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Close contact at school led to mumps outbreak in Orthodox Jewish communities

A 2009 outbreak of mumps in the USA that primarily affected Orthodox Jewish teenage boys may have been perpetuated by close schooling conditions, say the authors of a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

9 Nov 2012

Thrombin sponge speeds cervical spine surgery discharge

Application of a thrombin-soaked sponge after posterior cervical spine surgery allows patients to leave hospital earlier than normally expected, suggests research.

9 Nov 2012

Automated eye tests best for toddlers

Children under the age of 4 years benefit from instrument-based vision screening rather than visual acuity tests since the former is quick, requires minimal cooperation of the child, and is not dependent on their behavioral responses, says a policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

9 Nov 2012

Close monitoring needed in year after traumatic brain injury

Patients are at particularly high risk for developing epilepsy during the first year after traumatic brain injury, a study shows.

9 Nov 2012

Sprucing up treatment for fungal nail infection

A lacquer containing resin from the Norway spruce shows promise as a treatment for onychomycosis, suggest results from an exploratory study.

9 Nov 2012

Melatonin improves sleep in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Melatonin increases the length of time spent asleep and reduces the time it takes to get to sleep for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, compared with placebo, show study results published in the British Medical Journal.

9 Nov 2012

Monoclonal antibody boosts cholesterol reduction

Adding a monoclonal antibody that blocks the breakdown of lipid receptors to atorvastatin therapy further reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia, show study findings.

9 Nov 2012

Addiction counselors tolerate moderate substance abuse in patients

Nearly half of alcohol and drug addiction counselors now find it acceptable for their patients to drink or take drugs occasionally, a survey has found.

9 Nov 2012

Metabolic syndrome linked to poorer cognition in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia patients with the metabolic syndrome have poorer cognitive functioning than those without, results from a US study show.

9 Nov 2012

Modified MDQ effective for bipolar screening in pregnancy

A modified version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire is an effective screening tool for bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period, researchers report.

9 Nov 2012

Reminder of values helps African–Americans interact with physicians

Completing a values-affirmation task before a scheduled visit to the primary care physician could improve communications between African–American patients and their providers, show the results of a randomized, controlled study.

9 Nov 2012

Malaria vaccine reduced severe and uncomplicated malaria by a third in young infants when given with other routine vaccines

Experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine today comment on the results of a malaria vaccine trial.

9 Nov 2012

Health law preparations go full throttle

The re-election of President Barack Obama all but ensured the survival of the law, news outlets report. Now, a slew of regulations must be issued and political and financial and organizational obstacles overcome.

9 Nov 2012

Exercise may help improve posture and reduce breast cancer risk in women

The end of the year is fast approaching and you know what that means: As soon as the calendar turns to 2013, you will be vowing to get physically active. But experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say with all the benefits you can glean, why wait until you make those New Year's resolutions to get active, especially if you are a woman?

9 Nov 2012

New vaccines and drug treatments urgently needed for bacterial meningitis

New vaccines and drug treatments are urgently needed for bacterial meningitis, a devastating disease which kills or maims around a fifth of people who contract it, according to medical experts writing in a new Series on bacterial meningitis, published in The Lancet.

9 Nov 2012

Dems, GOP assess campaign shortcomings

Stories look at what went wrong for both parties in this week's elections: how comments about rape by two Republican Senate candidates fed a GOP gender gap, and how Democrats' offensive against a Republican plan to overhaul Medicare fell flat.

9 Nov 2012

Tips to stay safe during cold-weather months

With temperatures falling into the 30s this week, people will be turning up the heat to stay warm. But, as the temperature drops, the number of patients treated by the Vanderbilt Regional Burn Center typically increases due to unsafe heating methods that result in injury.

9 Nov 2012

FAO Food Price Index falls slightly during October

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index, "which measures monthly price changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar," fell slightly in October, "largely because of falling cereals and oils prices, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday," Reuters reports.

9 Nov 2012

RTS,S vaccine candidate can help protect African infants against malaria

International African Vaccinology Conference, Cape Town, South Africa-Results from a pivotal, large-scale Phase III trial, published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate can help protect African infants against malaria.

9 Nov 2012