Joycelyn Elders, M.D., spoke about her former position as the United States Surgeon General at a book signing at her alma mater, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
In March, a New York man became the first U.S. person to die from infection by a bacteria resistant to vancomycin, the powerful antibiotic physicians turn to when others fail. Now, scientists report discovery of a novel form of vancomycin that advances the search for more effective versions of the antibiotic.
Every year millions of people with "normal" cholesterol levels suffer chest pain or heart attacks. A UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas study indicates these individuals may suffer from a high concentration of a type of cholesterol not detected with conventional screenings.
Medical researchers have established a link between second-hand tobacco smoke and serious breathing problems for children who receive general anesthesia. Girls are at greater risk, especially those whose mothers have a lower level of education, according to a study published in the May 1998 scientific journal Anesthesiology, the scientific publication of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Teenagers, especially boys, with high blood pressure may be harboring a serious, but silent, heart condition, according to two new studies and an editorial in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In addition to preventing future heart attacks, aspirin can help reduce the damage caused by endocarditis, a bacterial infection of the inner lining of the heart.
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative president Dr. Seth Berkley issued the following statement to mark the first anniversary of President Clinton's May 18, 1997 call to develop an AIDS vaccine within a decade.
Psychology's movement away from an exclusive focus on assessing and repairing illness and toward an emphasis on prevention will be an overarching theme of the 106th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
Innovations in research, diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration will be the topic of The Lighthouse Inc. Second Annual Invitational Symposium to be held on Friday, June 12, 1998. Key medical issues will be covered along with examination of the trends in vision rehabiliation research, practice and therapy.
Tips: 1- Gay Men, Lesbians, and Bisexuals: Controversial Issues 2- Interpersonal Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Depression in HIV-Positive Men and Women 3- Pathology to Pride: Evolving Views of Homosexuality
A study published in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found Aviron's FluMist, intranasal influenza virus vaccine, provided 93 percent protection against culture-confirmed influenza and also provided 98 percent protection against influenza-associated ear infections.
A common type of fat found in red meats and cheeses may prevent diabetes, according to a research team from Purdue University and The Pennsylvania State University. This information could lead to new drugs to help fight diabetes, or to improved dietary strategies to manage diabetes, the researchers say.
In the May 14 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, a nasal spray flu vaccine effectively prevents the flu in children. In addition, to the surprise of scientists involved in the study, the vaccine has also proven highly effective at preventing ear infections.
1. New studies of osteoporosis find protein supplements improve patient outcomes; 2. Physicians must address geographic variations in health care; 3. Internists are the doctors best trained to provide continuity of care.
Astonishing documents posted on the Internet reveal that the American tobacco giant Philip Morris secretly recruited influential people to help allay fears about the health risks of passive smoking.
The generic drug amantadine can improve motor fluctuations and dyskinesias (jerky or fragmented involuntary muscle movements) that occur after long-term use of Parkinson's medications, according to a study published in the May issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
In this week's edition of Nature, scientists at Boston University's Department of Biomedical Engineering report a new model of ventilator assisted lung function. In this model the pressure of the air delivered by the ventilator is varied by the addition of noise.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing clearance for Simulect (basiliximab) for prevention of acute rejection episodes in renal transplant recipients.
Good communication between patient and doctor is as important to staying out of the hospital as getting the right asthma medicine, a new study by a University of Michigan research shows.
A gene causing familial juvenile polyposis (FJP), a disorder that causes the growth of polyps in the colon or upper gastrointestinal tract, has been identified by a University of Iowa-led international research team.
A gene that helps keep bad cholesterol at bay -- and may reduce heart disease risk by 50 percent -- has been discovered by researchers reporting in this month's Arteriosclerosis, Thombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Lead in the drinking water of pregnant rats causes long-term damage to the immune systems of their offspring, according to studies in the Cornell University Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology. The finding in rats -- if it holds true for pregnant human mothers exposed to lead -- could help explain the beginnings of a lifelong susceptibility to asthma and other allergies, as well as cancers.
For the first time, a specific pathway for the launch of a counterattack against HIV, with cells called macrophages stimulated by CD40L to produce proteins which bolster T lymphocytes ("T cells"), scientists from the University of California, San Diego and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (April 1998).
A small-scale study suggests that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may hasten recovery from stroke and save millions or even billions of dollars annually in health care costs, a medical researcher says. The study also indicates that the new approach could give doctors a vital fourth hour to intervene after the onset of stroke. Current approaches are limited to about three hours
While coronary artery bypass surgery routinely saves lives by bypassing clogged arteries, many patients have a 20 percent decline in motor function and other evidence of brain damage following surgery, a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center neuropsychologist said today.
UCLA Medical Center's Heart Transplant Program announced on May 5 that it has reached a collaborative agreement to begin training its surgeons and staff to install a battery-powered artificial heart replacement device developed and manufactured by ABIOMED, Inc.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) depends on the moving parts of a cell's surface to allow it to enter the cell.
Researchers have created transgenic mice with the widest known spectral range of vision of any mammal by introducing a gene that produces a human photopigment into mice embryos. The researchers plan to use the new mice as a tool for studying the evolution of sight and human vision problems.
Experts in emergency medicine and ultrasound have teamed up at the University of Rochester to better one of the most vital tools in the paramedic's array of equipment: endotracheal tubes, the flexible tubes inserted in the throats of hundreds of thousands of unconscious patients each year to ensure continuous delivery of oxygen to their lungs. The new device, soon to receive a U.S. patent, takes advantage of the same ultrasound technology now used by physicians to observe babies developing in the womb.
The experiences of the team of scientists who lived in the Biosphere 2 closed system from 1991 to 1993 can be applied to space travel, according to Sally Silverstone, co-captain of the crew.
Birth traumas to the head and neck are a rare occurence to newborns. When they do happen, parents and some physicians are at a loss to the trauma's nature and cause. A new research study examines this issue.
CT or computed tomography screening for children undergoing bone marrow transplants can indicate whether the young patient has sinus disease, a condition that can lead to deadly infections.
Pediatric angioedema is the sudden swelling under the skin of a child's ear. In certain cases, the swelling can be dangerous; a new study offers advice on when to be concerned and what treatment options are available.
Treating people with epilepsy or seizures who are in remote locations such as space, underwater or extended airline flights may be possible through what is known as telemedicine, according to Dr. Cormac A. O'Donovan.
Controlling unnecessary manipulation of the heart and the aorta during coronary artery bypass surgery dramatically reduces the number of patients with major neuropsychological deficits after surgery, a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researcher told a Washington conference today.
Women with a history of premature delivery reduce their risk of another if they seek even a single prenatal checkup, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study.
Predicting the future is never easy, but doctors may soon have the tools to help them do just that. In a study and editorial in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers describe a score sheet that can help predict when a person may develop a fatal heart attack.
Researchers have zeroed in on a gene linked to high blood pressure -- a disease that affects one in four adults -- according to two reports in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
A drug used to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood can prevent atherosclerosis -- even in people with below-average blood cholesterol levels -- according to a report in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
High-pressure chambers used to treat deep sea divers for decompression sickness could play a key role in preventing permanent spinal cord damage and paralysis to many of the thousands of Americans who suffer spinal cord injuries every year, a doctor from Scotland reported today.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers enough promise for treating victims of stroke and other debilitating traumas and diseases of the central nervous system to warrant in-depth scientific studies, a medical researcher said today.
A technique developed to help astronauts stave off problems with their blood vessels in zero gravity may become an important tool in helping prevent strokes among the estimated 50 million Americans who have high blood pressure.
Dr. Russell B. Rayman, the executive vice president of the Aerospace Medical Association, today presented medical guidelines for airline travel prepared by a task force of his association.