An implanted nerve stimulator helps drop foot sufferers walk faster and better
...mulation is not painful as the stimulation current does not pass across the skin," explains Hermens. The p...ial for this type of work. The necessary expertise does not exist in one single country, so European partnership was needed," says Hermens....Study associates alcohol use patterns with Body Mass Index
...a limited description of alcohol consumption as it does not account for drinking patterns. For example, an average volume of 7 drinks per week could be achieved by consuming 1 drink each day or 7 drinks on a single day. Average volume may not fully explain important relations between quantity and freque...Study finds new designer drug is potent treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia
... that causes them to grow too quickly. However, it does not bind very tightly to this protein, takes a long time to induce remissions, and patients can develop a resistant type of Bcr-Abl that no longer binds to Gleevec at all. To circumvent these shortcomings, researchers at Novartis determined the crys...Social Security reform proposals raise concerns for older women
...osals to reform the program. While Social Security does not currently have a minimum benefit, this was not always the case. It was in place from 1939 until 1981, when it was eliminated due to budgetary constraints and claims that it favored housewives and individuals with limited work histories. Author Pa...High levels of airborne mouse allergen in inner-city homes could trigger asthma attacks
...eveloping allergic sensitivity to mice, just as it does for laboratory workers who constantly work with rodents." Other common household allergens known to affect asthma include proteins shed by cockroaches, dust mites, furry pets and mold, along with tobacco smoke and certain chemicals. While previous s...Study finds happiness persists, despite illness
...te, 36 were black, and one was Hispanic. The study does more than just give the first-ever glimpse into the hour-by-hour happiness of seriously ill and healthy people, Ubel notes. It may also help influence policy-level and personal decisions about treatments for serious illnesses. For instance, someone ...Electronic medical records reduce hours, cut cost
...linical decision support tools like the CareEngine does just that." The CareEngine System Designed to improve care, while reducing costs, the CareEngine system is the ActiveHealth patented state-of-the-art technology platform that works by creating a virtual medical record from health plan claims data, ...Teaching a less obvious medical skill -- Ethical decision-making
...need to be able to practice medicine in a way that does not contradict their deepest personal and professional values. As an example, a physician at a hospital that will not provide treatment for a patient without insurance might decide that in order to maintain his or her integrity he or she needs to ser...Campus can be effective site for anti-smoking efforts
...ategies, Murphy-Hoefer says. Still, the CDC review does reveal clues about what works and suggest new research paths especially those that include larger participant pools and control groups. A 1999 study at Ursinus College designed to reduce public smoking reports 35 percent fewer cigarette butts found...Patients with cancer have highly increased risk for blood clots
...eened (numbers needed to screen: 700-2,700), which does not make screening a useful strategy. Rather than screening for factor V Leiden or the prothrombin 20210A mutation, it may be more cost-effective to consider prophylactic anticoagulant therapy for patients with cancer who have an increased risk to de...Sex hormone metabolite reduces stress, anxiety in female rats
...progestin that binds to progesterone receptors but does not metabolize into the progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone. Only natural progesterone reduced CRF-enhanced startle. Previous studies have determined that allopregnanolone enhances the activity of GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in t...New breast cancer test could save lives
...ch more comfortable procedure than X-rays since it does not involve compressing the breast between plates. This could encourage many more women to be tested regularly for breast cancer, which, according to Cancer Research UK, is the most common cancer for women in this country. Alan Preece, Professor ...Aetiology of congenital heart disease explained
...nt of pregnancies amongst Ro and La positive women does this heart condition arise. This study has identified the specific antibody that causes the damage, and explained its mechanism of action. The antibody targets a specific part of the Ro protein known as p200. The study shows that the level of p200 a...Rehabilitation can restore some vision after stroke
...ikelihood of improvement. "The age of the patient does not matter much," Sabel said. "It also does not matter how old the lesion is at the start of the training, even when it is decades old patients ......ion, marital status, and families -- but crucially does not include class or poor/rich dimensions. Children and childcare: why has there not been the same commitment to children's early years in Northern Ireland as in England and Wales? Sure Start has been under-resourced. There is poor childcare provis...Substance protects resilient staph bacteria
...tective cell-surface structures. Biofilm formation does not depend on PGA, but other research in Dr. Otto's laboratory has indicated that PGA production is greater when a biofilm is present. Further, Dr. Otto says all 74 strains of S. epidermidis that his group tested also produced PGA, as did six other g...Full-body MRI shows promise for screening, but should stay in research area for now, study says
...lead author of the study. "We do believe screening does some good for patients, but it is not yet proven. In addition, with full-body MRI screening, you can evaluate a variety of organs and detect a variety of diseases, making it dramatically more difficult to calculate risks and benefits. Our recommendat...Public interest advocates question NIH Enhanced Access policy
...lliance. "Plainly put, today a patient with cancer does not have immediate or even timely access to the pu...ovide prompt access: "The potential 12 month delay does not improve much, if any, upon the status quo. NIH guidance also should encourage pursuit of alterna...Rat whisking may provide insight into debilitating eye disorder
...systems." As with blinking in humans, rat whisking does not normally turn into a vicious cycle. However, certain chemicals that interfere with normal communication between nerve cells can cause unintentional whisking in rats. By studying what mechanisms usually keep rat whisker movements in check, resea...Suffering from fatigue, abdominal discomfort or bloody diarrhea?
...gins. "However, this study suggests that endoscopy does not provide physicians with enough new information about the activity of the patient's disease to make it necessary for patients to have to undergo the discomfort of an endoscopy." Several disease activity measurement scales have been developed some...