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New screening tool prevents wrong patients from receiving Parkinson's surgery

The allure of a new brain surgery technique to relieve the stiffness and shaking caused by Parkinson’s disease may lead to unnecessary operations, University of Florida researchers say, but a new screening tool they developed could prevent potentially dangerous procedures.

9 Aug 2004

New study explodes myth about vegetarian diet

In a new study appearing in the summer 2004 issue of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Neal D. Barnard, M.D., and his colleagues show that patients easily transition from a standard omnivorous diet to a low-fat, vegetarian diet that helps people lose weight, lower blood pressure, and otherwise improve their health.

9 Aug 2004

Aggressive treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer shown to be more effective

Radiation therapy (RT) has been the most important treatment modality with curative potential in treating patients with cancer of the nasopharynx, the part of the pharynx that lies above the soft palate.

9 Aug 2004

Knowledge about oral and head and neck cancer is severely lacking in the American public

Most adult Americans know how to light a cigarette and order a drink, but a great number of them are clueless about the consequence of these two destructive habits – oral and head and neck cancer.

9 Aug 2004

Why the skeleton starts to fail us as we age

Why the skeleton starts to fail us as we age and what drugs of the future will do to build and maintain our bones, will be discussed at a free public lecture at the University of Melbourne tomorrow (August 10).

9 Aug 2004

Significant advance in the understanding of the hepatitis C virus (HCV)

Researchers have made a significant advance in the understanding of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) by identifying new genetic factors associated with clearing the virus spontaneously without the necessity for additional treatment.

9 Aug 2004

No increased risk of heart attacks among snus/snuff users, unlike smokers

A collaborative study involving Sunderby Hospital, Luleå, and Umeå University in Sweden confirms that men who smoke run a substantial risk of developing diabetes. On the other hand, no parameters indicate that using snus (moist snuff) increases this risk.

9 Aug 2004

Latinos living in the United States have high rates of eye disease and visual impairment

Researchers found that Latinos had high rates of diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication of diabetes; and open-angle glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve.

9 Aug 2004

Alterations in a tumor suppressor gene called p53 are more prevalent in breast cancer of African-American women than white women

Ethnic differences in the incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer are noted in the United States and worldwide. In the U.S., the most apparent differences are seen between African-American and white women. African-American women have lower incidence rates of the disease, but have higher mortality rates. Moreover, African-American women present at a younger age and with more aggressive disease.

9 Aug 2004

Three comprehensive reports on cigarette smoking

Two analyze indoor smoking policies in the state’s work places, and in bars and restaurants, and one examines tobacco dependence treatment and referral practices among New Jersey health care providers.

7 Aug 2004

People living with HIV in rural communities may face different barriers to taking proper care of themselves

People who live with HIV in rural areas are less likely to keep up with their treatment schedules if they are problem drinkers, say Tulane University researchers. Overall, about one in three HIV positive people surveyed by the researchers reported skipping at least one dose of their medications in the past week.

7 Aug 2004

Novel treatment of patients with high cholesterol focus of national meeting

Implications of recent lipid-lowering clinical trials and the specific changes to the NCEP guidelines will be the focus of discussion by Neil J. Stone, M.D., professor of clinical medicine of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

6 Aug 2004

Automated science speeds solution of Human Genome data

Scientists in Argonne's Biosciences Division are automating and accelerating the complex processes that coax a protein to reveal its structure so they can learn the role Nature assigned it.

6 Aug 2004

Short bouts of exercise reduce the risk of heart disease

Accumulated, short bouts of exercise are more effective than continuous exercise for lowering fat and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream after eating.

6 Aug 2004

Personalised medicine designed to enhance people's chances of quitting smoking

The latest spin-out from the University of Oxford, G-Nostics, focuses on personalised medicine designed to enhance people's chances of quitting smoking.

6 Aug 2004

To prevent heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death, National “PAD Coalition” is formed

Vascular Disease Foundation spearheads new national, multidisciplinary organization to educate patients, clinicians on peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

6 Aug 2004

Self-recovery from Hep C infection linked to genes that suppress action of killer immune cells

In a study to be published in Science online Aug. 6, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that genes involved in suppressing the body's defensive "killer" immune cells are a potential key factor in spontaneous recovery from hepatitis C.

5 Aug 2004

New twist to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the U.S.

In a new twist to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the U.S., the Federal Bureau of Investigation is searching 2 homes in new York and New Jersey which may be related to the attacks.

5 Aug 2004

Promising new cancer drug, Nanotax

A Lawrence company that uses patented technology created at the University of Kansas to improve the effectiveness of drugs has won a $100,000 National Institutes of Health grant to support further testing of the company's promising new cancer drug, Nanotax.

5 Aug 2004

Mayo Clinic and IBM have announced a broad collaboration to accelerate advances in patient care and research

Mayo Clinic and IBM have announced a broad collaboration to accelerate advances in patient care and research with an aggressive set of technology initiatives. The goal is to take advantage of an explosion in new medical data to drive tighter linkage between research and the practice of medicine to achieve breakthroughs.

5 Aug 2004