http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. For nearly a decade, doctors have used an implanted electronic stimulator to treat severe depression in people who don't respond to standard antidepressant therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-nerve-severe-depression-brain-function.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 07 May 2013 12:36:45 EST news287148997 The LAP-BAND weight loss procedure is safe and effective in an expanded group of patients, not just in people who are morbidly obese. This conclusion is reported in a new study published in the scientific journal Obesity. The findings indicate that the procedure may help to intervene before obesity becomes life threatening to patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-weight-loss-surgery-safe-effective.html Overweight and Obesity Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:05 EST news286645911 (Medical Xpress)—When a baby is in the breech position at the end of pregnancy, obstetricians can sometimes turn the baby head-down to enable a safer vaginal birth. In the past, women were not given anesthesia during the turning procedure, which requires the physician to push on the woman's abdomen while monitoring the baby with ultrasound. But a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital shows anesthesia is cost-effective because it increases the likelihood the procedure will work. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-anesthesia-success-breech-babies-delivery.html Other Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:10:01 EST news285490314 Radiation dose reduction has moved to the forefront of importance in medical imaging with new techniques being developed in an effort to bring doses down as low as possible. What difference can these techniques make? Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine aimed to find out. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-iterative-reconstruction-longitudinal-dose-modulation.html Cancer Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:01 EST news285354249 A new, minimally invasive treatment that uses lasers to melt fat could replace the "tummy tuck," suggests research on more than 2,000 people being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-laser-liposuction-fat-results-tighter.html Other Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:03 EST news285143678 It is unnecessary to scan trauma patients based on a non-focused standard trauma CT protocol, if the patient is transferred for care after already undergoing a focused CT examination based on the patient's history and physical examination, a new study shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-standard-ct-protocol-trauma-patients.html Cancer Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:01 EST news285143636 (Medical Xpress)—New research published in the journal Cell Metabolism has identified a key mechanism in the immune system involved in the development of obesity-linked type 2 diabetes. The findings open up new possibilities for treatment and prevention of this condition, which is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. The study is by Dr Jane Howard and Professor Graham Lord, King's College London, and colleagues, and is funded by the UK Medical Research Council. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-key-link-obesity-diabetes.html Medical research Thu, 04 Apr 2013 07:15:32 EST news284278519 (Medical Xpress)—By age 65, one-third of women in the United States will have a hysterectomy, an operation to remove the uterus. Most women will undergo a traditional abdominal hysterectomy, despite advances in minimally invasive techniques that can improve patient outcomes, according to a new study published in the Journal of Gynecologic Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-approach-hysterectomy-varies-advances.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:48:03 EST news284021222 Women tend to carry excess fat in their hips and thighs, while men tend to carry it on their stomachs. But after menopause, things start to change: many women's fat storage patterns start to resemble those of men. This indicates that there's a link between estrogen and body fat storage. This connection is well documented, but the underlying mechanisms remained poorly understood until now. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-weight-menopause-estrogen-deficiency-affects.html Diabetes Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:58:05 EST news283611479 "Brazilians" and other types of fashionable pubic hair removal may boost the risk of a viral infection called Molluscum contagiousum, suggests a small study published online in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-brazilians-pubic-hair-boost-viral.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:30:02 EST news282829184 Chemotherapy given straight into the abdomen of certain ovarian cancer patients could allow them to live an extra three years on average, according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-chemo-abdomen-boost-ovarian-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:20:01 EST news281781839 (HealthDay)— A new bioengineered, miniature organ dubbed the BioHub might one day offer people with type 1 diabetes freedom from their disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mini-organ-mimic-pancreas-diabetes.html Medical research Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:50:01 EST news281714644 (Medical Xpress)—Dr. Mike Nguyen, a urologist and UA associate professor of surgery, and Hong Hua, a UA professor of optical sciences, have teamed up with the goal of creating a camera that will allow surgeons to view both wide angle and high-resolution, close-up images simultaneously using a single, integrated probe. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-surgeon-optical-scientist-collaborate-surgery.html Surgery Thu, 17 Jan 2013 07:00:19 EST news277628410 Geraldine Vitullo lay anesthetized on an operating table in a Central Valley hospital. Her surgery had come to an unexpected stop. "I don't think I can proceed," the surgeon told Vitullo's husband. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-snorkel-technique-vascular-surgeons-advance.html Cardiology Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:50:02 EST news277370318 Urologists at Henry Ford Hospital have developed a new technique that could make minimally invasive robotic partial nephrectomy procedures the norm, rather than the exception for kidney cancer patients. The technique spares the kidney, eliminates long hospital stays and provides better outcomes by giving the surgeon more time to perform the procedure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-technique-minimally-invasive-robotic-kidney.html Surgery Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:43:09 EST news274628582 Boys whose testes have not descended at birth—a condition known as cryptorchidism—are almost three times as likely to develop testicular cancer in later life, finds an analysis of the available evidence published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-testicular-cancer-tripled-boys-descend.html Cancer Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:30:01 EST news273344575 Surgical teams at Cedars-Sinai have reduced surgical site infections by more than 60 percent for patients who undergo colorectal procedures by introducing evidence-based protocols that are easy to follow and relatively low in cost. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-surgical-site-infections-colorectal-surgery.html Surgery Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:00:55 EST news273327515 (AP)—Surgeons at a Philadelphia hospital have successfully completed operations to separate 8-month-old twin girls who were joined at the lower chest and abdomen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-conjoined-month-old-twins.html Surgery Thu, 08 Nov 2012 03:05:05 EST news271566290 According to an article in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, a medical imaging facility in San Diego, Imaging Healthcare Specialists, has implemented a successful radiation dose reduction program, reducing radiation exposure by up to 90 percent in some patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-imaging-facility-successful-dose-reduction.html Cancer Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:33:49 EST news271355623 A new study by researchers in Boston Children's Hospital's Division of Emergency Medicine indicates that a nationwide standard on booster seat laws for children 4 feet 9 inches and shorter, or up to 8 years old, would save lives. The findings were published online Nov. 5, 2012, in the journal Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-standardized-booster-seat-laws-children.html Pediatrics Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:06:21 EST news271343171 All-terrain vehicle (ATV) manufacturer warning labels aimed at children under age 16 are largely ineffective, and formal dealer-sponsored training is infrequently offered and deemed unnecessary by most young ATV users, according to new research presented at the Oct. 22 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans. The study of ATV crashes involving children also found less than 35 percent of children were wearing a helmet when injured in an ATV crash, and nearly 60 percent were riding again within six months. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-injuries-deter-atv-children-age.html Pediatrics Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:17:05 EST news270094614 Contrary to popular perception, menopause does not cause weight gain, although it does increase fat around the waist, a specialist journal reported Tuesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-menopause-tyre-weight-gain.html Health Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:27:39 EST news269601868 Due to the lack of studies, there is currently no proof that patients with ovarian cancer can benefit from positron emission tomography (PET) alone or in combination with computed tomography (CT). As regards diagnostic accuracy, in certain cases, recurrences can be detected earlier and more accurately with PET or PET/CT than with conventional imaging techniques. This is the conclusion of the final report by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in Cologne that was published on 23 May 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-benefit-pet-petct-ovarian-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 08 Aug 2012 10:26:36 EST news263640390 (HealthDay) -- Men may one day have a birth-control option other than the condom or vasectomy -- if early research on a new contraceptive gel pans out. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-gel-future-male-contraceptive.html Health Tue, 03 Jul 2012 05:00:01 EST news260508875 Men can significantly cut the visceral fat in their abdomen with one hour of interval sprinting per week instead of relying on seven hours of jogging a week for a similar result, according to new Australian research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-sprint-fat.html Overweight and Obesity Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:35:21 EST news260159606 The overwhelming majority (93.8 percent) of patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis (CTAP) in the emergency department (ED) setting are classified as clinically complex, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Clinically complex is used to describe patients who are, based on documentation of their ED physician, much sicker than others. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-in-ed-patients-ct-abdomen.html Other Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:26:36 EST news257743588 (Medical Xpress) -- There is a correlation between high levels of the environmental toxin PCB and the distribution of body fat to the abdomen. This is shown in a new study published today in the scientific journal Obesity. Abdominal fat is already known to increase the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, among other conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-pcb-abdominal-fat.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 29 May 2012 05:00:50 EST news257486294 By simply shining a tiny light within the small intestine, close to that organ's junction with the pancreas, physicians at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have been able to detect pancreatic cancer 100 percent of the time in a small study. The light, attached to a probe, measures changes in cells and blood vessels in the small intestine produced by a growing cancer in the adjoining pancreas. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-pancreatic-cancer-simple-intestinal-probe.html Cancer Mon, 21 May 2012 18:18:17 EST news256843086 Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is hard to diagnose as well as treat, but researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have discovered a way of confirming the disorder using stool samples. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-biomarkers-reveal-bowel-syndrome.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 07 May 2012 12:44:24 EST news255613456 (Medical Xpress) -- Oesophageal cancer is a very serious form of cancer that, if not fatal, requires extensive surgery. A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that when serious complications arise after surgery for oesophageal cancer, many patients suffer other health problems, such as breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and eating problems, for five years afterwards. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-complications-oesophageal-surgery-health-problems.html Cancer Tue, 03 Apr 2012 06:35:06 EST news252653692