Research at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) shows that playground injuries among children were significantly reduced after the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) removed hazardous equipment from school playgrounds in 2000 and replaced it with safer equipment. This research is reported in the May 24, 2005 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The study looked at data from 86 elementary schools before and after the playground equipment was replaced in 200
In a recent study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists report that a molecule previously thought to play a purely structural and inert role in cells is actually involved in multidrug resistance in cancer. Using antagonists for this molecule, the researchers were able to sensitize drug resistant breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drug treatment.
The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the May 27 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistr
The human fossil evidence from the Mladec Caves in Moravia, Czech Republic, excavated more than 100 years ago, has been proven for the first time, through modern radiocarbon dating, to be the oldest cranial, dental and postcranial assemblage of early modern humans in Europe.
A team of researchers from the Natural History Museum in Vienna, from the University of Vienna in Austria and from the Washington University in St. Louis, USA recently conducted the first successful direct da
Amid the debate over which combination of immunosuppressive agents works best in helping patients fight off rejection of their new heart after transplant surgery, a new study led by researchers at the UCLA Heart Transplant Program showed that one particular combination using tacrolimus (TAC or PrografÒ) had significant anti-rejection benefits for heart transplant patients over other combinations.
A mix of immunosuppressive therapies is typically used to prevent a recipient’
The social support provided by having a partner significantly improves the quality of life of prostate cancer patients, according to a study published in the July 1, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Researchers say men with prostate cancer who are in a relationship report significantly better psychosocial and spiritual well-being and fewer disease-specific and general cancer-related adverse effects. In fact, partnered men were better able to tolerate
Nurse practitioners detect health problems not addressed by caregivers
Some 4.5 million Americans have a developmental disability. As people live longer, adults with developmental disabilities are no exception, yet their conditions also bring aging-related challenges. A new study by UCLA and Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation reports that a geriatric evaluation and follow-up visits by a nurse practitioner can detect and reduce health problems in this population that often go
Online learning resources and mentoring programmes could boost the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education, according to a pioneering Kingston University study. Measures like these could also improve undergraduates’ chances of getting a good degree. The Widening Access and Success research project has investigated how e-learning can encourage students from a more diverse range of backgrounds to apply for university as well as improving overall student success
Dextromethorphan, an over-the-counter medication that silences coughs, may help fibromyalgia patients quiet over-reacting nerves that amplify ordinary touches into agony.
A University of Florida study documents, for the first time, that dextromethorphan temporarily reduces the intensity of fibromyalgia “wind-up,” a snowballing pain response to minor, repetitive physical contact. The discovery, described in the May issue of The Journal of Pain, also enables researchers to rul
New report details public opinion and fast-changing science landscape
The confusing welter of state laws regarding human cloning for reproductive purposes and for research uses reflects a national political impasse on regulating cloning, according to a new report by The Genetics & Public Policy Center, a project of The Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins University. This lack of a national consensus comes at a time when rapid advances in cloning technology make crafting br
Epidemiological modelling of routine use of low dose aspirin for the primary prevention of coronary heart disease and stroke in those aged 70 BMJ Online First
The benefits of giving low dose aspirin to healthy people from the age of 70 to prevent heart disease are offset by increased cases of serious bleeding, argue researchers in a study published online by the BMJ this week.
Using a model, the team simulated the broad implications of routine use of aspirin in a popul
Test for protein cystatin is a more accurate predictor than standard test for creatinine, especially for cardiac risk
A study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) has found that a test of kidney function that measures blood levels of cystatin C — a protein produced by most cells in the body — is a far more accurate predictor of mortality risk in elderly people than the current standard kidney function test, which measures levels of the protein creatinine.
Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs to manage their disease show measurable improvement and require less medication, according to a systematic review of current evidence.
Group-based education resulted in improved diabetes control as reflected by blood glucose levels and patients’ knowledge of diabetes. Evidence also suggested that participants in diabetes group education programs may reduce their blood pressure and body weight and increase se
University of Toronto researchers have designed a chemical screening tool that will light up when dangerous pathogens and diseases in air, water and bodily fluids are present.
“This detection technique, which uses DNA to seek out target DNA, could one day be used in clinical care situations to quickly detect diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis,” says Professor Ulrich Krull, the AstraZeneca Chair in biotechnology and vice-principal (research) at the University of Toronto at
A novel way of administering an anti-cancer drug to bone-marrow transplant patients using continuous infusion may be more effective and safer than the method currently used, new study findings indicate.
The new method achieves more predictable, stable drug levels in patients than the current method and could eventually allow doctors to more accurately adjust doses to accommodate individual differences in metabolism, thus increasing treatment effectiveness while avoiding side effec
Ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsies are a safe and effective alternative to endoscopic biopsies for obtaining samples in the pancreas, a new study shows.
The study included 23 pancreatic biopsies in 22 patients. “We were able to obtain adequate samples in 22 of the 23 cases,” said Kedar Chintapalli, MD, professor of radiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and lead author of the study. The ultrasound-guided biopsies can be performed with smal
Researchers have gathered evidence which shows that combined chronic exposure to noise and carbon monoxide in the workplace induces hearing loss. Adriana Lacerda, researcher at the École d’orthophonie et d’audiologie of the Université de Montréal, presents her findings at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Vancouver on Wednesday. Those findings are the result of a study conducted with over 8,600 workers exposed to both noise and carbon monoxide in the workplace
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