Medical News

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Lose weight by eating more? It's not as dense an idea as it sounds; choosing foods based on energy density is gaining popularity as a way to weigh less.

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Adolescents with HIV are able to withstand the ravages of the disease on the immune system much better than adults or younger children with the virus, according to a study led by a UAB associate professor of pediatrics (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 4-00).

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Women who experience psychological stress during the first three months of pregnancy may have a greater tendency to have earlier births, a study led by UC Irvine's College of Medicine researchers has found.

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A researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin has used gene therapy to successfully correct a defect in the cells of individuals with a serious blood disorder.

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The AAMC endorses the legislation introduced today by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Henry Waxman(D-Calif.), John Mica (R-Fla.) and their colleagues designed to significantly enhance the protections provided to patients involved in clinical research.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the National Health Council (NHC) collaboratively spearheaded development of the proclamation entitled "Clinical Research: A Reaffirmation of Trust Between Medical Science and the Public."

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Findings by a research team that help explain the phenomenon of an upside down T-wave, which is sometimes seen in an electrocardiogram after a heart attack, might also help find a way to treat irregular heart beats, according to a University of Tulsa biology professor (Circulation Research, 5-26-00).

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Musculoskeletal injuries and disorders in the U.S. population have reached epidemic proportions, costing $254 billion annually, and affecting one out of every four people, according to a report released at the U.S. launch of the Bone and Joint Decade.

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There may be a safe, effective, non-invasive gene therapy to treat early prostate cancer, reports a Population Council scientist who described the research results in Cancer Research (4-15-00).

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The University of Illinois at Chicago's National Center on Physical Activity and Disability launched a free Web site on how to combine physical activity with every type of disability: http://www.ncpad.org.

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A key role in the development of a first-of-its-kind, American-style family medicine clinic in Moscow, a clinic that will serve as a model for transforming health care delivery in Russia, will be played by the University of Iowa.

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Scholars and health professionals from around the world will meet at the University of Iowa June 11-16 to discuss a variety of issues related to tobacco consumption, including marketing to youth, state control of tobacco, tobacco-related oral disease, and methods of intervention to help smokers quit.

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People undergoing genetic testing for hereditary colon cancer may need less counseling than formerly thought, new Ohio State research shows (Journal of Medical Genetics).

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Fully 70 percent of ACL injuries occur in sports during noncontact situations; identifying the risk factors and developing prevention programs to reduce injury risk will have widespread health and economic impact, according to an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

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Regular exercise helps aging muscles retain their flexibility and protects them from injury, a University at Buffalo study of the effect of exercise training on muscle function in aging animals has found (Journal of Applied Physiology, 4-00).

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AHRQ announced it is accepting applications for the newly established Kerr White Visiting Scholars Program; this initiative provides collaborative research opportunities, linking both new and recognized health care research scholars with AHRQ researchers.

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In the June 2 Sleep Medicine Reviews, researchers at the UIC College of Pharmacy and College of Nursing discuss the propensity of people with sleep disorders to self-treat using herbs, review the most commonly used herbal stimulants and sedatives, and recommend a course of action.

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The University of Illinois at Chicago has licensed the worldwide rights to develop betulinic acid, a compound that in animal tests has shown activity against malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, to Advanced Life Sciences, Lemont, Ill.

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Critical issues facing rural health including the impact of the uninsured and aging populations on rural providers and the shortage of providers and health care workers in rural areas were some of the main topics on the minds of the attendees at the NRHA 23rd Annual Conference in New Orleans.

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Allowing managed care patients direct access to medical specialists may not necessarily increase physician costs for health plans; a study sponsored by AHRQ showed that only 3 percent of point-of-service HMO plan enrollees used the services of specialists without first obtaining a referral from their primary care doctor (Medical Care Research and Review, 6-00).

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In older adults with psychiatric problems, a four-year Johns Hopkins study has shown that combining observations by janitors, building managers and others who frequently see elderly people and the skills of a highly accessible psychiatric nurse can significantly increase seniors' mental health and stability (JAMA, 6-6-00).

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Whether the stork's visit is anticipated or a surprise, there is a simple step women can take to increase their chances of having a healthy baby, according to a new public service advertising campaign launched by the March of Dimes.

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Despite years of public health campaigns advising that taking the B vitamin folic acid helps prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine, most women of childbearing age are still not taking the vitamin in time, according to a survey by the March of Dimes.

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The first non-invasive method to deliver therapeutic genes to the brain -- an innovation that could help millions of people suffering from Parkinson's disease, brain cancer and AIDS, as well as genetic disorders like Tay-Sachs and Gaucher's disease -- has been created by UCLA researchers (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 6-5-00).

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Pregnant women with cervical cancer should deliver their babies by cesarean section rather than vaginally, according to a University of Iowa Health Care study (Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6-00).

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A connection between cocaine use during pregnancy and attention dysfunction in children is suggested in a study by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Kentucky (Behavioral Neuroscience, 8-00).

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The California Cancer Research Program has awarded a University of California, San Diego, physician-scientist a $600,000 grant to conduct a 3-year study of colon cancer in African-Americans.

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A promising new weapon against cancer, developed by scientists at Boston University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has begun clinical trials at Oxford BioMedica, a British company specializing in the application of gene-based therapeutics.

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A press briefing (with conference call access) with migraine experts, part of a major conference and sponsored by NINDS, will be held June 8 to discuss the latest research and treatments for migraine headaches.

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Using a laboratory-developed analog of somatostatin, a hypothalamic hormone which inhibits the release of growth hormone, VA scientists and colleagues were able to target specific receptors on tumor sites and reverse cancer growth (Cancer Research, 6-1-00).

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Deaths from heart attacks could be reduced as a result of a government plan to change food labels to reflect the amount of trans fatty acids in processed foods, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association dietary conference on fatty acids.

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Adding two bowls of high-fiber cereal a day may be an easy way for Americans to reduce their fat intake, according to research presented at the American Heart Association dietary conference on fatty acids.

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The discovery of a critical pathway that plays a key role in the development of food allergy could lead rapidly to clinical trials of new drugs that would block the protein eotaxin, thereby preventing allergic reactions in the gastrointestinal tract (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 6-6-00).

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A technique known as therapeutic touch, prayer on someone's behalf and other kinds of "distance healing" may have a positive effect on patients, according to a University of Maryland School of Medicine researcher, who has reviewed dozens of studies. His findings are published in the June 6th edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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The American Psychiatric Association has published two new fact sheets on reparative therapy and memories of childhood physical and sexual abuse, which are based on position statements adopted this spring by APA's Board of Trustees and Assembly.

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Outdoor activities usually mean pesky pests -- ants, bees, and mosquitoes; it's not the insect bites that parents should worry about, says a UAB pediatrician, but the scratching that can lead to infection.

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Drinking plenty of fluids during the heat of summer is especially important for people taking medications, whose effects can become more pronounced with dehydration.

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Cases of childhood tuberculosis increased by 20 percent in Alabama over the last decade, despite a declining trend among children and adults nationwide, according to a recent study by a UAB assistant professor of internal medicine (Pediatrics, 4-00).

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A method for treating liver cancer with tiny radioactive glass beads, developed by University of Missouri-Rolla and University of Missouri-Columbia researchers, has been approved for use in the U.S.

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An article in Lancet (6-1-00) explores the story of Evita and her doctor in the context of the mid-20th century, when doctors and families often kept patients in the dark about a diagnosis of cancer, and our present time of apparent openness and patient empowerment.

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The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation presented five Mary Woodard Lasker Awards for Public Service in Support of Medical Research and the Health Sciences at a dinner in Washington, DC.

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Exceptional Returns: The Economic Value of America's Investment in Medical Research, issued by Funding First, an initiative of the Mary Woodard Lasker Charitable Trust, provides an entirely new way to understand and value the enormous contribution of medical research to the American standard of living.

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A wide-ranging, one-day conference on "Ethnicity, Health and Aging" for professionals interested in addressing aging and health in a cultural context will take place at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus on June 14.

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Neurosurgeons frequently report seeing patients who have not received timely and appropriate medical care because of the problems associated with the managed care system. The result has been needless delays in treatment and patient suffering.

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With all the pressures America's doctors are facing, are they losing their longstanding professionalism? Will the pressures overwhelm physicians' traditional professional roles of providing care, taking on responsibility and dedicating themselves to the public's health?

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Dentists and dental students, hygienists and faculty members from the University of Maryland Dental School will participate in the Special Olympics, Special Smiles Program, in an effort to provide oral health exams and screening to nearly 300 athletes.

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Researchers have shown for the first time in humans that rehabilitation therapy may help a stroke survivor's brain rewire itself, leading to regained use of a previously unused limb. The study is in this month's Stroke.

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An aspirin given to stroke patients immediately upon arrival at the hospital may help to prevent recurrent strokes in the high-risk time frame immediately following the first stroke, according to the results of a combined analysis of two large studies.

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University of Minnesota researchers have identified the molecule on human cells that binds to the bacterium responsible for human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne illness.

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Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease in humans, is the first pathogenic bacterium identified that does not need or use iron, according to research in Science from University of Georgia scientists.