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Cochlear implants improve speech perception in early bilateral SNHL

Cochlear implant surgery in children with an early diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss results in significant progressive improvements in speech perception and intelligibility, suggest study findings.

7 Mar 2013

Tranexamic acid role in coronary bypass surgery

Tranexamic acid balances the increased bleeding risk associated with recent clopidogrel use in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, shows a randomized trial.

7 Mar 2013

Study investigates how cancer cells 'hijack' platelets

A new research study has investigated how cancer cells 'hijack' blood cells known as platelets, enabling cancer to spread around the body and promoting the growth of new tumours, it was reported today at the annual Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Research Day.

7 Mar 2013

High HDL levels block development of aneurysms in the aorta

New research provides early evidence that 'good' cholesterol may possess anti-aneurysm forming properties. In laboratory-based investigations, scientists found that increased levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol, blocked the development of aneurysms - dangerous 'ballooning' in the wall of a blood vessel - in the body's largest artery, the aorta.

7 Mar 2013

New image-guided programming method can improve hearing in cochlear implant users

Imagine suddenly being able to hear the words and tone of the person across the table from you in a crowded restaurant when once you only heard overwhelming noise. Or speaking on the telephone with confidence because what you hear is now crisp and clear. Longtime cochlear implant users are reporting such dramatic improvements in their hearing, thanks to new image-guided programming methods developed by Vanderbilt University researchers.

7 Mar 2013

DBS helps anorexia patients achieve and maintain improvements in body weight, mood and anxiety

In a world first, a team of researchers at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre and the University Health Network have shown that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in patients with chronic, severe and treatment-resistant Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) helps some patients achieve and maintain improvements in body weight, mood, and anxiety.

6 Mar 2013

Improved bariatric surgery outcomes not due to restricted Medicare coverage

Substantial improvements in perioperative outcomes of bariatric surgery over the past decade are not attributable to a restriction in Medicare coverage to patients receiving the weight loss operation at centers of excellence, report researchers.

6 Mar 2013

Neuromonitoring predicts functional outcome after rectal cancer surgery

Intraoperative neuromonitoring of the bladder and internal anal sphincter can accurately predict postsurgical urinary and anorectal function, research suggests.

6 Mar 2013

Across the nation, C-section rates show wide variation

C-sections, a very common operating room procedure, can boost the cost of delivery from about $9,000 for a vaginal birth to $13,000.

6 Mar 2013

Focal laser ablation uses targeted heat to burn away cancerous cells in prostate

Men with low-risk prostate cancer who previously had to choose between aggressive treatment, with the potential for significant side effects, and active surveillance, with the risk of disease progression, may have a new option.

6 Mar 2013

Study: Hospital cesarean rates vary widely across U.S. hospitals

Cesarean delivery is the most common surgery in the United States, performed on 1.67 million American women annually. Yet hospital cesarean rates vary widely according to new research from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.

6 Mar 2013

Visceral fat directly linked to increased risk for colon cancer, study reveals

Visceral fat, or fat stored deep in the abdominal cavity, is directly linked to an increased risk for colon cancer, according to data from a mouse study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

6 Mar 2013

Study distinguishes MRI from other techniques to assess myocardial viability

Researchers using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) discovered that thinned non-contracting heart muscle caused by a heart attack can potentially improve in function and be reversed after cardiac bypass surgery.

6 Mar 2013

Classification aids high nipple surgery decision-making

Surgeons have devised a system to help determine the severity of high nipple-areola complex in patients after cosmetic or reconstructive breast surgery.

5 Mar 2013

Obesity may alter sleep apnea treatment outcome

Obesity may be a factor in determining the success or failure of treatment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, report researchers.

5 Mar 2013

Upgraded implantation method hones epileptogenic zone targeting

Stereoelectroencephalography methodology is accurate for identification of brain regions that are susceptible to seizures and serves as a reliable presurgical evaluation of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

5 Mar 2013

Study confirms rapid effectiveness of temporary, nonsurgical alternative to LASIK

A contact lens technique called overnight orthokeratology (OK) brings rapid improvement in vision for nearsighted patients. Now a new study shows that OK treatment works mainly by flattening the front of the cornea, reports a recent study, "Posterior Corneal Shape Changes in Myopic Overnight Orthokeratology", appearing in the March issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

5 Mar 2013

Hiring nurses with four-year degrees decreases patient deaths, new research report says

When hospitals hire more nurses with four-year degrees, patient deaths following common surgeries decrease, according to new research by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research as reported in the March issue of the prestigious policy journal Health Affairs.

5 Mar 2013

KMO gene variant associated with increased production of kynurenic acid

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found an explanation for why the level of kynurenic acid (KYNA) is higher in the brains of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disease with psychosis. The study, which is published in the scientific periodical Molecular Psychiatry, identifies a gene variant associated with an increased production of KYNA.

5 Mar 2013

Ten tips to reduce risk of colorectal cancer

With colorectal cancer the second leading cause of cancer death, it's a great time to take a look at the health of your colon. "Colorectal cancer surpasses breast and prostate cancers as a leading cause of cancer death in men and women," said Dr. James Yoo, assistant professor of surgery and chief of the colon & rectal surgery program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "It is largely preventable with early screening and detection."

5 Mar 2013