http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful tool for chemical analysis and, in the form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an indispensable technique for medical diagnosis. But its uses have been limited by the need for strong magnetic fields and big, expensive, superconducting magnets. Now Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues have demonstrated that they can do NMR in a zero magnetic field without using any magnets at all. http://phys.org/news224916059.html Physics Wed, 18 May 2011 05:42:31 EST news224916059 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers may have found a way to improve Raman spectroscopy as a tool for identifying substances in extremely low concentrations. Potential applications for Raman spectroscopy include medical diagnosis, drug/chemical development, forensics and highly portable detection systems for national security. http://phys.org/news208519455.html Nanotechnology Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:04:41 EST news208519455 The future of cancer diagnosis may lie in just a few milliliters of blood, according to a research team led by Professor Arie Admon of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. http://phys.org/news207391308.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:42:04 EST news207391308 Pharmaceuticals that seek out cancerous cells and deliver treatments to them; imaging techniques that can help doctors detect diseases before the physical signs begin to appear; and medicines that are tailor-made for individual patients, are within the sights of an exciting new Australian start-up venture. http://phys.org/news207311177.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:26:29 EST news207311177 Researchers have identified a novel, dual-platform technology, the On-Q-ity Circulating Cancer Capture and Characterization Chip (C5), which they believe is more efficient than the commonly used single-platform device in identifying circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in breast cancer. http://phys.org/news204998120.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Sep 2010 21:00:01 EST news204998120 A test based on a panel of microRNAs under development by Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., in Rehovot, Israel, may allow for more precise diagnosis and better targeted therapy for patients with lung cancer. http://phys.org/news204997889.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:51:38 EST news204997889 On an exploration mission, an astronaut has an accident and appears to have serious injuries as the spacecraft speeds to its destination. The ensuing scene is hectic as the other crew members try to get a grasp on the situation and provide appropriate treatment. Efficient use of time and resources may be the difference between life and death. http://phys.org/news204381919.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:45:53 EST news204381919 Diagnostic errors are the most important causes of avoidable harm to patients in hospitals, warns a senior doctor in the British Medical Journal today. http://phys.org/news203315487.html Medicine & Health Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:00:04 EST news203315487 (PhysOrg.com) -- What goes through a woman's mind when she first hears the words, "You have breast cancer"? One in eight women will hear those words at some point in their lives and yet very little research has been conducted about women's thoughts at this early stage before treatment or surgery. http://phys.org/news203267375.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:20:01 EST news203267375 Postmenopausal women diagnosed with colon cancer may be at increased risk of death if they fail to maintain a healthy body weight before cancer diagnosis, according to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://phys.org/news203226833.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:10:13 EST news203226833 Today, The Endocrine Society released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force. http://phys.org/news203053083.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:38:55 EST news203053083 Integrating palliative care early in the treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer not only improved their mood and quality of life, it also extended their lives. In the August 19 New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators report that patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received early palliative care along with standard treatment lived more than two months longer than patients receiving standard care only. Metastatic NSCLC is difficult to treat, and patients typically are expected to survive less than one year. http://phys.org/news201362074.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:01 EST news201362074 Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is associated with longer hospital stays among patients with any diagnosis, is increasingly prevalent with older age and is an indicator of a poor prognosis, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://phys.org/news201195216.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:20:01 EST news201195216 The boom in cancer biomarker investments over the past 25 years has not translated into major clinical success. The reasons for biomarker failures include problems with study design and interpretation, as well as statistical deficiencies, according to an article published online August 12 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://phys.org/news200848741.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:30:08 EST news200848741 A European project has developed a one-stop shop to support companies, especially SMEs, in the rapid design and manufacture of novel micro-devices for use in applications ranging from medical diagnosis to mobile phones. http://phys.org/news199084738.html Technology Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:19:20 EST news199084738 Researchers in The Netherlands believe they are on the verge of developing a simple, prenatal blood test that would be able to detect accurately chromosomal abnormalities in the developing foetus. At present, the only reliable way to do this is through amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, both of which are invasive and carry the risk of triggering a miscarriage. http://phys.org/news196952952.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:00:04 EST news196952952 In the first ever published estimate of the percentage and number of cancer survivors who live with their minor children, a team led by a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researcher found that millions of cancer survivors are parenting young children, highlighting a group of survivors with very special needs. http://phys.org/news196944353.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:46:07 EST news196944353 Polarised arguments about the benefits and harms of breast screening are not helping women to make an informed decision, argues a senior doctor in the British Medical Journal today. http://phys.org/news196628152.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:50:03 EST news196628152 Research published in the June edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology sought to investigate the time trends of surgical outcomes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between 1979 and 2008. The incidence of lung cancer continues to rise; therefore, countermeasures to decrease death rates have become an important public health issue. After analyzing the time trends, researchers postulated that the increase of patients diagnosed with early stages of adenocarcinoma contribute to the favorable prognostic and survival outcomes. Furthermore, the research highlights that prognosis of NSCLC patients has improved in recent years. http://phys.org/news195820599.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:37:14 EST news195820599 (PhysOrg.com) -- To diagnose cancer reliably, doctors usually conduct a biopsy including tissue ana-lysis ? which is a time-consuming process. A microscopic image sensor, fitted in an endoscope, is being developed for in vivo cancer diagnosis, to speed up the detection of tumors. http://phys.org/news194849770.html Medicine & Health Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:10:01 EST news194849770 A new study has found that when African American and white cancer patients are treated at similar, specialized cancer care institutions, mortality rates are roughly equal. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that where patients receive care may partly explain observed racial disparities in cancer mortality. http://phys.org/news188456700.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:50:25 EST news188456700 A simple and inexpensive eye test could aid detection and diagnosis of major neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's at an earlier stage than is currently possible, according to new research by UCL scientists. http://phys.org/news182674071.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:10:02 EST news182674071 A new study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that a volunteer program providing low-risk outpatient surgical procedures can deliver safe and effective health care to patients in need. However, the study authors do caution that the program is not a long-term solution for dealing with the medically uninsured. http://phys.org/news180711928.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:10:16 EST news180711928 Researchers have developed a novel animal model showing that four commonly used chemotherapy drugs disrupt the birth of new brain cells, and that the condition could be partially reversed with the growth factor IGF-1. http://phys.org/news180269636.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:54:31 EST news180269636 (PhysOrg.com) -- In a dramatic illustration of the power of emerging genetic technologies, Yale University researchers have reported making a clinical diagnosis for the first time using comprehensive DNA sequencing of all the protein-coding genes in the genome. The information changed the course of treatment of a baby boy suffering from symptoms of dehydration thousands of miles away in Turkey. http://phys.org/news175186891.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:50:03 EST news175186891 Each of the 6.7 billion people on Earth has a signature body odor -- the chemical counterpart to fingerprints -- and scientists are tracking down those odiferous arches, loops, and whorls in the "human odorprint" for purposes ranging from disease diagnosis to crime prevention. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. http://phys.org/news174747484.html Chemistry Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:58:29 EST news174747484 (PhysOrg.com) -- A study of mental decline in the years prior to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease suggests that changing the focus of testing may help physicians detect signs of the disease much earlier. School of Medicine researchers have found that visuospatial skills, evaluated with tasks such as connecting the dots or using a guide to build a structure with blocks, begin to deteriorate up to three years prior to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. http://phys.org/news174731696.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:35:40 EST news174731696 Men who have prostate cancer often feel quite healthy, but the diagnosis still gives them a whole new outlook on life. Once they have learned to live with their cancer, they choose to focus on valuable relationships and appreciate the little things in life, shows a dissertation thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. http://phys.org/news173954490.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:42:10 EST news173954490 With new prenatal tests for Down syndrome on the horizon promising to be safer, more accurate, and available to women earlier in pregnancy, the medical community must come together and engage in dialogue about the impact of existing and expected tests, argues a new leading article published Online First by Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://phys.org/news172146115.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:40:01 EST news172146115 Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of patients with biliary tract cancer is still poor. Elucidating the biological characteristics of these carcinomas has become necessary to improve the prognosis of patients and to devise better treatment strategies. A recent study report that invasive front dominant expression of LNγ2 and LNβ3 and active MMP7 play a key role in the progression of biliary tract cancer. http://phys.org/news170498547.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:46:09 EST news170498547