Medical News

RSS

Discovery of MEDNIK syndrome

Canadian researchers announce the discovery of MEDNIK Syndrome, a debilitating genetic syndrome.

5 Dec 2008

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may offer novel therapeutic option for epidermolysis bullosa

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat a disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a disorder characterized by extraordinarily fragile skin, according to a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

5 Dec 2008

Depression common among medical students

Medical students frequently suffer from depression, especially during their internship years.

5 Dec 2008

Two simple blood tests detect flesh-eating bacteria

With less than half of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections displaying the physical signs of these very serious infections, researchers have found two simple blood tests can help physicians diagnose what is commonly known as "flesh-eating bacteria," according to a study in the December issue of The American Journal of Surgery.

5 Dec 2008

Fatty liver disease and body shape

For years, pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen.

5 Dec 2008

Novel angled gantry approach reduces breast radiation exposure

A novel angled gantry approach to coronary CT angiography reduced radiation exposure to the breast by more than 50%, according to Thomas Jefferson University researchers.

5 Dec 2008

A new approach improves prioritization of disease-associated SNPs

The more often a gene is differentially expressed, the more likely it is to contain disease-associated DNA variants.

5 Dec 2008

Moderate alcohol intake boosts amount of omega-3 fatty acids in our body

Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells.

5 Dec 2008

Treatment with irbesartan fails to improve common form of heart failure

A medication used for high blood pressure does not improve a common form of heart failure, according to new results from a large, international study.

4 Dec 2008

Measles on the decline globally

Measles deaths worldwide fell by 74% between 2000 and 2007, from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000. In addition, the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan, has cut measles deaths by a remarkable 90% during the same period.

4 Dec 2008

Doing the math for membranes

Determining the mechanisms that shape biological membranes has long been a tricky business. Like a factory assembly line, eukaryotic cells are organized into membrane-bound, functional compartments called organelles.

4 Dec 2008

Stereotypical imperfections offer health benefits when it comes to bodies

Having an imperfect body may come with some substantial benefits for some women, according to a new article in the December issue of Current Anthropology.

3 Dec 2008

Better targeted, more cost-effective osteoporosis treatment could soon be a reality worldwide

A new method for determining more accurately at which point someone needs further diagnostic tests, or when immediate treatment is warranted, has been developed by The National Osteoporosis Guideline Group in the UK.

3 Dec 2008

Mad Cow disease strain found to be more virulent than classical strain

An atypical prion strain of mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BS, is more virulent than the classical strain, according to a researcher who spoke Nov. 14 at Kansas State University.

3 Dec 2008

Cancer stem-cell model tested by University of Michigan researchers

One of the most promising new ideas about the causes of cancer, known as the cancer stem-cell model, must be reassessed because it is based largely on evidence from a laboratory test that is surprisingly flawed when applied to some cancers, University of Michigan researchers have concluded.

3 Dec 2008

Scientists show that endothelial cells give rise to blood stem cells

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have proven definitively that blood stem cells are made during mid-gestational embryonic development by endothelial cells, the cells that line the inside of blood vessels.

3 Dec 2008

ACE inhibitor calcium channel blocker combo drug shown to reduces heart attacks

While doctors are urged to start with a diuretic-based strategy to control patients' high blood pressure, an international blood pressure study shows a different single-pill drug combination is more effective at preventing heart-related events such as heart attacks and strokes.

3 Dec 2008

Low-dose peginterferon used for hepatitis C doesn't work

An NIH funded multi-center clinical trial found no benefit from "maintenance therapy," low-dose peginterferon used for hepatitis C patients who have not responded to an initial round of treatment.

3 Dec 2008

Alzheimer's patients with sleep apnea benefit from CPAP treatment - improves cognitive abilities

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment seems to improve cognitive functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease who also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial conducted at the University of California, San Diego.

3 Dec 2008

School-based asthma education program helps children and adolescents to better manage condition

A new study has found that a school-based asthma education program conducted in the Oakland, California school district was shown to reduce symptoms and increase the number of days that children who suffered from asthma were able to go to school..

3 Dec 2008