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Economic burden of migraine in the U.S.

A new study published in Value in Health reviews the economic burden of migraine in the U.S. and recent clinical findings of the health risks of this neurological condition.

2 Feb 2009

Stat3 signaling tips the balance of immunity in favor of cancer

New research reveals how a cancer-associated protein enables tumor cells to evade the immune system by both suppressing antitumor influences and promoting tumor-enhancing conditions, in essence turning the immune system to the dark side of the force.

2 Feb 2009

SSRIs may reduce the risk of suicide in depressed adults

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may reduce the risk of suicide in depressed adults, according to a study by researchers from the World Health Organization and the University of Verona, Italy published in CMAJ http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg291.pdf.

2 Feb 2009

Quantum dot hazards

Quantum dots have the potential to bring many good things into the world: efficient solar power, targeted gene and drug delivery, solid-state lighting and advances in biomedical imaging among them.

2 Feb 2009

New technology rapidly detects tumor response to chemotherapy

New technology developed by Duke University bioengineers can help clinicians more precisely detect whether specific cancer drugs are working, and should give basic researchers a powerful new tool to better understand the underlying mechanisms of cancer development.

2 Feb 2009

Rhythm abnormality of unknown origin strongly predicts sudden death risk in heart disease patients

Researchers conducting a large, ongoing study to improve detection and prevention of sudden cardiac death were surprised to discover that a specific heart rhythm abnormality – idiopathic QT interval prolongation – increased risk five-fold among patients with coronary artery disease.

2 Feb 2009

Researchers investigate prenatal smoking link with bad behavior in kids

A Cardiff University research project has for the first time studied whether smoking during pregnancy can directly make children more likely to behave anti-socially.

2 Feb 2009

Researcher proposes statistical method to enhance secondary security screenings

A researcher at The University of Texas at Austin has found that secondary security screening at airports is mathematically flawed, and has identified a way to select people for screenings more efficiently and fairly.

2 Feb 2009

Researchers design re-engineered hospital discharge program to reduce rehospitalization

Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have designed a process to minimize discharge failures.

2 Feb 2009

Risk of malpractice lawsuits in breast imaging overestimate by radiologists

Radiologists who work in breast imaging tend to overestimate their actual risk of medical malpractice lawsuits, according to a study performed at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine in Seattle, WA.

2 Feb 2009

PET/CT may improve prognosis for patients with inflammatory breast cancer

In the largest study to date to evaluate fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in the initial staging of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), researchers were able to identify the precise location and extent of metastasis (spread of disease), offering the potential for a better prognosis for patients with this rare, but aggressive form of breast cancer.

2 Feb 2009

Study shows restrictive law fails to limit number of abortions

Despite abortion being severely legally restricted - and potentially unsafe - in Peru, the incidence of abortion is as high as or higher than the incidence in many countries where it is legal and safe, found researchers from Peru, the United Kingdom and the United States in an article published in CMAJ.

2 Feb 2009

People without heart disease symptoms should use caution in obtaining cardiac imaging exams

At the radiation dose levels used in cardiac imaging exams, such as cardiac CT or nuclear medicine scans, the risk of potentially harmful effects from ionizing radiation are low.

2 Feb 2009

Brain perceives optical illusions as real motion

Ever get a little motion sick from an illusion graphic designed to look like it's moving?

2 Feb 2009

Sedative dexmedetomidine may offer advantages over agents often used for sedation in ICU

Use of the sedative dexmedetomidine for critically ill patients resulted in less time on a ventilator and less delirium compared to patients administered a more commonly used drug, according to a study in the February 4 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

2 Feb 2009

New vaccine developed for preventing human adenovirus type-3d virus

Common colds typically cause a week of sneezing, aches and pains and then fade away leaving only a sore nose and a few used sick days behind.

2 Feb 2009

New technique images tumor vessel leakiness to predict breast cancer chemotherapy outcome

Chemotherapy is an integral part of modern cancer treatment, but it's not always effective.

2 Feb 2009

Improved strategies to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature

Better strategies to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature are the subject of a debate by leading authors in next week's issue of the open-access journal PLoS Medicine.

2 Feb 2009

A framework for major depressive disorder

Genes, psychological adversity in childhood, and recent or ongoing psychological stress may combine to cause major depression, write Dr. Sanjay Mathew and colleagues from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York in a review published in CMAJ.

2 Feb 2009

MR spectroscopy may help avoid invasive procedures and treatments for recurrent brain lesions

A clinical decision model which uses MR spectroscopy to help physicians differentiate between recurrent tumors and changes in the brain tissue due to radiation treatments, may help patients avoid invasive procedures and treatments, according to a study performed at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, MI.

2 Feb 2009