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Signs of liver disease also improve in conjunction with alterations to gut flora

Some cirrhotic patients develop brain dysfunction, called hepatic encephalopathy, which causes deficits in behavior, intelligence, consciousness and neuromuscular function.

14 May 2004

Computer prescribing systems in UK general practices are endangering patients’ lives

Computer prescribing systems in UK general practices are endangering patients’ lives by failing to pick up on some hazardous drug combinations, say researchers in this week’s British Medical Journal.

14 May 2004

Five million village doctors in rural China to be re-trained

A memorandum which is to lead to the re-training of five million village doctors in rural China is to be signed on 23 May in Beijing, China. The memorandum goes back to the initiative of Terence Ryan, Professor of Dermatology at the University of Oxford, who has been instrumental in drawing it up and will participate in the signing.

14 May 2004

Study of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe, treatment-resistant lupus

The study will include a basic research component to examine the roles of B and T cells, white blood cells in the immune system, in triggering lupus symptoms.

14 May 2004

The Stroke Association have found that surgery can halve the risk of a stroke

Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and The Stroke Association have found that surgery can halve the risk of a stroke for people who have significant narrowing of the main artery carrying blood to the brain. Their findings, published in this week’s The Lancet, are the result of a large-scale international clinical trial.

14 May 2004

Largest study comparing leading hepatitis C treatments

Medical centers, hospitals, clinics and other treatment sites across the country are actively enrolling Americans with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a nationwide study that will for the first time determine which of the two FDA-approved pegylated interferon therapy regimens offers patients the best chance to eliminate the virus.

14 May 2004

Minority women are disproportionately impacted by the autoimmune disease lupus

There is an urgent need for more education and research to address the fact that minority women are disproportionately impacted by the autoimmune disease lupus

14 May 2004

Key hole colon surgery effective

When performed by experienced surgeons, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery is a safe and effective alternative to standard open surgery for most patients with cancer that is confined to the colon.

13 May 2004

Chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy

A new international study of children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) shows that certain chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy, but that other chromosome abnormalities have no effect on treatment survival.

13 May 2004

Patients still prefer doctors to wear white coats

Doctors find their traditional white coats uncomfortable and a germ reservoir, but patients still prefer them to be worn, finds research in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

13 May 2004

Publication of epilepsy research

Bionomics Limited has announced today that research by its collaborators Women's and Children's Hospital, in conjunction with the University of Melbourne and a US group in Tennessee, has been published in the scientific journal, Human Molecular Genetics.

13 May 2004

Images of violence alter children's attitudes toward aggression

A Johns Hopkins team that included a trauma surgeon renowned for his treatment of gunshot victims has found that exposing at-risk children and teenagers to grizzly videos and photos of these patients' wounds can significantly change the youths' beliefs about the value and consequences of aggression.

12 May 2004

100,000 fewer New Yorkers smoking

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) today announced an 11% decline in the number of smokers in New York City from 2002 to 2003.

12 May 2004

Phase 3 trial of Ceplene in acute myeloid leukemia meets primary trial endpoint

Maxim Pharmaceuticals has announced the results of an international Phase 3 clinical trial testing the combination of Ceplene (TM) plus interleukin-2 (IL-2) in 320 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in complete remission.

12 May 2004

Thoratec gets FDA approval for increased enrollment and Medicare expansion for heart pump

Thoratec Corporation, a manufacturer of products to treat cardiovascular disease, has announced the expansion of its Phase I feasibility trial for the HeartMate(R) II left ventricular assist system (LVAS).

12 May 2004

WHO reports on treating tuberculosis in Ukraine

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is the disease caused by TB bacilli that are resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin – the two most powerful anti-TB drugs. It results from inconsistent or partial treatment of TB, and develops when public health programmes fail to deliver regular and reliable treatment to TB patients.

12 May 2004

Australian researchers are working on a vaccine to prevent rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) Australia, is working on a vaccine to prevent rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are a secondary complication of a bacterial infection.

12 May 2004

Major flaws in the Australian Government’s plan to force doctors to work in certain areas

AMA (NSW) believes there are major flaws in the Federal Government’s plan to bond medical students to western Sydney via funding for a medical school in the region.

12 May 2004

Botox shows promise as an alternative treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia

Injections of botulinum toxin A (botox) into the prostate are a promising alternative treatment for the millions of men who have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition commonly referred to as enlarged prostate, according to a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan.

11 May 2004

Small, frequent doses of caffeine best strategy for staying awake

Caffeine is the world's most widely-used stimulant yet, scientists still do not know exactly how it staves off sleep. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and other institutions have now discovered that caffeine works by thwarting one of two interacting physiological systems that govern the human sleep-wake cycle.

11 May 2004