Epidemiology News and Research

RSS

New ways for earlier diagnosis of osteoarthritis

Researchers at King's College London's Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, based at St Thomas' Hospital have discovered new ways of measuring biological markers in the blood which could be used to diagnose osteoarthritis earlier.

23 Apr 2010

Hospital for Special Care launches ALS Clinical Trials Unit at Neuromuscular Center

Hospital for Special Care announced today the launch of the region's first Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Clinical Trials Unit at its Neuromuscular Center. The new unit will be headed by Jinsy A. Andrews, M.D., a physician researcher recruited from Columbia University. Dr. Andrews, Director of Research & Clinical Trials Unit, Hospital for Special Care, specializes in neuromuscular research and will facilitate the hospital's first clinical trial for ALS upon her arrival.

23 Apr 2010

New studies on cancer prevention presented at 101st AACR Annual Meeting 2010

Interest in cancer prevention is increasing as scientists continue to learn new information and confirm what was already suspected.

22 Apr 2010

Research findings may help personalize use of statins, scientists say

Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered why statins -- popular drugs that lower cholesterol and appear to protect against colorectal cancer development -- work for some people, but not for all.

22 Apr 2010

Mammographic density is one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk: Researchers

Women who have a breast density of 75 percent or higher on a mammogram have a risk of breast cancer that is four to five times greater than that of women with little or no density, making mammographic breast density one of the strongest biomarkers of breast cancer risk.

22 Apr 2010

Researchers detect link between alcohol consumption, cancer and aging

Researchers have detected a link between alcohol consumption, cancer and aging that starts at the cellular level with telomere shortening.

21 Apr 2010

EGFR levels may help early detection of breast cancer

Levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) may be elevated in the blood of women within 17 months prior to their breast cancer diagnosis, according to findings presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, held here April 17-21.

21 Apr 2010

Gene test predicts statins' effectiveness in reducing risk of colorectal cancer

A genetic test can help determine in which patients cholesterol-lowering statin drugs might have the most benefit in also reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds.

21 Apr 2010

Decrease in breast density linked to reduced risk of breast cancer

A decrease in breast density, or the proportion of fibroglandular tissue depicted on the mammogram image, over a number of years is associated with decreased risk of breast cancer, researchers from the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota report at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

21 Apr 2010

Scientists suggest link between well-cooked meat and increased risk of bladder cancer

US scientists have suggested a link between eating well-done meat and a slightly increased risk of bladder cancer. But a Cancer Research UK spokesperson urged caution over the results.

21 Apr 2010

Inpatient mortality rates not the best way to judge hospital care

Inpatient mortality rates, used by organizations to issue "report cards" on the quality of individual U.S. hospitals, are a poor gauge of how well hospitals actually perform and should be abandoned in favor of measures that more accurately assess patient harms and the care being provided, argue patient safety experts in a paper out today.

21 Apr 2010

New study quantifies prevalence of MRSA infections in different patient populations

A multi-center study led by a researcher at Rhode Island Hospital has determined that long-term elder care, HIV-infected and hemodialysis patients are at increased risk of carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in their nose.

21 Apr 2010

Duke University Medical Center, LabCorp form joint venture to commercialize new biomarkers

Duke University Medical Center and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings announced today the formation of a joint venture to commercialize new biomarkers. The new entity is designed to speed the translation of newly discovered biomarkers into widely available clinical tools that can measure individual therapeutic responses, predict disease progression, and evaluate any number of biologic or disease-causing processes.

21 Apr 2010

Meat cooked at high temperatures increases risk of developing bladder cancer

People who eat meat frequently, especially meat that is well done or cooked at high temperatures, may have a higher chance of developing bladder cancer, according to a large study at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010. This risk appears to increase in people with certain genetic variants.

20 Apr 2010

Block by Block campaign to educate community, reduce impact of diabetes

It started with a simple medical survey in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on Chicago's near Northwest side whose results were reported in the Journal of Epidemiology in 2006.

20 Apr 2010

Four-year dual degree program to address public health workforce shortage

To address the forecasted public health workforce shortage, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have created a four-year Doctor of Medicine /Master of Public Health program.

20 Apr 2010

Study reveals increased risk for cancer among Latino populations

New findings from epidemiology and observational studies show an increased risk for cancer among Latino populations, but unique demographic characteristics suggest the problem may be worse than currently known.

19 Apr 2010

Three-day meeting in Kenya examines ways to bolster disaster preparedness across Africa

To succeed in efforts to reduce poverty in Africa, countries need to make disaster preparedness a priority in national development plans, Margareta Wahlstrom, U.N. deputy emergency relief coordinator, said Wednesday during the Second Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Africa, the Daily Nation reports.

17 Apr 2010

Role of race and health insurance status in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment

Researchers at The GW Cancer Institute, with funding from the National Cancer Institute, examined the effect of race and health insurance status on diagnostic and treatment delays over a 5-year period, with initial screenings going back 12 years, and found that race may play a larger role than previously thought when it comes to optimal diagnosis and treatment of black women with breast cancer.

17 Apr 2010

70% of COPD patients under-diagnosed due to lack of disease knowledge

"It is high time to demystify COPD in order to better explain the issues and help people who suffer from this disease," says Dr. Jean Bourbeau, Director of the Respiratory, Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit at the Montreal Chest Institute of the MUHC, and lead investigator of CanCOLD along with Dr. Wan Tan of The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, University of British Columbia.

17 Apr 2010