Feature Channels: Story Ideas: Medicine

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News tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine, XVI International Conference on AIDS, August 13-18, in Toronto, Canada.

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Radiologists can help confirm that an MRI-guided breast biopsy has successfully removed the lesion by taking an x-ray of the lesion and slices of the lesion, a new study shows.

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Mayo Clinic's multiple myeloma (MM) research team has jointly issued a consensus statement regarding the use of bisphosphonates to prevent or treat bone disease in MM. Their recommendations address several controversial issues, including the type of bisphosphonate to be used and the duration of such therapy, and are available in the August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

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A researcher at The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler has discovered how a small but crucial part of the blood-clotting process works. Once the process is thoroughly understood, synthetic chemicals can be designed to regulate it, thus preventing excessive bleeding or blood clotting.

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Women who undergo surgery due to an early pregnancy failure usually are treated in an operating room, often under general anesthesia, but a new study raises questions about whether women prefer that approach. Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System found that many women would choose an office-based setting instead of the OR for the surgery.

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Alzheimer's disease usually appears late in life, raising the question of whether it is a disastrous consequence of aging or if the toxic protein aggregates that cause the disease simply take a long time to form. Now, a collaboration between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Scripps Research Institute shows that aging is what's critical.

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The cellular system that degrades faulty proteins created by the cystic fibrosis gene has been identified by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists. Turning off the degradation system allows some proteins to regain their proper shape, offering a new avenue for treatments aimed at curing the disease.

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A new study of twins suggests that living farther north of the equator significantly increases risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) among those with genetic susceptibility due to some environmental factor.

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An international team of researchers has completed a study that demonstrated a 16-percent reduction in secondary strokes and 35-percent reduction in coronary events in patients who previously experienced a stroke or TIA and were given 80 mg of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium).

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NSF-funded research into how virtual environments can foster positive development in adolescents who have received organ transplants and are at risk for mental-health problems has earned Marina Bers, Tufts University assistant professor of child development, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

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While no one knows the precise underlying cause leading to Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds that a "leaky" blood-brain barrier (BBB) "” and levels of water-soluble antioxidants "” may offer clues to unlocking this haunting disease.

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Vermont car dealers help to quantify the benefits of naturopathic care.

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Findings from study of natural bio-identical hormone replacement Therapy (NBHRT) shows symptomatic relief for perimenopausal and menopausal women.

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A study sponsored by the Canadian government and postal workers union explores the benefits of alternative medical treatment for a common work-related ailment. The results provide evidentiary support for further examination of the link between naturopathic care and treatment of lower back pain among Canadian postal workers.

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An economic evaluation alongside a clinical trial of warehouse workers finds participants who received naturopathic care for low back pain needed less medication, fewer practitioner visits, and had less absenteeism.

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How much and what types of fluids should marathon runners drink during a race? CJSM offers guidelines on the best approaches to fluid replacement according to updated recommendations by the International Marathon Medical Directors Association (IMMDA).

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Results from a new study in patients with type 2 diabetes demonstrate that daily supplementation with 1000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate, in combination with a common oral anti-diabetic medication, improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control better than the oral anti-diabetic agent alone.

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Mayo Clinic researchers have found that treating a facial wound in the early healing phase with botulinum toxin (BOTOX®) improves the appearance of a scar later. The findings are published in the August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

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An international group of conversation analysts has put together a new anthology of studies that explore communication between primary-care doctors and their patients.

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The FDA frequently issues safety advisories for automated external defibrillators (portable electronic device used to restore regular heart beat in patients with cardiac arrest) and accessories, although the number of actual device malfunctions appears to be relatively small, according to a study in the August 9 issue of JAMA.

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Variability in the SNCA gene is linked with a greater susceptibility for Parkinson disease, according to a study in the August 9 issue of JAMA.

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A review of previous studies suggests that favorable levels of antiretroviral therapy adherence can be reached among HIV-infected patients in sub-Saharan Africa, while adherence remains a concern in North America, according to an analysis reported in the August 9 issue of JAMA.

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A new study shows that automated external defibrillators (AEDs), the devices used to resuscitate victims of sudden cardiac arrest, had a greater than 20 percent chance of being recalled for potential malfunction over the past decade. The findings suggest the need for a more reliable system to locate and repair potentially defective devices in a timely fashion.

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A Mayo Clinic-led international research collaboration -- one of the largest studies of its kind -- provides strong evidence that a genetic risk factor may account for 3 percent of the cause of Parkinson's disease.

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Expectant mothers may someday get a personalized menu of foods to eat during pregnancy to complement their genetic makeup as a result of new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have helped develop a technique in animal models for using the abdominal cavity to exchange gas, supplementing the function normally performed by the lungs.

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In a discovery that suggests a possible new route by which scientists might fashion a vaccine against SARS, researchers have discovered one of the weapons the SARS coronavirus uses to sabotage the immune defenses of infected cells.

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The epilepsy drug valproate poses a higher risk for fetal death and birth defects than other commonly used epilepsy drugs, according to a study published in the August 8, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A single intravenous infusion of a drug known as ketamine, which is a general anesthetic agent, may relieve symptoms of depression within two hours and remain effective for up to one week, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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Antidepressant medications may be associated with suicide attempts and death in severely depressed children and adolescents but not in adults, according to an article in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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Attempts to cool the brain to reduce injury from stroke and other head trauma may face a significant obstacle: current cooling devices can't penetrate very deeply into the brain. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a method for calculating brain temperature that may be used to improve brain cooling techniques.

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In contrast to claims that children are being overmedicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that a high percentage of kids with ADHD are not receiving treatment. In fact, almost half of the children who might benefit from ADHD drugs were not getting them.

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Swollen bellies, orange hair, listlessness and dull eyes "” these are the traits of child malnutrition in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and where roughly one of every three children is chronically malnourished. To try to change that statistic, Patricia Wolff, associate clinical professor of pediatrics, founded Meds & Food for Kids.

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The heart is an energy-hungry organ and defects in its energy metabolism contribute to heart disease. According to research published by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, high blood pressure leading to hypertrophy causes heart muscle to switch to a low fat metabolism, which can be detrimental.

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Most parents are unaware that young ice-skaters are more likely to suffer head and facial injuries than roller or in-line skaters. Research published in the August issue of Pediatrics found that ice-skaters experienced a greater proportion of head injuries (13%) compared with roller skaters (4%) and in-line skaters (5%).

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Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a substantial contributor to the health resource burden in the U.S. according to a study published in the August issue of Pediatrics. The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) in the Columbus Children's Research Institute at Columbus Children's Hospital.

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In first study of its kind, Upstate Medical University physicians will use traffic surveillance cameras to view motor vehicle crashes and rescue operations on Central New York highways. The real-time view of crash scenes through a camera lens may provide emergency room physicians with information that may help them provide better care to crash victims when they arrive in the emergency room.

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In the first large-scale study of its kind, researchers at Cedars-Sinai found that people suffering from resistant major depressive disorder who don't respond to standard antidepressants can benefit when the drug therapy is augmented by a broad spectrum psychotropic agent, even when treated for a brief period of time.

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An ACL injury early in life could mean the onset of arthritis at a very young age. Researchers at the U-M Health System are hoping to identify the first signs of degenerative arthritis in young knees, to allow for early medical intervention and to slow progression of the disease.

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The frequency of adolescents viewing wrestling on TV was positively associated with date fighting and other violent behaviors, according to a study, published by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the August issue of Pediatrics.

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Malaria has been outsmarting the human immune system for centuries. Now, using real-time imaging to track malaria infections in live mice, researchers have discovered one of the parasite's sneakiest tricks"”using dead liver cells to cloak and transport itself back into the bloodstream after leaving the liver.

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Living Well for August discusses why youth abandon youth sports in such great numbers, how to beat the stress of law and medical schools, and how it's a good time for parents of children with disabilities to begin looking for a summer camp for next year.

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The tiny fibers that comprise blood clots show extraordinary elasticity, on average stretching to almost three times their length while still retaining their ability to go back to their normal shape and expanding to more than four times their length before breaking, according to findings published in the journal Science this week by researchers at Wake Forest University.

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Metabolic syndrome, an aging-associated group of disorders that includes insulin resistance, heart disease and high lipid levels, may be treatable thanks to a newly discovered role for a regulatory gene, according to a team of scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research.

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An ingredient found in many shampoos and other personal care products appears to interfere with normal brain development in baby mice when applied to the skin of pregnant mice, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have discovered.

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A decade or two ago, if your doctor had said, "Let's take a peek inside," you would have known you were facing exploratory surgery. But today, more than likely your doctor is referring to one of the scans that can show the inner workings of your body in precise detail. And for most of them, you won't feel a thing.

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No time to exercise? No excuse! Phil Tyne, director of the Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center in Dallas, says anyone can fit in 10 minutes a day, alternating cardiovascular one day and strength training the next.

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Millions of women, especially moms, suffer from stress urinary incontinence (SUI), a condition where sneezing, coughing or even laughing can lead to urine leakage. Included are tips on a new procedure that is available to help correct the problem.

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Disclosing medical errors made by physicians is extremely important yet often extremely difficult. Two University of Iowa studies examine why this is the case and how increased understanding might help patients, doctors and health care systems overall.

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African Americans may be less likely than whites to take their medication for Type 2 diabetes as it is prescribed, a new study suggests. The researchers found that adherence rates were as much as 12 percent lower among black people when compared to whites.