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Earliest signs of Alzheimer's can be screened for with an electroencephalograph

Although Alzheimer's disease affects millions of people worldwide, there is no way to identify this devastating brain disease at its earliest stages when there still may be time to delay or even prevent the downward spiral into dementia.

5 Oct 2005

Sharper picture than previously available of major depressive disorder

Findings from the largest survey ever mounted on the co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders among U.S. adults afford a sharper picture than previously available of major depressive disorder (MDD) in specific population subgroups and of MDD's relationship to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and other mental health conditions.

3 Oct 2005

Music helps people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease focus on their breathing

Before the music can begin, the harmonica teacher makes sure everyone is in position. "Sit up straight. Feet on the floor. Try to breathe from the belly," she says.

28 Sep 2005

Alternative ways to manage chronic pain

Yoga, massage or plain old exercise? It could be just what the doctor ordered to minimize pain from chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, neck pain, low back pain or fibromyalgia, according to the September issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

28 Sep 2005

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) treatment using hypnotherapy

Up to eight million people in Britain suffer from IBS, with symptoms including diarrhoea, pain and bloating. The condition can seriously affect sufferers' quality of life and finding treatment can be difficult, leading many doctors to feel they can do little to help.

From The University of Manchester 27 Sep 2005

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome use over 50 percent more health resources than people without the disorder

Even though there are definitive guidelines to diagnose IBS through simple blood tests, many IBS patients have additional procedures and surgeries that rarely result in relief or any additional diagnostic findings.

27 Sep 2005

Tests of cognitive function are the best way so far to predict whether healthy elderly people will develop Alzheimer's

Although Alzheimer's disease begins long before symptoms appear, early diagnosis of Alzheimer's has so far been elusive. And given that there is no cure for the disease, benefits of early detection remain questionable.

26 Sep 2005

Parkinson's dark period can be minimized or alleviated with the right kind of care

Some people call it "the dark time," the period between when a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and when treatment with medication begins.

26 Sep 2005

First true animal model for psoriasis

Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna have developed the first true animal model for psoriasis and have been able to address the initial steps and possible causes of the disease.

20 Sep 2005

Current state of knowledge and experience with vascular birthmarks

The September/October issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery contains several articles on the current state of knowledge and experience with vascular birthmarks, which are caused by blood vessels that do not form correctly.

20 Sep 2005

Manic depression linked to two chromosomal regions in the human genome

An international team of 53 researchers has offered the most convincing evidence so far linking bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, to two chromosomal regions in the human genome. The finding gives scientists refined targets for further gene studies.

19 Sep 2005

Combining radiation, chemotherapy and liver transplantation increases survival in bile duct cancer patients

A new treatment for patients with a type of bile duct cancer promises a greater chance at survival by combining radiation, chemotherapy and liver transplantation, Mayo Clinic physicians report in the September issue of the Annals of Surgery.

12 Sep 2005

New tool to measure coma depth

Mayo Clinic neurologists have created the first new, reliable and easy-to-use clinical tool in 30 years for measuring coma depth, a proposed replacement for the Glasgow Coma Scale. The new scoring system, called the FOUR (Full Outline of UnResponsiveness) Score, will be described in the October issue of Annals of Neurology.

10 Sep 2005

Education research ignites Dyslexia debate

A Professor at Durham University's School of Education has sparked a major debate about the status of dyslexia and the value of labelling of some people with reading problems as "dyslexic".

6 Sep 2005

Strong social gradient in the metabolic syndrome

It is well documented that individuals with higher social status have lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). This is generally not explained by differences in lifestyle factors such as smoking and lack of exercise.

6 Sep 2005

Scientists suggest new approach for targeting patients with brittle bones

Scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, are suggesting a new approach to determining the risk of fracture in individuals with the brittle bone disease, osteoporosis, which could have treatment implications.

6 Sep 2005

Folic acid fortification of grain foods has produced a one-third decline in serious birth defects of the brain and spine

...but the March of Dimes urged federal officials to help spare a greater number of babies from these devastating conditions by requiring higher levels of the B vitamin.

6 Sep 2005

Depression improved during telephone therapy in multiple sclerosis patients

Patients with multiple sclerosis showed significant improvement in their depression during 16 weeks of telephone-administered psychotherapy treatment, according to an article in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Sep 2005

Metabolic Syndrome, a map of the cardiovascular damage

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities with abdominal obesity (increased waist circumference) at its centre. Although all forms of obesity have a negative impact on human health, metabolic syndrome describes a set of particularly adverse biochemical changes accompanying (abdominal) obesity.

5 Sep 2005

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Europe

Previously, several different definitions for the metabolic syndrome (MetS) had been proposed and used by researchers. This resulted in confusion about the frequency of the MetS and its relationship with mortality.

5 Sep 2005