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On the road with allergies and asthma

For millions of Americans with allergies and asthma, summer travel concerns extend far beyond rising gas prices and airline security waits.

2 May 2008

Surprising language abilities in children with autism

What began as an informal presentation by a clinical linguist to a group of philosophers, has led to some surprising discoveries about the communicative language abilities of people with autism.

27 Apr 2008

Discovery of gene behind clefting disorder Branchio-Oculo-Facial syndrome

In a collaborative effort, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have discovered that deletions or mutations within the TFAP2A gene (Activating Enhancer-Binding Protein) result in the distinctive clefting disorder Branchio-Oculo-Facial syndrome (BOFS).

23 Apr 2008

Skin lesions larger than 6 millimeters more likely to be melanomas

Skin lesions larger than 6 millimeters in diameter appear more likely to be melanomas than smaller lesions, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology. The findings suggest that the diameter guidelines currently used by dermatologists to screen for melanoma are useful.

21 Apr 2008

Nasal surgery improves quality of life for those with obstructive sleep apnea

Nasal surgery to remove obstructions from the airway is associated with improvements in quality of life for patients with obstructive sleep apnea and symptoms of nasal blockages, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

21 Apr 2008

One man's struggle with an eating disorder

In the week that former deputy prime minister John Prescott goes public about his struggles with bulimia, the BMJ publishes a frank first person account of what it is like to live with an eating disorder when you're male.

21 Apr 2008

Diabetes worst in the developing world

Eighty per cent of people with diabetes in the world live in developing countries, where the number of people with diabetes is predicted to increase by 150% in the next 25 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

21 Apr 2008

300,000 soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression

Nearly one in five, or about 300,000, soldiers who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan has post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression -- illnesses that could cost the U.S. as much as $6.2 billion over two years in care, lost productivity and lost lives through suicide, according to a RAND report released on Thursday, the Washington Post reports (Scott Tyson, Washington Post, 4/18).

18 Apr 2008

20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression

Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan - 300,000 in all - report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slight more than half have sought treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

17 Apr 2008

Babies with an eye-alignment disorder called infantile esotropia have developmental delays

Babies with an eye-alignment disorder called infantile esotropia have delays in motor development milestones, but development "catches up" after corrective surgery, reports a study in the April Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus).

17 Apr 2008

New understanding of systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is characterized by the formation of fibrosis, or scar tissue, on internal organs as well as the skin.

15 Apr 2008

New hope for blood disorder anaemia

A new understanding of how red blood cell production is controlled could lead to improvements in the treatment of the blood disorder anaemia, according to West Australian medical researchers.

13 Apr 2008

Obesity costs U.S. companies $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss

The rate of obesity in the United States has doubled in the last 30 years, and those extra pounds weigh on companies' bottom lines, according to a new report from The Conference Board.

10 Apr 2008

Acute kidney injury with sepsis

ICU patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) are generally sicker, have a higher burden of illness, a greater risk of mortality and longer stays in hospital than patients with non-septic AKI.

10 Apr 2008

Autism is on the rise, why?

There is no question that autism is on the rise and the statistics speak volumes about this dramatic increase," says Michelle Rowe, Ph.D., a professor of health services at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

9 Apr 2008

Rise in autism related to changes in diagnosis

Research funded by the Wellcome Trust suggests that many children diagnosed with severe language disorders in the 1980s and 1990s would today be diagnosed as having autism.

9 Apr 2008

Stress worsens symptoms of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a poorly understood condition that incapacitates and affects the productivity and lifestyle of millions of women around the world.

8 Apr 2008

Symptoms of depression do not appear to increase in early stages of Alzheimer's disease

Although individuals with depression may be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, symptoms of depression do not appear to increase in the years before a diagnosis is made, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Apr 2008

Nasal irrigation can relieve sinus symptoms safely, cheaply

Your spring cleaning routine might include vacuuming the coils on your refrigerator and storing bulky sweaters and corduroy pants. You may want to add to that list, according to a University of Michigan Health System expert, another area that could use some cleaning.

7 Apr 2008

Campaign focuses on hereditary spastic paraplegia

A campaign to raise awareness of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and announce a world first test for the little known genetic neurological disorder will be launched today by researchers at Sydney University's ANZAC Research Institute.

7 Apr 2008