Stanford patient is first to test new treatment for peripheral arterial disease
STANFORD, Calif. - For several years, crippling leg pain has prevented Joan Erickson from walking more than a block. If she paused to rest, she could walk a little more, but not enough to continue playing golf, her favorite pastime....... ...An ultrasound and CT scan early this year showed that an artery in Erickson's thigh was almost completely blocked, confirming that her troubles were caused b...Protein that helps skin cancer spread identified by Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - A protein that normally helps hold the skin intact is also needed by skin cancer cells as they spread to other regions of the body, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered. Identifying this protein's role opens the door for stopping the spread of this deadly cancer-the second most common cancer type in the United States.... ......The work, whic...Computer model being developed at Stanford may help surgeons better predict patient outcomes
STANFORD, Calif. - People are as different on the inside as they are on the outside, making it difficult to predict how an individual will respond to a surgical intervention without resorting to statistics and educated guesses. Charles Taylor, PhD, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of surgery at Stanford University, is using his engineering expertise to try to take the guesswork o...Brain-scanning technologies need standards, according to Stanford researcher
STANFORD, Calif. - Researchers have developed ever more sensitive ways of peering into the brain to seek out explanations for brain disease. In most cases these technologies are good news for patients, bringing new ways of understanding health and treatment options. However, standards defining ethical ways of moving forward with the new technology are needed in order to prevent abuse....... ...Ju...Stanford researcher dusts off old drug; uncovers new anti-rejection properties
STANFORD, Calif. - Thirty years ago, researchers scooped some dirt on Easter Island and discovered bacteria that led to a potential anti-fungal drug. Little did they know that the drug - which languished on shelves after proving ineffective in early trials - would become popular in 1999 as a way to prevent rejection of transplanted organs.... ... Now, new studies from Stanford University M...Young blood revives aging muscles, Stanford researchers find
STANFORD, Calif. - Any older person can attest that aging muscles don't heal like young ones. But it turns out that's not the muscle's fault. A study in the Feb. 17 issue of Nature shows that it's old blood that keeps the muscles down. .........The study, led by Thomas Rando, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology and neurological sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, built o...Brain synapse formation linked to proteins, Stanford study finds
STANFORD, Calif. - Critical connections that neurons form in the brain during development turn out to rely on common but overlooked cells, called glia. These cells were known to support the neurons in adults, but had never been fingered as players in forming the connections between neurons, known as synapses....... ...The Stanford University School of Medicine researchers who conducted the work,...Early HIV screening prolongs life and is affordable, Stanford study shows
STANFORD, Calif. - Expanding HIV screening would be a relatively cost-effective way to increase life expectancy and decrease disease transmission. That is the conclusion of researchers at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine who conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of doing routine HIV screening....... ..."We're convinced based on what we...Vioxx went mostly to patients who didn't need it, Stanford researcher says
... ...STANFORD, Calif. - When Vioxx began being sold in 1999, it was touted for relieving pain without causing the gastritis and ulcers that some people developed from taking ibuprofen, naproxen and other painkillers known as non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs....... But over the next four years, it turned out that Vioxx was adopted way beyond that market niche: mill...Stanford study shows hypnosis helps kids undergoing difficult procedure
STANFORD, Calif. - 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...Ethics of neuroimaging research to be focus of NIH/Stanford meeting
STANFORD, Calif. - Learning about how the brain works often involves studying the brains of healthy volunteers. But what are researchers' obligations to the volunteers when those normal brains aren't so normal?...... That's the focus of a Jan. 6-7 meeting in Bethesda, Md., sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in collaboration with the Stanford University School of Medicine, designed to...Early learning leaves lasting changes in brain, Stanford owl study shows
STANFORD, Calif. - Educational Christmas toys can leave a mark on more than just your checkbook - they can also leave a permanent imprint on a child's brain. That's according to a Stanford University School of Medicine study in owls showing that early learning experiences forever change the brain's structure....... ...Previous work by study leader Eric Knudsen, PhD, professor and chair of neurobi...Stanford study finds new method improves chemotherapy survival in mice
STANFORD, Calif. - Seeking to find a way to lessen patients' vulnerability to deadly infections following chemotherapy, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have figured out a way to boost the immune function in animals following such treatments. Their approach involves increasing the pool of cells that give rise to neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that is critical for...Stanford study questions accuracy of ads for body scans
STANFORD, Calif. - A burgeoning industry that sells full-body scans to detect potential diseases - without a doctor's referral - is running advertisements that frequently include unsubstantiated claims about the benefits of getting CT and MRI scans, while rarely providing information about the technology's limitations and risks.... ......That's the conclusion of researchers at the Stanford Unive...New marrow transplant method developed at Stanford may eliminate fatal side effects
STANFORD, Calif. - Bone marrow transplantation can cure lymphomas and leukemia, but in about half of the cases transplanted immune cells wind up attacking the patient's body, as well as the cancer....... ...In response to this problem, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a technique that can virtually eliminate this life-threatening complication, known as graf...Stanford study reveals that cells linked to asthma and eczema also help cure deadly illness in mice
STANFORD, Calif. - Mast cells are immune cells known mostly for their unwanted effects: they cause the wheezing of asthma, the itching of eczema, the sneezing and runny nose of hay fever and, in extreme cases, the life-threatening shock of anaphylaxis. But researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that these cells also have some very beneficial effects.... ...Stephen Ga...Millions who suffer from nut and milk allergies could benefit from Stanford researcher's test
STANFORD, Calif. - A team led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine has developed vaccines that vastly reduce or eliminate dogs' allergic reactions to three major food allergens: peanuts, milk and wheat. The vaccines' benefits lasted at least three months....... ...The research, published in the Nov. 12 online edition of the journal Allergy and completed jointly with scien...Stanford to test effects of drug widely used for pediatric hypertension
STANFORD, Calif. - The National Institutes of Health awarded the Stanford University School of Medicine a $4.3 million contract to test whether a drug commonly used to treat hypertension in pediatric patients actually works safely and effectively in children....... ...It's the second contract under a federal program established to address the pharmaceutical industry's failure to study certain dru...Switch of a gene turns cancer cells healthy in mice, Stanford scientists find
STANFORD, Calif. - Conventional wisdom holds that cancer cells contain so many mutations that there's no way to return them to the straight and narrow path of their normal neighbors. This has led to cancer treatments that focus on destroying or removing the cancerous cells.... ......But new research by Dean Felsher, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (oncology) and of pathology at the Stanf...Stanford scientists help bring study of smallpox virus into 'molecular age'
In one of two companion articles published in this week's advance online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, David A. Relman, MD, associate professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology, and his colleagues identify a number of distinctive molecular events that occur in monkeys following infection with the smallpox virus that do not occur in monkeys infected wi...Psychological factors may be root of back pain, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - When it comes to back pain, psychological distress is a more reliable predictor of the problem than imaging and diagnostic disc injection, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers say. Their finding could affect how doctors treat back pain, which often includes costly surgery that insurance companies are increasingly reluctant to cover....... ...Most adults in the Uni...Attacking bipolar disorder in young adults boosts outcome, says Stanford study
STANFORD, Calif. - College students with bipolar disorder appear to function well if properly diagnosed and treated, although those with a family history of the disease may be more difficult to treat, according to a recent analysis led by Terence Ketter, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine....... "It's possible for this group...Blood screen may help cancer patients thwart radiation side effects, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - Radiation therapy is a powerful tool for treating cancer, but for 5 percent of patients that lifesaving treatment comes with serious side effects. Screening blood for the activity level of 24 genes may identify those patients most likely to react badly to radiation, say Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. With this tool, doctors may soon be able to tailor-make t...Fertility herbal supplement sprouts promising results in Stanford pilot study
STANFORD, Calif. - A researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine says a small study shows promise for a nutritional supplement that may help boost fertility in women who have difficulty conceiving. Initial results indicate that of the women who took the supplement, one-third became pregnant after five months.... ..."This was a small, pilot study but if the findings hold up in a large...Blood-forming stem cells fail to repair heart muscle in Stanford study
STANFORD, Calif. - A new study adds a twist to the ongoing debate over using blood-forming stem cells to repair heart muscle. In the March 21 online issue of Nature, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine report that the cells are unable to replace heart muscle after a heart attack, which refutes earlier findings.... ......During the past three years, several gr...Tuberculosis strains stay close to home, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - Taking advantage of the open-air laboratory that is San Francisco, Peter Small, MD, has collected samples of virtually every case of tuberculosis that has occurred in the city for the last 13 years - almost 3,000 total. In this week's advance online edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the associate professor of infectious diseases and geographic medi...Stroke treatment window stays open longer than thought, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - After a stroke, a person typically has just three hours to reach a hospital and receive the one drug approved to help save threatened brain cells. This narrow treatment window limits the drug's usefulness to less than one-quarter of all stroke patients who squeak in under the deadline. A new study published in the March 6 issue of The Lancet suggests this treatment window may r...Tiny molecular motors shed light on cell function, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - Every cell in the body has what James Spudich, PhD, calls "a dynamic city plan" comprised of molecular highways, construction crews, street signs, cars, fuel and exhaust. Maintenance of this highly organized structure is fundamental to the development and function of all cells, Spudich says, and much of it can be understood by figuring out how the molecular motors do the work t...Activism prompts teen smokers to cut back on cigarettes, Stanford study finds
STANFORD, Calif. - Scare tactics and lectures don't persuade teenage smokers to change their habits, but engaging them as anti-smoking activists does, say Stanford University School of Medicine researchers....... ...A study involving 10 Bay Area continuation, or alternative, high schools found that among students who were regular smokers, those who engaged in anti-tobacco advocacy effort...Link between sleep, cancer progression explored by Stanford researcher
STANFORD, Calif. - A good night's sleep may be one weapon in the fight against cancer, according to researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine. Their work is among the first of its kind to piece together the link between mental well-being and cancer recovery. ... ...Previous studies have found that cancer patients who go through group therapy or have a strong social network fare better...Cool brain opens stroke treatment window, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - Treating stroke is all a matter of timing: therapy delivered too late misses the critical window when neurons can still be saved. A report by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers shows that cooling the brain can lengthen the therapeutic window, giving doctors more time to protect brain cells.... ......The idea of cooling the brain isn't new. Study leader Gary Stei...Drop in hormone therapy use shows physicians heed clinical trial findings, Stanford researchers say
STANFORD, Calif. - The dramatic drop in prescriptions for postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy after the risks of long-term estrogen/progestin use were announced suggests physicians respond more readily to new clinical evidence than previously observed, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.... ......However, the researchers add that a study of the impact of hormon...Age-related muscle loss linked to protein interplay, says Stanford researcher
STANFORD, Calif. - Any older athlete can attest that aging muscles don't heal as fast as youthful ones. Now researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have found a molecular link between older muscles and slow healing. This work could lead to ways of preventing atrophy from immobilization, space flight or simply due to aging....... "What you really want to do is maintain the youthfulne...Hassle-free stroke prevention offered by new drug, Stanford researcher says
STANFORD, Calif. People who take a commonly prescribed yet problematic drug called Coumadin to prevent stroke or blood clots may soon have a hassle-free alternative, according to research at Stanford University School of Medicine. Results from a 7,329-person international study have found that a new drug called ximelegatran prevents strokes as effectively as Coumadin without the side effects or...Anti-inflammatory drugs speed brain recovery in Stanford animal study
STANFORD, Calif. - Inflammation may be the culprit in the brain's inability to recover from damage, according to researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine. Their work in rats suggests that common anti-inflammatory drugs related to ibuprofen may help the brain heal after injury or radiation therapy....... ..."This work may open up therapeutic avenues for people who need radiation treat...Automatic CPR device dramatically improves cardiac arrest survival in Stanford animal study
STANFORD, Calif. - A small, portable device greatly increases the chance of surviving sudden cardiac death by restoring blood pressure better than conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to a Stanford University School of Medicine animal study. Following restoration of heart function, most of the animals in the Stanford study also showed no neurological damage, which commonly result...Sleep apnea, depression linked in Stanford study
STANFORD, Calif. - People with depression are five times more likely to have a breathing-related sleep disorder than non-depressed people, according to a study at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study is the first to show a link between depression and sleep apnea along with its related disorders....... Although it remains unclear how the conditions are linked, Maurice Ohayon, MD,...Radically new anti-rejection drug shown to offer safe control of immune system in Stanford study
STANFORD, Calif. - A new type of drug may help transplanted organs thrive without compromising the recipient, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have shown. The drug specifically targets immune cells that lead to rejection, causing minimal side effects in animal studies. The drug also shows promise as a therapy for quieting the overactive immune system in patients with autoimmune...Cosmetic surgery satisfaction declines with time, Stanford research finds
STANFORD, Calif. - Patients who undergo laser resurfacing to help smooth their complexions are generally satisfied with the results of the procedure, though their satisfaction levels tend to decline over time, according to a study by a Stanford University Medical Center researcher....... ...The study included 27 patients - both men and women - who were queried at various stages within 30 months a...Drug may treat previously incurable brain cancer, say Stanford researchers
STANFORD, Calif. - An old drug may have found a new role treating an incurable form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, according to preliminary research at Stanford University School of Medicine. The drug, called arsenic trioxide, increases the effectiveness of radiation therapy in mice with the disease. The researchers will present their work Oct. 22 at the American Society for Therapeutic Rad...