Diagnostic News and Research

RSS

Exposure to organic solvents linked to disturbances in brain circuitry

Chronic occupational exposure to organic solvents, found in materials such as paints, printing and dry cleaning agents, is widespread all over the world, and is thought to damage the central nervous system.

16 Apr 2008

Sleeping sickness metabolic 'fingerprint' could lead to earlier diagnosis

Sleeping sickness creates a metabolic 'fingerprint' in the blood and urine, which could enable a new test to be developed to diagnose the disease, according to new research published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

15 Apr 2008

Removal of superficial tumors in esophagus by endoscopy can avoid extirpation of this part

The removal through endoscopy of tumours that affect only the superficial layers of the oesophagus can avoid complete extirpation of this part of the digestive tract.

11 Apr 2008

Mammography and sonography used together can help rule out breast cancer in patients with palpable lesions

When mammography and sonography are used together to evaluate palpable breast lesions, they can rule out cancers in most patients, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Baystate Health in Springfield, MA. However, uncommonly, malignancies cannot be diagnosed using this imaging protocol.

11 Apr 2008

CT useful and effective in diagnosis of patients with large bowel obstruction

The use of CT is highly effective in confirming large bowel obstruction and identifying the site and cause of obstruction, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of South Manchester in Manchester, UK.

11 Apr 2008

Biomarkers may reduce the need for biopsies and personalize transplant patient care

Data presented at the 28th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) suggest the potential of a significant impact of using biomarkers to reduce the need for biopsies and personalize transplant patient care.

11 Apr 2008

Genetic test offers clues about cardiac hypertrophy in children

A mechanic uses diagnostic tests to determine why your engine is making strange sounds before lifting a wrench to fix the problem.

10 Apr 2008

Rise in autism related to changes in diagnosis

Research funded by the Wellcome Trust suggests that many children diagnosed with severe language disorders in the 1980s and 1990s would today be diagnosed as having autism.

9 Apr 2008

Special journal section explores geriatric assessment

The latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences (Vol. 63, No. 3) features a special section devoted to the phenomenon of multidimensional geriatric assessment - an interdisciplinary diagnostic process to determine the medical, psychological, and functional status of at-risk and frail elderly patients in order to develop a coordinated, integrated plan for treatment and long-term follow-up.

7 Apr 2008

Salivary diagnostics

Accuracy, convenience, and non-invasiveness are the most critical characteristics for any diagnostic tool.

7 Apr 2008

Periodontitis and human papillomavirus combined increase risk for tongue cancer

Persons with periodontitis who also are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) are at increased risk of developing tongue cancer, new research conducted at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine has shown.

7 Apr 2008

For children with heart disease, a risk of attention and behavior problems

Schoolchildren who required surgery as infants for congenital heart disease (CHD) run a significant risk of having problems with inattention and hyperactivity, and often require remedial services in school.

7 Apr 2008

New blood test gives early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases

A new blood test that can give an early diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease and distinguish between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease could be launched this summer, reports Marina Murphy in SCI's Chemistry & Industry magazine.

7 Apr 2008

Marketing of unproven genetic tests a threat to public health

No mechanism currently exists to ensure that genetic tests are supported by adequate evidence before they go to market, or that marketing claims are truthful and not misleading, according to a policy analysis to be published April 4 in Science.

4 Apr 2008

A new way to test for lung cancer

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have developed a new “clinicogenomic model” to accurately test for lung cancer.

2 Apr 2008

ExoSeal vascular plug gets good reviews in ECLIPSE study

A new bioabsorbable plug that seals the arterial puncture site used for threading catheters into the body during diagnostic angiography and interventional procedures significantly shortens bleeding time and enables patients to get up and walk around far sooner than when manual compression is applied to the groin.

2 Apr 2008

Distinguishing non-TB pulmonary disease from TB

A diagnostic kit shows new promise for distinguishing between tuberculosis (TB) and its infections from disease caused by related mycobacteria family, which mimic TB and other lung disease in symptoms but require distinctly different clinical treatments.

2 Apr 2008

New breakthrough discovery on TB

Medical scientists from the University of Leicester, together with colleagues from St Georges, University of London, funded principally by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and The Wellcome Trust, have published details of a new breakthrough discovery on TB.

1 Apr 2008

New research shows benefits of ultrasound contrast agents outweigh potential risk to heart patients

A Saint Louis University cardiologist called upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today to reconsider a strong warning it recently placed on a diagnostic tool, stating that the warning could prevent doctors from detecting life-threatening cardiac events.

1 Apr 2008

Lebanese study looks at mental disorders and their relation to exposure to war

In the first study in the Arab world to document mental illness and treatment on a national level, researchers from Lebanon have described the prevalence of mental disorders and their relation to exposure to war.

1 Apr 2008