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Osteonecrosis of the jawbone and oral bisphosphonates

People taking oral bisphosphonates, a type of drug used to treat osteoporosis, osteopenia and Paget's disease of bone, should be aware of potential risks when undergoing certain dental procedures, according to guidelines published in this month's Journal of the American Dental Association (ADA).

4 Aug 2006

How the body controls brain temperature: the temperature shielding effect of cerebral blood flow

Attempts to cool the brain to reduce injury from stroke and other head trauma may face a significant obstacle: current cooling devices can't penetrate very deeply into the brain.

4 Aug 2006

Factors determining the potential for onward transmission of vCJD via surgical instruments

A study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface has been exploring the likelihood that vCJD might be spread via the reuse of surgical instruments, and calls for more data in order to allay fears over the possible transmission of vCJD.

3 Aug 2006

Response to transarterial chemoembolization as a biological selection criterion for liver transplantation in hepatocellular carcinoma

The results of this study appear in the August 2006 issue of Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS).

2 Aug 2006

Computer-aided detection essential in preventing breast cancer

Computer-aided detection improves breast cancers in both screening and diagnostic patients according to a recent study done by a private practice radiologist in Santa Barbara, CA.

2 Aug 2006

Do close surgical margins predict if breast cancer will return?

Cancer cells present after additional surgery for breast cancer may predict whether a woman will see her cancer return.

1 Aug 2006

Couple charged after home-style liposuction results in death

A Brazilian couple in the United States have been charged with drug possession and distribution, illegal possession of a hypodermic needle and unauthorized practice of medicine without a license after a female patient died following liposuction.

1 Aug 2006

'Scorpion venom' zaps aggressive brain tumours

Researchers in the U.S. have come up with a "man-made" scorpion venom which they say targets deadly brain tumours called gliomas without affecting neighboring tissue or body organs.

31 Jul 2006

Promising therapy for Lou Gehrig's disease delivers antisense drug directly to nervous system

Researchers have designed and tested a molecular therapy in animals that they hope will be a major development in the fight to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease.

27 Jul 2006

New nerve-stimulation treatment for epilepsy helps!

A unique nerve-stimulation treatment for epilepsy developed at UCLA offers a potential new alternative for tens of thousands of individuals unable to control their seizures with medication and ineligible for surgery.

26 Jul 2006

Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy after the surgical removal of cancer in the pancreas improves survival

Patients with pancreatic cancer, a historically difficult-to-treat cancer with poor survival rates, may benefit from treatments studied in an international, multi-center research trial.

26 Jul 2006

Is there improvement of 'vascular depression' after carotid artery stenting?

Inserting a stent to open a narrowed carotid artery has been found to reduce symptoms of depression that may be associated with carotid stenosis, according to a study in the August issue of Radiology.

25 Jul 2006

Genetic key to treating deadly fungal infections

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered how a prevalent fungal pathogen that causes 10,000 deaths per year in the United States overcomes the effects of antifungal drugs by duplicating a section of one of its chromosomes.

24 Jul 2006

People who donate a kidney to help someone else often suffer financially to do so

Living organ donors, through their altruistic act to improve the health of others, may experience substantial economic losses in a variety of cost categories.

24 Jul 2006

Most women at high risk for breast cancer do not increase their life expectancy by taking the drug tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is an extraordinarily expensive cancer-prevention strategy, costing as much as $1.3 million per year of life saved.

24 Jul 2006

Researchers identify potential ovarian cancer stem cells

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have identified potential ovarian cancer stem cells, which may be behind the difficulty of treating these tumors with standard chemotherapy.

21 Jul 2006

Study reveals the best cosmetic treatment techniques for earlobe tears

Earlobe tears are a common problem facing cosmetic surgeons. For ages ear piercing has been used for individual expression.

20 Jul 2006

Biomira Stimuvax prostate cancer study results published

Biomira Inc. has announced publication of study results showing that Stimuvax, formerly known as BLP25 Liposome Vaccine or L-BLP25, could slow rising Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels in some post-surgical prostate cancer patients

20 Jul 2006

Drugs given to stop nausea and vomiting after surgery help only a few people

Between 10 - 28% of people benefit from taking an anti-emetic drug to prevent nausea or vomiting after surgery - this means that if everyone was given the drug the majority of patients would be exposed to the risk of side-effects without gaining any benefit.

19 Jul 2006

Humidified air inhalation for treating croup

For decades, parents and pediatricians have relied on humid air to relieve the barking cough and noisy breathing of croup, a common childhood condition that sometimes sends worried families to the emergency room.

19 Jul 2006