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Nitric oxide monitoring does not help most children with asthma

The level of nitric oxide (NO) in an asthmatic's exhaled breath can portend worsening asthma symptoms, and may even signify an imminent attack linked to underlying airway inflammation.

7 Jan 2009

Metabolic syndrome risk for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to have metabolic syndrome than veterans without PTSD.

7 Jan 2009

Gene mutations found to predict acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse

Scientists have identified mutations in a gene that predict a high likelihood of relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

7 Jan 2009

SpectraScience awarded U.S. patent for methods and apparatus for evaluating image focus

SpectraScience, Inc. has announced that it has been awarded U.S. Patent number 7,469,160 for its methods and apparatus for evaluating image focus.

6 Jan 2009

People with Ala12 gene variant need to watch out for high fat in their diets

New evidence in mice bolsters the notion that a version of a gene earlier shown to protect lean people against weight gain and insulin resistance can have the opposite effect in those who eat a high-fat diet and are heavier, reveals a report in the January 7th issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.

6 Jan 2009

Digital mammograms take longer to interpret than film-screen mammograms

The study included four radiologists who interpreted 268 digital screening mammograms and 189 film-screening mammograms. "The average interpretation time for all of our readers was 240 seconds (4 minutes) for digital screening mammograms and 127 seconds (2 minutes, 7 seconds) for film-screen screening mammograms," said Tamara Miner Haygood, MD, lead author of the study.

6 Jan 2009

The impact of substance use disorders on medical expenditures for Medicaid beneficiaries with behavioral health disorders

People with substance abuse disorders cost Medicaid hundreds of millions of dollars annually in medical care, suggesting that early interventions for substance abuse could not only improve outcomes but also save substantial amounts of money, according to a comprehensive study that examined records of nearly 150,000 people in six states.

5 Jan 2009

Appropriate use criteria for coronary revascularization

If you're committed to fitness, the decision to climb a couple of flights of stairs rather than take the elevator is clear. But if you develop chest pain on the way up, deciding how to treat the symptoms of clogged arteries in your heart is much more complicated.

5 Jan 2009

Debate on treating fevers in African children

A new debate in the open access journal PLoS Medicine questions whether all African children with fever should be treated presumptively with antimalarial drugs, or if treatment should wait until laboratory tests confirm malarial infection.

5 Jan 2009

Molecular imaging enables earlier, individualized treatment of thyroid cancer

In a study to determine the diagnostic value of molecular imaging in nodal staging of patients with thyroid cancer, researchers were able for the first time to accurately distinguish between cancerous cells in regional lymph nodes and normal residual thyroid tissue directly after surgery.

5 Jan 2009

Social and economic burden of insomnia is high

A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep indicates that the indirect costs of untreated insomnia are significantly greater than the direct costs associated with its treatment.

1 Jan 2009

Barcode chip enables cheaper, faster blood testing

A new barcode chip developed by a multi-institutional team of investigators promises to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing. In less than 10 minutes and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

29 Dec 2008

Magnetic nanotags allow sensitive detection of cancer biomarkers

The detection of cancer-associated proteins, or biomarkers, in blood samples is a potentially powerful tool for early diagnosis of cancer and monitoring of cancer treatment.

29 Dec 2008

Updated guidelines for irritable bowel syndrome

Although irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists, it's also one of the most misunderstood.

18 Dec 2008

MRI brain scans provide valuable diagnostic information about Alzheimer's

MRI scans that detect shrinkage in specific regions of the mid-brain attacked by Alzheimer's disease accurately diagnose the neurodegenerative disease, even before symptoms interfere with daily function, a study by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) in Miami and Tampa found.

18 Dec 2008

Non-invasive stool-based DNA screening for colon cancer recognized more broadly as standard of care

EXACT Sciences Corporation today commented on the addition of non-invasive stool-based DNA (sDNA) testing to the state colorectal cancer screening mandates of New Jersey and Maryland, as well as the decision by CIGNA, one of the nation's largest insurers, to include sDNA screening among its covered benefits nationally.

16 Dec 2008

Study to identify best rehabilitation therapies for patients with traumatic brain injuries

Rush University Medical Center and 10 other healthcare facilities in the U.S. and Canada have been awarded a $4.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify which rehabilitation therapies, or combination of therapies, can best help victims of traumatic brain injuries.

15 Dec 2008

Narrow-band imaging comparable to white light colonoscopy in differentiating colorectal polyps

Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine compared narrow-band imaging (NBI) without high magnification to standard white light colonoscopy in differentiating colorectal polyps during real-time colonoscopy and found that NBI was not more accurate than white light colonoscopy.

15 Dec 2008

Sarcasm - a diagnostic tool for dementia

Scientists say sarcasm, sometimes referred to as the lowest form of wit, might be a useful tool in diagnosing a certain type of dementia.

15 Dec 2008

Three studies of bioTheranostics molecular breast cancer diagnostics presented at symposium

bioTheranostics, a bioMerieux company that discovers, develops and commercializes new molecular diagnostic tests in oncology, reported today findings from three studies using the company's molecular breast cancer assay to predict risk of disease recurrence in individual patients.

14 Dec 2008