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Study links inflammation and calcium signaling in heart attack

A new study led by University of Iowa researchers has found an unexpected new link between this inflammation in heart muscle following a heart attack and a previously known enzyme called calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II or CaM kinase II.

10 Mar 2009

Studies investigate end-of-life healthcare

Patients with advanced cancer who discuss end-of-life care with their physicians appear to have lower health care costs in the final week of life than those who do not, according to a report in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Mar 2009

Regular family meals result in better eating habits for adolescents

Good eating habits can result when families eat together. In the March/April 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior , researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota report on one of the first studies to examine the long-term benefits of regular family meals for diet quality during the transition from early to middle adolescence.

10 Mar 2009

Color of wine makes no difference when it comes to breast-cancer

The largest study of its kind to evaluate the effect of red versus white wine on breast-cancer risk concludes that both are equal offenders when it comes to increasing breast-cancer risk.

10 Mar 2009

When a patient wishes to leave against medical advice - ethical dilemma for physicians

When patients choose to leave the hospital before the treating physician recommends discharge, the consequences may involve risk of inadequately treated medical conditions and the need for readmission, according to a review in the March 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

10 Mar 2009

New staging technique might save bladders in some bladder cancer patients

Pathologists have reported encouraging results from a new technique to increase the accuracy of staging bladder cancer tumors that could reduce the need to remove bladders from some patients.

10 Mar 2009

How chemicals present in cranberries prevent urinary tract infections

Chemicals present in cranberries - and not the acidity of cranberry juice, as previously thought - prevent infection-causing bacteria from attaching to the cells that line the urinary tract, as documented in a report published in Journal of Medicinal Food.

10 Mar 2009

New insights on heart's 'fight or flight' response to stress

Even for those without a heart condition, it's a peculiar feeling when your heart "races" in response to stress.

10 Mar 2009

BRCA gene mutations influence a women's views of preventive mastectomy

Women whose cells harbor harmful mutations in the BRCA genes are likely to view preventive mastectomy as the best way to reduce their risk and fears of developing breast cancer, despite other, less drastic options available.

10 Mar 2009

Discovery of alga that detoxifies arsenic

Arsenic may be tough, but scientists have found a Yellowstone National Park alga that's tougher.

10 Mar 2009

Metastatic bone disease patients can walk in Lazarus' footsteps

Osteoplasty - a highly effective minimally invasive procedure to treat the painful effects of metastatic bone disease by injecting bone cement to support weakened bones - provides immediate and substantial pain relief, often presenting individuals who are suffering terribly with the miraculous so-called "Lazarus effect," according to researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 34th Annual Scientific Meeting.

10 Mar 2009

Metabolic and neurological disorders may share common risk factors

Metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes appear to share risk factors with and may influence the development of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to several reports published in the March issue of Archives of Neurology.

10 Mar 2009

Long-term effects of two common drugs for early Parkinson's similar

A study published online in the Archives of Neurology involving two common drugs used to treat early-stage Parkinson's disease shows that, while the drugs each have advantages and disadvantages, the overall impact tends to even out over a long period of treatment.

10 Mar 2009

How to avoid colon problems

Most adults would rather keep talk about colons behind the bathroom door.It's time to talk, says Kim Turgeon, MD, FACP, gastroenterologist in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.

10 Mar 2009

Insomnia often a persistent condition

About three-fourths of individuals with insomnia report experiencing the condition for at least one year and almost half experience it for three years, according to a report in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Mar 2009

Glass-fiber-reinforced plastic guide wires allow surgeons to insert catheters without X-rays

Have the patient's coronary vessels, heart valves or myocardial muscle changed abnormally?

10 Mar 2009

Helium/oxygen mix helps lung patients breathe easier

New research published in the international journal Chest , by Neil Eves, PhD, finds that people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who breathed a mix of 60% helium and 40% oxygen during a rehabilitation program were able to exercise longer and harder than those who breathed normal air.

10 Mar 2009