Brain morphing technology simplifies the surgical treatment for movement disorders
...EEE Transactions on Medical Imaging published this month report that the new system can do a better job of identifying the initial location to insert the electrodes than an experienced neurosurgeon. "The biggest problem with the procedure is that the surgeons cannot see the structure where they have to pu...Multiple-birth babies, boys have higher risk of defects
...ems to arise, according to findings published this month in Birth Defects Research (Part A): Clinical and Molecular Teratology. "In the past 20 years, multiple births have increased because of greater reliance on assistive reproductive technology, especially among women delaying childbirth until their 30s ...Prescription drug coverage: An essential service or fringe benefit?
...und that there were 0.38 more physician visits per month and 0.50 fewer prescriptions filled per month during the cost-sharing period than during the free period. In addition, among patients who were adm...Drug may combat weight loss during radiation treatments
...chael Farmer, M.D., who presented the results last month at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Denver. The research involved megestrol acetate, a synthetic form of the female hormone progesterone. The drug was originally used as an anti-hormonal treatment for bre...Robotic treadmill training helps retrain brain, improves walking
...ements as "quite dramatic." He said within about a month of training on the robotic treadmill, he stood up out of his wheelchair for the first time. "I had no idea I'd be able to do that," he said. Prior to the training, he could only stand with assistance and could not walk.Today he uses only a cane to mo...Drinking small amounts of alcohol regularly reduces risk of obesity
...e 'current drinkers' and drank at least onedrink a month on average. Individuals who drank four or more drinks per day wereclassified as heavy drinkers. Obesity was defined as a BMI equal to or higherthan 30. The results of the study show that current drinkers had 0.73 lower chances ofbeing obese than non-...Mayo Clinic researchers: Stroke risk significant in month following heart attack
... the surprise was that the risk was so high in the month after a heart attack," says Veronique Roger, M.D., M.P.H., the Mayo Clinic cardiologist who led the study. "A lot of patients survive heart attacks today, which is why this study is so relevant," she says. "It emphasizes the importance of worrying a...Team care more cost-effective than usual care for depression
...older adults, the cost amounts to less than $1 per month for each member. According to the cost-effectiveness study, the costs of providing IMPACT care were offset by health care cost savings in the year following the program, suggesting potential long-term cost savings. The cost-effectiveness of the IMPAC...Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Dec. 6, 2005
... attacks found a high risk for stroke in the first month after the heart attacks (Article, p. 785). Approximately 22.6 per 1,000 people had a stroke within 30 days of a myocardial infarction. Further, heart attack patients who had a stroke were almost three times more likely to die than those who did not h...UQ researchers show traditional Chinese exercises can help combat diabetes
...s for Type 2 diabetes," he said. During the three month pilot study 11 participants undertook the exercise program. The program included Qigong (pronounced chi kung) - a combination of movement, breathing and mind training. It is believed that the 5000-year-old self-healing art helps cleanse the body of t...Cell phones can increase your distress level
...ess; she asked them to state how often in the past month they felt feelings ranging from "in good spirits" to "everything was an effort." Participants were also asked questions such as whether they could turn to their family for help and if they were satisfied with the support they receive. "The question...Drug-eluting stents may cause allergic reactions
... stents, but retracted an assertion of causality a month later. That retraction may have been premature," says Dr. Bennett. The paper also concludes that further research is warranted to better understand this risk and to develop a skin test to identify people who might be at high risk for hypersensitivit...New Israeli study finds vaccinating all toddlers against hepatitis A
... that the immunization of toddlers in the 18 to 24 month bracket confers "herd immunity," the protection extended to family members and the community in general when a large portion of a population is vaccinated. In addition, the most significant decrease in hepatitis A levels after the introduction of he...Jefferson scientists discover mechanism tying obesity to Alzheimer's disease
...cess." The scientists reported their findings this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. According to, Dr. Gandy, evidence has emerged over the last five years that many of the conditions that raise the risk for heart disease such as obesity, uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterole...Suicide risk does not increase when adults start using antidepressants, study finds
...e attempts fell by 60 percent in adults during the month after antidepressant treatment began, and declined... prescription. That rate was not higher in the one month after the prescription than in subsequent months. The study also found that newer antidepressants we...Alcohol advertising may contribute to increased drinking among young people
... average--each additional advertisement viewed per month increased the number of drinks consumed by 1 perce...his control, young people drank 3 percent more per month for each additional dollar spent per capita in their market. Youth in markets with high advertising...CMS announces fewer, prioritized, less burdensome measures
...ters for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this month will launch a smaller, prioritized and less burdensome set of measures for reporting quality care to Medicare beneficiaries. Revisions in the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program (PVRP), announced by CMS on Dec. 27 http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Physician...Study: Exercise helps speed wound healing in older adults
... in the exercise group started working out about a month before the wound procedure; this gave their bodies enough time to adapt to a regular exercise program. The wounds were about 1/8-inch across and deep. The researchers photographed the wounds three times a week until the wounds were no longer visible ...UCSD team creates model for genetic brain syndrome
... the developing brain during the third and fourth month of gestation. Then they must migrate to reach their proper position within the six-layered cortex. When this migration is defective and neurons stop short of their proper destination, there is an absence of the normal grooves and ridges that charac......nal crude mortality rate of 21 deaths per 1000 per month was 40% higher than the sub-Saharan regional level, corresponding to 600 000 more deaths than would be expected during the recall period and 38 000 excess deaths per month. Total death toll from the conflict (19982004) was estimated to be 39 million....