Medical News

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ASTRO's annual meeting is an opportunity to speak with the people who are making cutting-edge discoveries in radiation oncology and cancer treatment.

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Children born extremely prematurely are 3 to 4 times more likely to be educational underachievers than children born at or near full term, a study by University at Buffalo researchers has shown (Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 10-00).

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NIH-funded research at Texas A&M University System Health Science Center uses pigs to test chronic exercise training effects on blood vessels of the heart.

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Dietary use of garlic may lower some types of cholesterol in the short term, but it does not appear to offer long-term protection against cardiovascular disease, according to an evidence report from AHRQ.

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Flu vaccine deliveries are late this year. And yes, in most years the vaccine isn't cost effective for working adults, but the vaccine still has positive health effects and should be administered when available.

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The AAMC is disappointed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has settled the litigation instigated by the Alternatives Research and Development Foundation. Unfortunately, the settlement now opens the door to an increased regulatory and paperwork burden on the scientists and their institutions that use rats, mice, and birds to conduct vital biomedical research.

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1) Genes Linked to Spinocerebellar Ataxia Types 2 & 10 and Epilepsy; 2) Coronary Calcium Scan Help Identify Type 1 Diabetics; 3) New Pediatric Neurosurgery Program Launched; 4) Study shows Testosterone Patch Improves Sexual Function in Surgically Postmenopausal Women; 5) First Lung-Liver Transplant in Western U.S.

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Move to weaken existing self-referral law could result in the loss of more than $400 million in savings that could be applied to urgent medical programs, such as providing prescription drugs for Medicare patients.

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A new study published in the September 28 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine shows that early drug treatment can delay the onset of muliple sclerosis in at risk patients.

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Press information and overview of scientific presentations to be presented at the 2000 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting, San Francisco, California, on October 14-18.

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High dose chemotherapy offers hope for some women with advanced ovarian cancer, according to researchers from the Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry headquartered at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

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It's commonly thought that teen depression can lead to cigarette smoking, but a new study, published in the October edition of Pediatrics, shows it's the smoking that increases the risk of depression. (Pediatrics, 10-00)

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A little known clotting protein called fibrinogen may be the missing link between heart disease risk factors, such as smoking and high cholesterol, and heart attacks. (10-3-00 Circulation)

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Women who have a breast reconstructed after a mastectomy gain large improvements in their well-being, regardless of the technique or timing they choose, a new study finds. But the biggest psychological boost comes to those who choose reconstruction in the same operation.

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People with bipolar disorder have an average of thirty percent more of an important class of signal-sending brain cells, according to new evidence being published this week. The finding solidifies the idea that the disorder has unavoidable biological and genetic roots.

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"Knocking out" a particular gene protects the ovaries of mice from damage, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, along with colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital and other institutions, have discovered. (Nature Medicine, 10-00)

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Two new research papers cite the importance of choline in the diet of pregnant women for development of their infants' memory and the value of lutein and zeathanxin in preventing eye disorders. Eggs are an important source of these three nutrients, and they are more easily absorbed than from most other foods.

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Use of a multivitamin/mineral supplement in healthy, older Americans resulted in improvements in the blood levels of most nutrients but without an increase in several measures of immunity or antioxidant status (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 10-00).

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One in four children in Arizona and Texas have no health insurance coverage, according to a state-by-state breakdown on the number of uninsured children under age 19 released by the March of Dimes.

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When actor Christopher Reeves brought Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) into the spotlight, interest in SCI moved with him in the news. A connecting spotlight has focused on an award-winning CD-ROM that helps people with SCI learn important life and health skills.

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The American Psychiatric Association strongly supported comprehensive evaluation and treatment--including use of medication--for children with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders.

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A monthly offering of behind-the-scenes advocacy information and data from the AAMC.

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Researchers have identified the gene on chromosome 22 and the causative mutation that is linked to inherited diseases that lead to motor incoordination and epilepsy. (10-1-00 Nature Genetics)

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Physicians who judge the mental competency of patients with dementia should understand and use established competency assessment standards, according to new UAB research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

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A world's first procedure to destroy fibroid tumors of the uterus is bringing 75 patients from 21 U.S. states and from as far away as the United Arab Emirates to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson to have the procedure performed.

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The NIH has awarded a $4.6 million, five-year grant that will allow UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas technology researchers and biologists to work together to develop new therapies for type II diabetes mellitus.

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Children may come down with illnesses like colds, strep throat and tonsillitis. But it may be surprising to know that these infections are known to trigger psoriasis in some children.

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Eating out doesn't have to bust your diet, says UAB registered dietitian and director of the Eat Right Information Service.

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More than one in five women receiving surgical treatment for early stage breast cancer were "inappropriately" cared for, according to research by a team at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee (Lancet, 9-16-2000).

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A new prognostic tool, developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, could aid physicians and patients in decision making regarding treatment options for early stage prostate cancer and in identifying those patients who are at high risk of recurrence following radiation therapy. (Journal of Clinical Oncology, 9-28-00)

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For many women with vulvar cancer who require surgery, saphenous vein preservation lowers the risk of subsequent leg problems without increasing the risk of recurrent cancer, according to a University of Iowa Health Care study (Cancer, 10-01-00).

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While researchers have known that maternal age can play a role in certain genetic defects, a new study points out that age also may contribute significantly to the growth and reproductive traits of offspring. (Nature, 9-28-00)

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Men over 60 may be able to increase their strength by as much as 80 percent by performing intense weight training exercises, according to Ohio University physiologists.

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The University of California, San Diego announced that it has secured more than $13 million in private support to add space and research facilities to the Donald and Darlene Shiley Eye Center complex.

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Pregnant women who feel high stress levels are one and a half times more likely to deliver a baby of very low birth weight -- the leading cause of infant mortality. Health care providers can make a difference by addressing their pregnant patients' stress issues early.

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ARICEPT was better tolerated than Exelon in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, according to the first head-to-head study between the two drugs.

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Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center report the development of a new chemotherapy regimen for first line treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. (New England Journal of Medicine, 9-28-00)

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Black farm workers are three times more likely to be hurt on the job than white or black farm owners, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). (American Journal of Epidemiology, 10-1-00)

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A study of 103 patients with major psychiatric disorders found that those who experience command hallucinations to harm others are more than twice as likely to be violent, according to a study in the October 2000 Psychiatric Services.

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The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded $1,151,700 to Boston University to establish an international science and medical journalism center to strengthen news coverage of science, medicine and public health.

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A Johns Hopkins breast surgeon has developed an important new way to find breast cancers that would otherwise go undetected by existing techniques. The procedure, outlined in this Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association as a research letter also improves women's chances for breast conserving surgery.

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Neural progenitor cells transplanted to the diseased retina of rats have integrated into the eye, taken on some of the characteristics of retinal cells and extended into the optic nerve, a necessary prerequisite to re-establishing connections to the brain.

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Researchers at Mayo Clinic have discovered that mutations in a newly isolated gene, AXIN2, lead to the development of colorectal cancer. (Nature Genetics, 10-00)

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End-of-life conversations should be a routine part of care that helps critically ill patients die according to their own values and wishes, suggests U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs researchers in the September 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Treatment for life-threatening diseases and relief from disease-related pain may one day be supplied by microscopic chips that could be implanted in the body, according to researchers in the new field of biomedical nanotechnology.

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Approximately 80 percent of depressed teenagers do not get necessary psychiatric medical treatment, a new study found. The results are published in the October 2000 American Journal of Psychiatry.

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Last June, scientists announced that they had completed the working draft of the human genome. But what does it really mean? Perhaps the most important question we should be asking is "what next?" UI researchers are using new strategies to explore that question.

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A stainless steel "cervical disc" that can be implanted to replace discs in the upper spine is a promising new treatment for individuals who suffer from cervical disc disease, a common consequence of normal aging.

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For the first time researchers have linked heart failure to increased risk of death in children with HIV, according to a study in Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Heart attacks may be less deadly in the future, thanks to micro- and nanotechnology research just begun at Ohio State. Researchers here are investigating ways to re-grow tiny blood vessels to keep damaged heart tissue alive after a heart attack.