Physician | Page 56 of 77 | SpiritIndia.com

Genes Offer Researchers a ‘Crystal Ball’ to Help Them Prevent, Diagnose, and Treat Cancer

The science of cancer prevention has advanced to the point where researchers now say they can detect ?cancer genes? in the breath of smokers, and can test the presence of two proteins in men they say will predict development of prostate cancer a decade in advance. All of these novel findings need much more examination, of course, but scientists at the American Association for Cancer Research?s Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting, say these examples illustrate how it is becoming increasingly possible to use genes and their protein products to help predict and diagnose cancer, as well as choose therapy that offers the most potential for a good result. These researchers will also discuss a test that can pick out patients who have pancreatic cancer – an advance that offers hope the disease can be treated at earlier stages than it is now – and how several unique genes can predict which prostate cancer or lung cancer patients will develop aggressive tumors that need additional treatment. Cancer is a disease of genes, they say, so genes can be employed as a crystal ball to thwart the disease.

Mobile Robots Offer 24/7 Care to Neurosurgical ICU, Stroke Patients

Two nearly 6-foot tall, remote-controlled robots are now on staff at The Methodist Hospital, caring for critically ill patients suffering from stroke or other neurological problems.

Heart Disease :: Increasing survival in cardiac arrest

Researchers are taking cardiac devices already in the operating room and using them in radically different applications as extracorporeal life support systems in cardiac arrest or traumatic hemorrhage.

Health :: Medication Costs Infrequently Addressed When Newly Prescribed, UCLA Study Finds

A new UCLA study has found that physicians discuss cost and aspects of obtaining newly prescribed medications only about one-third of the time during patient/doctor interactions.

Brain Injury :: Hospital discharge instructions for mild brain injury faulty

In a study published in a recent issue of Brain Injury, researchers at the University at Buffalo found that discharge sheets from 14 of 15 hospitals that were reviewed lacked at least one important sign of a possible hemorrhage. Ten of the hospitals were located in Western New York; five were located in southern Ontario, Canada.

Diagnosis :: Try Google’s medical diagnosis for rare diseases – BMJ

A new Australian study recommends doctors use Google to help diagnose difficult cases, despite indications it’s only 60 per cent accurate. Specialists at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane studied how effective the world’s largest and most popular search engine is for helping diagnose rare diseases.

Heart :: Seven-point system gauges seriousness of heart failure in elderly – Washington University

A simple points system may soon help guide treatment of elderly heart failure patients. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that by counting how many of seven easy-to-obtain health factors a patient has, physicians can estimate the patient’s risk of dying.

Education :: Nonminority medical students more satisfied than minority students – Mayo study

Minorities account for 30 percent of the U.S. population, but only eight percent of the physician workforce, and experience less personal satisfaction during medical school than nonminority students, finds a Mayo Clinic study published in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Leukemia :: Researchers identify cells that make relapse inevitable in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Scientists in Australia have discovered that in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) there are “good” and “evil” clones of the same type of ALL cell. The “evil” cells are clones that have a pre-existing resistance to drugs used for treating ALL, and their presence in a patient means that person will inevitably relapse after chemotherapy, according to research presented at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.

Pregnancy :: New Studies on Antidepressants in Pregnancy

In a recent Public Health Advisory, FDA summarized two new studies that practitioners should consider when making decisions about prescribing SSRIs and other antidepressant medications for pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy.