Medical News

RSS

Patients' bills of rights laws don't actually protect health care providers

Despite critics who say patients' bills of rights laws are actually designed to protect health care providers, new research published in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine found just the opposite.

23 Dec 2004

May soon be possible to identify people at risk and even to treat a heart problem with a drug that works on the brain

Sudden cardiac death from emotional stress may be triggered by uneven signals from the brain to the heart, according to a study by University College London (UCL) scientists published in the January issue of Brain.

23 Dec 2004

Bacteria can use a sonar-like system to spot other cells

For the first time, scientists have found that bacteria can use a Sonar-like system to spot other cells (either normal body cells or other bacteria) and target them for destruction.

23 Dec 2004

Why hair turns grey

Few things about growing older are as inevitable and obvious as "going gray," yet scientists have been unable to explain the precise cause of this usually unwelcome transformation.

23 Dec 2004

Evidence suggests that changes in the bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract can intensify the immune system's reaction to common allergens

If you want to avoid allergies or asthma, scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School suggest you start paying more attention to what's in your gut.

23 Dec 2004

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) should prove to be extremely useful in directed protein evolution

Fascinated by the efficient way the human immune system generates a rapid response to create a near-infinite variety of antibodies, researchers have "hijacked" that machinery and used it to evolve a new type of fluorescent protein.

23 Dec 2004

Researchers can now inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip

Devices the size of a pager now have greater capabilities than computers that once occupied an entire room. Similar advances are being made in the emerging field of synthetic biology at the University of Houston, now allowing researchers to inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip.

23 Dec 2004

Wireless technology does not affect pacemakers and defibrillators

With the dynamic evolution of wireless technology, Mayo Clinic researchers have been concerned about the potential effects of electromagnetic interference on heart pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

22 Dec 2004

40-year tale of investigation and innovation into the challenge of hip implant failure

A remarkable story of how a new disease was inadvertently caused by successful medical treatment, ultimately understood, and eventually defeated by scientific innovation is being told a major player in the process.

22 Dec 2004

Researchers show benefit of dreams after an emotional event

The advice to 'sleep on it' for a while isn't a bad idea, according to a new study done in part by University of Alberta researchers.

22 Dec 2004

First assessment tool to evaluate Quebec Platelet Disorder (QPD)

Researchers at McMaster University have developed the first assessment tool of its kind for evaluating risks faced by Canadians suffering from a rare and often fatal bleeding disorder.

22 Dec 2004

Fluorescent colors used to separate cells visually

The latest holiday gifts being offered to the scientific community this season by scientists in the laboratory of Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Roger Y. Tsien come in a dazzling variety of hues -- cherry, strawberry, tangerine, tomato, orange, banana and honeydew. The color spectrum would make Pantone proud.

22 Dec 2004

New research shows that cancer patients can not intentionally postpone death to survive for significant personal events

Contrary to previous reports, new research shows that cancer patients can not intentionally postpone death to survive for significant personal events such as Christmas, Thanksgiving or a birthday, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2004

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia occurring at higher than normal rate among U.S. troops in Iraq

Two deaths have been attributed to a rare type of pneumonia that is occurring among U.S. troops in Iraq at a higher than normal rate, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2004

Drinking water with high levels of arsenic increases risk of lung cancer

Residents of Taiwan who consumed drinking water with high levels of arsenic have a higher risk of lung cancer, with cigarette smokers from this group having an even greater risk, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2004

Relatives of lung cancer patients up to 3.5 times greater risk of developing lung cancer

First-degree relatives of lung cancer patients have a 2 to 3.5 times greater risk of developing lung cancer than the general population, and tobacco smoke plays a major role, even among those with a genetic predisposition, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2004

Jumping genes help explain immune system's remarkable ability

A team led by Johns Hopkins scientists has found the first clear evidence that the process behind the human immune system's remarkable ability to recognize and respond to a million different proteins might have originated from a family of genes whose only apparent function is to jump around in genetic material.

22 Dec 2004

Closing university science departments is threatening the future of medicine in the UK

"Medical breakthroughs are often based on collaborative work between departments, or the sharing of knowledge and expertise across the sciences - for instance in the development of MRI scanners. If science department closures continue, research and development in medicine will be under threat."

22 Dec 2004

DNA stool testing is more effective in detecting colon cancer than a widely used stool test

A study in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that DNA stool testing is more effective in detecting colon cancer than a widely used stool test, but a Virginia Commonwealth University family medicine and public health physician argues in the same issue that its superiority is still in doubt.

22 Dec 2004

Rural imaging center takes aim at medical mistakes in healthcare

Thumb MRI Center is taking the initiative to decrease costly medical errors and increase the quality of healthcare by integrating a patented artificial intelligence technology developed by AIdentity Matrix.

22 Dec 2004

Medical News

Patients' bills of rights laws don't actually protect health care providers

May soon be possible to identify people at risk and even to treat a heart problem with a drug that works on the brain

Bacteria can use a sonar-like system to spot other cells

Why hair turns grey

Evidence suggests that changes in the bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract can intensify the immune system's reaction to common allergens

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) should prove to be extremely useful in directed protein evolution

Researchers can now inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip

Wireless technology does not affect pacemakers and defibrillators

40-year tale of investigation and innovation into the challenge of hip implant failure

Researchers show benefit of dreams after an emotional event

First assessment tool to evaluate Quebec Platelet Disorder (QPD)

Fluorescent colors used to separate cells visually

New research shows that cancer patients can not intentionally postpone death to survive for significant personal events

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia occurring at higher than normal rate among U.S. troops in Iraq

Drinking water with high levels of arsenic increases risk of lung cancer

Relatives of lung cancer patients up to 3.5 times greater risk of developing lung cancer

Jumping genes help explain immune system's remarkable ability

Closing university science departments is threatening the future of medicine in the UK

DNA stool testing is more effective in detecting colon cancer than a widely used stool test

Rural imaging center takes aim at medical mistakes in healthcare

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

Latest News