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New evidence-based protocol to treat severe pain in emergency department patients

Simply asking the question, "Do you want more pain medication?" resulted in satisfactory pain control in 99 percent of emergency department patients participating in a study.

15 Jun 2015

Study can help VHA to target suicide prevention efforts for high-risk patients

Clinicians are challenged every day to make difficult decisions regarding patients' suicide risk. Using Veterans Health Administration health system electronic medical record data, Veterans Affairs and National Institute of Mental Health scientists were able to identify very small groups of individuals within the VHA's patient population with very high, predicted suicide risk -- most of whom had not been identified for suicide risk by clinicians.

15 Jun 2015

Primary prevention reduces mortality rates in patients with coronary heart disease

Mortality from coronary heart disease declined in Sweden from 1986 to 2002. The improvement was due mainly to a reduction in risk factors among the healthy population (primary prevention) and, to a lesser extent, treatment of people who already had developed heart disease (secondary prevention).

15 Jun 2015

Veterans who died from drug overdoses also prescribed benzodiazepines for pain

In a recent study, nearly half of all veterans who died from drug overdoses while prescribed opioids for pain were also receiving benzodiazepines, or benzos, which are common medications for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and alcohol withdrawal. Veterans prescribed higher doses of benzodiazepines while concurrently receiving opioids were at greater risk of overdose death than those on lower doses of benzodiazepines.

15 Jun 2015

EORTC prospective registry targets patients with minimal sentinel node tumor burden in melanoma

Sentinel node biopsy is the standard staging procedure for melanoma patients, and sentinel node status is the most important prognostic factor for disease outcome in AJCC stage I/II disease. However, the therapeutic value of the sentinel node procedure followed by early completion lymph node dissection is still controversial.

15 Jun 2015

LMU clinicians reveal mechanism involved in determining lifetime of antibody-producing cells

Clinicians at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have elucidated a mechanism involved in determining the lifespan of antibody-producing cells, and identified a promising new biomarker for monitoring autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and lupus erythematosus.

15 Jun 2015

Experimental drug improves failing heart's function

An experimental drug improves the ability of heart muscle cells damaged by heart failure to pump blood, according to the results of a study led by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in Nature Communications.

14 Jun 2015

University of Manchester, FDA partner to train new researchers and make advances in drug development and safety

The University of Manchester has entered into a new partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration to train new researchers and make advances in drug safety, development and personalised dosage.

14 Jun 2015

UIC study shows that brain cell density remains constant in normal aging

New, ultra-high-field magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brain by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago provide the most detailed images to date to show that while the brain shrinks with age, brain cell density remains constant.

14 Jun 2015

Active video games can be a source of physical activity, shows UT study

The increasing use of video games is often blamed for children's lack of interest in physical activity, but a study by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, recently published in the Games for Health Journal suggests that active video games may actually be a source of moderate or intense physical activity in children five to eight years old.

14 Jun 2015

Men who use finasteride to treat benign prostate enlargement experience worsening ED

Men with benign prostate enlargement who used finasteride (also known as proscar and propecia) to treat their condition, experienced worsening erectile dysfunction (ED) that did not resolve with continued treatment. In addition, they experienced a reduction in their testosterone levels leading to hypogonadism (little to no production of sex hormones).

14 Jun 2015

Vitamin D supplementation may affect intestinal barrier dysfunction associated with Crohn's disease

New research published in this month's edition of United European Gastroenterology journal suggests that supplementation with vitamin D may impact on the intestinal barrier dysfunction associated with Crohn's disease, and could have a role in the treatment of the condition.

13 Jun 2015

Molecular classifications of low-grade gliomas proposed

Two research teams have independently proposed molecular classification systems for grade II and III glioma based on three tumour markers, with each category displaying distinct clinical features and outcomes.

12 Jun 2015

Scientists identify gene mutation linked to anaplastic oligodendroglioma

Scientists have identified a gene mutation linked to the development of an aggressive form of brain cancer. Researchers found that errors in a gene known as TCF12 - which plays a key role in the formation of the embryonic brain are associated with more aggressive forms of a disease called anaplastic oligodendroglioma.

12 Jun 2015

α-synuclein conformation may underlie neurodegenerative variability

Varying structural conformations of α-synuclein may explain how one protein can give rise to distinct forms of neurodegeneration, say researchers.

12 Jun 2015

Early neuronal lysosomal dysfunction could help predict AD

Blood levels of altered lysosomal proteins may help detect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report.

12 Jun 2015

Promising results for multi-source DBS in Parkinson’s disease

Deep-brain stimulation targeting the subthalamic nucleus with a multiple-source constant-current device effectively suppresses motor symptoms in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, report researchers.

12 Jun 2015

Prion variant offers “dramatic” protection against prion disease

A naturally occurring variant of the human prion protein is not only resistant to conversion into an abnormal form but also prevents the conversion of wild-type proteins, shows a study in Nature.

12 Jun 2015

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help patients with severe dental anxiety

Adults who suffer from severe dental anxiety (DA) are often dissatisfied with their appearance. The dissatisfaction may be associated with poorer oral health, depression and anxiety. A doctoral thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) help patients with severe DA.

12 Jun 2015

New therapy for osteoporosis may be in the pipeline

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Florida, have reported a novel therapeutic approach that could promote the formation of new bone cells in people suffering from bone loss.

12 Jun 2015