Health News

Researchers Aiming To Cut Costs On Household Products, Pharmaceuticals

Date: Apr-16-2013
Sometimes cost saving comes in nanoscale packages. A new procedure that thickens and thins fluid at the micron level could save consumers and manufacturers money, particularly for soap products that depend on certain molecules to effectively deal with grease and dirt. Researchers at the University of Washington published their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read the back of most shampoos and dishwashing detergents and you'll find the word "surfactant" in the list of active ingredients...

Concern About New Bird Flu Strain Seen Adapting To Mammals, Humans

Date: Apr-16-2013
A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic. The collaborative study, conducted by a group led by Masato Tashiro of the Influenza Virus Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, appears in the journal Eurosurveillance...

Adults Tend To Trade One Healthy Act For Another - Exercise Or Make Dinner?

Date: Apr-16-2013
American adults who prepare their own meals and exercise on the same day are likely spending more time on one of those activities at the expense of the other, a new study suggests. The research showed that a 10-minute increase in food preparation time was associated with a lower probability of exercising for 10 more minutes - for both men and women. The finding applied to single and married adults as well as parents and those who have no children...

Radiation Dose Reduced By Decreasing Kilovoltage In Lumbar Spine CT Without Compromising Quality

Date: Apr-16-2013
An algorithm that takes the patient's size into consideration can cut radiation dose by 41% in lumbar spine CT without compromising the diagnostic quality of the images, a new study shows. Researchers at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul, Korea examined 107 patients using semi-automated attenuation-based tube potential selection which optimized tube potential at 100 kilovoltage, rather than the standard 120 kilovoltage. Decreasing the kilovoltage decreased the radiation dose from a mean of 21.78 mGy to a mean of 12...

Diagnoses Of Scars On The Heart Improved By MR Images Taken During The Systole Phase

Date: Apr-16-2013
MR images taken when the ventricles of the heart relax and fill with blood and then when the ventricles contract and eject blood to the rest of the body provide a more complete picture of the extent of myocardial scar in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, a new study finds. Detection of scar is important because it helps identify patients who are at higher risk of a fatal event, said Dr. James Fernandez, the first author of the study. The standard protocol to determine scar in these patients is to collect just diastolic data (when the ventricles relax), said Dr. Fernandez...

Expanding Obstetric And Breast Imaging Programs In Underserved Area Of Uganda

Date: Apr-16-2013
Radiologists are a step closer to implementing a program in an underserved region of Uganda for diagnosing and treating women with palpable breast masses. The program combines a unique diagnostic algorithm along with targeted community outreach, said medical student Chris Duncan working with the organization Imaging the World...

Survey Reveals Abuse Of Students Doing Anthropological Fieldwork

Date: Apr-16-2013
College athletes are not the only ones who sometimes suffer at the hands of higher ups. A new report brings to light a more hidden and pernicious problem - the psychological, physical and sexual abuse of students in the field of biological anthropology working in field studies far from home. The report is based on an online survey and telephone interviews that, in a period of less than two months, elicited accounts of abuse from dozens of women and men working in the field of biological anthropology...

Detection Of Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma Improved By Tomosynthesis In Women At Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer

Date: Apr-16-2013
Tomosynthesis (3D mammography) is better able to show infiltrating ductal carcinoma than 2D mammography in women at increased risk of breast cancer, a new study shows. As part of the study, six breast imaging specialists reviewed both 2D and 3D mammography images of 56 cancers diagnosed in patients at intermediate or high risk of breast cancer. "We found that 41% (23/56 cancers) were better seen on tomosynthesis and 4% (2/56) were only seen on tomosynthesis," said Dr. Sarah O'Connell, a lead author of the study...

ACL Tears Accurately Identified By Dual Energy CT In Emergency Departments

Date: Apr-16-2013
Dual energy CT is an effective way to evaluate emergency department patients with possible anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, a new study shows. ACL tears are one of the most frequent ligamentous injuries of the knee; they are not commonly diagnosed in the emergency department because they are not seen on plain x-rays. Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, imaged the knees of 27 patients using dual energy CT -- 16 of the patients had confirmed ACL tears, while 11 had no history of trauma, said Dr. Katrina Glazebook, a lead author of the study...

In Patients With Aortic Stenosis, MDCT Helps Better Determine Valve Implant Size For Transcatheter Aortic Valve

Date: Apr-16-2013
MDCT is a better way to measure annular size in patients with aortic stenosis who are candidates for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) than two dimensional echocardiography, a new study indicates. The study included 69 patients who underwent an MDCT scan as well as transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography before having a TAVI, said Dr. Vineeta Sethi, lead author of the study. TAVI is done to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis who are not surgical candidates. Aortic stenosis is a common disorder in the elderly...