Health News

Pronounced Reduction In Breast Density During Tamoxifen Treatment Reduces Risk Of Dying From Breast Cancer

Date: Apr-24-2013
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for assessing the effect of tamoxifen, a common drug to prevent the relapse of breast cancer. The key lies in monitoring changes in the proportion of dense tissue, which appears white on a mammogram, during treatment. Women who show a pronounced reduction in breast density during tamoxifen treatment have a fifty per cent reduction in breast cancer mortality. This tool provides doctors with the possibility to assess whether a patient is responding to tamoxifen at an early phase of treatment...

Breast Cancer Growth And Spread May Be Controlled By New Agent

Date: Apr-24-2013
A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) suggests that an unusual experimental drug can reduce breast-cancer aggressiveness, reverse resistance to the drug fulvestrant and perhaps improve the effectiveness of other breast-cancer drugs. The findings of the laboratory and animal study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggest a new strategy for treating breast cancer, the researchers say...

Evidence-Based Overview For Physicians: Diagnosis And Management Of Pancreatic Cancer

Date: Apr-24-2013
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer, and while family physicians in Canada only see 1 case a year, the number of cases is expected to increase as the population ages. A review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) provides an evidence-based overview of diagnosis and treatment of the disease for general physicians. The main risk factor for pancreatic cancer is smoking, although about 20% of patients have a family history of the disease...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: April 23, 2013

Date: Apr-24-2013
1. Benefits of Suicide Screening in Primary Care Settings Unknown The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviews evidence for upcoming recommendations on suicide screening and treatment for adults and adolescents An evidence review finds that there are screening tools to help physicians identify adults at risk for suicide, but there's no evidence that using these screening tools in primary care will actually prevent suicides in adults. There are still no proven primary care-relevant screening tools to identify suicide risk in adolescents...

PTSD Or Hypopituitarism? Nearly Half Of Veterans Found With Blast Concussions Might Have Hormone Deficiencies

Date: Apr-24-2013
Up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. New research suggests that nearly half these veterans may have a problem so under-recognized that even military physicians may fail to look for it. A new study conducted by Charles W. Wilkinson, Elizabeth A. Colasurdo, Kathleen F. Pagulayan, Jane. B. Shofer, and Elaine R...

Not Enough Evidence To Support Suicide Screening

Date: Apr-24-2013
There is not enough evidence to support suicide screening for all teens and adults, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The Task Force posted a final evidence report and draft recommendation statement after analyzing existing research and discovering that there is insufficient data to recommend screening to everyone. The new statement concerns people without a current mental health disorder or a history of mental illness, the experts said...

Blood Vessel Function And Breathing Control Adversely Affected By Sleep Deprivation

Date: Apr-24-2013
With work and entertainment operating around the clock in our modern society, sleep is often a casualty. A bevy of research has shown a link between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. However, it's been unclear why sleep loss might lead to these effects. Several studies have tested the effects of total sleep deprivation, but this model isn't a good fit for the way most people lose sleep, with a few hours here and there...

Battle Of The Bugs: Can Combining Antibiotics Increase Antibiotic Resistance?

Date: Apr-23-2013
The treatment of bacterial infections with antibiotics is a crucial weapon in the armory of modern medicine. However, bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics, creating an arms race that renders the drugs useless. The standard approach to mitigate this has been to use treatments as potent and as early as possible, in order to kill the cells that are susceptible before they have the chance to multiply...

Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Linked To Future Risk Of Other Forms Of Cancers

Date: Apr-23-2013
White people who have types of skin cancer other than melanoma (non-melanoma skin cancer) may be at increased risk of having other forms of cancer in the future, according to a study by US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. The analysis, led by Dr...

Alcohol Industry Attempted To Influence Scottish Government's Alcohol Policy

Date: Apr-23-2013
The alcohol industry, including the major supermarkets ignored, misrepresented and undermined international evidence on effective alcohol control policies in an attempt to influence public health policy in Scotland to its advantage, according to UK experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine...