A major surprise emerging from genome sequencing projects is that humans have a comparable number of protein-coding genes as significantly less complex organisms such as the minute nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Clearly something other than gene count is behind the genetic differences between simpler and more complex life forms.
In an editorial, to be published in the international journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, published by Elsevier, a panel of arthritis research experts has recommended that coxibs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs must remain a significant part of the tool kit used in treating osteoarthritis.
Is there a definitive test for mental illness? Not yet, but using advanced neuropsychiatric diagnostic tools including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), mental health professionals at The Menninger Clinic in Houston are pinpointing the causes of behavioral and psychiatric problems in patients.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) this week endorsed a test project of a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). The project, to be conducted in Florida, will combine the resources of the UnitedHealth Group (UHG), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) with ACP to test a model that has the potential to dramatically improve healthcare delivery and quality.
A study in the Lancet (vol. 370, 11 August 2007) could lead to a change of paradigm in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. It states that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is substantially more accurate than mammography in diagnosing very early stages of breast cancer.
Almac Diagnostics announced a major study analysing ductal carcinoma in situ tissue samples using its novel Breast Cancer DSA? microarray. DSA? research tools focus on the transcriptome of an individual disease, in this case breast cancer, and contain significant additional data, relevant to the disease of interest that is not available on other generic microarrays.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are often hailed as a way to halt serious declines in the abundance of marine species that have been over-fished. But even as nations begin to set aside protected parcels of ocean for marine reserves, the effectiveness of the approach as a fisheries management tool remains unclear.
Concussions are common in young athletes but the underlying changes in brain function that occur have been poorly understood. Now, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study is the first to link changes in brain function directly to the recovery of the athlete. Results of the five-year study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, are published in the August issue of the scientific peer-reviewed journal, Neurosurgery, the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
It’s the things a young child doesn’t do that may give the clues to the presence of Autism. Because early symptoms of Autism are often characterised by an absence of normal behavioural development rather than the presence of unusual behaviour, diagnosis and early intervention can be crucially delayed.
A noninvasive, outpatient treatment for noncancerous uterine tumors provides sustained relief from symptoms, according to a new Mayo Clinic led collaborative study.