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Expensive but worthless gifts may help facilitate courtship

If men thought they were frittering away money wining and dining a girl to win her hand, they should think again.

27 Jul 2005

Clinical factors can help predict the risk of prostate cancer death for patients following a radical prostatectomy

Clinical factors including the time to biochemical recurrence following surgery can help predict the risk of prostate cancer death for patients following a radical prostatectomy, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Jul 2005

Quality of care may vary in association with the characteristics of individual physicians and their practices

Certain physician characteristics and practice-setting characteristics are associated with Medicare beneficiaries receiving routine preventive services below the national goals, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Jul 2005

Biota's potential damages claim against GlaxoSmithKline could be as high as $430 million

Biota Holdings Limited of Melbourne, Australia, has announced its Particulars of Loss and Damage in its suit against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for failing to support Biota’s influenza drug, Relenza. The damages assessment was filed with the Victorian Supreme Court and estimates Biota’s losses in the range of $308 million to $430 million.

26 Jul 2005

When the media encourage HIV testing, more people get tested

"Changing behavior is a complex process that involves several factors. Mass media can be used to educate and raise awareness about a topic and can enhance appropriate utilization of health care services," according to lead review author Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana, of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

26 Jul 2005

Rate of increase in PSA value predicts risk of death following radiation therapy

Men who have a higher rate of increase in their PSA value in the year prior to their prostate cancer diagnosis have a significantly higher risk of death following radiation therapy, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

26 Jul 2005

Opiates themselves are superior to sedatives for treating infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant

Opiates appear to better "ameliorate the withdrawal, facilitate feeding and potentially reduce the likelihood of seizures," according to two new systematic reviews done by David Osborn, a neonatologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.

26 Jul 2005

Combined computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) - may detect the spread of head and neck cancer more accurately

"PET/CT is very helpful in determining where we should pinpoint our biopsies for recurrent disease," said Dr. Carol Shores, assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at UNC and the report's senior author. Shores is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

26 Jul 2005

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can identify effectiveness of chemotherapy early in high-risk breast cancer patients

The effectiveness of chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer can be evaluated earlier by using 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) imaging over other conventional imaging procedures, according to an article in the July issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine's Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

26 Jul 2005

Illnesses associated with pesticide exposure at schools increased significantly in children from 1998 to 2002

"Exposure to pesticides in the school environment is a health risk facing children and school employees," background information in the article states. Pesticides continue to be used both on and around school property, with some schools at risk of pesticide exposure from neighboring farms. Currently, no specific federal requirements on limiting pesticide exposures at schools exist.

26 Jul 2005

Researchers develop tiny, highly efficient heat spreader for epileptic seizure treatment device

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers are developing a tiny, highly efficient heat spreader to be used in a new device to be implanted in the brain of patients who suffer from severe epileptic seizures.

26 Jul 2005

New chemical compound can accelerate stem cell mobilization

The finding has led to the development of a new chemical compound that can accelerate this process (called stem cell mobilization) in mice - which could eventually lead to more efficient stem cell harvesting for human use.

26 Jul 2005

Specialized immune-system B cells play dual role in triggering both kinds of immunity - innate and acquired

A specialized subpopulation of the antibody-producing B cells of the immune system plays a "double-barreled" role in triggering both kinds of immunity - innate and acquired, Duke University Medical Center immunologists have discovered.

26 Jul 2005

Mate Choice and Friendship in Twins: Evidence for Genetic Similarity

How alike are you and your husband or wife - or, you and your best friend? Probably more alike than you realize. A study of twins shows that people's spouses and best friends are much more similar to them than was previously recognized - about as close as brothers and sisters. The research also suggested that the preference for partners who are similar to us is partly due to our genes.

26 Jul 2005

Consultants' leader comments on latest star ratings

"Clearly, the public has a right to know how well its hospitals are performing but patients should not use the star ratings to judge the quality of care they can expect to receive.

26 Jul 2005

Methamphetamine users show symptoms similar to brain injury patients

Because today's methamphetamine is stronger, more potent and wreaks greater havoc on the brain, chronic users exhibit symptoms similar to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to the Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ).

26 Jul 2005

Niger needs long term assistance to avoid chronic food insecurity

According to recent nutrition surveys by the United Nations and some non-governmental agencies, acute malnutrition rates have risen to 13.4 percent in southern Niger's Maradi and Zinder Regions. A food shortage is impacting some 3.3 million people - including 800,000 children under age five - in some 3,815 villages.

26 Jul 2005

Single prenatal dose of methamphetamine enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies

In research published in the August issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine, U of T pharmacy and pharmacology professor Peter Wells and his colleagues determined that exposing pregnant mice only once to methamphetamine led to delivery of offspring with long-term neurodevelopmental problems, including reduced motor co-ordination.

26 Jul 2005

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

The study found that almost three fourths of those 80 years and older have hypertension -- blood pressure greater than 140 systolic over greater than 90 diastolic. Fewer than 10 percent have "normal" blood pressure levels -- less than 120 systolic over less than 80 diastolic.

26 Jul 2005

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

Combining partially differentiated stem cells with gene therapy can promote the growth of new "insulation" around nerve fibers in the damaged spinal cords of rats, a new study shows.

26 Jul 2005

Medical News

Expensive but worthless gifts may help facilitate courtship

Clinical factors can help predict the risk of prostate cancer death for patients following a radical prostatectomy

Quality of care may vary in association with the characteristics of individual physicians and their practices

Biota's potential damages claim against GlaxoSmithKline could be as high as $430 million

When the media encourage HIV testing, more people get tested

Rate of increase in PSA value predicts risk of death following radiation therapy

Opiates themselves are superior to sedatives for treating infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant

Combined computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) - may detect the spread of head and neck cancer more accurately

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can identify effectiveness of chemotherapy early in high-risk breast cancer patients

Illnesses associated with pesticide exposure at schools increased significantly in children from 1998 to 2002

Researchers develop tiny, highly efficient heat spreader for epileptic seizure treatment device

New chemical compound can accelerate stem cell mobilization

Specialized immune-system B cells play dual role in triggering both kinds of immunity - innate and acquired

Mate Choice and Friendship in Twins: Evidence for Genetic Similarity

Consultants' leader comments on latest star ratings

Methamphetamine users show symptoms similar to brain injury patients

Niger needs long term assistance to avoid chronic food insecurity

Single prenatal dose of methamphetamine enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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