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Steroid medications don't work in treating lower respiratory infections in children

The use of steroid medication to treat bronchiolitis, a common viral lower respiratory infection in infants , does not prevent hospitalization or improve their respiratory symptoms, according to a study published in the July 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Jul 2007

Telephone counseling coaxes reluctant alcoholics into treatment

Telephone counseling might be an effective primary care intervention for men who are not seeking treatment for their alcohol dependence or abuse, according to a new study.

25 Jul 2007

Link between breast cancer and hormone therapy confirmed

A sharp drop in breast cancer rates from 2003 to 2004 is linked to an even larger drop in women's use of hormone therapy that began around 2000, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the August 1, 2007, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that confirms the connection between breast cancer, hormone therapy and mammography screening over the past 25 years.

25 Jul 2007

Diabetes epidemic in New York City

The diabetes epidemic is taking a large and growing toll on New York City, a new Health Department report shows, as death rates, debilitating complications, and hospitalization costs soar.

25 Jul 2007

ISSCR to focus on scientific, ethical and global challenges in stem cell research

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) introduced the 2007-2008 Officers this June at the 5th ISSCR Annual Meeting in Cairns, Australia.

25 Jul 2007

New research on fixational eye movements

Susana Martinez-Conde, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience, and Stephen Macknik, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, are featured on the cover of the August issue of Scientific American for their research on fixational eye movements.

25 Jul 2007

Breast cancer detection may increase when mammograms are reviewed by both a radiologist and a mammographic technologist

Mammogram readings by both radiologists and non-physician technologists improve breast cancer detection rates, according to a study in the July 24 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

25 Jul 2007

NSAIDs can reduce colorectal cancer risk

A study of Medicare patients with osteoarthritis provides additional evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

24 Jul 2007

Studies assess blood clot prevalence outside hospital prevention in hospital

More cases of venous thromboembolism are diagnosed in the three months following hospitalization than during hospitalization, but less than half of inpatients receive medications to prevent blood clots from occurring, according to a report in the July 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jul 2007

New joint replacement using crosslinked polyethylene put to first clinical use

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) surgeons have performed the first total hip replacement using a joint socket lined with a novel material invented at the MGH.

24 Jul 2007

Male circumcision reduces HIV risk by as much as 60%

Three clinical trials in Africa found that adult male circumcision reduced the risk of men acquiring HIV infection from heterosexual sex by 51-60%.

24 Jul 2007

Low literacy can shorten life

Not being able to read doesn't just make it harder to navigate each day. Low literacy impairs people's ability to obtain critical information about their health and can dramatically shorten their lives.

24 Jul 2007

Initiative to improve heart failure care at nation's hospitals makes major gains

A national initiative designed to improve heart-failure patient care in hospitals proved effective at increasing hospital adherence to key quality-of-care performance measures and reducing the length of hospital stays for patients.

24 Jul 2007

Being elderly and illiterate means a significantly higher mortality rate

Researchers in the U.S. have found that being elderly and being unable to read and understand basic health information is a bad combination.

24 Jul 2007

Most patients satisfied with their GP's opening hours

Proof that GP practices are open at times to suit the vast majority of patients (84%) comes today (24 July 2007) ) with publication of results from the English Department of Health's GP Patient Survey.

24 Jul 2007

Hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier shows promise as treatment for sickle cell disease

Studies in mice suggest that a red blood cell substitute based on human hemoglobin could be a promising new treatment for sickle cell disease in humans.

24 Jul 2007

Don't drink the fizzy stuff!

Drinking more than one soft drink daily whether it's regular or diet may be associated with an increase in the risk factors for heart disease, Framingham researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

24 Jul 2007

Cochlear implants reorganize brain's hearing center

Cochlear implants electronic devices inserted surgically in the ear to allow deaf people to hear may restore normal auditory pathways in the brain even after many years of deafness.

24 Jul 2007

People with writer's cramp have less grey matter in three areas of the brain

People with serious cases of writer's cramp have brain abnormalities, according to a study published in the July 24, 2007, issue of Neurology ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Jul 2007