Medical News

RSS

Comprehensive review backs health benefits of eating fish

There is ample research advocating the nutritional benefits of eating fish and shellfish because fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

18 Oct 2006

Benefits of breast cancer screening questionable

Danish researchers are claiming that the benefits of breast cancer screening are questionable and that mammograms can lead to women being given unnecessary and harmful treatment.

18 Oct 2006

FDA approves Taxotere for head and neck cancers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate for use in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil prior to radiotherapy for the treatment of patients with inoperable, locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

18 Oct 2006

Global pandemic influenza action plan to increase vaccine supply

If an influenza pandemic were to occur in the near future, there would be a shortage of several billion doses of the pandemic influenza vaccine needed to protect the global population.

18 Oct 2006

Heart transplant patients who receive a donor heart from a person with hepatitis C have a lower rate of survival

A shortage of cardiac organ donors results in a substantial number of deaths among persons awaiting cardiac transplantation. One potential approach for increasing the availability of donors is to broaden the criteria used to identify appropriate donors.

17 Oct 2006

Do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits? Yes or No

Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. But concerns have been raised in recent years about chemicals found in fish from environmental pollution, including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. That has led to confusion among the public--do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits?

17 Oct 2006

700,000 adverse drug events in the U.S. each year lead to ER visits

Each year, an estimated 700,000 persons experience adverse drug events that lead to emergency department visits, according to a study in the October 18 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

17 Oct 2006

Helicobacter pylori increases risk of lower stomach cancer, decreases risk of upper

The bacteria Helicobacter pylori substantially increase the risk of cancer in the lower stomach, but it may decrease the risk of cancer near the junction between the esophagus and the stomach, according to a study in the October 19 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 Oct 2006

Female survivors of childhood cancer: preterm birth and low birth weight among their children

Female childhood cancer survivors may face pregnancy problems, including early deliveries and low birth weight children, according to a study in the October 19 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 Oct 2006

Underlying causes, frequencies, and outcomes of dilated cardiomyopathy

The mystery behind a commonly untreatable and undetected heart muscle disease in children is partially revealed for the first time in today's edition of the scientific journal JAMA.

17 Oct 2006

Researchers step toward therapy for respiratory syncytial virus

When a child under the age of 2 contracts a respiratory tract infection requiring hospitalization, odds are that the cause is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

17 Oct 2006

HIV exploits competition among T cells - points to new strategy for AIDS vaccination

A new HIV study shows how competition among the human immune system's T cells allows the virus to escape destruction and eventually develop into full-blown AIDS.

17 Oct 2006

Tuberculosis fourfold the risk for Celiac sufferers

Swedish researchers are suggesting that people with celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, have an increased risk of developing tuberculosis (TB).

17 Oct 2006

Parkinson's disease affects more than just motor control

Although Parkinson's disease is most commonly viewed as a "movement disorder," scientists have found that the disease also causes widespread abnormalities in touch and vision - effects that have now been verified using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain.

17 Oct 2006

Virtual colonoscopy is an accurate screening method for colorectal cancer

"Our positive experience with virtual colonoscopy screening covered by health insurance demonstrates its enormous potential for increasing compliance for colorectal cancer prevention and screening"

17 Oct 2006

Transport mechanism of bioactive molecule, S1P, identified

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified how a bioactive molecule involved with allergy, inflammation and cancer is transported out of mast cells, according to findings published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

17 Oct 2006

Why organs fail following massive trauma

Massive trauma, say from a sabertooth tiger attack, meant immediate death for the primitive human.

17 Oct 2006

Researchers find areas in the brain that indicate bilingualism

The finding sheds new light on decades of debate about how the human brain's language centers may actually be enhanced when faced with two or more languages as opposed to only one.

17 Oct 2006

Researchers identify cell line that is resistant to retroviruses

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a protein that enables viruses such as HIV to infect cells and spread through the body.

17 Oct 2006

Vaccine that protects mice against 1918 influenza virus developed

Federal scientists have developed a vaccine that protects mice against the killer 1918 influenza virus. They also have created a technique for identifying antibodies that neutralize this virus, a tool that could help contain future pandemic flu strains.

17 Oct 2006