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. Efforts to fight the toll of cardiac arrest have typically focused on pre-hospital factors -- bystander CPR education and improvement, public defibrillation programs, and quicker EMS response. But new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine reveals that the hospital where patients are cared for after being resuscitated plays a key role in their chances of survival following these incidents, which takes the lives of more than 300,000 Americans each year. http://phys.org/news150718306.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:11:46 EST news150718306 The pain-relieving effects of nitrous oxide - laughing gas - may be enhanced by suggestion or hypnosis, according to a new study by UCL (University College London). The study's findings - that people are more suggestible under the gas - mean that dental patients may benefit from being coached to relax while undergoing sedation. http://phys.org/news150718148.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:09:08 EST news150718148 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://phys.org/news150695213.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:46:53 EST news150695213 Bladder cancer is much more likely to be deadly for women and African-Americans, but the reasons long believed to explain the phenomenon account for only part of the differences for such patients compared to their white and male counterparts, according to results published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer. http://phys.org/news150646734.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:18:54 EST news150646734 An innovative approach for implanting a new aortic heart valve without open-heart surgery is being offered to patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Known as the PARTNER (Placement of AoRTic traNscathetER valves) trial, this Phase 3 multicenter study is being led by national co-principal investigators Dr. Martin Leon and Dr. Craig Smith and is focused on the treatment of patients who are at high risk or not suitable for open-heart valve replacement surgery. http://phys.org/news150561085.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:31:25 EST news150561085 Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common treatment for osteoarthritis, a disease affecting more than 20 million Americans. However, the surgery poses risks and both patients and physicians must carefully assess its potential benefits and harm. Studies have shown that doctor-patient communication is correlated with outcomes and that patient satisfaction and commitment to treatment are usually higher when the doctor and patient are able to agree on a number of factors. However, despite the increased emphasis on informed decision making, few studies have examined communication factors affecting the decision to have joint replacement surgery. http://phys.org/news150560462.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:21:02 EST news150560462 MR arthrography of the shoulder allows physicians to better identify tears and provides patients with an accurate diagnosis to determine whether or not surgery is needed, according to a study performed at Neuroskeletal Imaging in Merritt Island, Florida. http://phys.org/news150484352.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:12:32 EST news150484352 Patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious adverse events, according to a study in the January 7 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news150483770.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:02:50 EST news150483770 Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can improve survival in patients with heart damage — even those in their 70s — according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. http://phys.org/news150482825.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:47:05 EST news150482825 Experts estimate that 20 percent of women experience excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding at some time during their lives, particularly as they approach menopause. A new, less invasive procedure called global endometrial ablation (GEA) preserves the uterus, while decreasing menstrual bleeding and shortening patients' recovery time. In an article published in the January issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic researchers attempt to determine the percentage of women who do not achieve permanent symptom relief from GEA and identify several factors that put women at greater risk for this outcome. http://phys.org/news150398897.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:28:17 EST news150398897 In a study to determine the diagnostic value of molecular imaging in nodal staging of patients with thyroid cancer, researchers were able for the first time to accurately distinguish between cancerous cells in regional lymph nodes and normal residual thyroid tissue directly after surgery. http://phys.org/news150115125.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:38:45 EST news150115125 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://phys.org/news150115064.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:37:44 EST news150115064 A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment. http://phys.org/news150091875.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:11:15 EST news150091875 Pre-operative screening of patients for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be an effective way to reduce infection rates following otolaryngic surgeries, according to new research published in the January 2009 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. http://phys.org/news150024266.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:24:26 EST news150024266 Administering antibiotics as a preventive measure to patients in intensive care units (ICUs) increases their chances of survival. This has emerged from a study involving nearly sixthousand Dutch patients in thirteen hospitals. Researchers at University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht have published their findings in an article in The New England Journal of Medicine. http://phys.org/news150023113.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:05:13 EST news150023113 (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://phys.org/news149871922.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:05:22 EST news149871922 Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications, according to a new study led by Kathleen E. Walsh, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and published in the January 1, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://phys.org/news149865502.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:18:22 EST news149865502 Back pain affects more than 80 percent of people and costs more than $100 billion annually in the U.S. But is the surgery cost effective? A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggests that for patients with spinal stenosis, a laminectomy, or surgical removal of some soft bone and tissue, is a reasonable value. However, for patients with spinal stenosis with associated slipped vertebrae, the benefits of spinal fusion surgery may not be enough to offset costs. http://phys.org/news149776906.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:41:46 EST news149776906 Contact with nature has long been suspected to increase positive feelings, reduce stress, and provide distraction from the pain associated with recovery from surgery. Now, research has confirmed the beneficial effects of plants and flowers for patients recovering from abdominal surgery. http://phys.org/news149776173.html Biology Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:29:33 EST news149776173 Despite recent widespread media attention given to studies that have indicated one-third of American children have a weight problem, a new study shows just one-third of children who are overweight or obese actually receive that diagnosis by a pediatrician. The study, led by researchers at The MetroHealth System and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, also stresses that this failure to diagnose appears to mostly impact children who may most greatly benefit from early intervention. The study is published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. http://phys.org/news149774891.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:08:11 EST news149774891 Obesity affects health in several ways, but new research shows obesity can have minimal impact on ovarian cancer survival. A study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center found ovarian cancer survival rates are the same for obese and non-obese women if their chemotherapy doses are closely matched to individual weight. http://phys.org/news149768781.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:26:21 EST news149768781 Adult Cystic Fibrosis patients can provide important information that helps to predict their prognosis, according to research that asked 223 adult CF patients to assess their own health and well-being. http://phys.org/news149750128.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:15:28 EST news149750128 Some patients with severe asthma who also have allergic sensitivity to certain fungi enjoy great improvements in their quality of life and on other measures after taking an antifungal drug, according to new research from The University of Manchester in England. http://phys.org/news149749598.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:06:38 EST news149749598 Critically ill patients frequently have uncertain prognoses, but their families overwhelmingly wish that physicians would address prognostic uncertainty candidly, according to a new study out of the University of San Francisco Medical Center. http://phys.org/news149749529.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:05:29 EST news149749529 According to the latest study by Dr. Ronald Postuma from the Research Institute of the MUHC and Dr. Jacques Montplaisir from the Université de Montréal and the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, 52.4 per cent of patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder develop a neurodegenerative disease within 12 years following their initial diagnosis. These results will be published on December 24, 2008 in the journal Neurology, the official publication of the American Academy of Neurology. http://phys.org/news149362978.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:42:58 EST news149362978 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://phys.org/news149272162.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:29:22 EST news149272162 Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is characterized by inflammation in perihepatic capsules with concomitant pelvic inflammation. The pain in the right upper abdomen appeared as the main symptom. These cases have to be cautiously differentiated from diseases for which the major symptom is pain in the right upper abdomen Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome has been classified as a benign disease that can be diagnosed by non-invasive methoids and treated readily by antibiotic therapy. Nevertheless, without sufficient understanding of this disease, it could be misdiagnosed as other acute diseases with similar clinical symptoms, and thus patients may undergo unnecessary treatment or tests. http://phys.org/news149258531.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:42:11 EST news149258531 Genetic patterns are like the tea leaves in the bottom of a cup for predicting which patients are likely to respond to medical therapy for life-threatening viruses such as hepatitis C, Saint Louis University researchers have discovered. Their findings are published in the Dec. 22 early online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. http://phys.org/news149189043.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:24:03 EST news149189043 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://phys.org/news149188583.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:16:23 EST news149188583 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have determined the optimal dose-management strategy to derive maximal benefit from warfarin therapy and improve patient outcomes. Results of the study appear online in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. http://phys.org/news149168990.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:49:50 EST news149168990