Pain relief effectiveness down to mind-set?
...s of developing new pain killers for patients with conditions like cancer and arthritis. "A further, exciting possibility is that we could develop talking and drug-based therapies to enhance people's response to placebos. The experimental methods we're using will allow us to test out such possibilities as ...New imaging technique identifies people-at-risk for Alzheimer's disease
...a new diagnostic tool for detecting pre-Alzheimers conditions to help us identify those at risk, perhaps years before symptoms become obvious," said Dr. Gary Small, Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging, lead study author and a professor with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "This i...Stem cell activity deciphered in the aging brain
...ng to combat the cognitive decline associated with conditions such as Alzheimer"s disease and with aging in general," Hattiangady said. The team now is searching for ways to stimulate the brain to replace its own cells in order to improve learning and memory function in the elderly. One approach being explore......ntly increased by the cancer. Although some benign conditions such as fibroadenomas will occasionally absorb the drug, creating a false-positive result, the researchers believe that the error rate is less than the approximately 10 percent rate found with traditional mammography. The research team used this i...Just how useful are animal studies to human health?
...mal trials to analyse the effects of six drugs for conditions such as head injury, stroke and osteoporosis. Agreement between human and animal studies varied. For example, corticosteroids did not show any benefit for treating head injury in clinical trials but did show a benefit in animal models. Results als...Obesity could bankrupt the health system, warn doctors
... as custodians of public health, should create the conditions for this to happen The advertising of energy dense foods needs to be substantially curtailed The basic principles of energy balance should be taught in primary schools, and education should be provided at all levels to change attitudes and behaviou...International AIDS Vaccine Initiative statement on male circumcision
...fied professional as we work to improve healthcare conditions in resource-poor countries." Although male circumcision has been shown to reduce HIV acquisition in circumcised men, HIV/AIDS requires a sustained and integrated approach to protect countless numbers of women and girls who were not the focus of t...Could the ability to expel worms lead to a future asthma treatment?
...ts, however, do not reach many living in the worst conditions nor do they prevent patients from becoming re-infected. Mosmanns work could conceivably lead to a vaccine that would confer permanent immunity to worm infection, but such research remains in the future. Having been exposed to bacteria and parasites...New dyslexia theory blames 'noise'
...n may benefit from intensive training under"noisy" conditions to strengthen their mental templates,said University of Southern California neuroscientistZhong-Lin Lu. Lu was a co-author on three studies, along with lead authorand former USC graduate student Anne Sperling (now atthe National Institute of Menta...Protein 'fingerprint' in spinal fluid could spot Alzheimer's disease
...lzheimer's pathology and distinguish it from other conditions that cause dementia. "Some of these studies have met with limited success, but most have correlated their findings with patient's clinical symptoms rather than working with the gold-standard of autopsy-proven Alzheimer's," notes Norman Relkin, M.D....High risk of chronic health conditions plagues those with schizophrenia
...y to have one or more of 46 common chronic health conditions than individuals without mental illness, according...renia were more likely to have a greater number of conditions spanning several disease categories including cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and endocrine...Hospital performance measures may not accurately reflect quality of care or predict patient outcomes
...e difference in the rate of death for three common conditions at the hospitals, indicating that the measures may not accurately reflect patient outcomes, according to a study in the December 13 issue of JAMA. In the United States, quality of care delivered in hospitals is often variable. Because it is assume...Natural, soy-based substance might help fight MS, Jefferson neuroscientists find
...en used for other conditions, notably precancerous conditions in the mouth. He and his co-workers compared two groups of animals with EAE. One group received BBIC, while the other received only an inert substance. Animals that received BBIC were able to walk while those that didnt get the drug were not, he s...Hospital performance measures may not make much difference when it comes to mortality
...e difference in the rate of death for three common conditions at the hospitals, indicating that the performance measures may not accurately reflect patient outcomes. Senior author Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Core Investigator with the Center for ...Nonprofit hospitals, more nurses and greater availability of technology equal better patient care
...dicaid patients had low quality of care across all conditions studied. Hospitals in the Midwest and Northeast, not in rural areas, had better performance, as did hospitals with more advanced technology available. Landon and colleagues also performed analyses that examined the relationships between the various...Weight loss through calorie restriction, but not exercise, may lead to bone loss
...n in the article. The primary treatment for these conditions is lifestyle modification, including exercise and low-calorie diets. However, decreasing body weight is associated with decreased bone mineral density, which increases the risk for osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) and hip fractures in older men...Novel brain areas associated with the recognition of gender, ethnicity and the identity of faces
... is involved has some interesting implications for conditions like autism spectrum disorders." The authors are now examining how we might develop this sensitivity to the subtle cues that define gender, ethnicity and identity. Children and adults generally aren't explicitly taught how to make these judgments;...Patients' requests for antidepressants can influence physician evaluation of depression
...ntion from treating the coexisting musculoskeletal conditions presented by patients in the study, and the researchers found no evidence to support the assertion that requests reflecting direct-to-consumer advertising distract the physician from taking a complete medical history. Instead, the research team conc...Young infants should not be left unattended to sleep in car safety seats
... infants and full term infants with certain health conditions are at risk of oxygen de-saturation and apnoea (temporary suspension of breathing) while they are restrained in recommended semi-reclining infant car seats. Studies have also shown that mild oxygen de-saturation can affect some full term infants, alt...