Medical News

RSS

Komen Foundation works to regain balance in the wake of Planned Parenthood funding flap

News outlets parse different angles of this story -- which broke last week -- including how the Web and social media affected it and how Komen is working to rebuild its donor list.

7 Feb 2012

Short spinning session can induce troponin T in healthy people

A short spinning session can trigger the same biochemical indications as a heart attack - a reaction that is probably both natural and harmless, but should be borne in mind when people seek emergency treatment for chest pain, reveals a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

7 Feb 2012

Mental health system changes readied in La., Iowa, Texas

Louisiana, Iowa and Texas are facing major changes to their mental health systems. In other news, college students and inmates often face obstacles in getting mental health treatment.

7 Feb 2012

New scientific report finds many areas for improvement in online dating industry

The report card is in, and the online dating industry won't be putting this one on the fridge. A new scientific report concludes that although online dating offers users some very real benefits, it falls far short of its potential.

7 Feb 2012

Dispute over malaria figures highlights lack of certainty in data in age of 'information overload'

In this post in TIME World's "Global Spin" blog, TIME's Africa bureau chief Alex Perry examines questions surrounding an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) study published in the Lancet on Friday that suggests "malaria kills almost twice as many people a year as previously believed."

7 Feb 2012

CIHR experts available to discuss various aspects of love and affection

Everybody would agree that feeling appreciated and loved is good for you, benefiting both your body and soul. Whether those expressions of affection come from a romantic partner, family member, colleague, or neighbor, they positively impact our health. This Valentine's Day, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research gathered experts to demystify the scientific basis behind those benefits.

7 Feb 2012

GOP candidates: Santorum backs 'discredited' stroke claim, he and Gingrich continue attacks on 'Romneycare'

As the GOP presidential hopefuls continue sparring on the campaign trail, The Associated Press takes a look at the "influence game" and tracks how big donors pursue their policy desires. Meanwhile, House Democrats are betting that Medicare will be the issue that wins them control of their chamber.

7 Feb 2012

Five coping strategies can help people to overcome dental fear

Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have investigated the strategies used by people who suffer from dental fear to cope with dental treatment. Some of the most important factors in managing stress during a visit to the dentist include optimism on the part of the patient and an atmosphere of humour in the interaction with the dental staff.

7 Feb 2012

Minnesota medical board comes under scrutiny

The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, responsible for protecting the public from physician errors or misconduct, often shies away from punishing doctors whose mistakes harm patients or who demonstrate a pattern of substandard care, a Star Tribune investigation has found. Since 2000, at least 46 Minnesota doctors escaped board discipline after authorities in other states took action against their licenses for such missteps as committing crimes, patient care errors or having sexual or inappropriate relationships with patients.

7 Feb 2012

Study to understand how brain processes information in competitive settings

Researchers have found a way to study how our brains assess the behavior - and likely future actions - of others during competitive social interactions. Their study, described in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to use a computational approach to tease out differing patterns of brain activity during these interactions, the researchers report.

7 Feb 2012

Economic transformation in Latin America an opportunity to improve NTD strategies, DNDi regional director says

"The rise of emerging economies in Latin America is an opportunity to improve strategies for fighting neglected illnesses and increase the region's contribution to the global struggle against them, says" Eric Stobbaerts, the Latin America director of the independent Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Inter Press Service reports.

7 Feb 2012

Closing elementary and secondary schools can help slow pH1N1 transmission

Closing elementary and secondary schools can help slow the spread of infectious disease and should be considered as a control measure during pandemic outbreaks, according to a McMaster University led study.

7 Feb 2012

Karolinska Institutet to study fundamental causes of diabetes

The Swedish medical university, Karolinska Institutet, has received a grant of 1.6 million Euro from the Stichting af Jochnick Foundation for research into the fundamental causes of diabetes. The grant will make it possible to use unique methods to study how the release of insulin is regulated in living organisms - and this will create new opportunities for developing more effective drugs against diabetes.

7 Feb 2012

New blood-thinning drugs likely to replace Coumadin for patients with non-valvular AF

Within a few years, a new generation of easy-to-use blood-thinning drugs will likely replace Coumadin for patients with irregular heartbeats who are at risk for stroke, according to a journal article by Loyola University Medical Center physicians.

7 Feb 2012

UCR's 23nd annual Science and Engineering Fair to be held Feb. 7-9

What are you really eating when you're eating chicken? Do different types of wood produce the same heat when burned? Do twins have similar fingerprints? How does sleep affect your memory? Does your eye color matter? Hundreds of K-12 students from 33 local schools will answer these and other intriguing questions at the 23nd annual Science and Engineering Fair at the University of California, Riverside, Feb. 7-9. The fair will take place at the Pentland Hills Bear Cave on campus.

7 Feb 2012

First European CPGs for diagnosis and management of Wilson's disease

The first European Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for the diagnosis and management of Wilson's disease are published today by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) on the EASL website.

7 Feb 2012

Book focuses on Group Schema Therapy for BPD

Therapists, patients and families dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder now have an unprecedented guide to a way out of the misery and chaos in the form of the soon to be release book "Group Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Treatment Manual and Patient Workbook".

7 Feb 2012

Whole-genome sequencing helps trace the path of European E. coli outbreak

Using whole-genome sequencing, a team led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Broad Institute has traced the path of the E. coli outbreak that sickened thousands and killed over 50 people in Germany in summer 2011 and also caused a smaller outbreak in France.

7 Feb 2012

Fogarty Institute's Advanced Endovascular Training Fellowship to begin on July 1

The Fogarty Institute for Innovation announced today that it has launched its Advanced Endovascular Training Fellowship. This unique, year-long clinical training program for postgraduate physicians, which begins July 1, 2012, will provide Fellows with broad exposure to all aspects of endovascular patient care, with an emphasis on interventional training.

7 Feb 2012

DMPA intake may increase risk of periodontitis, gingivitis in women

Injectable progesterone contraceptives may be associated with poor periodontal health, according to research in the Journal of Periodontology. The study found that women who are currently taking depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injectable contraceptive, or have taken DMPA in the past, are more likely to have indicators of poor periodontal health, including gingivitis and periodontitis, than women who have never taken the injectable contraceptive.

7 Feb 2012