Thursday, June 30, 2011

Medical News

Medical News


Late age-related macular degeneration forecasts ICH

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Patients with late age-related macular degeneration are at increased risk for having an intracerebral hemorrhage, shows an analysis of the Rotterdam Study.

Maternal infection points to neuropsychological deficits in schizophrenia

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Deficits in verbal memory and motor function in schizophrenia are associated with maternal genital/reproductive infections in African–American but not White patients, US scientists have discovered.

Substance use disorders hamper bipolar medication adherence

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Patients with bipolar disorder and current substance use disorder have poor medication adherence and negative attitudes towards medications, conclude US researchers who recommend achieving substance use remission to improve outcomes.

Psoriasis patients at increased risk for hospitalization for infectious disease

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Patients with psoriasis are almost twice as likely as individuals in the general population to be hospitalized for an infectious disease, report Dutch researchers.

MicroRNAs are promising biomarkers in esophageal cancer

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Circulating levels of microRNAs show significant promise as biomarkers in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Japanese researchers report.

MicroRNAs are promising biomarkers in esophageal cancer

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Circulating levels of microRNAs show significant promise as biomarkers in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Japanese researchers report.

Noninvasive CV imaging has ‘unclear’ impact on primary prevention

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Noninvasive cardiovascular imaging does not have a major influence on primary prevention efforts, researchers suggest.

Rivaroxaban trumps dabigatran, apixaban for VTE prophylaxis

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Rivaroxaban may be more efficient than dabigatran and apixaban for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, indicate the results of an indirect comparison by network meta-analysis.

Stroke risk scores underestimate true risk in elderly patients with AF

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

The seven most widely used stroke risk scores greatly underestimate the actual risk in older people with atrial fibrillation who are not taking warfarin, UK researchers have found.

Low-dose CT screening reduces lung cancer mortality

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Low-dose computed tomography screening reduces lung cancer mortality by 20% in high-risk individuals compared with chest radiography, results of the US National Lung Screening Trial show.

Genetic study suggests that low body weight may not reduce heart disease, diabetes risk

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

UK researchers have identified a gene variant that is linked to low body fat and impaired metabolism.

Lipid abnormalities ‘common’ among statin-treated diabetics

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Statin-treated patients with diabetes often continue to have lipid abnormalities despite clinical evidence, guidelines, and recommendations supporting the benefits of intensifying treatment with lipid-modifying therapies, report researchers.

Dietary intervention can improve HbA1c after diabetes diagnosis

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Specialist dietary advice helps patients newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to significantly lower their glycated hemoglobin levels, results of the Early ACTID trial show.

Diabetes patients at increased risk for MI if clinically depressed

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Individuals with Type 2 diabetes complicated by comorbid major depressive disorder are more likely to have a myocardial infarction than patients with neither or just one of these conditions, research shows.

Genetic study suggests that low body weight may not reduce heart disease, diabetes risk

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

UK researchers have identified a gene variant that is linked to low body fat and impaired metabolism.

Lipid abnormalities ‘common’ among statin-treated diabetics

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Statin-treated patients with diabetes often continue to have lipid abnormalities despite clinical evidence, guidelines, and recommendations supporting the benefits of intensifying treatment with lipid-modifying therapies, report researchers.

Cocaine addicts have ‘high prevalence’ of cardiac damage

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Cardiac damage is highly prevalent in asymptomatic cocaine addicts, Italian researchers have found.

Noninvasive CV imaging has ‘unclear’ impact on primary prevention

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Noninvasive cardiovascular imaging does not have a major influence on primary prevention efforts, researchers suggest.

BMD, mammography screening rates well below current recommendations

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Use of bone mineral density and mammography screening is low in relation to guideline recommendations, a study of nearly 1 million US women with employer-sponsored health insurance has shown.

Postmastectomy radiotherapy underutilized in high-risk breast cancer

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Nearly half of women over 66 years of age with high-risk breast cancer do not receive postmastectomy radiation, despite several guidelines recommending this course of treatment, US study data show.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Medical News

Medical News


Conflicting appraisals of mood states points to bipolar disorder

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Bipolar disorder patients appraise internal states as simultaneously extremely positive and extremely negative, which may contribute to the mood swing symptoms seen in such patients, report UK researchers.

Genetic basis of white matter changes in schizophrenia uncovered

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Changes in major white matter pathways in the brain associated with schizophrenia may have a genetic basis that could offer insights into how genes affect brain structure and predispose individuals to schizophrenia, say US scientists.

Heart disease is biggest killer among older breast cancer survivors

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Older women with breast cancer are now more likely to die from heart disease than from cancer, an analysis of US registry data indicates.

Risk index predicts unanticipated postoperative intubation

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a risk index to predict unanticipated early postoperative intubation in patients undergoing nonemergent noncardiac surgery.

BMD, mammography screening rates well below current recommendations

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Use of bone mineral density and mammography screening is low in relation to guideline recommendations, a study of nearly 1 million US women with employer-sponsored health insurance has shown.

No link between <i>APOC3</i> gene variants and liver steatosis

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Genetic variants of apolipoprotein C3 do not appear to have any influence on lipid profiles, or the prevalence of insulin resistance or fatty liver disease, a study of obese Italian adults shows.

De novo lipogenesis of fatty acids linked to risk for sudden cardiac arrest

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Adults with elevated levels of the fatty acids 7-hexadecenoic acid and cis-vaccenic acid face an increased risk for sudden cardiac arrest and possibly coronary heart disease, study results show.

Diabetic adults more fearful of exercise injury than nondiabetics

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

People with diabetes have a greater fear of injury during exercise than nondiabetics, which may explain why they tend to engage in less physical activity, researchers at Colorado University have found.

Combined HbA1c and fasting glucose best for diabetes prediction

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Results from the TOPICS 3 study show that combining glycated hemoglobin with fasting glucose results in more accurate diabetes prediction than either measure alone.

Health Informatics News

Health Informatics News


Survey: Engaging Physicians, Patients for Clinical Trials via Social Media

Posted: 29 Jun 2011 06:26 AM PDT

Survey: Engaging Physicians, Patients for Clinical Trials via Social Media

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Medical News

Medical News


Both SPT and sIgE needed to confirm atopy in severe childhood asthma

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

While the skin prick test and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E tests are equally able to identify atopy in children with severe asthma, both tests should be performed due to poor concordance on individual allergens, say UK scientists.

PUFA distributions suggest two schizophrenia endophenotypes

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Schizophrenia patients have a bimodal distribution of polyunsaturated fatty acids in red blood cells that may point to the existence of two distinct endophenotypes, say Norwegian researchers.

Educational achievement unaffected by bipolar disorder

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Bipolar disorder patients are educated to a similar level to the general population, say Norwegian researchers who also discovered that educational attainment, and receipt of disability benefit, is unaffected by disease severity.

Abnormal resting brain activity found in functional dyspepsia

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Patients with functional dyspepsia display abnormal brain activity that fluctuates in line with their symptoms, an international research team has shown.

Cardiac and noncardiac organ dysfunction are precursors of HF

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Cardiac dysfunction and noncardiac organ dysfunction are precursors of heart failure, a sub-analysis of the Framingham Heart Study original cohort has found.

Extracorporeal oxygen only suitable short-term in children awaiting heart transplant

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is effective for short-term circulatory support required by children awaiting heart transplantation, but unreliable in the longer term, research indicates.

Fever linked to worse DVT outcome

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Patients with deep vein thrombosis and fever at presentation are twice as likely to die within a month than those without fever, findings from the RIETE registry show.

Motivational interviewing improves outlook, recovery after stroke

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Just four sessions of motivational interviewing improves mood and is associated with reduced mortality among patients recovering from a stroke, report UK researchers.

Postmastectomy radiotherapy underutilized in high-risk breast cancer

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Nearly half of women over 66 years of age with high-risk breast cancer do not receive postmastectomy radiation, despite several guidelines recommending this course of treatment, US study data show.

Cascade screening method for FH is ‘highly cost-effective’

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Combining DNA testing and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol measurements to screen relatives of patients with "definite" and "possible" familial hypercholesterolemia is highly cost-effective, study findings suggest.

Omega-3-based treatment lowers triglycerides without increasing LDL cholesterol

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

An omega-3 fatty acid agent, AMR101, reduces triglyceride levels in patients with very high triglycerides, without significantly increasing their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, report US researchers.

Almost 1 in 30 patients with Type 1 diabetes develops heart failure

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Glycemia increases the risk for heart failure in patients with Type 1 diabetes, a large study has revealed.

Hyperlipidemia better than glycemia at predicting CHD risk in diabetes

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Hyperlipidemia is a stronger predictor of risk for cardiovascular events than is glycemia in patients with Type 2 diabetes, findings from a major long-term study indicate.

Millions of PAD patients not receiving secondary prevention therapies

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Many peripheral artery disease patients are not receiving secondary prevention therapies that could significantly reduce their risk for all-cause mortality, a study suggests.

AF after CABG most common in European–Americans

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass graft surgery is significantly more prevalent among European–American patients than African–American patients, research indicates.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Medical News

Medical News


Atelectasis boosts post-BLVR survival in COPD patients

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Patients who experience atelectasis following bronchoscopic lung volume reduction for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease appear to have a survival benefit over those who do not, conclude UK researchers.

Reduced language-related cortex activity linked to schizophrenia susceptibility

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Adolescents at risk of schizophrenia have reduced activity in the superior temporal gyrus during a listening task, US scientists have discovered in findings that support the hypothesis of poor language-related cortex development in schizophrenia.

Bipolar disorder severity worsened by poor sleep quality

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Sleep quality may play a role in the course of bipolar disorder, with shorter total sleep time and increased sleep variability both associated with symptom severity, conclude a team of US researchers.

Outpatient anticoagulation acceptable for low-risk PE

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Outpatient treatment with low molecular weight heparin is feasible in patients with low-risk pulmonary embolism, study findings indicate.

BP control poor at discharge after stroke

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

More than two-fifths of patients have uncontrolled blood pressure at discharge after hospitalization for acute stroke, report researchers.

HDL function differs in CAD patients and healthy individuals

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

The beneficial cardiovascular effect of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol may not solely be related to its abundance, suggests a study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, which investigated the functional mechanisms of HDL cholesterol in patients with coronary artery disease.

Lipidomic technique identifies ‘signatures’ for atherosclerotic plaques

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Detection of single lipid "species" rather than lipid "classes" may provide a better classification of atherosclerotic lesions, say UK researchers.

BP control poor at discharge after stroke

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

More than two-fifths of patients have uncontrolled blood pressure at discharge after hospitalization for acute stroke, report researchers.

New performance measures issued for CAD, hypertension care

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Updated performance measures for coronary artery disease and hypertension care have been issued by the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement committee.

Rosiglitazone plus metformin gives durable efficacy, but reduces bone density

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Glycemic control in treatment-naïve patients with Type 2 diabetes is superior with the combination of rosiglitazone and metformin compared with metformin alone, although bone mineral density may be significantly reduced with the combination treatment, show findings from a randomized trial.

Digital can replace film images for diabetic retinopathy assessment

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Digital and traditional film images are comparable for evaluation of diabetic retinopathy, report researchers who say the media can now be switched in ongoing studies.