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New genetic test may detect risk of malignant hyperthermia (MH) from anesthesia

A rare but potentially life-threatening inherited condition called malignant hyperthermia (MH) may strike surgical patients who receive common drugs for general anesthesia.

14 Jun 2005

Holographic movies show promise for medical applications

In a small research laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center, a grainy, red movie of circling fighter jets emerges from a table-top black box, while nearby, a video of a rotating human heart hangs suspended in a tank of gooey gel.

14 Jun 2005

New genetic test may detect risk of rare complication from anesthesia

A rare but potentially life- threatening inherited condition called malignant hyperthermia (MH) may strike surgical patients who receive common drugs for general anesthesia.

14 Jun 2005

Fewer diabetics end up in hospital

According to new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans with diabetes are less likely than they were a decade ago, to need hospitalization for serious complications such as kidney failure.

14 Jun 2005

Chemokine Therapeutics granted new U.S patent

Chemokine Therapeutics has announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent No. 6,875,738 relating to the use of its anti-cancer compound, CTCE-9908, in the treatment of cancer and inhibition of angiogenesis. CTCE-9908 is designed to block CXCR4, a receptor found on the surface of cancer cells.

14 Jun 2005

Study examines reasons for unsatisfactory outcomes following deep brain stimulation surgery

A study of follow-up care for patients with unsatisfactory outcomes from deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for movement disorders offers insights into reasons for problems and proposes strategies for improved outcomes. The study will appear in the August print issue of Archives of Neurology.

13 Jun 2005

For men diagnosed with prostate cancer, there is no risk of recurrence if external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is delayed by several months

A study published in the July 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, finds delays of EBRT had no harmful impact on clinical outcome or biochemical marker levels in low-, intermediate- and high-risk patients.

13 Jun 2005

Prognosis is good for people who have epilepsy surgery

A new study shows that the prognosis is good for people who have epilepsy surgery, even 30 years after the surgery. The study is published in the June 14 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

13 Jun 2005

Short-term use of CPAP therapy may protect against cardiovascular disease

A common sleep therapy used to treat patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may actually have a protective effect against death related to cardiovascular disease.

13 Jun 2005

Many breast cancer patients experience longterm arm and hand swelling after treatment

More than 55 percent of 580 breast cancer patients in a study, experienced swelling in the arms or hands , a condition known as lymphedema, after surgical removal of either the breast or the tumor.

13 Jun 2005

Tight glucose control lowers CVD by about 50 percent in diabetes

A significantly lower risk of heart disease can now be added to the list of proven long-term benefits of tight glucose control in people with type 1 diabetes.

12 Jun 2005

Half of 580 women diagnosed with breast cancer in one study experienced lymphedema

The good news is that there are nearly two million breast cancer survivors in the United States , and survival rates continue to increase for patients with this disease. But the flip side is that survival can present its own set of little-known complications.

12 Jun 2005

Hospital patients to be checked for MRSA infection before admission

According to a survey of hospital chief executives, released by the NHS Confederation, even though surgery is statistically more risky, patients are now more scared of catching an infection than of going under the knife.

12 Jun 2005

Private health insurance given the go-ahead in Canada

A Quebec law that banned some private health insurance, has been overruled by the Supreme Court of Canada and is a decision which is likely to pave the way to a greater use of private health care to supplement a crumbling public system.

10 Jun 2005

Study sheds light on endometriosis pain

Women with endometriosis often have several types of chronic pain conditions because their abnormal growths develop a nerve supply that communicates with the brain, new research suggests.

10 Jun 2005

Molecule called Smad7 may open doors to future treatments in pancreatic and other forms of cancer

Making new strides in their ongoing effort to understand mechanisms behind the relentless growth of cancer cells, researchers at Dartmouth Medical School have found a promising key that may open doors to future treatments in pancreatic and other forms of cancer.

9 Jun 2005

Exercise and weight control reduces odds of developing breast cancer

Women who exercise more and keep their weight under control may dramatically reduce their odds of developing breast cancer, a population-based study by a team of investigators at Meharry Medical College and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center suggests.

9 Jun 2005

Patients with cancer of the esophagus benefit from new technique developed by OHSU surgeons

Surgeons at the Oregon Health & Science University Digestive Health Center have developed a new technique that makes feasible and safe a potentially lifesaving and noninvasive surgical procedure known as laparoscopic esophagectomy.

9 Jun 2005

New start-up to market test that predicts heart attack risk

PrognostiX, a start-up company based on Cleveland Clinic technology, has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin selling a diagnostic test capable of identifying patients who are in imminent danger of heart attack or death.

9 Jun 2005

Promising new vaccine candidate to prevent middle ear infections

Hoping to prevent ear infections for the more than 15 million children in the United States who suffer from them, a promising new vaccine candidate to prevent middle ear infections (otitis media) is being developed by researchers at the Columbus Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) on the campus of Columbus Children’s Hospital.

9 Jun 2005