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Novel polygenic hazard score captures age variations of aggressive prostate cancer

An international team, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, has developed and validated a genetic tool for predicting age of onset of aggressive prostate cancer, a disease that kills more than 26,000 American men annually.

12 Jan 2018

Parents of patients may react negatively when doctors communicate diagnostic uncertainty explicitly

Choice of words might matter when doctors communicate uncertainty of diagnosis to their patients. A paper published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care shows that the parents of pediatric patients may react more negatively to doctors who communicate uncertainty of diagnosis explicitly, such as directly stating they are unsure, as compared to doctors who use implicit language, such as discussing "most likely" diagnosis or providing several possible diagnoses under consideration.

10 Jan 2018

VA clears the air on talking to patients about marijuana use

"Don't ask, don't tell" is how many veterans have approached health care conversations about marijuana use with the doctors they see from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

9 Jan 2018

Reverberations from war complicate Vietnam veterans’ end-of-life care

Many of Ron Fleming's fellow soldiers have spent the past five decades trying to forget what they saw — and did — in Vietnam.

4 Jan 2018

Generic skin cream may reduce squamous cell carcinoma risk

New results from a clinical trial involving more than 900 military veterans at high risk for keratinocyte carcinoma skin cancer provides evidence that using the generic skin cream fluorouacil 5 percent for two to four weeks may reduce the risk of a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) needing surgery by 75 percent within a year.

3 Jan 2018

Sickle cell patients, families and doctors face a ‘fight for everything’

The day before his 30th birthday, Marqus Valentine was in a panic. "I was so scared for midnight to come rolling around because subconsciously I was like, 'This is it. Tomorrow’s my last day on Earth,'" he said.

27 Dec 2017

Study: Noninvasive brainwave technology reduces post-traumatic symptoms in military personnel

A noninvasive brainwave mirroring technology significantly reduced symptoms of post-traumatic stress in military personnel in a pilot study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

27 Dec 2017

Drug industry spent millions to squelch talk about high drug prices

Facing bipartisan hostility over high drug prices in an election year, the pharma industry's biggest trade group boosted revenue by nearly a fourth last year and spread the millions collected among hundreds of lobbyists, politicians and patient groups, new filings show.

19 Dec 2017

Female veterans experience improvement in low back pain with course of chiropractic care

A new study finds that female veterans—one of the fastest growing populations receiving treatment through the Veterans Administration health care system—experience improvement in low back pain with a course of chiropractic care, according to the American Chiropractic Association.

13 Dec 2017

Self-efficacy in exercise adoption appears to positively influence female veterans with FM symptoms

For female Veterans with fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms, the impact of believing in their ability to begin and sustain a long-term exercise program appears to positively influence their results.

12 Dec 2017

Kidney dysfunction raises diabetes risk, study suggests

Diabetes is known to increase a person's risk of kidney disease. Now, a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that the converse also is true: Kidney dysfunction increases the risk of diabetes.

11 Dec 2017

Study: ‘Obesity paradox’ not present among people with new cases of cardiovascular disease

Although obesity is a well-known risk factor for getting cardiovascular disease, a controversial body of research suggests that obesity may actually be associated with improved survival among people who have cardiovascular disease.

8 Dec 2017

Binge eating can act as barrier to achieving weight-loss success

Someone who binge eats consumes an objectively large amount of food while feeling a loss of control over eating. When episodes occur weekly for several months, the action moves into the realm of binge-eating disorder.

5 Dec 2017

'Aggressive' surgery for early stage lung cancer provides better outcomes

Patients with early stage lung cancer live longer when they receive a lobectomy- the most common type of operation for the disease- rather than a less extensive operation or radiation treatment, according to a study published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

30 Nov 2017

Study provides potential explanation for increased prevalence of asthma in adult women

In childhood, asthma is more common in boys than girls. But around the time of puberty, that picture reverses. By midlife women are twice as likely as men to have asthma.

29 Nov 2017

Researchers reduce over-prescription of antibiotics by using computer alerts to inform doctors

Physicians at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California reduced the odds of prescribing an antibiotic for sinusitis by 22 percent using computer alerts to inform doctors when antibiotics may not be the best course of treatment. The research was published today in the American Journal of Managed Care.

21 Nov 2017

New technique holds promise to screen cancer cells for drug susceptibility

Doctors have many drugs available to treat multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. However, there is no way to predict, by genetic markers or other means, how a patient will respond to a particular drug. This can lead to months of treatment with a drug that isn't working.

20 Nov 2017

New tool can offer accurate estimates of cardiac risks for older surgery patients

A tool designed to more accurately predict the risk of heart attack in older patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery works significantly better than traditional risk assessment tools.

16 Nov 2017

Tax reform proposal could impact care for older Americans

Earlier this week, the Congressional Budget Office advised members of Congress that the U.S. House of Representative's tax reform bill (the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," or H.R. 1) would result in automatic cuts to key federal programs, including a $25 billion cut to the Medicare program in 2018 as a result of existing Congressional "pay-go" rules.