Health News

Improving Hormone-Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Management Through Progesterone Receptor Expression Measurement

Date: May-07-2012
American and Spanish researchers have found potential ways for doctors to improve the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer even if they lack access to costly multi-gene tests, as they reported at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference. Because breast cancer is a biologically and clinically varied disease, doctors aim to choose appropriate treatments based on the characteristics of each patient's individual tumor. In the past, this has been done using pathology-based biomarkers; however these do not capture the full diversity of cancers. "In this context, tests based on...

Cervical Spine CT Not Necessary In Cases Of Simple Assault And Ground Level Falls

Date: May-07-2012
Cervical Spine CT Not Necessary In Cases Of Simple Assault And Ground Level Falls Main Category: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Also Included In: Bones / Orthopedics;  Public Health Article Date: 07 May 2012 - 0:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Cervical Spine CT Not Necessary In Cases Of Simple Assault And Ground Level Falls' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: Cervical spine CT examinations are unnecessary for emergency department (ED) patients who are a victim of "simple assault" or who have a...

Possible Link Discovered Between The Hormone Ghrelin And Hedonic Eating

Date: May-07-2012
When eating is motivated by pleasure, rather than hunger, endogenous rewarding chemical signals are activated which can lead to overeating, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The phenomenon ultimately affects body mass and may be a factor in the continuing rise of obesity. "'Hedonic hunger' refers to the desire to eat for pleasure, and to enjoy the taste, rather than to restore the body's energy needs,"says Palmiero Monteleone, MD, of the University of Naples SUN in Italy and lead author of this...

Versatile Immune Cells Play Dual Roles In Human Skin

Date: May-07-2012
A new study helps to resolve an ongoing controversy about whether Langerhans cells (LCs) in human skin function to suppress the immune response and promote tolerance to normal human skin and its "friendly" microbial flora or mobilize a lethal attack against harmful foreign invaders. The research, published online in the journal Immunity by Cell Press, reveals that, depending on the situation, these versatile immune cells can perform either function. Adult human skin contains billions of resident immune cells called T cells that provide protection from invading pathogens. Skin also contains...

Guidelines For Management Of Lupus Nephritis Issued By The American College Of Rheumatology

Date: May-07-2012
The American College Of Rheumatology Main Category: Lupus Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Pregnancy / Obstetrics Article Date: 07 May 2012 - 0:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Guidelines For Management Of Lupus Nephritis Issued By The American College Of Rheumatology' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: 5 (2 votes) The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has issued newly created guidelines for the screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis - a severe manifestation of systemic lupus...

Rejuvenating Aged Hematopoietic Stem Cells To Make Them Functionally Younger

Date: May-07-2012
Researchers have rejuvenated aged hematopoietic stem cells to be functionally younger, offering intriguing clues into how medicine might one day fend off some of the ailments of old age. Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Ulm University Medicine in Germany report their findings online in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The paper brings new perspective to what has been a life science controversy - countering what used to be broad consensus that the aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) was locked in by nature and not reversible by therapeutic intervention. HSCs...

'Overmanagement' Of Benign Breast Disease Revealed By Study

Date: May-07-2012
Contrary to current guidelines, women with benign breast biopsies do not need follow-up at six months; they may not need close surveillance at all, a new study shows. The study, conducted at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, followed 388 patients for six, 12 and 24 months. No cancer was found in these patients at six and 12 months, said Shannon Reed, MD, one of the authors of the study. "Of the 197 follow-up examinations performed at 24 months, two women were positive for cancer in a different area than had been previously biopsied," said Dr. Reed. An annual mammogram, as part of regular...

In Some Patients With Benign Papillomas, Surgical Excision Unnecessary

Date: May-07-2012
Imaging surveillance is an acceptable alternative to surgical excision in patients with benign papilloma, diagnosed at breast core biopsy without cell abnormalities, a new study shows. The study, conducted at the Breast Health Center of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, included 119 papillomas diagnosed at core biopsy without abnormal cells. Imaging follow-up of a minimum of two years without surgical excision was performed on 66 lesions; no cancer was found in this group, said Jessica Leung, MD, FACR, lead author of the study. Surgical excision was done on the remaining 53...

New Study Shows The Hormone Adrenomedullin Plays Significant Role In Tubal Ectopic Pregnancies

Date: May-07-2012
Tubal Ectopic Pregnancies Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics Article Date: 07 May 2012 - 0:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'New Study Shows The Hormone Adrenomedullin Plays Significant Role In Tubal Ectopic Pregnancies' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: 4 (2 votes) Tubal ectopic pregnancy (TEP) is currently the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths during the first trimester and a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) shows...

Drug-resistant Bacteria - Designing Nanoparticles For High Antibiotic Doses

Date: May-06-2012
Highly-targeted nanoparticles that deliver huge doses of existing antibiotics could be used to overload the defenses of drug-resistant bacteria, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT reported in the journal ACS Nano. The authors explained that the development of novel antibiotics that can be used effective for a growing number of bacteria that have become resistant to existing medications has become extremely challenging. The scientists have been working towards this goal by developing a nanoparticle that invades the immune system, targeting the infection sites, and...