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Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's may be delayed

In a study of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), those who took the drug donepezil were at reduced risk of progressing to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) during the first year of the trial, but by the end of the 3-year study there was no benefit from the drug. Vitamin E was also tested in the study and was found to have no effect at any time point in the study when compared with placebo.

13 Apr 2005

No clear correlation between routine ultrasonic scans and intellectual impairment

Scientists carrying out a major epidemiological study at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University have discovered that there is no clear correlation between routine ultrasonic scans and intellectual impairment.

13 Apr 2005

Rates of cervical cancer could jump fourfold to a million a year by 2050

Deaths from cervical cancer could jump fourfold to a million a year by 2050, mainly in developing countries. This could be prevented by soon-to-be-approved vaccines against the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer- but there are signs that opposition to the vaccines might lead to many preventable deaths. The trouble is that the human papilloma virus (HPV) is sexually transmitted.

13 Apr 2005

New heart valve ring helps congestive heart failure patients regain lost heart function

A new heart valve ring appears to help congestive heart failure patients regain lost heart function, reversing the disease's effects on heart structure in two ways and easing their disabling symptoms, researchers reported here today at the 85th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

13 Apr 2005

Scientists use transcription factors to increase insulin production in diabetic mice

A group of Japanese scientists has used gene therapy to deliver three insulin transcription factors, MafA, PDX-1, and NeuroD, to the livers of diabetic mice. As a result, the mice experienced an increase in insulin gene expression and insulin production, raising the possibility that this could eventually be used to treat diabetes.

13 Apr 2005

To boost efficiency, hospitals borrow principles from factory floor

Many health-care industry bottlenecks can be eliminated, resulting in major improvements in efficiency, cost savings and patient care when hospitals borrow principles from production lines on the factory floor, according to researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

13 Apr 2005

First large study defining premature ejaculation by stopwatch and patient reported outcomes

In a four-week study of 1,587 men, researchers report that men who suffer from premature ejaculation (PE) had an average intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) of 1.8 minutes, compared to 7.3 minutes in men who did not. Men with PE and their female partners also had higher ratings for personal distress, interpersonal difficulty with their partner, lack of ejaculation control, and dissatisfaction with sexual intercourse.

13 Apr 2005

Low-Income Subsidies for the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: The Impact of the Asset Test

An estimated 2.4 million Medicare beneficiaries with incomes low enough to qualify for additional subsidies under the new Medicare drug benefit are expected to be ineligible for these subsidies because they do not meet the asset test required by law, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

13 Apr 2005

Scientists identifiy protein that seems to control the malignant features of brain tumor cells

Scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine have identified a protein that seems to control the malignant features of brain tumor cells, suggesting a new treatment target for anti-cancer drugs. The research is reported in the current issue of Molecular Cancer Research.

13 Apr 2005

Bugs in the gut could help doctors develop individualised healthcare

The success of personalised healthcare hinges on a better understanding of how microbes in the gut interact with different medicines report scientists from Imperial College London and Astra Zeneca.

13 Apr 2005

Breakthough in stem cell research - three clones of cells from existing human embryonic stem cells

In an Australian first, UNSW researchers have developed three clones of cells from existing human embryonic stem cells. The breakthrough could lead to new treatments for conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury.

13 Apr 2005

Statins used before or after strokes improve outcomes

New research into the use of statins before or after a stroke has shown that a patients recovery after an ischemic stroke can be improved.

12 Apr 2005

Marburg outbreak - experts struggling to get message across

Disease experts in Angola say it will be weeks before it is determined whether the on-going Marburg crisis can be averted in Angola where the disease has already killed at least 194 people.

12 Apr 2005

Black women in the US less likely to access preventative cancer treatments

A report from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia says that black women in the US with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, are far less likely to seek genetic counselling and possible testing than their white counterparts, and although the reasons for the disparity are not clear, it is suspected that mistrust of both the medical system and advice from primary physicians may be factors.

12 Apr 2005

Mumps jabs may run out in Ireland

GPs in Northern Ireland are warning that following a mumps outbreak among teenagers and young adults, supplies of the MMR vaccine in Northern Ireland could be running out. Family doctors have been asked to return any unused supplies so these can be re-distributed.

12 Apr 2005

New invention can easily spot whether cancer has spread

German researchers have come up with a test that measures how stretchy cells are, which could revolutionise the way doctors spot whether cancers have spread, Inventors at the University of Leipzig have produced a laptop-sized gadget which can give a diagnosis using as few as 50 cells and avoids the need to cut out tissue and say it is 1,000 times more accurate than traditional tests.

12 Apr 2005

Technology helps Stanford shed new light on coronary bypass surgery

On March 31, Joel Dyels celebrated his 72nd birthday by having coronary bypass surgery at Stanford Hospital. He also became the third patient at Stanford - and in the United States - to benefit from a new imaging system that lets doctors see the blood pathways they have created while the patient's chest is still open.

12 Apr 2005