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. 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 The novel design of a deep muscle along the spinal column called the multifidus muscle may in fact be key to spinal support and a healthy back, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Their findings about the potentially important "scaffolding" role of this poorly understood muscle has been published on line in advance of the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. http://phys.org/news150557758.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:35:58 EST news150557758 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 MRI of the wrist at 3T is an effective way to detect wrist ligament tears and in some cases can avoid unnecessary surgery, according to a study performed at Neuroskeletal Imaging in Merritt Island, Florida. http://phys.org/news150480716.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:11:56 EST news150480716 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 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 The influence of femtosecond laser-induced damages on viability of olfactory ensheathing cells is investigated. Several cytokinetic phenomena including intracellular calcium wave, cellular morphologic change, recovery and death are discussed. Through systemic investigation, cellular activity can be controlled easily. The study is fulfilled by Hai-feng Yang et al., and reported in the Chinese Science Bulletin. http://phys.org/news149311697.html Biology Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:28:17 EST news149311697 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://phys.org/news148706516.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:21:56 EST news148706516 A new study conducted in three developing countries—Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh—finds that people with cataract-induced visual impairment are more likely to live in poverty than those with normal sight. The study is published in the open access international health journal PLoS Medicine. http://phys.org/news148624358.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:32:38 EST news148624358 While the emotional health implications of cosmetic surgery are still up for scientific debate, articles in women's magazines such as The Oprah Magazine and Cosmopolitan portray cosmetic surgery as a physically risky, but overall worthwhile option for enhancing physical appearance and emotional health, a UBC study has found. http://phys.org/news148227826.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:23:46 EST news148227826 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://phys.org/news147530739.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:45:39 EST news147530739 Persons with temporal lobe epilepsy who do not respond to medication could receive a substantial gain in life expectancy and quality of life by undergoing surgery of the temporal lobe part of the brain, according to an analysis reported in the December 3 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news147463504.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:05:04 EST news147463504 Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest and most difficult to treat cancers. Now, in a major step forward, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have shown that administering radiation therapy prior to surgery nearly doubles survival in pancreatic cancer patients with operable tumors. http://phys.org/news146854196.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:49:56 EST news146854196 A review of previously published studies suggests that rates of adverse outcomes for mothers or pregnant women and newborn babies, such as gestational diabetes and low birth weight, may be lower after bariatric surgery compared with pregnant women who are obese, according to an article in the November 19 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news146321618.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:53:38 EST news146321618 Obese women who have weight loss surgery before becoming pregnant have a lower risk of pregnancy-related health problems and their children are less likely to be born with complications, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://phys.org/news146248196.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:29:56 EST news146248196 Severely obese patients who underwent two different gastric bypass techniques had lost up to 31 per cent of their Body Mass Index (BMI) after four years, with no deaths reported among the 50 study subjects, according to the November issue of the British Journal of Surgery. http://phys.org/news146225359.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:09:19 EST news146225359 A new study by researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine suggests increased physical activity after bariatric surgery can yield better postoperative outcomes. http://phys.org/news146144224.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:37:04 EST news146144224 The use of cardiopulmonary bypass does not cause short-term neurological problems in children and teenagers after surgery for less complex heart defects, according to pediatric researchers. The new finding contrasts favorably with previous studies that showed adverse neurological effects after newborn surgery for more complex heart conditions. http://phys.org/news145555865.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:11:05 EST news145555865 Hispanic patients were 57 percent less likely than Caucasian patients to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) one year after successful angioplasty, a type of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to open blockages in the coronary arteries. Hispanics also had a trend toward lower rates of overall repeat revascularization procedures including stenting and bypass surgery, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008. http://phys.org/news145458880.html Medicine & Health Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:14:40 EST news145458880 Children under the age of three who had hernia surgery showed almost twice the risk of behavioral or developmental problems later compared to children who had not undergone the surgery, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The study included 383 children who were born into the New York State Medicaid system between 1999 and 2001 who had surgery performed under general anesthesia to repair a groin hernia. http://phys.org/news145280792.html Medicine & Health Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:46:32 EST news145280792 For patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis who also must be treated for heart disease, stents provide the best one-year survival compared with other revascularization treatments, but bypass surgery provides the best long-term survival, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. http://phys.org/news145215251.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:34:11 EST news145215251 Fenfluramine, the appetite suppressant drug banned in the US in 1997 due to fears over its links to heart conditions, has been shown to have serious long-term effects. In a report published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, researchers have shown that people who stopped using fenfluramine eleven years ago had damaged heart valves up to seven years later. http://phys.org/news145182158.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:22:38 EST news145182158 (PhysOrg.com) -- Advanced age and race are among the factors that can affect whether a patient dies or suffers a stroke after carotid-artery surgery, a UT Southwestern physician involved in a multicenter study has found. http://phys.org/news145168734.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:38:54 EST news145168734 Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a potential new therapeutic target that could be used to treat inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis. http://phys.org/news145097933.html Medicine & Health Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:58:53 EST news145097933 Only six months after undergoing a unique and innovative surgery at Michigan State University, Jake – part dog and now part machine – spends his time working out on an underwater treadmill, traversing obstacle courses and prancing around pain free. http://phys.org/news144671099.html Biology Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:24:59 EST news144671099 Primary HCC is a major cancer related to HBV viral infection in Asian countries, including Japan. Recently, the primary liver cancers are successfully treated by surgical resection including liver transplantation and non-surgical locoregional therapy. http://phys.org/news144669393.html Medicine & Health Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:56:33 EST news144669393 Patients 80 years and older who are in overall good health are perfectly able to withstand open-heart surgery, according to the latest study of Dr. Kevin Lachapelle of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). His findings were presented this morning in Toronto during the 2008 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress. http://phys.org/news144413812.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:56:52 EST news144413812 Minimally-invasive surgery for lung cancer called video-assisted thoracic surgery or VATS is a relatively new procedure performed almost exclusively at academic centers. Now, a preliminary study to be presented this month at the annual CHEST meeting in Philadelphia is giving surgeons an early look at its benefits. http://phys.org/news144408585.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:29:45 EST news144408585 In the not so distant past, women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, were advised not to have children, and if they became pregnant, to have therapeutic abortions to prevent severe flares of their lupus. Research by rheumatologists at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, in patients with lupus who have had successful pregnancies is yielding insights that support a reversal of that thinking. http://phys.org/news144238628.html Medicine & Health Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:17:08 EST news144238628 Some patients who received beta-blockers before and around the time of undergoing non-cardiac surgery appear to have higher rates of heart attack and death within 30 days of their surgery, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery. http://phys.org/news143742174.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:22:54 EST news143742174