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Medicare reimbursement changes likely influenced changes in prostate cancer treatment

Financial pressures from Medicare reimbursement changes may have caused physicians to switch from providing hormonal-induced castration to providing surgical castration for men with prostate cancer.

13 Apr 2008

Cystic fibrosis, Burkholderia cenocepacia and lung transplantation

During last Wednesday's Satellite Symposium 3: The Challenges of Lung Transplantation in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions, clinicians and researchers discussed some of the unique challenges in achieving excellent lung transplant outcomes in patients with CF.

13 Apr 2008

Curcumin or resveratrol added to conventional chemotherapy decreases survival of colon cancer cells

Researchers from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit presented findings showing that adding curcumin or resveratrol to conventional chemotherapy could be effective in preventing the growth of chemo-resistant colon cancer cells.

13 Apr 2008

What we eat and drink affects our risk of cancer

A healthy diet and lifestyle protect against a wide range of diseases, and new research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 2008 Annual Meeting, April 12-16, shows that cancer is no exception.

13 Apr 2008

Exercise leads to significantly greater tumor growth in mouse model

Prostate tumors grew more quickly in mice who exercised than in those who did not, leading to speculation that exercise may increase blood flow to tumors, according to a new study by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC) and the Duke Prostate Center.

13 Apr 2008

Tissues derived from embryonic stem could help to overcome immune rejection problems

Tissues derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells could help to pacify the immune system and so prevent recipients from rejecting them, the UK National Stem Cell Network Science Meeting heard last week.

13 Apr 2008

Iron deficiency cause

The discovery of a gene for a rare form of inherited iron deficiency may provide clues to iron deficiency in the general population – particularly iron deficiency that doesn't respond to iron supplements - and suggests a new treatment approach.

13 Apr 2008

Triple-negative breast cancers doesn't always mean cancer spread

Triple-negative breast cancers are a heterogeneous group and may not always be associated with lymph node spread, a new study shows.

13 Apr 2008

The good and bad side of anti-cancer compounds

Compounds known as "HDAC inhibitors" exhibit cancer-killing activities in cultured cells.

11 Apr 2008

Vigorous diagnosis and treatment programs for depression in cancer patients can extend life

A study recommended by David Spiegel of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, looks at the relationship between depression care management and survival rates in older patients.

11 Apr 2008

Screening mammography in elderly patients beneficial

Although guidelines keep changing regarding screening mammography in elderly patients, those older than 70 years old continue to benefit from this exam, showing that with frequent mammograms breast cancers can be found sooner, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Jacobi Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in Bronx, NY.

11 Apr 2008

Carotid stenting shows long-term benefit as alternative to surgery

Carotid artery stenting is an effective option for high risk patients who are not eligible for surgery, according to a long-term study published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Apr 2008

Researchers discover protein leiomodin promotes the assembly of an important heart muscle protein actin

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a protein called leiomodin (Lmod) promotes the assembly of an important heart muscle protein called actin.

11 Apr 2008

Infant feeding and the development of obesity: what does the science tell us?

On Wednesday, April 9, 2008, a symposium at the American Society for Nutrition's annual meeting at Experimental Biology was held in which noted scientists discussed new infant feeding studies that used methodology such as randomized clinical trials (involving breastfeeding promotion) as well as sibling pairs analysis.

11 Apr 2008

Medical staff require professional interpreters and specific training on intercultural awareness

The authors reveal that doctors are dissatisfied with the treatment they provide to their non-native patients, and that they cite cultural differences and language barriers as the key factors causing the disappointment with the level of care that they provide.

11 Apr 2008

Hospitalization linked to increased mortality in heart failure patients

Patients with heart failure are at increased risk of death if they are hospitalized for worsening heart failure symptoms, according to new research from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham).

11 Apr 2008

Phytochemical-rich foods effective at reversing age-related deficits in memory

If you are getting forgetful as you get older, then a research team from the University of Reading and the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England may have good news for you.

11 Apr 2008

Gene linked to inherited blood biomarker associated with asthma risk

Risk for developing asthma is linked to variants in a gene called CHI3L1, which can be measured by checking levels of an inherited blood protein regulated by that gene, according to new research sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Apr 2008

Extremely low dose CT coronary angiography shows promise in assessing heart function

Extremely low dose CT coronary angiography can be used to measure cardiac function and has the potential for use when other commonly used examinations are limited, a preliminary study indicates.

11 Apr 2008

Developing cancer treatments directed at critical developmental pathway

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues discovered that the Notch signaling pathway, which determines the development of many cell types, and is also implicated in some cancers, is not universally essential for the maintenance of stem cells.

11 Apr 2008