A diagnosis of cancer carries such emotional upheaval that a person’s prolonged feelings of depression can eat away at the possibility for long-term survival. In a new study of cancer patients published in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers have found that people’s lives were more likely to be cut short when they had more symptoms of depression.
University of Rochester psychologist Kirk Warren Brown and co-authors used a number of demographic, medical, cancer
Researchers from Imperial College London have developed a system using statistical control charts to help monitor mortality rates in general practice.
Although the system, details of which are published online today in The Lancet, was developed as a practical response to monitoring issues raised by the Harold Shipman case, it can also be used to monitor variations in the quality of care between GPs and practices.
Dr Paul Aylin, one of the paper’s authors, from Imperial Co
Two University of Iowa Health Care physicians are calling attention to the issue of polyherbacy, the excessive or inappropriate ingestion of herbs for the treatment or prevention of disease, especially in older patients.
Jose Ness, M.D., UI assistant professor (clinical) of internal medicine, and Nicole Nisly, M.D., associate professor (clinical) of internal medicine and director of the UI Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Clinic, published a letter on polyherbacy in the May issu
Thought to be the most addictive form of nicotine in tobacco smoke, free-base nicotine is found at a wide range of levels in popular brands
When it comes to nicotine content, all cigarettes are not created equal, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. In fact, the study finds that some commercial cigarette brands contain 10 to 20 times higher percentages of nicotine in the so-called “free-base” form — the form thought to be most addictive — t
Older adults with anemia are twice as likely to have a significant decline in physical performance that could threaten their independence, report researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
“Our results suggest that anemia is an independent risk factor for physical decline, which puts older adults at higher risk for nursing home admission, disability and death,” said Brenda Penninx, Ph.D., associate professor
In an article appearing in a special issue of the Journal of Neuro-oncology, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute describe a complex cell-level process that allows malignant brain tumors to protect themselves by damaging the thymus, rapidly degrading the immune system. In a second article, Institute scientists identify a molecular mechanism that causes cell death of cancer-fighting lymphocytes as they infiltrate a brain tumor.
“We are
There is more to losing weight than diet and exercise, according to investigators the Research Institute at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Their study is the first to identify a new receptor protein present on fat cells that may play a role in fat metabolism. The findings, published recently in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, have implications for the many individuals suffering from obesity.
“We have identified a receptor protein on fat cells that when stimulated may increa
People who previously were not considered good candidates for LASIK because of large pupils can now get the procedure, according to a study appearing in the July issue of Ophthalmology, the clinical journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Eye M.D. Association. By using a larger laser treatment zone on the underlying layers of the cornea, surgeons can avoid inducing night vision disturbances such as haloes and glare that patients with large pupils often experience.
In this study
The new Director-General of WHO is calling for global collaboration to tackle the crisis identified by The Lancet’s Child Survival Series, which concludes in this week’s issue.
The series has highlighted a global public-health disaster: over 10 million children under five years dead every year; the majority from easily preventable causes. In a Commentary in this week’s issue, Dr JW Lee highlights three key priorities for action. He comments: “First, the health of children and mothers must be
Innovative test based on nanoshells could provide critical info for ER doctors, others
Nanotechnology researchers at Rice University have developed a new method of testing whole blood that could allow emergency room doctors and other point-of-care health professionals to rapidly diagnose a variety of ailments, including hemorrhagic stroke, heart attack, and various infectious diseases.
The test, which is faster than existing whole-blood immunoassays, uses gold nanoshells, tiny op
If your parents had coronary heart disease before age 60, the walls of your neck arteries are more likely to be thicker, putting you at higher risk of heart disease, too, researchers report in today´s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Compared with people with no parental history of early-onset coronary heart disease (CHD), those with at least one parent who had a heart attack or other coronary event such as chest pain before age 60, had th
Leading scientists worldwide investigating the cause of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) confirm that a novel coronavirus is the primary cause of the disease. The study is published on THE LANCET’s website at 0001 H Tuesday 22 July UK time.
SARS was first reported in China in November 2002, with over 8300 cases and 812 deaths reported by the beginning of July 2003. A novel coronavirus has been identified as the likely cause of SARS. Albert Osterhaus from Erasmus University, R
Genotyping provides route to tailored treatment at lower cost with less side effects
A new centralised genotyping service that enables clinicians to differentiate between types of hepatitis C infections is poised to improve treatment for patients with Hepatitis C, a severely under treated viral infection in the UK. The new service, available through HepCgen will allow clinicians to tailor costly interferon-based treatment regimes to the patients’ viral genotype, thus lowering costs a
A single protein acts as a key switch point in frontline immune system reactions to both bacterial and viral infections, according to a report published online today in the journal Nature. In determining how this protein functions, a team of scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) can now explain why certain symptoms, such as fever, occur regardless of the cause of infection.
Bruce Beutler, M.D., of The Scripps Research Institute in L
“Eighty percent of all babies born in the US that have cystic fibrosis (CF) are born to parents with no previous family history.” This attention-getting quote, used frequently by an activist in the CF community, makes it powerfully clear what few people realize: that both parents did not know they would pass on to their child the life-altering CFTR gene, the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis.
In fact, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation estimates that more than 10 million Americans are unkno
Hand held metal detectors (HHMDs), such as those used for security checks in airports, do not cause harmful heating or nerve stimulation in pregnant women, according to research published today (22 July 2003) in the Institute of Physics journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. The role of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), Maryland, is to ensure the safety of radiological products, so electromagnetic wave emitting HHMDs were an obvious choice for them to investigate, especially fo
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