In the first study of its kind, researchers say half of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation exhibit signs of delirium, but the warning signs are subtler and can be easily missed by clinicians. The study, which appears in the February 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, says the level of distress, fatigue, and pain are associated with the severity of delirium.

Delirium is a temporary, acute change in a patient’s leve

A study of twins

A paper showing a strong genetic contribution to social responsibility was published in the December 22 issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, 271, 2583-2585, entitled “Genetic and environmental contributions to pro-social attitudes: a twin study of social responsibility.”

The study compared identical twins with non-identical twins to see how much they agreed on 22 questions, such as “I am a person people can count on,” “It is

Prevention is key, March of Dimes says

Death or severe cognitive and neuromotor impairment are common outcomes among extremely premature infants (fewer than 26 weeks’ gestation), according to a British study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. “Prematurity is a common, serious problem in America and unfortunately, the number of preterm births is rising each year,” said Scott D. Berns, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, vice president for chapter programs of the March of D

The contrast agent iopromide, which has been used on more than 70 million patients worldwide, can be used for all types of CT imaging, regardless of the volume or dosage required, according to a new study by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

For the study, researchers analyzed 29,508 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT with iopromide for a variety of diagnostic reasons. Of the patients studied, 29,297 experienced no adverse

Whether emotional responses to scent are a product of nature or nurture is a matter of scientific debate. But a Brown University study, published in the current issue of the International Journal of Comparative Psychology, comes down on the nurturing side.

In an experiment that involved computer games and custom-made scents, researchers found that responses to new odors depended on emotions experienced while the new odor was present. If participants had a good time playing the g

More sexually active adolescent females than previously thought may be infected with a virus linked to cervical cancer and genital warts, according to a study published in the Jan. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The research, reported by Darron R. Brown, M.D., and colleagues at the Indiana University School of Medicine, found four out of five sexually active adolescent females infected with the human papillomavirus. The study said the rates observed among the

U-M study shows nocturnal splinting reduces pain, discomfort for active workers with CTS

After a long day on the job, tired minds and sore feet look forward to a long night of rejuvenating rest. A new study finds that nocturnal rest can do a world of good for your hands and wrists too, especially if you are one of the millions of American workers who are just beginning to feel the common pain and discomfort linked to carpal tunnel syndrome. The findings, made by a team of researche

Consistent pattern of moderate drinking may offer slightly lower risk

A new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found that heavy drinkers — men who consume an average of three or more alcoholic beverages per day — are nearly 45 percent more likely to suffer an ischemic stroke compared with nondrinkers. The study also found that while light and moderate drinkers appear to be at neither great

According to a study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, chronic users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have an increased risk of bleeding and visible damage to their small intestine.

“We have always known that NSAIDs can cause potentially deadly stomach complications, but the extent of the impact on the small intestine was largely unknown until now,” said David Graham, MD, lead s

Elaine Miller desperately wanted to find a way to help her daughter, Hannah, endure an awkward and painful medical examination in which doctors insert a catheter into her bladder, inject a dye and ask her to urinate while being X-rayed.

The girl had been through the procedure four times by age 7, and she dreaded going through it again. So when researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine offered hypnosis, Miller welcomed the chance. “I had tried every angle I could to

An elementary school intervention program that taught children impulse control and gave their teachers and parents better management skills has long-lasting effects extending into early adulthood, showing that the children are more productive and well-adjusted members of society at age 21, according to a new study.

More children who received the intervention graduated from high school and had completed at least two years of college compared to children who did not receive the int

If a runny nose and congested chest have you thinking of antibiotics, think again.

“For uncomplicated colds, zero are necessary; bronchitis, less than 10 percent are necessary; sore throats, maybe up to 10 to 15 percent of these patients need an antibiotic,” says Dr. Jim Wilde, pediatric emergency medicine and infectious disease physician at the Medical College of Georgia. “Ninety to 95 percent of all infections are viral or low-acuity bacterial infections such as ear infections

With more than 28 million Americans suffering from debilitating migraine headaches each year, employers also suffer through missed days from work and reduced productivity. However, Migraine sufferers who had surgical treatment reduced the amount of time missed from work by 73 percent, according to a study published in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® (PRS), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Additionally, surgical treatment

Researchers have shown a correlation between fast food, weight gain, and insulin resistance in what appears to be the first long-term study on this subject. The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study by Mark Pereira, Ph.D., assistant professor in epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Obesity Program at Children’s Hospital Boston, reported that fast food increases the risk of obesity and type 2

Children who appear to have higher levels of shyness, or a particular gene, appear to have a different pattern of processing the signals of interpersonal hostility, according to a study in the January issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to background information in the article, “Neuroimaging studies are beginning to clarify the relationship between the brain’s cortical and subcortical activity in regulating the emotional an

Drugs used to treat the tumors common in people with a disorder called neurofibromatosis 1 rarely work, and scientists now know why. The chemotherapy drugs target a group of related proteins, call RAS proteins, which are thought to be responsible for these tumors. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that the disease affects only one member of the protein family, and it happens to be the one form of RAS that does not respond well to these particular tre