Newswise: MedNews

Investigators Seek to Turn Back the Clock in the Aging Immune System

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Investigators discover cellular mechanisms that may impact the decline of both innate and adaptive immune functions that increase the susceptibility to various infectious agents, cancer and diseases in the elderly say experts.

Heating, Air-Conditioning and Carpets May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Damp environments, poorly maintained heating and air-conditioning systems and carpeting may contribute to poor indoor air quality, according to experts. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where they are repeatedly exposed to indoor allergens and airborne particles that can lead to respiratory symptoms and conditions.

Researchers Present Investigational Findings on Allergic Diseases

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Researchers are unveiling new data on investigational findings in nearly 450 abstracts on the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. Key studies focus on anaphylaxis, nasal saline irrigation, egg allergy, new treatment for hereditary angioedema and a food allergy survey of school nurses.

25th Anniversary of Pediatric Heart Transplantation Celebrated at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST

NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is celebrating the 25th anniversary of pediatric heart transplantation. In 1984, the Hospital's surgeons performed the world's first successful heart transplant, giving the gift of life to a 4-year-old boy. In the intervening quarter century, more than 350 children have received new hearts at the Hospital, which today has among the country's top three largest pediatric heart transplant programs.

Dr. Martha Grayson Named Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:50:00 EST

Martha S. Grayson, M.D., has been named senior associate dean for medical education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Dr. Grayson, an alumna of Einstein, is known for developing innovative and rigorous medical educational programs and evaluation processes. She will assume her new leadership position on December 1, 2009.

Researchers Find New Way to Attack Inflammation in Graves' Eye Disease

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:35:00 EST

A small group of patients with severe Graves' eye disease experienced rapid improvement of their symptoms--and improved vision--following treatment with the drug rituximab. Inflammation around their eyes and damage to the optic nerve were significantly reduced. The same patients had not previously responded to steroids, a common treatment for Graves' eye disease.

PET Imaging Response a Prognostic Factor After Thoracic Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST

A rapid decline in metabolic activity on a PET scan after radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is correlated with good local tumor control, according to a study presented by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting.

New Finding Suggests Prostate Biopsy is Not Always Necessary

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy.

Possible Help in Fight Against Muscle-wasting Disease

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:05:00 EST

A compound already used to treat pneumonia could become a new therapy for an inherited muscular wasting disease. A five-member team of researchers from University of Oregon and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry report that pentamidine might be adapted to counter genetic splicing defects in RNA that lead to type 1 myotonic dystrophy.

Geisinger and Lowe's Open Innovative Worksite Health Clinic

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:15:00 EST

Geisinger's Careworks and Geisinger Health Plan announced the opening of a worksite primary care clinic in the Lowe's regional distribution center in Pittston.

UAB Awarded $11.5 Million to Explore Ways to Test Youth for HIV, Link Them to Care

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10:00 EST

Two new grants are for leadership and coordination of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Intervention (ATN), a research network in the United States and Puerto Rico working to curb the epidemic through prevention, testing and treatment for youth ages 12 to 24. Projections show at least one-half of all new HIV infections each year worldwide are in youth under age 25, says Craig Wilson, M.D., a UAB professor and ATN leader.

1930S Drug Slows Tumor Growth

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Drugs sometimes have beneficial side effects. A glaucoma treatment causes luscious eyelashes. A blood pressure drug also aids those with a rare genetic disease. The newest surprise discovered by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is a gonorrhea medication that might help battle cancer.

Women's Cardiology Pioneer Receives American Heart Association's 2009 Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D., an internationally recognized authority on women's heart health, will receive the American Heart Association's 2009 Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award at the organization's Scientific Sessions 2009, to be held in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center Nov. 14-Nov. 18.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Team Meeting with Guam Medical Community Leaders

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:50:00 EST

A team from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will be meeting with leaders in medicine and health insurance and as well as patients during a visit to Guam this week. The aim of the trip is to continue to strengthen relationships with healthcare leaders and patients.

The 2nd International MRgFUS Symposium: Current and Future Applications of MR-guided Focused Ultrasound

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

MRgFUS 2010 will be of interest to a range of medical specialties including gynecologists, interventional radiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, oncological surgeons, pain management physicians, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and urologists.

Asthma Not Determined by Genetics Alone

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

While progress has been made in identifying 39 genes potentially associated with asthma, the disease is complex, and its development is likely dependent upon both genetics and environmental exposures.

New Survey Reveals Unmet Needs in Asthma Care in the U.S.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Asthma Insight and Management (AIM), the largest and most comprehensive survey of asthma in the United States conducted in more than a decade, reveals limited progress in reducing hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to asthma over the past ten years.

Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing Urges Policies and Prevention To Reduce Deaths from Venous Thromboembolism

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 EST

In a newly-published special supplement, the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing calls for new hospital policies to prevent and treat venous thromboembolism (VTE), a major cause of death and disability in hospitals throughout the world. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is publishing the supplement to bring attention to VTE, a disease that includes both the common medical condition of deep vein thrombosis and its most serious complication, pulmonary embolism, which accounts for 10% of hospital deaths annually.

Seven LWW Nursing Editors Recognized as Leaders by American Academy of Nursing

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 EST

The American Academy of Nursing today inducted seven editors and editorial board members of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) nursing publications as Academy Fellows. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

Journal of Public Health Management & Practice Calls for Growth in Public Health Workforce

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 EST

A recent special supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management calls attention to the country's pressing need for a larger and fully capable public health workforce. The supplement, written by the leading academic voices in public health and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), also sheds light on the challenges the U.S. faces in adequately meeting public health needs.

New Statement Outlines ATS Positions on Research, Education, Advocacy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

The ATS has issued an official statement that outlines the Society's position on research, training, education, patient care and advocacy. The statement, which appears in the November 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, also makes specific recommendations on how elements of the organization can make these policies a part of new and ongoing projects.

Air Pollution Increases Infants' Risk of Bronchiolitis

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study.

Patient Deaths in Hospitals Cost Nearly $20 Billion

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:05:00 EST

One of every three people who died in 2007 in the United States were in the hospital for treatment at the time of their deaths.

No Advantage to Off-Pump CABG

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

A study of 2,203 cardiac surgery patients from Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers nationwide revealed that coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) completed "off-pump," meaning without a heart-lung machine, had no advantages in patient outcomes compared to the traditional "on-pump" procedure.

Small Increases in Phosphorus Mean Higher Risk of Heart Disease

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries-- a key marker of heart disease risk, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). "This may help to explain why even early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk that is not otherwise explained by traditional risk factors," comments Katherine R. Tuttle, MD (Providence Medical Research Center, Spokane, WA).