Looking in a mirror at a reflection of their healthy hand could help people with persistent pain ease their symptoms and eventually overcome their problem, say scientists in the latest edition of the journal Clinical Medicine.
The treatment, being developed by researchers from the University of Bath and the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD), is based on a new theory about how people experience pain even when doctors can find no direct cause.
This ‘c
Surgeons at the MUHC have successfully implanted a new kind of mechanical heart in two patients, the first time this new technology has been used in Canada. This new mechanical heart will allow some patients’ damaged hearts to recover their normal function, and will reduce the need for heart transplants. This “bridge-to-recovery” technology promises to revolutionize the management of heart failure. The MUHC is one of only a handful of Canadian hospitals capable of installing the new mechanical
People living in deprived areas or working in manual occupations are less likely to receive cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering treatment than more affluent people
People living in deprived areas or working in manual occupations are less likely to receive cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering treatment than more affluent people, according to a paper published today [28 October] in the November issue of the British Journal of General Practice.
This is because the
Scientists are one step closer to unraveling the complex mechanisms in the brain that regulate body weight. Working with mice — whose appetites are controlled by systems very similar to those in humans – they have identified a specific type of neuron that is essential for feeding behavior. Without these neurons, adult mice stop eating and undergo rapid weight loss.
Remarkably, the researchers found that absence of these neurons only influenced eating behavior when they were remov
Tips from Harvard Health publications
Halloween is an exciting time for kids, and we can all help to make sure that children have a safe and fun holiday with the following tips from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing group at Harvard Medical School.
Candy
Kids will be less likely to overload on candy if they eat something before they go out. And they’ll be more likely to do that if you make it fun. One idea: Host a make-your-own-jack-o’
Pregnant women with hypertension who also have elevated blood uric acid levels may face an increased risk of complications that could be fatal for mother and baby, University of Pittsburgh researchers have found.
Reporting in the Oct. 27 online issue of Hypertension, a journal published by the American Heart Association, researchers note that the greatest risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy accompanies preeclampsia, a devastating disorder that affects some 5 percent of firs
Study shows long-term benefits of initial combination therapy, including either prednisone or infliximab, over dmards alone or step-up combination therapy
A progressive, inflammatory disease affecting the joints and organs, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) claims more than two million Americans, mostly women over age 40, among its victims. While a cure has yet to be found, the treatment of RA patients has changed considerably over the last two decades. Today, the goal of therapy is not
Vaccine would be first to protect against bird flu
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is enrolling volunteers in a study to test a new vaccine that targets avian flu, the first such vaccine against the virus. The Vanderbilt trial, led by Kathryn Edwards, M.D., will test the new vaccine in nearly 100 individuals 65 years of age and over. It is the second phase of a national study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The first phase of
Researchers at The University of Manchester and Hope Hospital in Salford have discovered that head injury patients not treated in specialist brain surgery centres are at significantly greater risk of dying from their injuries.
In a study published today (28 October) in The Lancet which analysed 1989 – 2003 data from the national Trauma Audit and Research Network database, the team compared the death-rates of patients with head injuries with those of other types of emergency patients
Early detection through screening mammography and improved adjuvant treatment have contributed almost equally to the substantial decrease in breast cancer death rates over the past 10 to 15 years, researchers conclude in an unprecedented effort to parse out the factors that have led to the decline.
The study, published in the Oct. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, was supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and conducted by seven research groups, including
Minor and major depression linked to higher death rate for people with type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes and depression can be a fatal mix. Patients whose type 2 diabetes was accompanied by minor or major depression had higher mortality rates, compared to patients with type 2 diabetes alone, over the three-year period of a recent study in Washington state. The results appear in the November 2005 edition of Diabetes Care, published by the American Diabetes Association.
Research
Scientists have developed a technique which can be used to reveal the strength of bones, allowing doctors to more accurately estimate the risk of bone fracture.
According to research published online in the Journal of Bone Mineral Research, scientists have developed a laser imaging technique which can more fully assess the strength of bones, a technique the scientists hope can be used to predict the likelihood of young women developing osteoporosis in later life.
Dr Edwar
“Early diagnosis guarantees therapeutic success in breast cancer”, claimed doctors Fernando Martínez Regueira and Luis Pina, specialists in de Mammary Pathology at the University Hospital.
Breast cancer is the most common tumour amongst the female population. In recent years its prevalence has increased considerably without the reasons thereof being very clear, although lifestyle changes such as first pregnancy taking place at a later age or the reduction in the period of breast-f
Drug Discovery at Dundee
The Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest medical charities, has awarded £8.1 million over 5 years to a team of six scientists at the University of Dundee to help discover new drugs to treat some of the world’s most neglected tropical diseases.
The grant awarded to Professor Mike Ferguson, Professor Alan Fairlamb, Professor Bill Hunter, Professor Ian Gilbert, Professor Julie Frearson and Dr Daan van Aalten, all based within the School of L
Targeted cancer treatment without the added trauma of surgery or lengthy chemotherapy could be available to consumers in as little as 5 years according to new scientific research
Treatment could benefit NHS as a whole by reducing the cost in the long term of treating cancer patients
Treatment benefits the majority of Cancers unlike Herceptin which only works for Breast Cancer
Scientists at the University of Dundee have demonstrated that
For the health challenges facing developing countries, the numbers alone are staggering. Every day, 40,000 people –enough to fill a sports stadium — die from preventable infectious diseases and malnutrition. Entire generations of human potential are perishing.
Given the scope of these challenges, is there a way for developing countries to solve health disparities and bootstrap these efforts into economic growth? In an article published recently in the journal Science, Biodesig
Feedback
