Medical News

RSS

Surgeon in a rush removes wrong kidney

A doctor in the UK removed the wrong kidney from a patient and left her dependent on dialysis because he did not bother to read her medical notes.

23 May 2006

First signs of Alzheimer's and dementia may be physical ones

According to a joint study between the Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington, the very first signs of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, may well be physical, rather than mental.

23 May 2006

Exposure to cats early in life may raise childs' risk of eczema

According to new study in the U.S. children who are exposed to cats soon after birth may have an increased risk of developing eczema, while being exposed to two or more dogs at home may offer some slight protection.

23 May 2006

Two more deaths from bird flu as Indonesia tries to track down souce of 'cluster' deaths

While Health officials in Indonesia are still trying to track down the source of infection in a cluster of six deaths in one family from H5N1 bird flu, tests show that two more people have also died of the same disease.

23 May 2006

Women who pile on the kilos more at risk of breast cancers

According to a large new study women who pile on the kilos as adults increase their risk of all types of breast cancer even if they do not take hormone replacement therapy after menopause.

23 May 2006

Clinical trials funded by for-profit organizations more likely to report positive

Cardiovascular clinical trials published between 2000 and 2005 were significantly more likely to report positive findings if they were funded by for-profit organizations than those funded by not-for-profit organizations, according to a study in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 May 2006

Unnecessary urinary catheters - study

A study of 1,586 hospitalized patients age 70 and older at two Ohio hospitals indicates that 24 percent were given medically unnecessary urinary catheters, according to investigators led by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

23 May 2006

Nutritional supplement policosanol does not lower cholesterol levels

A new study suggests that use of the nutritional supplement policosanol does not lower cholesterol levels any more than placebo, apparently contradicting the results of previous studies.

23 May 2006

Women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease fare worse than men

Women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) fare worse than men both in terms of the severity of their disease and their quality of life, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 22nd.

23 May 2006

Lung cancer death rates in lifelong non-smokers

Lung cancer death rates are not higher among women than men who have never smoked, but death rates from lung cancer may be higher in African-American than Caucasian female never smokers, a study reports in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

23 May 2006

Adult survivors of childhood cancer and unemployment

Adults with a history childhood cancer are more likely than the general population to be unemployed, according to a new review.

23 May 2006

Researchers identify target of the widely prescribed antidepressant Prozac

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island have identified which among several different kinds of cells in the brain is the chief target of the widely prescribed antidepressant Prozac.

23 May 2006

Adult weight gain and histopathologic characteristics of breast cancer among postmenopausal women

According to a new study, women who gain weight in adulthood face a higher lifetime risk of all types of breast cancer even if they do not take hormone replacement therapy after menopause.

23 May 2006

New study may advance treatments to prevent type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome

Insulin uses two distinct mechanisms to control glucose and the metabolism of blood fats (lipids) in the liver, a new Joslin Diabetes Center-led study has discovered.

23 May 2006

Patients more satisfied if they have more contact with pharmacist

Getting hospital-based pharmacists out from "behind the counter" to work directly with inpatients and health care teams reduces medication errors and problems, according to a University of Iowa and Department of Veterans Affairs review of previously published studies.

23 May 2006

Total versus subtotal hysterectomy for benign gynaecological conditions

Women who undergo a total hysterectomy, in which both the uterus and the cervix are removed, are no more likely to experience sexual difficulties or urinary or bowel problems after surgery than women who have only their uterus removed, a new review has found.

23 May 2006

New technique to deliver insulin genes to pancreas

Researchers at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and the Baylor Research Institute have developed a novel technique to deliver insulin genes to the pancreas, the organ that produces the body's insulin.

23 May 2006

Tension headache may actually be temporomandibular muscle and joint disorder

People whose recurrent headaches have been diagnosed as tension-related actually may be suffering from temporomandibular muscle and joint disorder, or TMJD, a study headed by a researcher from the University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine has shown.

23 May 2006

School of hard knocks not so good

People who have suffered life's hard knocks while growing up tend to be more gullible than those who have been more sheltered, startling new findings from the University of Leicester reveal.

23 May 2006

Hepatitis B virus prevalent among Asians in NY

Approximately 15% of Asians living in New York City are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus, according to a new study by New York University School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues.

23 May 2006