A three-year study to validate a test to detect the recurrence of bladder cancer has been initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), at 12 centers* across the United States and Canada. This test was conceived and is being conducted by NCI’s Early Detection Research Network (EDRN). By examining genetic changes in DNA obtained through urine samples, the test, if successfully validated, will provide a sensitive and non-invasive method of
Nerve cells with a mutant calcium channel don’t communicate as effectively as those with a normal calcium channel, according Saint Louis University research that is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition the week of Oct. 4.
“The research helps us understand the basic mechanism that underlies how neurons communicate,” said Amy Harkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University
Mechanical loading through exercise builds bone strength and this effect is most pronounced during skeletal growth and development, according to Charles H. Turner, professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and director of orthopaedic research at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
Exercise that puts the “best” kind of mechanical load to strengthen bones, especially during childhood and adolescence, Turner says, involves impact or high rates of load such
Postmenopausal women are weaker, as measured by grip and pinch tests, than women who have not entered menopause, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. However, the researchers found that physical activity protected women from losing strength as they progress through menopause.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center and the University of Chicago Hospitals followed a racially mixed group of 563 Chicago-area women for five years. Strength tests d
Kills more cells than high-dose radiation
A new study shows that lower doses of radiation elude a damage detection “radar” in DNA and actually kill more cancer cells than high-dose radiation. With these findings, scientists believe they can design therapy to dismantle this “radar” sensor allowing more radiation to evade detection and destroy even greater numbers of cancer cells.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the low-dose radiation strategy on cu
Childhood predictors of self-reported chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in adults: national birth cohort study BMJ Online First
Sedentary children have a higher risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome in later life than children who regularly play sport in their spare time, finds new research published on bmj.com today.
Chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a common disabling condition characterised by persistent unexplained
Treating benign tumors outside the brain with CyberKnife Frameless Radiosurgery resulted in significant improvement in symptoms and minimal toxicity, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers presented today at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Atlanta.
“While stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of benign brain tumors has become widely accepted, our knowledge about the use o
Results from a University of Pittsburgh study evaluating intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for breast cancer indicate that IMRT results in a lower dose of radiation to healthy breast tissue when compared to standard radiation. The findings were presented today at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Atlanta.
“More than 70 percent of breast cancer patients receive ionizing radiation therapy to treat their disease
Women who take the hormone therapy estrogen plus progestin have double the risk for venous thrombosis, a type of blood clot, according to an article in the October 6 issue of JAMA. Venous thrombosis (VT) is a common disorder, according to background information in the article.
Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of Vermont, Colchester, Vt., and colleagues examined the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy on VT in the presence of other thrombosis risk factors, such a
Young women at low risk for coronary heart disease and cardiovascular diseases have a lower long-term death rate from these diseases and all other causes compared with those with higher risk levels, according to an article in the Oct. 6 issue of The Journal of the American Medicine.
Cardiovascular risk factors include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol level, high body mass index, diabetes and cigarette smoking.
Studies have shown that young adult men and middle-age
Patients with heart failure undergoing major non-cardiac surgical procedures are almost twice as likely to die as other patients, according to researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
In their analysis of Medicare data, the researchers also found, to their surprise, that the outcomes after major non-cardiac surgery were similar in patients with coronary artery disease and those with no heart disease.
The findings about heart failure patients are signifi
Heart patients are more than twice as likely to die during their first 30 days of hospitalization if they receive a blood transfusion to treat blood loss or anemia, according to a new analysis by cardiologists at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
Additionally, such patients are more than three times as likely to suffer a heart attack within 30 days, when compared to those who did not receive a transfusion.
These findings — which emerged after a retrospective
Lower sensitivity of mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years compared with older women can be largely explained by greater breast density and rapid tumor growth in the younger women, according to a new study in the October 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Because mammography is imperfect for women in their 40s, there has been controversy over whether and how often these women should be screened. Mammographic sensitivity–that is, the percentage of cancers det
Findings from a study published in the September/October issue of Annals of Family Medicine suggest that low educational level should be included in coronary heart disease (CHD) treatment guidelines.
Finding that patients who have not finished high school have a 2.4 percent higher risk of dying of coronary heart disease than those with more schooling, Kevin Fiscella, M.D., M.P.H. and colleagues suggest that educational level of less that 12 years should be incorporated into the curr
Hormone deprivation unnecessary with high-dose radiation, Fox Chase Cancer Center study finds
Men with prostate cancer who do not have a high risk of recurrence or disease progression do not need to have long-term hormone therapy in addition to external-beam radiation therapy if they receive high radiation doses. That is the finding of a Fox Chase Cancer Center study presented today at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Atlanta,
Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers examine wait times and outcomes
Men who wait as long as three months after their prostate cancer diagnosis to receive radiation treatment do not fare worse than those who have treatment sooner. That is the result of a new study by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center presented today at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Atlanta, Ga.
“The time between initial diagnosis and extern
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