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Renal and extrarenal predictors of nephrectomy from The National Trauma Data Bank reviewed

The management of renal trauma has become increasingly conservative with multiple series showing renal preservation after high grade injury.

13 Mar 2006

Best seller Lipitor shown to improve kidney function

According to drug maker Pfizer it's top selling product worldwide, the cholesterol lowering medication Lipitor (Atorvastatin) has been shown to improve kidney function in patients with heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

New vaccines will protect against cancer

The leading cancer charity in Britain is predicting that thousands of cancers will be prevented every year as specific vaccines are developed.

13 Mar 2006

Researchers find a way to make plants produce more antigens needed for vaccines

Scientists have developed a new kind of molecule which they believe could ultimately lead to the development of a vaccine against HIV using genetically modified tobacco.

13 Mar 2006

Liverpool scientists discover how coffee can reduce the risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing severe abdominal pain. It is often triggered by alcohol consumption which causes digestive enzymes to digest part of the pancreas.

13 Mar 2006

New method to increase the efficiency of contrast radiology

A new method to increase the efficiency of contrast radiology may open the way to earlier and more reliable diagnosis of, for example, breast cancer. With new integrated electronics and signal processing, the image quality can be improved sharply.

13 Mar 2006

Filter more effective than diuretics for heart failure

Researchers in the U.S. say that filtering the blood works better than diuretic drugs to remove excess fluid in patients admitted to hospital for heart failure.

13 Mar 2006

Aspirin still the best for reducing the heart attack risk

New research has revealed that the addition of the blood-thinning drug Plavix to a daily dose of aspirin does not lower the risk of death, heart attack or stroke in high-risk patients.

13 Mar 2006

B vitamins and folic acid don't cut the risk of further heart attacks

Scientists have found that levels of the amino acid homocysteine may be high in people destined for a heart attack or stroke, and some studies in the past have linked homocysteine to an increased risk of heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

Myanmar reveals its first case of H5N1 bird flu

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma has found the H5N1 bird flu virus in chickens in what is believed to be the country's first case of the deadly disease.

13 Mar 2006

Cameroon fourth African country to be hit by bird flu

Cameroon has become the fourth African country to be hit by the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.

13 Mar 2006

Third U.S. case of mad cow disease

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture routine tests have revealed a third U.S. case of mad cow disease.

13 Mar 2006

Study reveals mechanisms behind Thiazolidinediones used to treat type 2 diabetes

Thiazolidinediones (TZD's) are drugs commonly prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved agents are known as Actos (pioglitazone) and Avandia (rosiglitazone).

13 Mar 2006

Strategies help keep memory fit in elderly

Believing that you can retain a good memory even in your twilight years is the first step to achieving that goal. Those who believe they can control their memory are more likely to employ mnemonic strategies that help keep memory fit despite the march of time.

13 Mar 2006

Mental stress induced ischemia more common than thought

Even when heart disease patients can pass stress tests done on a treadmill or with chemical stressors after treatment, their hearts may still suffer silent ischemia during mental stress, according to a new study in the Mar. 7, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

13 Mar 2006

Link between beverage fluoride and fluorosis of the front teeth

Fluoride is a mineral that protects against dental cavities; however, too much fluoride during tooth formation can lead to dental fluorosis, which is usually characterized by white streaks or splotches on the teeth.

13 Mar 2006

Emergency departments score poorly in child-saving drills

A mock-drill study conducted in a third of North Carolina's hospital emergency departments (EDs) revealed that nearly all failed to properly stabilize seriously injured children during trauma simulations, according to a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Duke University Medical Center.

13 Mar 2006

Scientists exploit novel route to reverse enlarged hearts in obese mice

Working on genetically engineered obese mice with seriously thickened hearts, a condition call cardiac hypertrophy, scientists at Johns Hopkins have used a nerve protection and growth factor on the heart to mimic the activity of the brain hormone leptin, dramatically reducing the size of the heart muscle.

13 Mar 2006

Researchers test system at Cleveland-area hospitals that address family decision-making

A growing population of chronically critically ill (CCI) patients use approximately half of all hospital intensive care unit (ICU) resources at a cost of an estimated $50 billion annually. In turn, health care providers pass those costs onto the consumer.

13 Mar 2006

Smoking and CYP2D6 gene avert Parkinson's

It has long been known that smoking offers some protection against developing Parkinson's disease and now a Queensland University of Technology PhD researcher has found out part of the reason why.

13 Mar 2006