Curated News: Medical Meetings

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Indiana University researchers say a little deception caused cyclists in their 4K time trial to up their performance even after they realized they had been tricked.

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A rare type of melanoma that disproportionately attacks the palms and soles and under the nails of Asians, African-Americans, and Hispanics, who all generally have darker skins, and is not caused by sun exposure, is almost twice as likely to recur than other similar types of skin cancer, according to results of a study in 244 patients.

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Amphetamines can delay exhaustion during exercise in the heat by increasing the temperature at which it occurs. The potential cost? The risk of suffering from exertional heat stroke.

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It’s something we’ve all heard for years: Exercise can help keep older adults healthy. But now a study, the first of its kind, proves that physical activity can help older adults maintain their mobility and dodge physical disability.

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In March of this year, a team of Georgetown University scientists published research showing that, for the first time ever, a blood test has the potential to predict Alzheimer’s disease before patients start showing symptoms. AACC is pleased to announce that a late-breaking session at the 2014 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Chicago will expand upon this groundbreaking research and discuss why it could be the key to curing this devastating illness.

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Researchers following almost 450 children enrolled in the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study, one of the largest studies of HIV-positive children in the United States, found that 74 percent had developed resistance to at least one form of drug treatment.

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Late Pulmonary Function Abnormalities are Common Among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans

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ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO – Sure, everyone knows a healthy diet provides lots of health benefits for patients with respiratory diseases, but now a new study has shown a direct link between eating fish, fruit and dairy products and improved lung function among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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Reminders prompting asthma patients to take their control inhalers if they miss a dose significantly improve medication adherence, according to a primary-care based study conducted by a research team in Australia. In this six-month investigation, patients receiving reminders took on average 73% of their prescribed doses compared to only 46% in patients who did not have reminders.

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Mayo Clinic urologists will present studies on a new non-mesh outpatient procedure for treating female stress incontinence stress incontinence, lymph node surgery guided by 11c-Choline imaging for patients with nodal recurrent prostate cancer, a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) cut point correlated with systemic progression of prostate cancer, an increased mortality risk for diabetes patients undergoing surgery for kidney cancer and other research at the 2014 Annual meeting of the American Urological Association, May 16–21, in Orlando, Fla. Mayo Clinic experts will also be available to provide comment for reporters covering the conference. Studies to be presented at the meeting and their embargo dates include:

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Bacteria found in the nose may be a key indicator for future development of skin and soft-tissue infections in remote areas of the body.

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Maternal intake of dietary methyl donors during the first trimester of pregnancy modulates the risk of developing childhood asthma at age 7, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Both high and low frequency hearing impairment have been linked with sleep apnea in a new study of nearly 14,000 individuals.

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ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ The link between stroke and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been established by several clinical studies in recent years, with the most significant risks attributed to male patients. Now, a new study by researchers from Boston says the link between OSA and stroke may be just as strong among women.

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Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey shows that the ‘first in man’ series of vaccine injections given directly into a pancreatic cancer tumor is not only well tolerated, but also suggests an “encouraging” period of stable disease. Results from a Phase I clinical trial conducted at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey are being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Pancreatic Cancer conference in New Orleans this week.

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Researchers at UNC Health Care have found that using a new method for identifying bacteria and fungi in patient specimens led to a 92 percent cost reduction in the reagents needed to run clinical microbiology tests.

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In adults with persistent asthma, elevated blood eosinophil levels may be able to predict which individuals are at increased risk for exacerbations, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Cigarette smoking and male sex are significant risk factors for developing ocular sarcoidosis, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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In what is believed to be the largest and most detailed genetic analysis of its kind, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere have concluded that 69 percent of healthy American adults are infected with one or more of 109 strains of human papillomavirus (HPV).

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ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ Pulmonary hypertension patients from lower socioeconomic groups present for initial evaluation at a more advanced disease state than those from higher income groups, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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In patients with congestive heart failure, obesity and a larger waist size have paradoxically been associated with a better prognosis in the prior investigations. This effect, known as the obesity paradox phenomenon, is now being demonstrated in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension.

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Home testing of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) followed by initiation of home treatment with an auto-titrating continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device reduced costs compared with in-laboratory testing and titration without negatively impacting clinical outcomes, researchers have shown in a new study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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A pedometer-based walking program supported by Internet-based instruction and support can improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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A large study of intensive care patients in California found that public reporting of patient outcomes did not reduce mortality, but did result in reduced admission of the sickest patients to the ICU and increased transfer of critically ill patients to other hospitals.

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Taking olive oil supplements may counteract some of the adverse cardiovascular effects of exposure to air pollution, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Patients who have survived a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) have a greatly increased risk of developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Individuals with dyspnea, or shortness of breath, have an increased long-term mortality risk compared with individuals without dyspnea, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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After a year of being treated with a novel drug, patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and those with persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension after an operation for the disease showed sustained improvement in a multicenter, international trial presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Children who are exposed in utero to high levels of particulate air pollution during the second trimester of pregnancy may be at greater risk of developing asthma in early childhood, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Despite being touted by their manufacturers as a healthy alternative to cigarettes, e-cigarettes appear in a laboratory study to increase the virulence of drug- resistant and potentially life-threatening bacteria, while decreasing the ability of human cells to kill these bacteria

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Although it’s present in only a tenth of all patients who are admitted to the hospital, sepsis contributes to up to half of all hospital deaths in the U.S., according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society’s annual conference here.

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If you suffer from COPD, staying cool this summer may provide much more significant benefits than simply feeling more comfortable. A study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University says it may also keep you healthier. The study found COPD patients who were exposed to warm indoor temperatures had greater disease-related morbidity, including an increase in symptoms, a rise in the use of rescue medications and a decline in lung function. Higher outdoor temperatures were also associated with increased COPD symptoms.

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ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ Clinically important sleep apnea is common among survivors of acute respiratory failure, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ A new study by researchers from California and Canada indicates a simple urine test can indicate the presence of venous thromboembolism, a blood clot that has broken free from its point of origin and which travels through the bloodstream, eventually lodging in a vein. The test evaluates the levels of fibrinopeptide B (FPB), a small peptide that’s released when a thrombosis forms and which is removed from the body through urine.

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Patients with chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease may benefit from pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), even if the patients don’t have severe pulmonary hypertension, according to University of California, San Diego, researchers.

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ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ As if increased risks of high blood pressure, respiratory infections, lung cancer and even depression weren’t enough, researchers say patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have another complication to worry about: heart failure.

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Women plagued by repeated urinary tract infections may be able to prevent the infections with help from over-the-counter painkillers, new research in mice shows. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that inhibiting COX-2, an immune protein that causes inflammation, eliminated recurrent urinary tract infections in the mice.

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Bacteria live in the bladders of healthy women, discrediting the common belief that normal urine is sterile. This finding was presented today by researchers from Loyola University Chicago at the 114th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.

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A vast majority of so-called “super-frequent user” patients who seek care in the Emergency Department (ED) have a substance abuse addiction, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. A patient is considered a super-frequent user who visits the ED at least 10 times a year.

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Beverly J. Lange, M.D., an exemplary physician and researcher at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for over 40 years, will receive the 2014 Distinguished Career Award from the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO).

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The Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association (ANRA) is conferring its highest honor, the ANRA Lifetime Achievement Award, on pediatric oncologist Garrett M. Brodeur, M.D., of the Cancer Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

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Tinnitus affects roughly 50 million people and is now the No. 1 disability among our men and women in uniform, costing the U.S. about $1.7 billion a year to treat. But even with these staggering numbers, there's still no know cure for tinnitus. Today, Dr. Michael Seidman, a national leader in the treatment and study of tinnitus, will present a culmination of years of research at the Combined OTO Spring Meetings in Las Vegas.

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Despite claims suggesting otherwise, inappropriate cancer patient demands are few and very rarely lead to unnecessary tests and treatments from their health care providers, according to new results from a study that will be presented by researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago in early June (Abstract #6530).

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While large genetic testing panels promise to uncover clues about patients’ DNA, a team of researchers from Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) has found that those powerful tests tend to produce more questions than they answer.

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Researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center will present findings from a study that found the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, ahead of treatment may help predict response to platinum-based chemotherapy in women with triple-negative breast cancer. The data are being presented at the 50th American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. “Triple-negative breast cancers tend to be more aggressive compared to other types of breast cancers, and being able to predict response to therapy could greatly impact treatment decisions and patient outcomes,” says study author Shaveta Vinayak, MD, oncologist at UH Case Medical Center and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Our research shows that the presence of lymphocytes before administering chemotherapy could predict a positive response to platinum-based therapy.”

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New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering highlighted in advance of the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology demonstrates the powerful clinical benefit of giving patients a drug that targets the molecular abnormality driving the growth of advanced pigmented villonodular synovitis, a rare and debilitating joint disease.

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Vivek Reddy, MD, Director of Arrhythmia Services for The Mount Sinai Hospital, reported his promising12-month follow-up data showing the world’s first leadless pacemaker is demonstrating overall device performance comparable to conventional pacemakers. Dr. Reddy presented the one-year LEADLESS study data findings during his late-breaking clinical trial presentation on May 9 at Heart Rhythm 2014, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 35th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Francisco, CA.

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New research from McMaster University suggests that a commonly performed test during certain types of heart surgery is not helpful and possibly harmful.

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A smartphone app that monitors subtle qualities of a person’s voice during everyday phone conversations shows promise for detecting early signs of mood changes in people with bipolar disorder. While the app still needs much testing before widespread use, early results from a small group of patients show its potential to monitor moods while protecting privacy.

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Dr. Matthew Breen's laboratory has developed an extensive cytogenetics “toolbox” designed to provide the necessary means to identify key cytogenetic signatures in numerous canine cancers. His presentations at the 2014 ACVIM Forum will include "Genomics & Genetics in Veterinary Medicine: An Overview” and “Cancer in the Domestic Dog: A Genome With Two Tales."