http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers in India have developed a total cholesterol test that uses a digital camera to take a snapshot of the back of the patient's hand rather than a blood sample. The image obtained is cropped and compared with images in a database for known cholesterol levels. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-cholesterol.html Medical research Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:30:01 EST news264417018 Using a new assay method to study tumor cells, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center have found evidence of clonal evolution in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The assay method distinguishes features of leukemia cells that indicate whether the disease will be aggressive or slow-moving, a key factor in when and how patients are treated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-tumor-cells-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:42:36 EST news262622533 When a person is sick, there is a tell-tale sign in their blood: a different mix of the various types of immune cells called leukocytes. A group of scientists at several institutions including Brown University has discovered a way to determine that mix from the DNA in archival or fresh blood samples, potentially providing a practical new technology not only for medical research but also for clinical diagnosis and treatment monitoring of ailments including some cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-technique-disease-immune-cell-dna.html Medical research Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:58:21 EST news261057419 Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have for the first time sequenced the genome of an unborn baby using only a blood sample from the mother. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-method-enables-sequencing-fetal-genomes.html Genetics Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:07:29 EST news260626027 Beth Meyerson, co-chair of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention at Indiana University, said expanding HIV testing is critical. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-iu-expert-current-hiv-approach.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:26:25 EST news260083571 Current screening strategies for Down syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 21 (T21), and Edwards syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 18 (T18), have false positive rates of 2 to 3%, and false negative rates of 5% or higher. Positive screening results must be confirmed by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, which carry a fetal loss rate of approximately 1 in 300 procedures. Now an international, multicenter cohort study finds that a genetic test to screen for trisomy 21 or 18 from a maternal blood sample is almost 100% accurate. The results of the study are published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-noninvasive-genetic-syndrome-edwards-highly.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:22:52 EST news258132162 The Food and Drug Administration is considering approval of the first over-the-counter HIV test that would allow consumers to quickly test themselves for the virus at home, without medical supervision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-fda-rapid-take-home-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 11 May 2012 15:16:37 EST news255968192 (Medical Xpress) -- An important step towards developing a rapid, inexpensive diagnostic method for autism has been take by Uppsala University, among other universities. Through advanced mass spectrometry the researchers managed to capture promising biomarkers from a tiny blood sample. The study has just been published in the prestigious journal Nature Translational Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-biomarkers-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:06:49 EST news251708731 In a study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the Unites States and the United Kingdom, genes that are known to be involved in inflammation were found to be related to risk of ovarian cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-ovarian-cancer-inherited-inflammation-genes.html Cancer Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:47:44 EST news247841232 (Medical Xpress) -- Like a half-million other babies born in California in 2010, Sophia and Charlotte Gonzales each had a blood sample collected after their birth for the state’s newborn screening program. But in this instance, unlike many cases, those few precious drops were the difference between life and death: Without the newborn screening program, the identical twin sisters probably would not have survived their first week of life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-state-newborn-screening-twins.html Health Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:45:55 EST news245317551 Early detection of melanoma, the most aggressive skin cancer, is critical because melanoma will spread rapidly throughout the body. Now, University of Missouri researchers are one step closer to melanoma cancer detection at the cellular level, long before tumors have a chance to form. Commercial production of a device that measures melanoma using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasound, will soon be available to scientists and academia for cancer studies. The commercial device also will be tested in clinical trials to provide the data required to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for early diagnosis of metastatic melanoma and other cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-photoacoustic-device-cancer-cells-tumors.html Cancer Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:52:09 EST news244986717 (Medical Xpress) -- Is the patient suffering from blood poisoning? To answer this question, the doctor draws a blood sample and sends it to a central laboratory for testing. This takes up valuable time, which could cost the patient his life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-blood-poisoning-quickly.html Medical research Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:00:01 EST news242036661 Repeatedly taking slightly too much paracetamol over time can cause a dangerous overdose that is difficult to spot, but puts the person at danger of dying. Patients may not come to hospital reporting the overdose, but because they feel unwell. This clinical situation needs to be recognized and treated rapidly because these patients are at even greater danger than people who take single overdoses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-paracetamol-ingestion-slightly-fatal-.html Medications Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:02:47 EST news241243137 Despite being widely available for sale in low-and-middle income countries, commercial serological tests used to detect active tuberculosis (by identifying antibodies to the tuberculosis-causing bacterium in a blood sample) do not accurately diagnose TB and, furthermore, often test positive when the patient does not have TB (false positive) and test negative when the patient actually has TB (false negative). In addition, as shown in India, the use of such tests is not cost effective as compared to other tests available for TB. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-serological-antibody-tuberculosis-inaccurate-cost-effective.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:00:01 EST news232118612 When a person living in a malarial area gets a fever, health workers need to know the cause to make absolutely sure they give the right treatment. For many years in sub-Saharan Africa primary health workers have often assumed a fever is caused by malaria, and given antimalarial drugs. This approach means sometimes people receive the wrong treatment for their illness. It also wastes resources and, over time, can promote resistance to available drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-simple-rapid-diagnostic-malaria.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 06 Jul 2011 03:09:48 EST news229140555 A person's blood reveals whether he or she has lung cancer: this has been demonstrated by researchers at the University of Bonn. In collaboration with colleagues at the Cologne University Hospital, they are developing a blood test for smokers which could save human lives in the future, since the earlier a lung tumor is detected, the better the chances of survival are. The study has just been published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-lung-cancer-early.html Cancer Mon, 16 May 2011 09:53:17 EST news224758297 A new study of foot-and-mouth disease shows that cattle afflicted with the virus are only infectious for a brief window of time -- about half as long as previously thought. This finding suggests that the controversial control measures used to halt the disease's spread, such as killing large numbers of livestock, could be reduced. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-reveals-livestock-transmit-foot-and-mouth-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 05 May 2011 14:10:01 EST news223821729 An international team of researchers has moved forward the development of diagnostic biomarkers for degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-early-diagnosis-parkinson-disease.html Medical research Wed, 04 May 2011 10:51:23 EST news223725047