Health News

Vegetarians Live Longer Than Meat-Eaters

Date: Jun-04-2013
Vegetarians may live longer than meat-eaters, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research involved over 70,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and showed that vegetarian diets are linked to reduced death rates with more favorable results for males than females. The potential association between diet and mortality is a critical area of research, the authors explained...

Cheap Vinegar Test Detects Cervical Cancer

Date: Jun-04-2013
A remarkably simple vinegar test in India has managed to lower the rate of cervical cancer deaths by one-third. Healthcare professionals have said that the outcome of the test has been "incredible", stating that it is capable of saving millions of lives. Pap smears and HPV testing too expensive for developing countries The introduction of pap tests and tests for HPV significantly reduced the incidence of cervical cancers in the U.S. A pap test involves examining a cervical swab and screening it for abnormal cells linked to potentially pre-cancerous and cancerous processes...

Cancer Patients In The US Are Suffering From Drug Shortages

Date: Jun-04-2013
Eighty-three percent of cancer doctors have documented that they have experienced oncology drug shortages. Most of them also say their patients' treatments have been affected, according to a study presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology. The findings revealed that shortages - which have significantly affected medications to treat pediatric, blood, and gastrointestinal cancers - have left doctors surveyed without the supplies to treat patients with standard chemotherapies for a range of cancers...

Less Than Half Of Dying Patients Are Placed On A Nationally Recommended Care Pathway

Date: Jun-04-2013
Lack of knowledge and eligibility is stopping half of terminal patients from going on the Liverpool Care Pathway Less than half of terminally ill patients are placed on the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) despite it being recommended nationally, concludes UK research published online in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care journal...

Surgery For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Sufferers Is Safe And Effective

Date: Jun-04-2013
Around half of patients with extreme OCD respond well to psychosurgery treatment Around half of people with an extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder responded well to a type of psychosurgery that proved to be safe and effective, according to research published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry. Researchers from Canada have now recommended physicians should consider this approach in helping people with OCD who have not responded to any other type of treatment...

Staff Who Smoke Cost Companies Thousands Of Pounds More To Employ

Date: Jun-04-2013
Average employee who smokes costs around £4,000 more a year than a non-smoker due to time off, smoking breaks and healthcare costs Employers have to pay around £4,000 more a year to employ a member of staff who smokes compared to a non-smoking employee, finds research published online in the Tobacco Control journal. US researchers found that several factors including absenteeism, smoking breaks and healthcare costs result in a greater cost to the employer for having a smoker on staff and this cost could help inform their workplace tobacco policies...

Identifying Glioblastoma Patients Most Likely To Benefit From Bevacizumab

Date: Jun-04-2013
A new test may help identify newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients more likely to benefit from bevacizumab (Avastin®), according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This study is associated with RTOG 0825, a large multi-center Phase III trial that evaluated the addition of bevacizumab to standard chemoradiation and maintenance temozolomide in treating newly diagnosed glioblastoma...

Groundbreaking Research - MIT Scientists Produce Artificial Liver Tissue

Date: Jun-04-2013
Groundbreaking research conducted at MIT has found a way of growing liver cells in a lab dish, capable of producing new liver tissue. The liver is capable of regenerating itself if a part of it is removed. For years scientists have been looking for a way to exploit this ability and grow liver cells outside the body with the hope that liver tissue, produced artificially, could be used for transplantation. However, it's been a constant struggle because the cells (called "hepatocytes") lose their function as soon as they are removed from the body...

Crizotinib's Superiority To Chemotherapy For ALK-positive Lung Cancer Confirmed; First Crizotinib Resistance In ROS1-positive Lung Tumor

Date: Jun-04-2013
Research teams led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center investigators are publishing two important studies regarding use of the targeted cancer drug crizotinib for treatment of advanced lung cancer driven by specific genetic mutations. The first reports the final results of a global, phase 3 trial showing that crizotinib is superior to standard chemotherapy for treatment of advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...

Clinical Practice Guidelines On Sleep Apnea And Driving Published By The American Thoracic Society

Date: Jun-04-2013
The American Thoracic Society has released new clinical practice guidelines on sleep apnea, sleepiness, and driving risk on non-commercial drivers. The new guidelines, which are an update of a 1994 ATS statement on this topic, appear in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Up to 20 percent of crashes that occur on monotonous roads can be attributed to sleepiness, and the most common medical cause of excessive daytime sleepiness is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)," said Kingman P...