Medical News

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New custom software and computer technology allows plastic surgeons to transform CT and MRI data of actual patients into three-dimensional and stereoscopic images of bones and soft tissues, according to a study to be presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS). With the patient's individual CT or MRI data in virtual reality, plastic surgeons now can practice surgical techniques and plan procedures before they perform surgery on the actual patient.

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The evolution of laser resurfacing techniques is producing dramatic improvement in full face resurfacing, according to two studies to be presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS). One study was made to establish a consistent method of laser skin resurfacing that would result in predictable improvement of facial skin quality; the other study examined the combination of full face laser resurfacing with a facelift for rejuvenation of the aging face.

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Women who choose breast reconstruction with autogenous tissue (tissue from the patient's own body) rather than implant may experience greater psychosocial outcomes, according to a study to be presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS), September 20-24 in San Francisco, Calf. The study, designed to measure the psychosocial outcomes of postmastectomy breast reconstruction, includes evaluations of patients before and after reconstruction. Past research has been only retrospective, and did not include pre-operative evaluation.

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When young children are interviewed suggestively over a long period of time, they begin to believe the fictitious events questioned about. Experts can't distinguish between children telling false or true accounts.

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More than 5,000 pharmaceutical scientists will gather in Boston, Massachusetts, November 2 - 6, 1997, for the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS).

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Bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest should dial 9-1-1 and then perform mouth-to-mouth ventilations and chest compressions -- the two major components of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) -- according to the American Heart Association in a statement on CPR published in its journal Circulation (Sept. 16).

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The American Lung Association thanks President Clinton for taking a big step forward to protect children by not endorsing the "global" tobacco settlement that proved woefully inadequate in addressing this nation's tobacco-related health problems. The President is right in signaling that Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III should be allowed to put the tobacco industry on trial in January and that Congress should not allow the tobacco industry to dictate the timing of any legislative action.

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The University of Texas-Houston has been awarded $2.5 million by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to establish a Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) in scleroderma, a chronic, often fatal connective tissue disease. Headquartered in the UT-Houston Medical School division of rheumatology and clinical immuno-genetics, the center will conduct a wide range of investigations into the disease for which there is no known effective treatment or means of prevention.

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Why some patients with kidney diseases respond well to certain medications and others do not has continued to stump physicians. With no means to test the medications besides trial and error, finding the right treatment is often a frustrating experience for physicians and their patients.

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Cystic fibrosis, the most common hereditary disease in the United States, is caused by the malfunction of an ion channel that is critical for maintaining the secretions of salt and water that protect the lungs. New research suggests a novel way in which this ion channel may function, thus challenging a commonly held "corked/uncorked" theory. The finding, published in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, paves the way for a more refined research effort to find a cure or improve treatment for cystic fibrosis.

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The following stories appear in the American Thoracic Society (ATS) September journals: 1) Hospitalization claims more than half of the health care dollar spent on asthmatics; 2) Deaths from lung diseases growing faster in females; 3) Researchers find marker to identify patients with acute lung injury in early stages of disease progression

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Ongoing preclinical studies of an antirejection antibody have established its ability to prevent and reverse organ rejection while leaving the immune system intact.

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More than 290 public health, labor and other grassroots groups from around the nation today urged President Clinton to require "full document disclosure" from the tobacco industry before endorsing any deal with the cigarette companies.

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Physicians frequently prescribe antibiotics for common viral respiratory illnesses that typically do not benefit from antibiotic therapy, according to an article in tomorrow's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, co-authored by Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, could offer insight into the rapidly rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Albany Medical College researchers have for the first time provided data that shows that the major predictor of resistance to AIDS drugs is whether the amount of virus in a patient's body has been reduced to nondetectable limits. The analysis showed that among the patients who received just Indinavir, those who were able to reduce the amount of virus in them to less than detectable levels had "significantly lower risks of emergence of resistance" to the drug. When combination therapy was used, such as a combined treatment of Indinavir, AZT, and 3TC, patients had significantly longer times to resistance compared to monotherapy patients even after adjusting statistically for the increased antiviral effect of the additional drugs.

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A research team at Boston University School of Medicine has discovered that a synthetic compound significantly limits brain damage when administered after a stroke. Their finding, published September 16 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to the development of drugs to treat stroke and traumatic brain or spinal cord injury. These new drugs could also slow the progression of Parkinsonís disease and ALS, more commonly known as ìLou Gehrigís disease.î

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Drawing on artificial intelligence technology, researchers have for the first time found that machines show promise of improving on human's ability to diagnose heart attacks, according to a study in today's American Heart Association journal Circulation.

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Two diseases -- atherosclerosis and osteoporosis -- may be linked by a common problem in how the body uses calcium, according to two reports in American Heart Associations journals. One report is published in Stroke, the other is in today's Circulation.

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Researchers have found a mutation in a fat-dissolving gene that raises the risk of heart attack by five-fold compared to individuals with a normal gene. Reporting in today's American Heart Association journal Circulation, they say the gene mutation may place 1 in 1,500 individuals at increased risk for heart attack.

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Dr. David Furnas, Chief of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center, will report tomorrow how the Digital Holographyô System from Voxelô (NASDAQ:VOXL) is helping plastic surgeons reshape congenitally malformed skulls. The holograms produced by the system have helped clinicians diagnose craniofacial problems, create pre-surgical plans, and intraoperatively measure and reconstruct these misshapened skulls.

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Results from a Temple University Hospital study indicate that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy does not speed healing time for soft-tissue sports injuries. Although HBO therapy is becoming increasingly popular with professional sports teams, this study marks the first time it has been put to the scientific test.

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1) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often prescribed unnecessarily for the elderly, and complications from such drugs are misdiagnosed or mismanaged by doctors; 2) Screening tests reliably detect deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism after total hip or knee arthroplasty; 3) The Federated Council of Internal Medicine releases guidelines for internal medicine residency education; 4) Treating asthma with antilukotrienes, a new class of drugs.

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New images of an L-shaped molecule on the surface of a mouse leukemia virus could help scientists realize the promise of human gene therapyãthe effort to cure disease by inserting genes directly into human cells. The images, published in the September 12 issue of Science, show the crystal structure of a piece of the virusπs envelope proteinãthe piece required to recognize and bind to receptors on the surface of a mammalian cell.

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At a World Congress of Neurology in Buenos Aires the week of September 14-19, neurologists from around the world will learn a new noninvasive technique for study and diagnosis of brain diseases. Neurology professors from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and from Rome, Italy will teach magnetic brain stimulation.

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Nearly 12 million children and adolescents are diagnosed with emotional disorders, including anxiety and depression, in the United States each year. Yet because the medications used to treat these disorders are tested mainly on adults, little is known about their safety and efficacy in children and adolescents. Now, a new National Institutes of Health research center at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons aims to correct that deficit.

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Researchers at Purdue University have developed an oral delivery method for insulin that may eliminate a diabetic's need to take insulin injections.

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The American College of Emergency Physicians, a medical specialty association of more than 19,000 members, will hold its premier annual conventionóScientific Assemblyófrom Thursday, October 16, until Sunday, October 19, in San Francisco, California. As the world's most comprehensive forum for emergency medicine education, the convention will consist of 4 days of curriculum with more than 240 presentations, more than 500 exhibits, and a Research Forum that will present poster and oral presentations of original emergency medicine research.

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Broad gains in the nation's health, including a dramatic decline in the AIDS death rate as well as continued decline in the teen birth rate, was reported today by HHS' Centers for Disease control and prevention.

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Are astronauts at risk of developing coronary artery disease from spending time in space, or can their blood vessels adapt to the change in gravity? To find out, Johns Hopkins researchers are preparing a cargo of special cells to board the shuttle Atlantis for a 10-day trip including a stop at space station Mir. The shuttle is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sept. 25.

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The tuberculosis vaccine known as BCG has been given to more people worldwide than any other vaccine, yet its effectiveness remains controversial. A new analysis by researchers at Stanford School of Medicine suggests that the bacterial strains used in current BCG vaccines have evolved in the laboratory and are now considerably weaker -- and less likely to provide protection from tuberculosis -- than the original vaccine developed about 75 years ago in France.

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Some expectant parents fear that intercourse during pregnancy may cause premature labor. But a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine found that there is no direct and clear link between sexual intercourse and spontaneous labor.

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The more newborn rat pups are licked and groomed by their mothers, the better equipped they are to handle acute stress in adulthood, report Emory University's Paul M. Plotsky, PhD, and his McGill University colleagues in the week's issue of Science.

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Researchers at the University of Kansas have found new evidence confirming that a compound in a green tea supplement provides stronger damage protection of cells and their genetic material (DNA) than the well-known antioxidants vitamins E and C and the antioxidant compound in red wine. Announced today at the American Chemical Society annual meeting, the first side-by-side comparative antioxidant study led to an investigation of the protective power of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) against that of vitamins E and C, in addition to red wine and other teas.

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Women with established osteoporosis who have already experienced a vertebral fracture may be able to reduce their risk of additional fractures in the spine by taking calcitonin-salmon, a currently available medication delivered via nasal spray, according to a new study presented this week at the annual scientific meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

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1) How to control heartburn; 2) Many solutions are available for stress urinary incontinence; 3) Later-age pregnancy means greater risks and greater benefits.

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An antioxidant found in green tea is at least 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E at protecting cells and their genetic material, DNA, from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other potentially life-threatening illnesses, University of Kansas research shows.The antioxidant, known as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, carries twice the antioxidant punch of resveratrol, found in red wine, according to the study.

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Studies covering topics ranging from the quality of life after permanent prostate implants to using radiation therapy to treat soft tissue sarcomas in children will be presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. The meeting will be held in Orlando, FL October 19-23 at the Orange County Convention Center.

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Many patients with heart ailments do not recognize smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels as risk factors for their own condition, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and two other institutions.

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As the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Tuberculosis Research celebrates its 50th anniversary, researchers here are moving forward to identify components of the tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, that are effective in the treatment of cancers when taken orally.

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African-American children with obstructive sleep apnea have significantly lower blood-oxygen levels compared to other groups, according to a study by sleep disorder researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

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New research shows, for the first time under real-life conditions, evidence of a cancer-causing substance in non-smokers who work in smoke-filled rooms. That substance, called NNK, was biologically processed and its metabolite detected in their urine. The study is being presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 4:30 PM EDT

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African-Americans may need to become even stricter in controlling blood pressure if they hope to fight kidney disease, warn researchers today in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

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Paracel Inc. today announced a new class of scientific computing for drug discovery that accelerates the analysis of genes that cause disease by as much as 1,000 times over traditional computing alternatives. The GeneMatcherô computer system will be introduced at the Ninth Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference, Hilton Head, S.C., Sept. 13-16. Embargoed: Sept. 13

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The pain-relieving drug codeine is totally ineffective in some ethnic groups -- including one in ten whites -- according to new findings presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The report shows a variety of differences in the drug's effectiveness and side effects, based on a person's ethnicity. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 7:00 PM EDT

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You've heard that small doses of red wine may be good for your health. Now, United States Department of Agriculture scientists say that peanuts may contain the heart- healthy chemical compound --resveratrol -- important in red wine. The latest findings that edible peanuts also contain resveratrol were presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 11PM EDT

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Dental infections and other chronic infections such as bronchitis more than double the risk of having a stroke or "brain attack," according to a study by German researchers reported in today's American Heart Association journal Stroke.

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A Purdue University researcher has found compounds in the bark of the pawpaw tree that have shown some success in fighting drug-resistant cancers. Details will be presented Thursday, Sept. 11 at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Las Vegas.

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A new study has uncovered the genetic wiring diagram underlying the infectiousness of Candida albicans, a fungus that causes thrush in babies, vaginal infections in women, and life-threatening infections in chemotherapy and AIDS patients. The study, led by Dr. Gerald R. Fink, Director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, reveals that one key to Candidaís infectiousness lies in its ability to switch from a rounded form to filamentous forms. When the wiring diagram underlying this switch is inactivated, Candida infections are no longer deadly in mice.

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A research team led by investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has identified and cloned the gene responsible for early-onset dystonia, a crippling, inherited neurological disorder that begins in childhood. The discovery, announced in the September issue of Nature Genetics, is the culmination of more than 15 years of work and contains important clues that could lead to better understanding of the disease and possible preventive treatments.

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New evidence by scientists from the University of Georgia indicates that victims of a common tropical disease may be receiving inadequate treatment because of a major misunderstanding of how the illness progresses.