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Weight loss before bariatric surgery linked to shorter hospital stay

High-risk morbidly obese patients who lose 5 to 10 percent of their excess body weight before undergoing gastric bypass surgery appear to have shorter hospital stays and more rapid postoperative weight loss, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, a theme issue on bariatric surgery.

16 Oct 2007

Low levels of vitamin D may exacerbate chronic pain

Approximately one in four patients who suffer from chronic pain also have inadequate blood levels of vitamin D, possibly contributing to their ongoing pain, according to a new study. Patients lacking sufficient vitamin D also required higher doses of morphine for a longer period of time.

16 Oct 2007

Use of NSAIDs underreported

Patients underreported their use of common but potentially dangerous over-the-counter pain medications known as NSAIDs, according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

16 Oct 2007

Usage of complementary and alternative medicine therapies high among those with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

A high proportion of patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) report previous or current use, and interest in future use, of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, according to a study published in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

16 Oct 2007

Removal of tonsils and adenoids improves sleep and behavior in children with breathing disorders

Children diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing appear to sleep better and have improved behavior following removal of their tonsils and adenoids, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

16 Oct 2007

Low levels of testosterone may increase risk of death in older men

Older men with low levels of testosterone may have an increased long-term risk of death compared to men with normal testosterone, according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) .

16 Oct 2007

Risk of death following bariatric surgery

Approximately 1 percent of Pennsylvania residents who underwent bariatric surgery between 1995 and 2004 died within one year of the surgery and nearly 6 percent died within five years, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, a theme issue on bariatric surgery.

16 Oct 2007

Modafinil effective treatment for excessive sleepiness

A study published in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM) finds that modafinil is well-tolerated in the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with disorders of sleep and wakefulness such as shift work sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and narcolepsy, and does not affect cardiovascular or sleep parameters.

16 Oct 2007

Surgical treatment of morbid obesity increases likelihood of patients returning to work

Obese Medicaid patients who undergo Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery may be more likely to return to work than obese Medicaid patients who do not undergo the surgery, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, a theme issue on bariatric surgery.

16 Oct 2007

Optical coherence tomography helps track multiple sclerosis

A five-minute eye exam might prove to be an inexpensive and effective way to gauge and track the debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis, potentially complementing costly magnetic resonance imaging to detect brain shrinkage - a characteristic of the disease's progression.

16 Oct 2007

Dmp1 gene and lung cancer

The first research to show the involvement of a gene known as Dmp1 in human lung cancer will hopefully lead to an increased understanding on what goes wrong at the cellular level to cause the disease, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reporting in Cancer Cell .

16 Oct 2007

Nutritional deficiencies after gastric bypass surgery

Two studies by a group of researchers at Washington Hospital Center highlight potential postoperative nutritional deficiencies among patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery to treat obesity.

16 Oct 2007

Researchers specifically manipulate tumor angiogenesis gene

Angiogenesis is a common process that is essential for tumor growth beyond 2 mm. Although numerous growth factors are involved, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), particularly VEGF-A, has been shown to play an important role in tumor angiogenesis.

16 Oct 2007

Research to investigate the experiences of the black African population in Britain

Two researchers at the University of Kent have been awarded £98,924 by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to investigate the topic Black Africans in Britain: Integration or Segregation.

16 Oct 2007

African-Americans have a high overall incidence of colorectal cancer - study emphasizes importance of screening

New research presented at the 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology emphasizes the importance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among racial and ethnic minorities, who have a higher incidence of colorectal cancer compared to Caucasians.

16 Oct 2007

Blood levels of progesterone may impact blood vessel function

Blood levels of progesterone, a major female sex hormone, may play an important role in modifying vascular function in postmenopausal women, according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

16 Oct 2007

People overestimate sleep times

Self-reports of total sleep times, both habitually and on the morning after a polysomnogram (PSG), or a sleep test, tend to be higher than objectively measured sleep times, according to a study published in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

16 Oct 2007

Counting during anesthetic injection lessens pain

Patients who counted aloud during the injection of an intravenous anesthetic experienced and recalled less pain, according to new research by anesthesiologists in Japan.

16 Oct 2007

Over 2 decades experiences shows that ultrasound-guided liver biopsy is the procedure of choice

Liver biopsy is a widely used tool in the investigation of liver diseases. It is invasive and has a mortality risk ranging between 0.01% and 0.17%. A liver biopsy should therefore only be performed in patients who would potentially benefit from it.

16 Oct 2007

Study evaluates safety, efficacy and tolerability of probiotics for irritable bowel syndrome

A new analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has found that Bifantis, Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, the sole ingredient in Align (manufactured by Procter & Gamble), is the only probiotic currently able to demonstrate significant improvement in IBS symptoms based upon a properly designed research study.

16 Oct 2007