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Predicting outcomes before and after liver transplants

The most appropriate system for organ allocation for liver transplants is a subject of continuing debate.

3 Aug 2007

Prolonged periods of deployment among armed forces leading to mental health problems

Prolonged periods of deployment among Britain's armed forces is associated with mental health problems, finds a study published on bmj.com.

3 Aug 2007

Headaches of computerized medicine

Clinical information technology systems especially those known in the health care industry as computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems promise to improve health outcomes, reduce medical errors and increase cost efficiency, but hospitals adopting them must plan for immense workflow issues and a host of other unanticipated consequences that come with them or face potentially crippling problems.

3 Aug 2007

Neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate and breathing

A chance discovery in the lab has helped University of Leeds scientists to show how the treatment for a stiff neck could do wonders for your blood pressure.

3 Aug 2007

Gene fusion subtypes in prostate carcinoma have clinical implications

Building on an earlier study that used Oncomine to identify ETS-fusion proteins in prostate cancer (Science, Oct 28 2005), Tomlins et al. report the identification of four additional classes of ETS rearrangements in prostate cancer, each of which activates ETV1 by a different genetic mechanism (Nature, Aug 2 2007).

3 Aug 2007

Gastroenterologist-directed sedation safe and effective for endoscopic procedures

The use of an evidence-based sedation protocol for endoscopic procedures improves the quality of practice and reduces the incidence of sedation-related adverse events, according to an AGA Institute Review of Endoscopic Sedation published in the August issue of Gastroenterology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

3 Aug 2007

Efalizumab effective in treatment of heavy psoriasis

A meta-analysis of four randomized Phase III placebo-controlled trials confirms that the injectable drug Efalizumab, a humanized therapeutic antibody designed to selectively and reversibly block the activation, reactivation and trafficking of T-cells that lead to the development of psoriasis, had an acceptable safety and efficacy profile in the treatment of psoriasis in heavy patients, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine announced today.

3 Aug 2007

Diabetic ethnic minorities lose out in Britain

Patients from ethnic minorities are not only more likely to suffer from diabetes, but also receive lower quality care from the National Health Service (NHS), claims a paper published in the online open access journal, International Journal for Equity in Health.

3 Aug 2007

Daily stress exacerbates the symptoms lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease which produces antibodies causing injuries to the body's cells and tissue.

3 Aug 2007

Cognitive impairment link found in popular acid blockers

Long-term use of histamine2 receptor antagonists (H2A), one class of drugs that blocks stomach acid, may be associated with cognitive impairment in older African-American adults.

3 Aug 2007

Aging adults have choices when confronting perceived mental declines

Aging adults may joke about memory lapses and early Alzheimer's. They may worry when they can't understand a drug plan or lose track of the characters in a novel.

3 Aug 2007

Violence associated with disorders of arousal

Disorders of arousal (i.e., sleepwalking, confusional arousals and sleep terrors) have sometimes been associated with violent behaviors against other individuals.

3 Aug 2007

Modafinil under study for bipolar disorder

A preliminary study of 85 patients with bipolar disorder shows that a drug used to treat patients with sleep disorders might also control the depressive symptoms associated with bipolar disorder.

3 Aug 2007

Worldwide distribution of cervical cancer virus is consistent with vaccine targets

The variety of human papilloma viruses that cause invasive cervical cancer cases worldwide are largely consistent across continents, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

3 Aug 2007

Gene variation makes people with depression more likely to respond to the medication citalopram

A variation in a gene called GRIK4 appears to make people with depression more likely to respond to the medication citalopram (Celexa) than are people without the variation, a study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, has found.

3 Aug 2007

Study compares specialty orthopedic and general hospitals

Specialty orthopedic hospitals serve a healthier population of Medicare patients compared to general hospitals, according to a new study by investigators at the University of Iowa and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Iowa City Health Care System.

3 Aug 2007

Sex and gender differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In the first study to directly compare men and women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and severe emphysema, researchers have found that there are marked differences between the sexes.

3 Aug 2007

Stem cell therapy rescues motor neurons in ALS model

In a study that demonstrates the promise of cell-based therapies for diseases that have proved intractable to modern medicine, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has shown it is possible to rescue the dying neurons characteristic of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

3 Aug 2007

Rotating shift workers have lower levels of serotonin

People who work rotating shifts have significantly lower levels of serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter in the central nervous system believed to play an important role in the regulation of sleep, according to a study published in the August 1st issue of the journal SLEEP.

3 Aug 2007

Obesity linked to average body weight of the population at large

According to a new study in Economic Inquiry, an individual's body weight depends not just on physiology and economic circumstances, but also on average body weight of the population at large.

3 Aug 2007