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First meta-analytic review of association of perceived stress and incident CHD

Are you stressed? Results of a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people indicate that the answer to that question may help predict one's risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) or death from CHD.

17 Dec 2012

Study sheds light on how new treatments could be more effective in early stages of bipolar disorder

A North West clinical trial of people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for less than five years will be the first study of its kind to shed light on how new treatments could be more effective in the early stages of the condition.

17 Dec 2012

Cytokine rise signals RCC progression

Progression of renal cell carcinoma is frequently preceded by a rise in levels of proangiogenic cytokines, Italian researchers have found.

17 Dec 2012

Nephron-sparing surgery beats ablation for small renal masses

Nephron-sparing surgery is more effective than ablation for the treatment of clinical stage T1a renal masses, research findings show.

17 Dec 2012

Preop features predict pathology of small renal masses

Researchers have identified preoperative clinical and tumor characteristics that predict the risk for malignancy in patients undergoing partial nephrectomy for small renal masses.

17 Dec 2012

Partial nephrectomy maintains renal function in cT1a RCC

Partial nephrectomy offers a similar magnitude of benefit in patients with clinical T1b versus cT1a renal cell carcinoma, Japanese researchers have shown.

17 Dec 2012

Abiraterone improves outcomes for prostate cancer prior to chemo

Treatment with abiraterone acetate, an androgen biosynthesis inhibitor, may benefit patients with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have not yet undergone chemotherapy, report researchers.

17 Dec 2012

Human nociception genes mapped out

Researchers have uncovered a “network map” of genes that are involved in pain perception, which they say may help identify new analgesic drugs.

17 Dec 2012

Lapatinib benefits found for HER2-positive early-stage patients

Women with early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer who are unable to use trastuzumab may benefit from adjuvant lapatinib treatment, suggest phase III trial findings published in Lancet Oncology.

17 Dec 2012

Long-term antiviral HBV treatment advocated

Study results support the long-term use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for chronic hepatitis B virus, showing that it can suppress the virus and lead to regression of fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients after 5 years’ treatment.

17 Dec 2012

Dantrolene shows promise for treating DMD

A muscle relaxant called dantrolene used for treating malignant hyperthermia boosts the activity of therapies currently being developed to treat the genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), show study findings.

17 Dec 2012

Improving environment can get elderly out and about

Simple changes in an older person’s local environment can have a positive impact on their level of outdoor physical activity, suggest study findings.

17 Dec 2012

Healthy behavior at middle age is critical to 'successful' aging

Observing a combination of healthy behaviors during middle age, including moderate exercise and alcohol intake, and not smoking, can significantly improve the chances of aging successfully, study findings show.

17 Dec 2012

Surgery poses cardiac risk to lupus women

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus are at significantly increased risk for short-term perioperative adverse cardiovascular events, find researchers.

17 Dec 2012

Less is more when it comes to antibiotics for UTI in men

Research suggests that standard antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections in male patients may need to be reviewed, as currently recommended 7–14-day courses appear to be no more effective than shorter ones, and may increase the risk for antimicrobial resistant or Clostridium difficile infection.

17 Dec 2012

18FDG–PET–CT improves breast cancer staging

A prospective study has shown fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography to be a powerful tool for the detection of nodal and distant metastatic disease in patients with breast cancer.

17 Dec 2012

‘Ambu-lysis’ edges closer for stroke patients

A pilot trial of giving suitable stroke patients intravenous thrombolysis before their arrival in hospital has produced promising results.

17 Dec 2012

Mother–infant pairs admitted to ICU have poor outcomes

Mother–baby pairs with co-admission to intensive care units after delivery are more likely to experience separation due to interfacility transfer, and have higher mortality rates, than pairs in which either mothers or babies are admitted, show study results.

17 Dec 2012

Sit–rise test may guide mortality risk stratification

Assessing how much support a middle-aged or elderly person requires to sit and rise from the floor could be an indicator of all-cause mortality risk, researchers say.

17 Dec 2012

New research reveals music's health benefits

Music has been incorporated into medical practice since before the ancient Greeks. However, though practitioners have been convinced of music's health benefits for thousands of years, there had been little peer-reviewed research to back them up. But recent studies are providing an empirical backbone for the anecdotal evidence.

17 Dec 2012