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Accuray to showcase CyberKnife, TomoTherapy systems at AAPM/COMP meeting

Accuray Incorporated, the premier radiation oncology company, announced today that it will showcase the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System and the TomoTherapy Radiation Therapy Treatment System in the company's booths at the 2011 Joint American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)/Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) Meeting.

1 Aug 2011

Colon cleansing can cause side effects like cramping, renal failure and death

Colon cleansing - it's been described as a natural way to enhance well-being, but Georgetown University doctors say there's no evidence to back that claim. In fact, their review of scientific literature, published today in the August issue of The Journal of Family Practice, demonstrates that colon cleansing can cause side effects ranging from cramping to renal failure and death.

1 Aug 2011

Researchers reveal molecular mechanisms responsible for organizing intestinal epithelium

How do cells know where to position themselves and where to accumulate in order to carry out their functions correctly within each organ? Researchers with the Colorectal Cancer Lab at IRB Barcelona have revealed the molecular mechanisms responsible for organizing the intestinal epithelium into distinct comportments, defined by frontiers or territories.

1 Aug 2011

Mobile health technology may help patients manage Type 2 diabetes

An interactive computer software program appears to be effective in helping patients manage their Type 2 diabetes using their mobile phones, according to a new study by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers.

1 Aug 2011

Methods for radiation dose optimization in head CT scans

An article in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology summarizes methods for radiation dose optimization in head computed tomography (CT) scans. Head CT is the second most commonly performed CT examination, with 28 percent of the total number of CT examinations.

1 Aug 2011

Nursing homes attack Medicare's payment cuts

"Medicare says it will cut payments to nursing homes to correct for an unintended windfall this year, and the industry is warning that quality will be compromised. Officials announced the 11 percent cut Friday, along with other changes meant to tamp down on physical therapy costs".

1 Aug 2011

Gundersen Lutheran staff develop comprehensive CT radiation dose reduction program

In an effort to reduce the radiation dose delivered by computed tomography (CT) scans, staff at a community-based hospital developed a comprehensive CT radiation dose reduction program which has allowed them to reduce the radiation dose delivered by CT scans at their facility, according to an article in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

1 Aug 2011

Majority of infants consume more salt than recommended

Seventy per cent of eight-month-old babies have a salt (sodium chloride) intake higher than the recommended UK maximum level, due to being fed salty and processed foods like yeast extract, gravy, baked beans and tinned spaghetti.

1 Aug 2011

Three new loci linked to asthma susceptibility in Japanese population

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine (CGM), together with colleagues at Kyoto University, Tsukuba University, Harvard University, and other medical institutions have identified three new loci associated with susceptibility to adult asthma in the Japanese population.

1 Aug 2011

Debt deal on table includes possible Medicare cuts

"Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on CNN's State of the Union said lawmakers were looking at $3 trillion in spending cuts. 'We're very close,' McConnell said".

1 Aug 2011

Researchers reveal novel gene linked with asthma in African-Americans

A new national collaboration of asthma genetics researchers has revealed a novel gene associated with the disease in African-Americans, according to a new scientific report.

1 Aug 2011

CSC closes acquisition of iSOFT

CSC today announced it has closed the acquisition of iSOFT Group Limited, one of the world's largest providers of advanced healthcare IT solutions.

1 Aug 2011

Default scenarios include questions about fate of Medicare, Medicaid, government workers

With the debt-ceiling fight unlikely to be resolved this weekend, news outlets are covering the possible fallout for the health care system.

1 Aug 2011

Universal flu vaccine based on “super antibody” coming soon

Researchers have finally found the first antibody which can fight all types of the influenza A virus. The results of the experiments on flu-infected mice, published in Science Express, showed the antibody could be used as an “emergency treatment” for flu as well.

31 Jul 2011

Chronic fatigue researchers bullied, intimidated by protesters

British researchers who were focusing on psychological and mental issues linked to chronic fatigue syndrome have received death threats from protesters angry at their research area. The condition termed myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) has been studied for many years now with unclear reasoning into its causation and pathology.

31 Jul 2011

One in four British women at risk of cancer

A cancer charity revealed figures that show that British women are nearly a fifth more likely to develop cancer at some point during their lives than their European counterparts. Most of it is blamed on lifestyle factors such as obesity and alcohol consumption.

31 Jul 2011

Skin cancer vaccine on the way: Cancer expert Prof Ian Frazer

In a major medical breakthrough, cancer expert Prof Ian Frazer is on the verge of developing a vaccine against skin cancer within a year. The former ‘Australian of the Year’ and creator of the world's first cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, has developed a world-first strategy to combat the insidious disease that affects two out of three Australians.

31 Jul 2011

Weight-loss programs a waste of time: Expert opinion

According to obesity expert and University of Melbourne professor of medicine Joseph Proietto the high failure rate of weight-loss programs could be explained by growing evidence that an obese person’s body is programmed to regain any weight that is lost. He said that authorities are wasting money on campaigns urging people to exercise and eat healthy food since obesity is “''physiologically defended”.

31 Jul 2011

Human genes can be patented in U.S. - Court overrules previous ruling

A lower court in the U.S. had earlier ruled that human genes cannot be patented by biotech companies who use them for diagnostic purposes. Now a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that genes can be patented. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which specializes in patent cases, said that Myriad Genetics was entitled to patents on two human genes used to predict if women have an increased risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer.

31 Jul 2011

Relationships trend towards “stayovers”: Study

A new study has shown that more and more couples in long-term relationships are choosing to stay over a few nights per week at each other’s home instead of cohabitating. Study Leader University of Missouri PhD student Tyler Jamison found the growing trend among college-educated men and women in their 20s.

31 Jul 2011