Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Oct. 19, 2004
...at the study clearly shows that antibiotics aren't useful but notes that some studies have shown improvement if a-receptor blockers are used for extended periods of time, e.g., three to six months (Editorial, p. 639). * * * 2. Simple Exercises Help Many with Vertigo and Dizziness Simple exercises ...Study in male smokers continues to provide clues into the causes and prevention of multiple cancers
...udies, fruit and vitamin C intake are likely to be useful for the prevention of stomach cancer. The effect of lycopene on gastric cancer, however, needs further studies," said Farin Kamangar, M.D., MPH, MHS, of the Cancer Prevention Studies Branch at the National Cancer Institute, and one of the lead inves...Scientists find new clues underlying mood disorders
...the fibroblast growth factor system may one day be useful in developing an accurate tool for diagnosing major depression. In addition to Jones and Choudary at UC Davis, the study's authors include: Huda Akil, Simon Evans, Stanley J. Watson, Juan F. Lopez, Robert C. Thompson, J. D. Stead,...Sealing corneal incisions with a drop of chemistry, BU researchers develop gel for cataract surgery
...e substance, known as a hydrogel, promises to be a useful tool in the kit used for the most common of ophthalmic surgeries: cataract removal. Currently, 11 million such surgeries are performed worldwide annually, a figure expected to increase as the world's population grows older. The team's findings will...Wound healers cause skin disease
...ces of skin can be reproduced. These are extremely useful in the treatment of burns, bedsores or skin cancer. The culturing of 'diseased' skin offers the possibility of thoroughly studying diseases and testing new treatments....Scientists begin validation study of test to detect recurrence of bladder cancer
...f cancer -- is the critical step to create a truly useful test. The bladder cancer test uses a technology known as microsatellite DNA analysis (MSA). Microsatellites, also known as short tandem repeats, are repeating units of one to six nucleotides (e.g. CACACACA) found throughout human chromosomes. These ...Stanford scientists help bring study of smallpox virus into 'molecular age'
..." associated with the virus. Such markers could be useful in guiding interventions in the event of a smallpox outbreak. Smallpox transmits only among humans. Since the disease no longer exists in humans, Army researcher Peter Jahrling, PhD, set out to create an animal model that mimicked as many aspec...Attention to detail can make kids' hospital stays shorter, less costly & less frequent
...DRGs, data on length and cost of patient stays was useful for hospital administrators who needed to plan and budget, but not appropriate for physicians and nurses who needed to redesign the way they delivered care," says Sedman. "Now, we have a tool that clinicians can use to look at their data after acuity...Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers identify novel target for detecting ovarian cancer in blood
...if confirmed in larger studies, methylation may be useful in ovarian cancer diagnosis," said Cairns. In earlier research, Cairns and his colleagues have demonstrated the ability to detect prostate and kidney cancer by targeting hypermethylation....Rating medical journals by importance to clinicians
...dical titles according to the number of clinically useful articles that they publish. Ann McKibbon, Nancy W... the BMJ featured in the list of the top five most useful titles. "All lists of important journals included both North American and European titles," said Mc...Taking apart a hurricane: Multi-sensor Envisat sees through Frances
...sphere pretty much simultaneously, which is a very useful capability during hurricane season," said Hans Gra...he potential is there to extract a large amount of useful information which can help the US National Hurricane Center increase the accuracy of their hurricane...Call for national collaboration on medical education research
...vational strategies used in patient research offer useful models for the medical education setting. These include cross-sectional, longitudinal, cohort and case control studies. The authors analyze the strengths and weakness of various observational and experimental research methods as a framework for co...Many drugs prescribed for elderly Americans are risky
...that pharmaceutical claims databases could offer a useful tool to help reduce the problem by screening prescriptions and issuing patient-specific alerts when physicians prescribe inappropriate drugs or drug combinations, she said. Physicians' compliance with the guidelines might also be improved by bolsteri...July/August 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...y to identify lipid abnormalities would be no more useful than screening for hyperlipidemia in general....Study: Dementia often undiagnosed in clinical settings
...idn't find a full clinical evaluation for dementia useful because they believe they could manage the dementia without assessing or identifying the cause. "Doctors don't see the imperative to conduct a complete evaluation for dementia," Boise said. "The doctor may simply take into account that the older pati...3D neutron-based medical imaging, 4D lung scans, and hitting a moving tumor
...ieties and committees that helped to develop truly useful clinical applications of the technique. Medical p...omography (PET), an imaging technique particularly useful for spotting lung tumors. By using a radioactive tracer to produce images inside the body, PET dist...Pediatricians are plentiful, but not in poorer states
... Freed. For instance, he says, the study might be useful to policy makers who may want to provide incentives and opportunities for pediatricians and other health professionals to operate in shortage areas, or protect existing programs from funding changes. The new study found that Massachusetts has the hi...LSUHSC neurosurgical team discovers novel therapy for intractable hiccups
...ugh hiccups are a normal occurrence, they serve no useful purpose. Hiccups are normally self-limiting. In some cases, however, hiccups don't go away, and these prolonged attacks can cause significant illness and even death. When the attack lasts longer than a month, the hiccups are termed intractable. Alth...MRI scans could be 'acceptable alternative' to x-rays
...ers, it is effective in assessing a corpse, and is useful for body composition research. The advent of molecular imaging is likely to herald many new scanning applications for whole body sequences, they conclude.......rm relief for patients. There is weaker but still useful evidence for other treatments, including splinting, laser-acupuncture, yoga and therapeutic ultrasound. Click here to view a pdf of the complete article. Patient Pain in Primary Care: Factors That Influence Physician Diagnosis By Klea D. Bertaki...