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Here's egg in your eye: a prospective study of blunt ocular trauma resulting from thrown eggs

As the party conference season gets under way in the UK, research in Emergency Medicine Journal shows that lobbing raw eggs at people as a harmless form of protest or prank can actually result in serious eye injury.

21 Sep 2006

Study reveals white blood cells can both hurt and help transplanted kidneys

In an example of biological irony, the same white blood cell chemistry known to damage kidneys used for transplants may also help prevent such damage, according to a federally funded study in genetically engineered mice at Johns Hopkins.

21 Sep 2006

Carbon monoxide shown to reverse symptoms of pulmonary hypertension

In a medical case of Jekyll and Hyde, carbon monoxide - the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems - has proven effective in treating the symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), an extremely debilitating condition that typically leads to right heart failure and eventual death.

20 Sep 2006

Ophthalmologists improve LASIK

Ophthalmologists have developed a formula that slashes by nearly two-thirds the likelihood that patients will need repeat visits to an eye surgeon to adjust their vision after their initial LASIK visit. That's because the formula makes it more likely that surgeons will get it right the first time.

20 Sep 2006

Having breast implants does not increase mortality risk

A study conducted among 24,600 women by two Universiti Laval Faculty of Medicine researchers and their colleagues from the Canadian Public Health Agency and Cancer Care Ontario concludes that having breast implants does not increase mortality risk.

19 Sep 2006

Outpatient thyroid surgery appears to be safe for the majority of patients

"This is a logical benefit of doing less-invasive surgical techniques," says Dr. David Terris, chair of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Otolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery. "Now patients are able to go home the same day they have surgery."

19 Sep 2006

Curcumin useful in the fight against colorectal cancer

Looking for a cancer cure? Try the spice rack. In the last few years, that tactic has proved productive for researchers investigating turmeric, a curry spice used for centuries in Indian traditional medicine.

19 Sep 2006

Earlier detection and treatment of kidney cancer not decreasing mortality

The number of cases of kidney cancer has been rising over the last two decades, and new research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that this increase is driven largely by the detection of small, presumably curable, kidney masses.

19 Sep 2006

Primary election results for races involving women's health issues

Nine states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday held primary elections, and some of the races involved women's health issues.

14 Sep 2006

NIH to map genomic changes of lung, brain, and ovarian cancers

It is estimated that 174,470 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2006. Lung cancer is the major cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women, with an estimated 162,460 deaths expected to occur in 2006.

13 Sep 2006

Four largest Massachusetts insurers plan double-digit premium increases for 2007

The four largest health insurers in Massachusetts -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Fallon Community Health Plan -- in 2007 are expected for most of their insurance options to raise premiums by at least 10% for the seventh consecutive year, the Boston Globe reports.

13 Sep 2006

Breast and ovarian cancers linked by heredity - women need to know their risks

During September, Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) urges women to learn more about familial breast-ovarian cancer syndrome.

12 Sep 2006

High levels of two proteins in the bloodstream indicate need for action to avoid heart attack

Researchers working to decode chemical SOS signals sent out by disease-damaged hearts believe they now know better when to aggressively clear clogged arteries and when medical procedures may be unnecessary and even harmful.

12 Sep 2006

Black women should get mammograms, enroll in clinical trials, take other measures to prevent breast cancer

Although the number of new breast cancer cases in the U.S. has "leveled off" according to a recent a report, black women must "participate in ... clinical trials, tend to their diets, exercise more, do monthly self-exams and get mammograms," Joyce King, a freelance writer, writes in a USA Today opinion piece.

11 Sep 2006

New device may reduce complications during heart surgery

Recycling of fat-contaminated blood from the wound during heart surgery, is suspected to contribute to enhance the risk of post-surgical brain damage.

11 Sep 2006

Using anti-inflammatory drugs after hip replacement could do more harm than good

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs following hip replacement surgery could do more harm than good, according to a new study co-coordinated by The George Institute for International Health in association with orthopedic centres throughout Australian and New Zealand.

11 Sep 2006

Ageism is endemic in health services

In England, decades of health service underfunding have provided an environment in which ageism has flourished, writes Professor John Young in an editorial.

7 Sep 2006

New radiotherapy/chemotherapy strategy improves outcomes for children with medulloblastoma

Radiotherapy that is adapted for the severity of disease and followed by a shortened course of chemotherapy substantially improves the outcome of children with a type of brain tumour called medulloblastoma, claim investigators in an Online/Article in The Lancet Oncology.

7 Sep 2006

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital learning from 9/11

With the nation's busiest burn center and the metropolitan area's largest hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) fleet, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital rescued and treated many survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

7 Sep 2006