http://www.physorg.com/ en-us PhysOrg.com provides the latest news from Massachusetts General Hospital A survey of patients had who experienced some sort of adverse event during their hospitalization found that, although caregivers discussed the event with patients less than half the time, those patients to whom the adverse event had been disclosed rated the quality of their care higher than did patients whose caregivers did not address the problem. The report from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute for Health Policy appears in the November 9 Archives of Internal Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news177059160.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:40:03 EST news177059160 A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physicians has developed a new general anesthetic that may be safer for critically ill patients. In the August issue of Anesthesiology, they describe preclinical studies of the drug called MOC-etomidate - a chemically altered version of an exiting anesthetic - which does not cause the sudden drop in blood pressure seen with most anesthetics or prolonged suppression of adrenal gland activity, a problem with the original version of the drug. http://www.physorg.com/news167549297.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:40:01 EST news167549297 Few internists who care for cancer survivors address issues of sexual dysfunction with their patients, according to a study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers. In their article appearing in a November 2009 cancer survivor supplement to the Journal of General Internal Medicine, now available online, the investigators report that more than half the internists responding to a survey indicated they rarely or never discussed sexual problems with their patients who had survived cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news175348990.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:04:54 EST news175348990 HIV-infected patients have a higher prevalence of fractures than non HIV-infected patients, across both genders and critical fracture sites according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). http://www.physorg.com/news139131178.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:32:58 EST news139131178 A common electrocardiogram (ECG) finding that has largely been considered insignificant may actually signal an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (a chronic heart rhythm disturbance), the future need for a permanent pacemaker and an increased risk for premature death. In their report in the June 24 Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Boston University School of Medicine describe results of the first large-scale study looking at the significance of a prolonged PR interval in a general population. http://www.physorg.com/news164998759.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:00:01 EST news164998759 A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) has found the first evidence of cell-to-cell communication by amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, rather than by known protein signaling agents such as growth factors or cytokines. Their report will appear in an upcoming issue of the FASEB Journal and has been released online. http://www.physorg.com/news157987616.html Medicine & Health Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:27:18 EST news157987616 A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age. The research, just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the death rates of those 65 and older. The study found that older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease at greater rates that those with adequate levels of the vitamin. http://www.physorg.com/news172765140.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:30:02 EST news172765140 A group of Italian and American investigators has published a new instrument for assessing cognitive and physical functioning (the Massachusetts General Hospital Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire, CPFQ), in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. It is a brief scale to measure cognitive and executive dysfunction in mood and anxiety disorders. http://www.physorg.com/news157964995.html Medicine & Health Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:10:38 EST news157964995 (PhysOrg.com) -- On Thursday, an international research team reported that a new AIDS vaccine tested in more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand protected a small but significant minority against infection. The new results mark the first time any vaccine has shown even partial success in clinical trials. http://www.physorg.com/news173425498.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:10:02 EST news173425498 (PhysOrg.com) -- A four thousand year old Egyptian mummy's tooth has yielded its DNA to probing scientists. http://www.physorg.com/news175417317.html Other Sciences Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:02:25 EST news175417317 Travelers book plane tickets online, bank customers can check their accounts at any computer, and busy families can grocery shop online. Someday, even doctor visits could be among the conveniences offered via the Internet. Researchers considering the feasibility and effectiveness of virtual doctors visits report that patients and physicians found that evaluations done through videoconferencing were similar to face-to-face visits on most measures, according a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. http://www.physorg.com/news161533925.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 May 2009 15:32:58 EST news161533925 A report from a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physicians calls into question the longstanding belief that pulmonary embolism (PE) - the life-threatening blockage of a major blood vessel in the lungs - is caused in trauma patients by a blood clot traveling from vessels deep within the legs or lower torso. In their study utilizing advanced imaging technologies, which appears in the October Archives of Surgery, the MGH investigators found no evidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in most trauma patients with pulmonary embolism. http://www.physorg.com/news175191494.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:40:03 EST news175191494 A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-based research team has identified how a chromosomal abnormality known to be associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) - the most common cancer in children - initiates the disease process. In the July issue of Cell Stem Cell, they describe how expression of this mutation in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which usually occurs before birth, leads to the development of leukemia many years later. http://www.physorg.com/news166884456.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:20:01 EST news166884456 A multi-institutional study has identified a potential personalized treatment target for the most common form of ovarian cancer. In the December 8 issue of Cancer Cell, the research team describes finding that a gene called MAGP2 - not previously associated with any type of cancer - was overexpressed in papillary serous ovarian tumors of patients who died more quickly. They also found evidence suggesting possible mechanisms by which MAGP2 may promote tumor growth. http://www.physorg.com/news179516018.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:00:04 EST news179516018 Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with their physicians or other health care providers. In a report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which has been released online, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Policy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute note that their findings illustrate the challenges of bringing genetic information into real-world clinical practice. http://www.physorg.com/news162133220.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 May 2009 14:01:36 EST news162133220