Medical Xpress: PHYSorg news tagged with: meta analysis

Topical anesthetics effective for premature ejaculation

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:00:02 EST

(HealthDay)—Topical anesthetic agents seem to be effective and are generally well tolerated for patients with premature ejaculation (PE), according to a review published in the April issue of Urology.

Reliability of neuroscience research questioned

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 05:23:09 EST

New research has questioned the reliability of neuroscience studies, saying that conclusions could be misleading due to small sample sizes.

Writing can be a therapy after a traumatic stress

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:32:42 EST

This study demonstrates that writing therapy resulted in significant and substantial short-term reductions in post traumatic symptoms (PTS) and comorbid depressive symptoms. Writing therapy is an evidence-based treatment for PTS, and constitutes a useful treatment alternative for patients who do not respond to other evidence-based treatments.

Use of adjunctive antipsychotic medications in depression

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:00:07 EST

A study published this week in PLOS Medicine finds that while antipsychotic medications are associated with small-to-moderate improvements in depressive symptoms in adults, there is little evidence for improvement on measures of quality of life and these medications are linked to adverse events such as weight gain and sedation.

Frequency of surveillance scans for small aneurysms can be reduced for most patients

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:00:03 EST

In contrast to the commonly adopted surveillance intervals in current abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening programs, surveillance intervals of several years may be clinically acceptable for the majority of patients with small AAA, as the smallest AAAs often do not appear to change significantly over many years, according to a meta-analysis of previous studies reported in the February 27 issue of JAMA.

Biostatisticians identify genes linked to heart disease

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:00:01 EST

Recently, large studies have identified some of the genetic basis for important common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, but most of the genetic contribution to them remains undiscovered. Now researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by biostatistician Andrea Foulkes have applied sophisticated statistical tools to existing large databases to reveal substantial new information about genes that cause such conditions as high cholesterol linked to heart disease.

Singapore scientists discover genes responsible for cornea blindness

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:15:03 EST

Scientists at Singapore Eye Research Institute and A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore have succeeded in identifying genes for central corneal thickness that may cause potentially blinding eye conditions. These eye conditions include glaucoma, as well as the progressive thinning of the cornea, which may eventually lead to a need for corneal transplantation.

Patient expectations of acute bronchitis not consistent with the best evidence

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:01:00 EST

New research from the University of Georgia exposes a large discrepancy in the length of time patients expect an acute cough illness, also called acute bronchitis, to last and the reality of the illness. This mismatch may be a factor in the over-prescription of antibiotics.

Expert suggests tried-and-true strategies to strengthen your relationship

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:42:30 EST

What are you doing to keep your relationship alive? A University of Illinois study highlights the importance of five relationship maintenance strategies that couples can use to preserve or improve the quality of an intimate relationship.

Higher levels of obesity associated with increased risk of death

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:07:22 EST

In an analysis of nearly 100 studies that included approximately 3 million adults, relative to normal weight, overall obesity (combining all grades) and higher levels of obesity were both associated with a significantly higher all-cause risk of death, while overweight was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality, according to a study in the January 2 issue of JAMA.

Perceived stress may predict future risk of coronary heart disease

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:40:24 EST

(Medical Xpress)—Are you stressed? Results of a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people indicate that the answer to that question may help predict one's risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) or death from CHD. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

Broad analysis of many radiation studies finds no exposure threshold that precludes harm to life

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:35:18 EST

(Medical Xpress)—Even the very lowest levels of radiation are harmful to life, scientists have concluded in the Cambridge Philosophical Society's journal Biological Reviews. Reporting the results of a wide-ranging analysis of 46 peer-reviewed studies published over the past 40 years, researchers from the University of South Carolina and the University of Paris-Sud found that variation in low-level, natural background radiation had small, but highly statistically significant, negative effects on DNA as well as several measures of health.

People with severe psoriasis nearly twice at risk for diabetes

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:00:06 EST

An analysis of 27 studies linking psoriasis in 314,000 individuals with diabetes has found strong correlation between the scaly skin rash and the blood sugar disorder that predisposes patients to heart disease, say UC Davis researchers who led the review.

New study links tanning beds to non-melanoma skin cancer

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:30:06 EST

Indoor tanning beds can cause non-melanoma skin cancer – and the risk is greater the earlier one starts tanning, according to a new analysis led by UCSF.

Cogmed Working Memory Training: Does it actually work? The debate continues

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:57:54 EST

Helping children achieve their full potential in school is of great concern to everyone, and a number of commercial products have been developed to try and achieve this goal. The Cogmed Working Memory Training program (http://www.cogmed.com/) is such an example and is marketed to schools and parents of children with attention problems caused by poor working memory. But, does the program actually work? The target article in the September issue of Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (JARMAC) calls into question Cogmed's claims of improving working memory and addressing underachievement due to working memory constraints.

Physiotherapy beneficial for people with Parkinson's disease in the short term

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:31:39 EST

(Medical Xpress)—Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis led by the University of Birmingham in the UK suggest that physiotherapy benefits people with Parkinson's disease in the short term (< 3 months).

Light drinking may relate to increase in risk for certain cancers

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:11:31 EST

The majority of observational studies have shown that alcohol intake, especially heavy drinking, increases a number of upper-aero-digestive tract (UADT) and other cancers, and even moderate drinking is associated with a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer. A meta analysis published in the Annals of Oncology compares the effects between light drinkers (an average reported intake of up to 1 typical drink/day) versus "non-drinkers" in terms of relative risks for a number of types of cancer.

Large Europe-wide study confirms work stress linked to greater risk of heart disease

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:30:02 EST

People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23% more likely to experience a heart attack compared with their counterparts without such work stress, according to a study of nearly 200 000 people from seven European countries, published Online First in The Lancet.

Effects of stopping alcohol consumption on subsequent risk of esophageal cancer

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:42:44 EST

Cancer of the oesophagus is becoming more common in Europe and North America. Around 7,800 people in the UK are diagnosed each year. The exact causes of this cancer aren't fully understood. It appears to be more common in people who have long-term acid reflux (backflow of stomach acid into the oesophagus).

Study finds little evidence of health benefits from organic foods

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:00:03 EST

You're in the supermarket eyeing a basket of sweet, juicy plums. You reach for the conventionally grown stone fruit, then decide to spring the extra $1/pound for its organic cousin. You figure you've just made the healthier decision by choosing the organic product—but new findings from Stanford University cast some doubt on your thinking.

Reducing the side effects of treatment for prostate cancer

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 20:00:04 EST

New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine reassessing clinical data from trials, which investigate ways of treating side effects of therapy for prostate cancer, finds that tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen used to treat breast cancer, is also able to suppress gynecomastia and breast pain in men.

Time outdoors may reduce myopia in children

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:10:10 EST

(HealthDay) -- Increasing time spent outdoors may reduce the development or progression of myopia in children and adolescents, according to a study published online July 20 in Ophthalmology.

Freezing all embryos in IVF with transfer in a later non-stimulated cycle may improve outcome

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:36:14 EST

There is growing interest in a "freeze-all" embryo policy in IVF. Such an approach, which cryopreserves all embryos generated in a stimulated IVF cycle for later transfer in a non-stimulated natural cycle, would avoid any of the adverse effects which ovarian stimulation might have on endometrial receptivity during the treatment cycle. Ovarian stimulation has been shown to have adverse effects on endometrial receptivity and the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is also increased when embryo transfer is performed in the stimulated cycle.

Some diabetes drugs may increase risk of bladder cancer

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:00:01 EST

An increased risk of bladder cancer is linked to the use of pioglitazone, a medication commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

One in eight heart patients suffer post-traumatic stress disorder

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:00:14 EST

One in eight people who suffer a heart attack or other acute coronary event experience clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a meta-analysis of 24 studies led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers. The study also shows that heart patients who suffer PTSD face twice the risk of having another cardiac event or of dying within one to three years, compared with those without PTSD. The findings were published today in the online edition of PLoS ONE.

Treatment with anti-TNFs can increase the risk of shingles by up to 75 percent

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:39:52 EST

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor medications (anti-TNFs) have a 75% greater risk of developing herpes zoster, or shingles, than patients treated with traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to a meta-analysis presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism.

Higher pain tolerance in athletes may hold clues for pain management

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:02 EST

Stories of athletes bravely "playing through the pain" are relatively common and support the widespread belief that they experience pain differently than non-athletes. Yet, the scientific data on pain perception in athletes has been inconsistent, and sometimes contradictory. Investigators from the University of Heidelberg have conducted a meta-analysis of available research and find that in fact, athletes can indeed tolerate a higher level of pain than normally active people. However, pain threshold, the minimum intensity at which a stimulus is perceived as painful, did not differ in athletes and normal controls. Their findings are published in the June issue of Pain.

Meta-analysis confirms benefit of statins in those with no previous history of vascular disease

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:30:03 EST

Even people at low risk of heart problems would benefit from statins, cheap drugs that lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood.

Probiotics associated with reduced risk of diarrhea from antibiotic use: study

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:07 EST

Consumption of probiotics (live microorganisms, which may occur naturally in foods such as yogurt, intended to confer a health benefit when consumed) is associated with a reduced risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a common adverse effect of antibiotic use, according to a review and meta-analysis of previous studies published in the May 9 issue of JAMA.

High BMI tied to non-specific foot pain, plantar heel pain

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:30:03 EST

(HealthDay) -- Increased body mass index (BMI) correlates with non-specific foot pain in the general population, and with chronic plantar heel pain in a non-athletic population, according to a meta-analysis published online April 13 in Obesity Reviews.