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African Americans more likely to carry genetic variants known to stimulate inflammatory response

Specific variants in genes that encode proteins regulating inflammation may hold a key to explaining a host of disease processes known to cause increased risk of illness and death among African Americans, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH).

1 Dec 2004

Frequent cannabis use increases the risk of psychotic symptoms

Frequent cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood increases the risk of psychotic symptoms later in life, according to a new study published on bmj.com.

1 Dec 2004

Higher incidence of rejection following early steroid withdrawal

A new study on early steroid withdrawal following liver transplantation found that there was a higher incidence of rejection and a lower incidence of glucose intolerance necessitating treatment for diabetes.

1 Dec 2004

Peripheral neuropathy in a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis is reversible

Organ damage that goes beyond the liver due to alcoholism is often seen as a barrier to liver transplantation, despite a lack of data on how a transplant affects these complications.

1 Dec 2004

Thyroid treatments can set off radiation detectors

Medical procedures such as iodine therapy, a popular thyroid treatment, can result in patients triggering radiation detectors for up to three months after treatment, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2004

Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) inhibits important pathways that spur cancer growth

A new clinical study has shown that imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) has activity in AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Imatinib inhibits important pathways that spur cancer growth, resulting in the regression of KS tumors within 4 weeks in some patients. The study will be published November 30 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

30 Nov 2004

Having a job reduces likelihood of drug use

It's said that "idle hands are the devil's workshop." A pair of University of Houston professors studying employment and drug use now provide support for that proverb.

30 Nov 2004

Simple and inexpensive interventions can cut the number of catheter-related bloodstream infections

As many as 28,000 patients die each year in the U.S. because of catheter-related bloodstream infections, but doctors and nurses who implement simple and inexpensive interventions can cut the number of deaths to nearly zero, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

30 Nov 2004

African-Americans and the poor with work-related back injuries clearly fare worse

African-Americans with work-related back injuries have less money spent on their medical care and receive less compensation for their injuries than Caucasians, according to a Saint Louis University study in the December issue of Pain.

30 Nov 2004

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy may prove to be the definitive diagnostic test for bipolar disorder

Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy may prove to be the definitive diagnostic test for bipolar disorder, a serious brain illness characterized by an alternating pattern of extreme emotional highs and lows, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2004

Cryotherapy and MRI shows tumors freezing in real time

Cryotherapy combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is giving doctors unprecedented control during liver cancer treatment by allowing them to observe the tumors freezing in real time, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2004

Type 1 diabetes could be prevented by a new nasal insulin vaccine

A world-leading medical trial conducted in Melbourne suggests that the onset of type 1 diabetes could be prevented in many at-risk people by a new nasal insulin vaccine.

29 Nov 2004

Viral Genetics announces effects of VGV-1 in antiretroviral non-responding HIV infections

Viral Genetics announced today that the results of a clinical trial of its investigational therapy for HIV infection, VGV-1, were recently published in a peer reviewed journal, HIV & AIDS Review.

29 Nov 2004

Botox reduces pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Botox, known for reducing wrinkles, also can be used to reduce pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy, according to results of a recent University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) study.

29 Nov 2004

Exposure to methamphetamine in the womb causes adverse developmental effects

International studies suggest that children exposed to methamphetamine in the womb are likely to suffer adverse developmental effects – either because of the drug, or the environment in which they are subsequently raised.

29 Nov 2004

Unemployment can be deadly

Being unemployed can up your risk for an early death, according to study of 875 female and 1,309 male twins.

29 Nov 2004

Racial discrimination may contribute to premature births

Black women who perceive themselves as victims of racial discrimination seem to be at higher risk for giving birth prematurely and for having low-birthweight babies.

29 Nov 2004

Iris Murdoch's last novel reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease

The last novel written by author Iris Murdoch before she died reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the latest online issue of Brain.

29 Nov 2004

Autism results from failure of brain areas to work together

In contrast to people who do not have autism, people with autism remember letters of the alphabet in a part of the brain that ordinarily processes shapes, according to a study from a collaborative program of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

29 Nov 2004

People suffering from paralysis may be able to reprogram their brains to improve motor skills and to control artificial limbs

People suffering from paralysis due to stroke or traumatic brain injury may be able to reprogram their brains to improve motor skills and to control artificial limbs, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

29 Nov 2004