.

1 Dec 2010

Scientists identify signaling pathway and receptor for thymosin beta 4

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. nnounced that scientists have identified a long sought-after extracellular signaling pathway and receptor for thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4). The observation that Tβ4 increases cell surface ATP (energy produced by cells), could explain its ability to protect and regenerate tissue after ischemic injury and hypoxia (oxygen deficiency).

30 Nov 2010

Study finds abdominal fat as a risk factor for osteoporosis, bone loss in women

For years, it was believed that obese women were at lower risk for developing osteoporosis, and that excess body fat actually protected against bone loss. However, a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) found that having too much internal abdominal fat may, in fact, have a damaging effect on bone health.

30 Nov 2010

Haiti requires additional trained nurses, doctors to address cholera epidemic, U.N. official says

Haiti needs about 1,000 additional trained nurses and at least 100 more physicians to control the cholera epidemic, Valerie Amos, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said during a recent visit to the capital of Port-au-Prince, Reuters reports.

30 Nov 2010

Ageing reversed in mice: Study

A scientific team at Harvard-affiliated medical centers genetically manipulated mice to age faster. Then they used gene therapy to lengthen telomeres. Telomeres are compounds found at the ends of strands of DNA that are related to age. This lengthening of telomeres reversed age-related problems such as decreased brain function and infertility.

29 Nov 2010

IMRISneuro sold to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

IMRIS Inc. today announced the sale of IMRISneuro to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center ("DHMC") in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

29 Nov 2010

New laboratory test for pregnant women to detect GBS infections

A more rapid laboratory test for pregnant women to detect Group B strep (GBS), the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns, is being studied by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

29 Nov 2010

Patients experience high levels of anxiety during diagnostic exam

Have you ever felt uneasy sitting in a doctor's waiting room or climbed the walls waiting for your test results. That feeling of anxious uncertainty can be more stressful than knowing you have a serious illness, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

29 Nov 2010

Hospital errors in U.S. continue despite efforts: Study

A new study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showed that all the efforts to make American hospitals error free and safe are inadequate.

25 Nov 2010

New study finds no decrease in patient harm at hospitals

Despite concerted efforts, no decreases in patient harm were detected at 10 randomly selected North Carolina hospitals between 2002 and 2007, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

25 Nov 2010

Humanitarian benefits of rapid cholera vaccines deployment to at risk areas could be enormous

In the wake of devastating cholera outbreaks in refugee camps in earthquake-wracked Haiti, a group of leading experts from Harvard Medical School, George Washington University, and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have urged the United States to create an emergency stockpile of cholera vaccines for future humanitarian use.

25 Nov 2010