In patients with recently diagnosed multiple sclerosis, the extent of accumulated brain tissue loss and overall lesion load as determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may predict the rate of cerebral atrophy over the following two years, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Liu and colleagues studied women who delivered a child between 1991 and 2005 in Canada (excluding Quebec and Manitoba) and report a three-fold rate of severe complications overall among women having a planned cesarean section compared with those who planned a vaginal delivery.
Healthy and viable mice that survive until adulthood have, for the first time, been cloned from adult stem cells. Scientists from Rockefeller University, including Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Elaine Fuchs, used cells called keratinocyte stem cells, which represent a new model system for cloning. Keratinocytes come from the skin, making them a particularly attractive stem cell source because of their ready accessibility.
Although Medicare coverage for colorectal cancer screening has increased, there are still significant disparities in screening practices by ethnicity, sex, age, education and income level, according to a report in the February 12, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
A new study published in the February 2007 issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics reveals that individuals with genetic conditions are twice as likely to report having been denied health insurance than individuals with other chronic illnesses.
In hospitals today, the first warning that a post-operative patient is going into septic shock is often when the patient’s blood pressure collapses and congestive heart failure begins. By that time the patient has a high probability of dying, or if he survives, an even higher probability of permanent major organ damage after a long stay in an intensive care unit.
According to a new survey, 81 percent of adults in the United States agree adolescents are more likely to smoke if they watch actors smoke in movies. Also, 70 percent support a new R-rating for any movies with on-screen tobacco imagery, unless the film clearly demonstrates the dangers of smoking.
A new oral blood thinner is being compared to an old standby to see if it works as well and is easier to manage long term, researchers say.
Regular midday naps or siesta are good for heart and lowers risk of dying from heart disease by more than a third, said researchers at the University of Athens Medical School.
We all know that iron deficiencies are dangerous, but also too much iron is bad for our health. Our body stores excess iron in various tissues, where it can lead to organ failure and even death if not treated before irreversible damage has occurred.