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Medical school does not prepare doctors for the reality of working life in the NHS

Over the last ten years, the BMA has tracked a cohort of 543 doctors who qualified in 1995. In the final annual survey, the doctors were asked how their working lives compared with what they had expected when they graduated from medical school.

29 Jun 2005

Sleep helps memory

A good night's sleep triggers changes in the brain that help to improve memory, according to a new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

28 Jun 2005

Grand Challenges in Global Health awards $450m to top scientists

Grants totalling U.S $450m were awarded yesterday to some of the world's most inventive scientists to enable them to turn their novel ideas into practical solutions to the 14 greatest problems plaguing human health today.

28 Jun 2005

First mammogram - what women want!

Women in their 40s considering their first screening mammogram want information on potential harm and benefits and want to participate in the decision-making process, according to a study in the June 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

28 Jun 2005

Medical residents in Japan are more likely to involve patients' families in end-of-life decision making

...and to favor informing family members over the patients first - than their United States counterparts, who prefer dealing directly with the patient, according to a new study conducted by Dr. Bob Gabbay and colleagues.

27 Jun 2005

Fish may help prevent heart failure as well as heart attacks

Older people who ate fish once or twice a week had a 20 percent lower risk of developing congestive heart failure during 12 years of follow-up, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

New discoveries in treatment for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Three scientific studies - each highlighting new discoveries in treatment for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - were announced at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 52nd Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto.

20 Jun 2005

PET might be a promising tool for early prediction of response to chemotherapy for ovarian can

Noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may allow earlier prediction of a patient's response to chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, according to research reported at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 52nd Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto.

20 Jun 2005

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have shown that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) - a minimally invasive way of destroying tissue - is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients.

20 Jun 2005

Researchers use novel cocktail of cells to coax muscle tissue to develop its own vascular network

For years, a major obstacle has dashed the hopes of creating "replacement parts" for the human body: the lack of an internal, nourishing blood system in engineered tissues. Without it, thicker tissues can't thrive, which has confined tissue engineering's practical application to thin skin, which can recruit blood vessels from underlying tissue.

20 Jun 2005

Gay doctors and patients in the UK fear discrimination

A new report by the British Medical Association (BMA) says that gay and lesbian patients are often reluctant to reveal their sexuality to their doctors because they fear their treatment will suffer.

20 Jun 2005

Fish only good for expectant mums if mercury level is low

For years medical experts have argued, as fish can be harmful as well as healthy, and what advice to give people, particularly pregnant women, about how much is safe to eat.

20 Jun 2005

Study shows why thiazolidinediones cause edema and helps understand role of kidneys in hypertension

In related discoveries with far-reaching implications for treating diabetes and understanding hypertension, University of Utah researchers have learned why thiazolidinediones (TZDs), a major anti-diabetes drug, cause edema and also have found a new pathway critical to fluid metabolism. Identification of this pathway may help understand fundamental mechanisms of blood pressure control.

19 Jun 2005

Bipolar disorder more prevalent and costly than believed

The incidence of bipolar disorder in the general population is considerably higher than earlier studies have indicated, resulting in significantly less productivity and more days lost from work compared to the better known major depressive disorder, according to preliminary findings from a national survey presented today at the Sixth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder.

19 Jun 2005

Researchers explore the genetic roots of congenital diaphragmatic hernias

To breathe normally, people need more than just healthy lungs. A diaphragm - the large muscle that creates a vacuum to draw air into their lungs - is also crucial.

16 Jun 2005

Dartmouth Medical School collaboration in Tanzania may alter assumptions about the diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-infected people

New findings from a Dartmouth Medical School collaboration in Tanzania may alter assumptions about the diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-infected people, and prompt a major change in way TB testing is routinely done in the developing world.

15 Jun 2005

Diabetes patients may benefit most from minor surgery plus antibiotics

A small sore on a toe may not seem like a major medical threat. But for the millions of people who have diabetes and other conditions, it can be the first step on a road that leads to the amputation of a foot -- or even a leg.

15 Jun 2005

Acute coronary syndrome patients at increased risk of stroke

Patients hospitalized with chest pain or heart attack symptoms are at an increased risk of stroke even after being discharged, according to a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Jun 2005

Panel advise limited use of heart drug Natrecor

An independent panel of experts say heart-failure drug Natrecor should be restricted and only used with acutely ill hospitalized patients.

15 Jun 2005

Muraglitazar lowers blood glucose and helps dyslipidemia seen in diabetes

A novel compound provides long-term lowering of blood glucose levels and improves plasma lipids (fats) that are often a problem in people with type 2 diabetes -- all in a once-daily pill, according to a report presented today at the American Diabetes Association's 65th Annual Scientific Sessions.

12 Jun 2005