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Obesity in the U.S. greatly underestimated

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) analyzed data from health surveys, which are used to estimate obesity levels in states. Because people tend to provide incorrect information about their weight and height, especially in telephone surveys, the researchers concluded that estimates of obesity in individual states have been too low, by more than 50%.

3 May 2006

Researchers recommend national uniform newborn screening tests

In a new study, conducted for the federal government and published in a supplement to the May issue of the journal Pediatrics, Stephen M. Downs, M.D. and Aaron E. Carroll, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine, recommend a national uniform panel of newborn screening tests which they found to be cost saving as well as life saving.

3 May 2006

Etanercept and chemo might reduce fatigue in cancer patients

Researchers here have found evidence that combining a drug typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis with chemotherapy might help reduce fatigue and muscle wasting that often afflicts cancer patients.

3 May 2006

Study looks at the cellular basis for immune activation in fatigued breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors who suffer from persistent, debilitating fatigue years after their diagnosis have something in common: their immune systems don't shut down following treatment, according to researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.

3 May 2006

Accuracy of PET-CT for detecting recurrent ovarian cancer is high

The accuracy of PET-CT for detecting recurrent ovarian cancer is high, more accurate even than either CT or PET alone, says a new study by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

3 May 2006

Coronal reformatted images speed radiologist's body CT readings

Coronal multiplanar reformatted images can replace conventionally used axial images for interpretation in the MDCT evaluation of the GI tract, improving the speed and accuracy of diagnosis

3 May 2006

Completion of therapy by Medicare patients with stage III colon cance

Physical frailty, treatment complications, and lack of social and psychological support may explain why elderly stage III colon cancer patients do not complete a course of chemotherapy after surgery

3 May 2006

Evidence-based treatments for alcohol dependence

Medical management combined with the drug naltrexone or with a specialized behavioral therapy can be effective treatments for alcohol dependence, according to a study in the May 3 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

3 May 2006

Comprehensive analysis of the human and mouse transcriptomes

An international consortium of scientists, including a team from The University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), is a step closer to the next generation of treatments to combat disease, after publishing a comprehensive analysis of the human and mouse transcriptomes.

3 May 2006

Men find masculine men more threatening during their partner's ovulation phase

Men become more jealous of dominant males when their female partner is near ovulation, researchers at the University of Liverpool have found.

3 May 2006

Scientists discover a master key to microbes' pathogenic lifestyles

For some microbes, the transformation from a benign lifestyle in the soil to that of a potentially deadly human pathogen is just a breath away.

3 May 2006

Cellular events leading to chondrocyte death after cartilage impact injury

Documented in extensive studies, backed by the anecdotal evidence of professional athletes, impact injury to joints causes degeneration of cartilage.

3 May 2006

Study highlights the benefits of a clinic that specializes in the needs of obese patients with metabolic syndrome

Obesity researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee found that a multidisciplinary clinical approach to caring for obese patients with metabolic syndrome could swiftly and significantly lower their risk for heart disease.

3 May 2006

Chemotherapy regimen predicts steatohepatitis and an increase in 90-day mortality after surgery for hepatic colorectal metastases

Patients and their physicians should be careful when selecting a chemotherapy drug to treat colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

3 May 2006

Simple formula that will enable anesthesiologists to predict blood needs in heart surgery

Duke University Medical Center researchers have developed a simple formula that will enable anesthesiologists to predict, based on individual patient characteristics, how much blood to have on hand in the operating room prior to coronary artery bypass surgery.

3 May 2006

Lung function decline and outcomes in an adult population

Rapid lung function decline significantly increases the risk of death and hospitalization for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

3 May 2006

New vaccine against lethal avian influenza virus shows promise

A commercially developed vaccine has successfully protected mice and ferrets against a highly lethal avian influenza virus, according to the investigator who led the study at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

3 May 2006

Combined pharmacotherapies and behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence

While many treatment approaches were found helpful, the authors report that the patients who were most successful in abstaining from alcohol 16 weeks after treatment were those prescribed naltrexone under medical management and those participating in a multi-session program of alcohol counseling delivered by a behavioral specialist.

3 May 2006

Protein produced by immune cells during malaria infection triggers severe anemia

Richard Bucala and colleagues at Yale University show that immune cells in mice with malaria secrete a protein called MIF, which decreases the production of red blood cells (RBCs) from the bone marrow. The study appears in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

3 May 2006

Polymer-based therapy for breast cancer

Women who undergo surgery for breast cancer followed by radiation therapy often experience breast deformities that can only be corrected through reconstructive surgery.

3 May 2006