Health News

Minimally Invasive Operations Lead To Fewer Complications For Obese Appendectomy Patients

Date: Jun-28-2012
Obese patients who need to have their appendixes removed fare better after a minimally invasive surgical procedure rather than an open operation, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons...

Worrying Decline In Mammograms After Task Force Recommendation

Date: Jun-28-2012
Preventive mammography rates in women in their 40s have dropped nearly 6 percent nationwide since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine mammograms for women in this age group, a Mayo Clinic analysis shows. That represents a small but significant decrease since the controversial guidelines were released, the researchers say. Their findings were presented at the Academy Health Annual Research Meeting in Orlando, Fla...

Researchers Test Drug Combinations To Prevent Graft Vs. Host Disease

Date: Jun-28-2012
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have conducted a clinical trial aimed at preventing graft vs. host disease (GVHD) in patients who have received hematopoietic (blood) cell transplants (HCT). The study, comparing the drug tacrolimus (TAC) in combination with either methotrexate (MTX ) or sirolimus (SIR), found that the sirolimus/tacrolimus (SIR/TAC) combination was more effective in preventing grades II-IV acute GVHD and moderate-severe chronic GVHD after allogeneic blood cell transplantation. The study randomized 74 patients, ages 16 to 70, to receive either SIR/TAC or MTX/TAC...

Touch Therapy May Reduce Pain, Nausea In Cancer Patients

Date: Jun-28-2012
A new study by the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center shows that patients reported significant improvement in side effects of cancer treatment following just one Jin Shin Jyutsu session. Jin Shin Jyutsu is an ancient form of touch therapy similar to acupuncture in philosophy. Presented at the 2012 Markey Cancer Center Research Day by Jennifer Bradley who is the Jin Shin Jyutsu integrative practitioner at Markey, the study included 159 current cancer patients...

Magnet Helps Target Transplanted Iron-Loaded Cells To Key Areas Of Heart

Date: Jun-28-2012
Optimal stem cell therapy delivery to damaged areas of the heart after myocardial infarction has been hampered by inefficient homing of cells to the damaged site. However, using rat models, researchers in France have used a magnet to guide cells loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles to key sites, enhancing the myocardial retention of intravascularly delivered endothelial progenitor cells. The study is published in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (21:4), now freely available on-line...

Gum Disease Linked To Oral Cancer Virus

Date: Jun-28-2012
The British Dental Health Foundation is looking to educate the public on good oral health after scientists discovered severe gum disease could be linked to an increased risk of head and neck cancer cases caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The study found patients with HPV-positive tumours had significantly higher bone loss, a key factor in the development of severe gum disease, compared with patients with HPV-negative tumours. Latest figures suggest more than 6,000 people in the UK suffer from oral cancer, while almost 2,000 lives are lost to the disease...

Symptoms And Severity Of Fibromuscular Dysplasia

Date: Jun-28-2012
A patient registry is proving invaluable in cataloging the clinical features, symptoms, severity, and outcomes of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), a non-inflammatory vascular disease that can cause narrowing of arteries in the carotid (neck) and renal (kidney) arteries, which can result in headache, strokes, and aneurysms. Registry data revealed that 91 percent of patients are women diagnosed in the prime of their lives. As a result, physicians are developing best practices that can lead to early diagnosis and treatment with the goal of improved outcomes and fewer adverse vascular events...

GPs Lack The Confidence And Tools To Spot The Signs Of Pancreatic Cancer, UK

Date: Jun-28-2012
GPs identify patients presenting too late with pancreatic cancer due to the vagueness of the symptoms as the key contributing factor to the disease's five-year survival rate of just 3%. The 575 GPs responding to a survey by national charity Pancreatic Cancer UK also highlighted the lack of a simple screening test and availability of effective treatment options as significant contributors to poor pancreatic cancer outcomes...

Fighting Alzheimer's Disease With Exercise

Date: Jun-28-2012
In a recent Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week," research led by Ayae Kinoshita at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan reveals the benefits of exercise in combating Alzheimer's disease. The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer's disease results in the loss of cognitive faculty. In the majority of cases, Alzheimer's disease occurs after age 65, and factors such as diet and exercise appear to play a role in its development, with high-fat diets as a risk factor...

New Treatment Protocol Extends Survival In Some Cases Of Once Inoperable Pancreatic Cancer

Date: Jun-28-2012
Investigators at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, have reported on a new approach to treating previously inoperable complex pancreatic adenocarcinoma that has significantly increased long-term survival for some patients. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most devastating forms of pancreatic cancer with survival rates of only 5 percent at five years. Surgical removal of these tumors offers a chance for cure, but it is estimated that only about 20 percent of patients can undergo this treatment...