http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. There are significant cost and risk factors associated with two procedures commonly used to diagnose or treat gastrointestinal problems, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-quality-gi-procedures.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 19 May 2013 02:00:02 EST news288146356 A recent Saint Louis University study revealed that Medicaid-insured children with eczema, an inflammatory skin condition that affects 20 percent children in the United States, do not have easy access to dermatologists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-medicaid-insured-children-limited-access-dermatologists.html Health Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:39:58 EST news286454389 A new UCSF study has found a clear association between certain genes and the development of lymphedema, a painful and chronic condition that often occurs after breast cancer surgery and some other cancer treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-genetic-markers-linked-lymphedema-breast.html Cancer Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:26:13 EST news285351966 A person's skin and a fruit fly's exoskeleton, called a "cuticle" may not look alike, but both coverings protect against injury, infection, and dehydration. The top layers of mammalian skin and insect cuticle are mesh-works of macromolecules, the mammal version consisting mostly of keratin proteins and the fly version predominantly of the carbohydrate chitin. Yet the requirement of an outer boundary for protection is so ancient that the outermost cells of both organisms respond to some of the same signals. And because of these signaling similarities, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster serves as a model for wound healing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-skin-deep-fruit-flies-reveal.html Genetics Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:30:01 EST news284369800 The Clinical Institute of Pathology at the MedUni Vienna has discovered a previously unknown mechanism in the regulation of gene expression that leads to the development of a chronic renal condition known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Primary FSGS is currently untreatable and can lead to secondary conditions ranging from nephrotic syndrome with severe oedema to the destruction of renal function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-faulty-gene-triggers-kidney-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:17:41 EST news282989851 Chronic illness takes a significant toll on children, but the psychological toll can often go overlooked. Children with chronic illness are twice as likely to have more emotional or behavioral challenges in comparison to healthy children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-child-cope-chronic-medical-condition.html Health Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:50:03 EST news281347316 A bracelet-like device with magnetic beads can control the chronic digestive disorder gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-bracelet-like-device-chronic-acid-reflux.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:00:07 EST news280598751 (HealthDay)—A staggering one in eight Americans has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-americans-diabetes-poll.html Diabetes Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:39:32 EST news280597148 Researchers don't know the exact cause of Behçet's disease, a chronic condition that leads to oral and genital sores and serious complications such as blindness, but new research brings better understanding to what makes some people more susceptible to being affected. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-uncover-genetic-behet-disease.html Genetics Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:34:33 EST news280146833 Shares of Novo Nordisk tumbled Monday after the Danish drugmaker said U.S. regulators need a new study before they can finish their review of two diabetes treatments, a development that could delay approval for several years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-novo-nordisk-skid-drug-setback.html Other Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:59:42 EST news279799166 HIV patients who participated in an intervention that helped them identify barriers to taking their drugs properly and develop customized coping strategies took a significantly greater amount of their prescribed doses than those receiving standard care, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results, published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, may point to a new strategy to improve adherence to medications for many other conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-personalized-barriers-hiv-drug-adherence.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:57:23 EST news278683034 Children with chronic conditions increasingly used more resources in a group of children's hospitals compared with patients without a chronic condition, according to a report that analyzed data from 28 U.S. children's hospitals between 2004 and 2009, and is being published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-children-chronic-conditions-increasingly-resources.html Pediatrics Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:00:10 EST news275576402 Each year the flu puts more than 200,000 Americans in the hospital and causes anywhere from 3,000 to 49,000 deaths. With the exception of the H1N1 flu (also called swine flu) in 2009, most of these deaths occur in people over 65. But even for healthy younger people, the flu—characterized by high fever, body aches, headaches, and coughing—can be rough. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-ready-flu-season.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:03:37 EST news273225802 Offering routine HIV testing to the general population rather than only to high-risk individuals will significantly reduce illness and death, argues Dr. Julio Montaner and coauthors in an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-canada-routine-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:41:34 EST news273159613 (Medical Xpress)—Nearly 40 percent of breast cancer survivors suffer from lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes body limbs to swell from fluid buildup, as a result of lymph node removal and radiation therapy. A cure for lymphedema does not exist, so individuals with the condition must find ways to manage the symptoms throughout their lifetimes. Now, a team of researchers and clinicians working with a University of Missouri lymphedema expert has found that full-body exercise and complete decongestive therapy (CDT) are the best ways for patients to minimize their symptoms and maintain their quality of life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-decongestive-therapy-ways-lymphedema-expert.html Cancer Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:51:09 EST news270132650 New research appearing online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), suggests that long-term survivors of hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) are at an increased risk of developing heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol when compared to the general population. These risk factors, combined with exposure to pre-HCT therapy, contribute to a noticeably increased risk of heart disease over time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-stem-cell-transplant-survivors-heart.html Cardiology Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:33:06 EST news268486362 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at the University of Reading have demonstrated for the first time that a previously unstudied chemical in cannabis could lead to more effective treatments for people with epilepsy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-previously-undiscovered-cannibis-compound-epilepsy.html Neuroscience Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:29:38 EST news266743758 Spinal cord stimulation improves heart function and could become a novel treatment option for heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 25, by Professor Hung-Fat Tse from Hong Kong. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-spinal-cord-heart-function.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:20:06 EST news265282904 In a study published in the current issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience scientists report that a therapy combining exercise with the neurovascular protective agent S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) improved recovery from stroke in a rat model. GSNO is a compound found naturally in the body and it has no known side effects or toxicity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-therapy-combining-neuroprotective-agent-victims.html Neuroscience Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:45:09 EST news264253502 A recent study of adults age 50 to 85 found that only 19 percent of those diagnosed with lung disease quit smoking within two years. Furthermore, the research showed that the vast majority of older adults who learn they have a chronic condition do not adopt healthier behaviors, according to data presented in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-seniors-illness-tough-habits.html Health Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:46:07 EST news262964711 (HealthDay) -- About 10 percent of fibromyalgia patients use marijuana to relieve symptoms such as pain, fatigue and insomnia, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-fibromyalgia-patients-marijuana-ease-pain.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:50:42 EST news259577435 Researchers at McMaster University have discovered that long-term insulin use does not harm people with diabetes or pre-diabetes or put them at risk of heart attacks, strokes or cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-debunks-belief-insulin-people-diabetes.html Diabetes Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:54:59 EST news258648870 Some experimental diabetes treatments in late testing offer patients hope of better controlling their blood sugar and weight and preventing dangerously low blood sugar, all big challenges for millions of diabetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-experimental-diabetes-drugs-patients.html Diabetes Mon, 11 Jun 2012 03:56:07 EST news258605418 A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. The new study shows that when the tool is in use, patients are 10 percent less likely to undergo a CT scan, without increasing the number of patients who are admitted to the hospital. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-electronic-medical-tool-unnecessary-ct.html Cancer Fri, 11 May 2012 16:32:36 EST news255972750 (AP) -- A heart device might save your life but leave you miserable. That awful possibility is the reason for new advice urging doctors to talk more honestly with people who have very weak hearts and are considering pumps, pacemakers, new valves or procedures to open clogged arteries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-advice-urges-wider-heart-decisions.html Cardiology Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:47:59 EST news250188473 ActiveME, a new iPhone application, has been launched to help patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME (CFS/ME). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-iphone-app-people-chronic-condition.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:38:53 EST news249889119 South Africa on Friday unveiled plans for a 1.6 billion rand ($208 million, 157 million euro) pharmaceutical plant, in a joint venture with Swiss biochemicals group Lonza to produce anti-AIDS drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-safrica-mln-aids-drug-venture.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:40:48 EST news248089236 Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that the likelihood of becoming disabled with age increases with the following factors: having a chronic condition or cognitive impairment; low physical activity; slower gross motor coordination; having poor lower-extremity function; and being hospitalized. Women are also more likely than men to become disabled in their later years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-factors-difficulty-elderly.html Health Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:50:04 EST news245958596 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with psychologists from six other universities, have started a study to assess the impact of a new psychological therapy for chronic, or treatment-resistant, depression (Refractory Depression). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-treatment-chronic-depression-personality-style.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:10:46 EST news245495440 New research shows that older Americans with cirrhosis have significantly worse health status and greater functional disability compared to those without this potentially deadly disease. In fact, findings now published in Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that elderly patients with cirrhosis require twice the amount of informal caregiving and contribute added strain on the health care system. Given the increase in obesity and aging of those with hepatitis C (HCV), researchers expect the prevalence of cirrhosis to climb in this frail population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-high-disability-health-older-americans.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:40:59 EST news245428829