http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. New research into the effects of antipsychotic drugs commonly prescribed to Alzheimer's patients concludes that the medication nearly doubles risk of death over three years. The study, funded by the Alzheimer's Research Trust, was led by Prof Clive Ballard's King's College London team and is published in Lancet Neurology on 9 January. http://www.physorg.com/news150695213.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:46:53 EST news150695213 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have demonstrated a more effective treatment for bacterial pneumonia following influenza. They found that the antibiotics clindamycin and azithromycin, which kill bacteria by inhibiting their protein synthesis, are more effective than a standard first-line treatment with the "beta-lactam" antibiotic ampicillin, which causes the bacteria to lyse, or burst. http://www.physorg.com/news150653601.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:13:21 EST news150653601 A new debate in the open access journal PLoS Medicine questions whether all African children with fever should be treated presumptively with antimalarial drugs, or if treatment should wait until laboratory tests confirm malarial infection. http://www.physorg.com/news150444543.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:09:03 EST news150444543 In a first of its kind study, a first-degree family history of prostate cancer has no impact on the treatment outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy (also called seed implants), and patients with this type of family history have clinical and pathologic characteristics similar to men with no family history at all, according to a January 1 study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. http://www.physorg.com/news150115064.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:37:44 EST news150115064 (PhysOrg.com) -- Vampires aren't usually cast in the role of saviors, but stroke experts are hoping a blood thinner that mimics a chemical in vampire saliva will help save brain cells in stroke patients. http://www.physorg.com/news149871922.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:05:22 EST news149871922 A new report suggests that treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes with procedures such as cleanings and periodontal scaling is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month. http://www.physorg.com/news149272162.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:29:22 EST news149272162 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes hepatitis and increased risk of developing liver cancer. Current treatments are expensive, have severe side effects, and fail in about half the patients treated. However, the Virahep-C Study Group, at Saint Louis University, has now developed an approach that predicted the outcome of therapy, raising the possibility of a test to predict treatment response and reduce treatment failures, something that could save a great deal of pain and expense for HCV-infected patients. http://www.physorg.com/news149188583.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:16:23 EST news149188583 A new study finds that hospice services -care that is provided by physicians, visiting nurses, chaplains, home health aides, social workers and counselors -have restrictions that reduce usage by many patients who are most in-need, particularly African Americans. The research, published in the February 1, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, indicates that the eligibility criteria for hospice services should be reconsidered. http://www.physorg.com/news149142730.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:32:10 EST news149142730 Throughout the world, 10 million breast cancer survivors have a lifetime risk for developing lymphedema, a chronic condition that involves swelling of the limbs and impacts physical and psychosocial health. Second only to the recurrence of cancer, it is the most dreaded effect of breast cancer treatment. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found that the risk of developing lymphedema is 40 percent to 60 percent higher in women with body mass index (BMI) classified as overweight or obese compared to normal weight women. The researchers recommend increased health education for breast cancer survivors. http://www.physorg.com/news148818233.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:23:53 EST news148818233 Repeated miscarriages and hormone treatment for infertility give an increased risk of pre-eclampsia among pregnant women. This comes from a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. More than 20 000 first-time mothers from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) were included in the study. http://www.physorg.com/news148817012.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:03:32 EST news148817012 Surgery to treat obesity could be avoided if GPs and healthcare trusts put more time and money into early stage weight management programmes, a senior clinical researcher will say today. http://www.physorg.com/news148706516.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:21:56 EST news148706516 The effectiveness of voriconazole in combating fungal infections has been confirmed by a new study to be featured in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, published by Elsevier. Fungal infections can kill people with weakened immune systems, which can be caused by AIDS, cancer treatment or organ replacement, and the research reinforces earlier findings that this drug is a potent treatment for a wide range of these infections. http://www.physorg.com/news148641744.html Biology Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:22:24 EST news148641744 Wellcome Trust researchers have developed a new form of psychotherapy that has been shown to have the potential to treat more than eight out of ten cases of eating disorders in adults, a study out today reports. http://www.physorg.com/news148543663.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:07:43 EST news148543663 Children with diabetes are at an increased risk for developing eating disorders and researchers want to know if it's their disease or treatment that's to blame. http://www.physorg.com/news148150650.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:57:30 EST news148150650 Treating prostate cancer patients with drugs that block hormonal activity does not appear to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers. While a 2006 report from members of the same study team found that treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists increased the risk of diabetes and heart disease, the current study is the first to examine whether treatment actually increased heart-disease-related deaths. In their Journal of Clinical Oncology report, which has been released online, the researchers note that GnRH agonist treatment has a number of adverse side effects, which should be kept in mind when determining treatment strategies. http://www.physorg.com/news148132191.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:49:51 EST news148132191 Nonhormonal treatment regimens, including anthracycline-based regimens and taxanes, have improved overall survival in women with advanced (metastatic or recurrent inoperable) breast cancer over the last 35 years, according to a systematic review published December 9 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news148067994.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:59:54 EST news148067994 Preliminary results of a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of pralatrexate (PDX), a drug that partially works by mimicking folic acid, showed a complete or partial response in 27 percent of patients with recurrent or resistant peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). http://www.physorg.com/news148062429.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:27:09 EST news148062429 An international coalition of pediatric cancer physicians and researchers has developed new systems to standardize studies of neuroblastomas across the world. In the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) presents three sets of papers outlining a: standard classification system; pre-treatment staging system; and an analysis of a rare group of patients. http://www.physorg.com/news148057220.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:00:20 EST news148057220 Statins, drugs widely prescribed to lower cholesterol, do not interfere with a commonly used medication to treat lymphomas, according to a Mayo Clinic study presented today at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (http://www.hematology.org/meetings/2008/) in San Francisco. In fact, statins may slow the progression of certain types of lymphoma. http://www.physorg.com/news148054476.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:14:36 EST news148054476 Treatment times for amblyopia - more commonly known as 'lazy eye' - could be drastically reduced thanks to research carried out at The University of Nottingham. http://www.physorg.com/news148049188.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:46:28 EST news148049188 A new study by researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center Milwaukee, has found that African Americans and whites have identical survival rates after undergoing autologous (self donor) bone marrow transplant treatment for a common cancer of the bone marrow (multiple myeloma). However, in a previous study the researchers showed that African Americans were only half as likely as whites to actually receive a bone marrow transplant, the well-established life-prolonging treatment for the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news147968414.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:20:14 EST news147968414 Those diagnosed with early stage dementia can slow their physical, mental and psychological decline by taking part in therapeutic programs that combine counseling, support groups, Taiji and qigong, researchers report. Some of the benefits of this approach are comparable to those achieved with anti-dementia medications. http://www.physorg.com/news147631818.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:50:18 EST news147631818 Better targeted, more cost-effective osteoporosis treatment could soon be a reality worldwide. A new method for determining more accurately at which point someone needs further diagnostic tests, or when immediate treatment is warranted, has been developed by The National Osteoporosis Guideline Group in the UK. http://www.physorg.com/news147531498.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:58:18 EST news147531498 Results of a phase III, international randomized clinical trial demonstrate a new standard of care for treating advanced ovarian cancer that significantly reduces side-effects and post-operative deaths compared to the previously established treatment course. The study, presented at the 12th Biennial Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) in Bangkok in October, has a major impact on many countries where the new standard represents a more practical course of treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news147530739.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:45:39 EST news147530739 Most studies examining the impact of alcohol-dependence (AD) treatment on quality-of-life (QOL) have looked at psychosocial treatments. This study looked at the impact of pharmacotherapy on QOL, specifically, the effects of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX), a once-a-month injectable formulation for the treatment of AD. Results showed significant improvements in the QOL areas of mental health, social functioning, general health, and physical functioning. http://www.physorg.com/news147373080.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:58:00 EST news147373080 A new analysis of the National Cancer Institute's cancer registry has found that as many as one in five older women experience delayed or incomplete radiation treatment following breast-conserving surgery, and that this suboptimal care can lead to worse outcomes. http://www.physorg.com/news147372503.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:48:23 EST news147372503 Haemorrhoids are considered one of the most frequent diseases of the anal region with high prevalence (nearly 50% of proctological visits in a colorectal unit), involving any age and affecting both sexes. Numerous modalities and techniques have been developed to treat symptomatic hemorrhoids ranging from simple dietary measures and bowel habit regulation, through a number of non-operative procedures, to different techniques of excision of diseased analCushions. The vast amount of treatment options means none are close to perfection. Nonsurgical methods aim at tissue fixation (sclerotherapy, cr yotherapy, photocoagulation, laser), or fixation with tissue excision [rubber band ligation (RBL)]. RBL is considered the most widely used procedure, and it offers the possibility to resolve hemorrhoidal disease without the need for hospitalization or anaesthesia, and with lower incidence of complications. http://www.physorg.com/news147366439.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:07:19 EST news147366439 Latina women who prefer speaking Spanish are more likely than other ethnic groups to express regret or dissatisfaction with their breast cancer treatment, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news146220110.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:41:50 EST news146220110 Patients treated for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who receive chemotherapy and proton beam therapy have fewer instances of bone marrow toxicity than patients who receive the standard treatment of intensity-modulated radiation (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy, according to researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news145808497.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:21:37 EST news145808497 Montreal, November 13, 2008 - A new cross-Canada study has found that breast and prostate cancer treatment can foster bone loss. In the online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the scientists explain how loss of bone mass might affect 46,000 people diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer each year* and place them at increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures. http://www.physorg.com/news145799650.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:54:10 EST news145799650