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Morning after pill - FDA must decide by September

Apparently federal health officials will soon decide whether to allow the sale of emergency contraception without a prescription.

10 Aug 2005

Despite warnings about sun exposure, skin cancer rates on the rise in under 40's

Researchers in the U.S. say that among women under age 40, there has been triple the number of cases of skin cancers reported.

10 Aug 2005

Four out of five prisoners test positive for drugs

In a shocking revelation it appears that a third of prisoners in Scottish jails are using drugs at the time of their release.

10 Aug 2005

Curry spice may help fight oesophageal cancer

Welsh researchers apparently believe a spice used in curry may possibly prevent people from developing cancer of the gullet.

10 Aug 2005

New prostate cancer test could save thousands from unnecessary surgery

Doctors at present lack a test that can distinguish fast-developing tumours that need urgent attention from slow-growing ones that are not a threat and need only watching, and as a result many men have operations that can leave them impotent and incontinent for prostate tumours that would never have killed them.

10 Aug 2005

Assisted living and in-home care increase as nursing home beds decline

Even with the U.S. population rapidly aging, a smaller proportion of elderly and disabled people live in nursing homes today compared to 1990. Instead, far more depend on assisted living residences or receive care in their homes, according to a study published in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

10 Aug 2005

Contrast-enhanced MRI is better than SPECT in detecting heart damage in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

SPECT nuclear medicine studies are currently the most common way to look for myocardial damage in these patients; however; a new study, published in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology, found that MRI is a more comprehensive examination than SPECT.

10 Aug 2005

Open nephron-sparing surgery remains the most desirable for the patients

Urologists often view less-invasive surgery techniques as more desirable for the patient, but in a study of open nephron-sparing surgeries (NSS) from 1985 to 2001 at Mayo Clinic, researchers found that the "gold standard" of open surgery for kidney tumors should remain the first choice for many patients. The study appears online today in The Journal of Urology.

10 Aug 2005

Study estimates Staphylococcus aureus infections cause 12,000 deaths, cost hospitals $9.5 billion

Staphylococcus aureus infections (S. aureus) create an enormous burden to hospitals by significantly increasing costs, length of patient stays and mortality rates, a Northwestern Memorial Hospital researcher found in the most comprehensive study to date, published today's Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Aug 2005

Assessing physician compliance with the rules for euthanasia and assisted suicide

Physicians in the Netherlands rely on careful patient evaluations and official practice guidelines when considering patient requests for euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EAS), according to a study in the August 8/22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Aug 2005

Airline pilots have an increased risk of nuclear cataracts

Airline pilots have an increased risk of nuclear cataracts [common type of cataract, associated with aging] compared with non-pilots, and that risk is associated with cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

10 Aug 2005

Certain gene variation associated with better mobility for older individuals who exercise

Older individuals with a certain gene variation who exercise are less likely to develop mobility limitations than individuals without the gene variation, according to a study in the August 10 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

10 Aug 2005

Important breast cancer discovery

Scientists at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have made an important discovery that will advance our understanding of how the female hormone estrogen causes growth of breast cancer cells. The research, in collaboration with scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) identifies 153 genes that respond to estrogen and one in particular that can be used to halt the growth of breast cancer cells.

10 Aug 2005

Quality of the doctor-patient relationship can greatly affect patients' medication use

Patients who trust their doctors are more likely to stick to their prescription medicines, even if they face high out-of-pocket costs, a new study finds. But patients who have lower levels of trust in their physicians, or who have depression-like symptoms, are much more likely to skip doses or refills when costs become a problem for them.

10 Aug 2005

Current clinical practice guidelines are not written with older adults with multiple illnesses in mind

The aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases pose challenges to the development and application of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), according to background information in the article. In 1999, 48 percent of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older had at least 3 chronic medical conditions and 21 percent had 5 or more.

10 Aug 2005

Biochemists reveal the first structural details of microcompartments

UCLA biochemists reveal the first structural details of a family of mysterious objects called microcompartments that seem to be present in a variety of bacteria. The discovery was published Aug. 5 in the journal Science.

10 Aug 2005

Faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth

Using a powerful microscope and computer software, a team of scientists from Johns Hopkins, the University of Arkansas, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and elsewhere has developed a faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth, a practice used to figure out the diets of our early ancestors.

10 Aug 2005

Placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases as embryonic stem cells

Routinely discarded as medical waste, placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases and regenerate tissues as their more controversial counterparts, embryonic stem cells, suggests a University of Pittsburgh study to be published in the journal Stem Cells and available now as an early online publication in Stem Cells Express.

10 Aug 2005

High insulin levels increase inflammatory markers and beta-amyloids

Moderately elevated levels of insulin increase the levels of inflammatory markers and beta-amyloid in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid, and these markers may contribute to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study posted online today from Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Aug 2005

Checkerboard Tissue Microarray (TMA) Method will help in predicting the behaviour of prostate cancer

Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research have developed a technique which will markedly help in predicting the behaviour of prostate cancer.

9 Aug 2005

Medical News

Morning after pill - FDA must decide by September

Despite warnings about sun exposure, skin cancer rates on the rise in under 40's

Four out of five prisoners test positive for drugs

Curry spice may help fight oesophageal cancer

New prostate cancer test could save thousands from unnecessary surgery

Assisted living and in-home care increase as nursing home beds decline

Contrast-enhanced MRI is better than SPECT in detecting heart damage in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Open nephron-sparing surgery remains the most desirable for the patients

Study estimates Staphylococcus aureus infections cause 12,000 deaths, cost hospitals $9.5 billion

Assessing physician compliance with the rules for euthanasia and assisted suicide

Airline pilots have an increased risk of nuclear cataracts

Certain gene variation associated with better mobility for older individuals who exercise

Important breast cancer discovery

Quality of the doctor-patient relationship can greatly affect patients' medication use

Current clinical practice guidelines are not written with older adults with multiple illnesses in mind

Biochemists reveal the first structural details of microcompartments

Faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth

Placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases as embryonic stem cells

High insulin levels increase inflammatory markers and beta-amyloids

Checkerboard Tissue Microarray (TMA) Method will help in predicting the behaviour of prostate cancer

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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