http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Approximately one in 20 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) has chromosomal aberrations targeting the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene. This has considerable implications for treatment because these patients are highly responsive to ALK-specific kinase inhibitors such as crizotinib. However, current diagnostic tests have limitations. Researchers have now developed and tested a promising new method for screening ALK fusions in NSCLC. This new diagnostic assay offers a cost-effective and easy-to-perform alternative to existing tests. The study is published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-patients-benefit-alk-inhibition-therapy.html Medical research Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:04:53 EST news274536268 Researchers from East Carolina University used a new technique of genotyping to identify the source of a hematology clinic outbreak of Mycobacterium mucogenicum, a gram-positive, acid-fast bacteria found in tap water. This is the first outbreak of M. mucogenicum in an ambulatory care setting; five other outbreaks have been reported in hospital settings since 1995. The study was published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-genotyping-source-clinic-infection-outbreak.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:31:41 EST news268655490 University Teknologi MARA researchers conducted a study on Norovirus (NoV) in lettuces. The virus causes outbreaks of Gastroenteritis among children below age 5 in Malaysia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-malaysia-norovirus-lettuce.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:20:39 EST news266761230 (HealthDay) -- Shortened telomere length (TL) is associated with risks for dementia and mortality in a population of older adults, according to a study published online July 23 in the Archives of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-shortened-telomere-length-tied-dementia.html Neuroscience Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:30:01 EST news262439857 The common cold virus may be more common than previously thought in university students not reporting any symptoms. Rhinovirus, the virus responsible for the common cold was found at some point during an 8-week study period in an estimated 60% of university students that were asymptomatic. Researchers from Canada report their findings at the 2012 General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-asymptomatic-rhinovirus-infection-outnumbers-symptomatic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:00:01 EST news259340305 (HealthDay) -- Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and S. aureus-secreted enterotoxins (SE) are frequently found in patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC), particularly in those with corneal ulceration, according to a study published online April 10 in Allergy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-aureus-enterotoxins-idd-atopic-keratoconjunctivitis.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:20:01 EST news254457927 (HealthDay) -- Patients with X-linked recessive ichthyosis (XLRI) have altered expression in a small number of genes, and although moisturizer treatment improves dryness, it doesn't affect other biophysical properties or gene expression, according to a study published online April 5 in the British Journal of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-small-genes-involved-x-linked-ichthyosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:10:01 EST news253510912 A new study conducted by researchers from McGill University, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC), and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, has put the accuracy of rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) under the microscope. The meta-analysis of 159 studies showed three key findings: that RIDTs can be used to confirm the flu, but not to rule it out; that test accuracy is higher in children than it is in adults; and that RIDTs are better at detecting the more common influenza A virus than they are at detecting influenza B. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-accurate-rapid-flu-diagnosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:00:01 EST news249576196 A new research study published in the January 2012 edition of The FASEB Journal describes findings that could lead to a non-invasive test that would let expecting mothers know the sex of their baby as early as the first trimester. Specifically, researchers from South Korea discovered that various ratios of two enzymes (DYS14/GAPDH), which can be extracted from a pregnant mother's blood, indicate if the baby will be a boy or a girl. Such a test would be the first of its kind. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-simple-blood-trimester-fetal-gender.html Medical research Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:09:49 EST news244814982 Researchers in the United States have shown, for the first time, that it is possible to screen cancer patients for a broad range of cancer-causing genetic mutations as part of normal clinical practice. By identifying patients' individual genotypes within a relatively short time frame, doctors are able to target tumours with the most appropriate therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-screen-broad-range-cancer-causing-genetic.html Cancer Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:49:31 EST news240036554 UBC researchers have developed a DNA measurement platform that sets dramatic new performance standards in the sensitivity and accuracy of sample screening. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-megapixel-dna-replication-technology-faster.html Medical research Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:00:11 EST news228916588 A distinctly new type of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is not detected by traditional genetic screening methods has been discovered in patients in Irish hospitals according to research to be published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. These findings provide significant insights into how new MRSA strains emerge and highlight the potential for the transmission of infectious agents from animals to humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-mrsa-hospitalized-patients-animal.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:32:45 EST news226229528 New research shows that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for Borrelia burgdorferi DNA—the spirochetal bacteria transmitted by deer ticks—in joint fluid may confirm the diagnosis of Lyme arthritis, but is not a reliable indicator for active joint infection in patients whose arthritis persists after antibiotic therapy. Findings of this study are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-deer-bacteria-dna-joint-fluid.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 17 May 2011 03:51:43 EST news224823079 'Healthy' smokers experience changes in the gene expression of their lungs similar to that suffered by smokers who have developed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This is the conclusion of a new study, led by Catalan researchers, which confirms the crucial role that smoking plays in causing these alterations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-smokers-gene-patients-copd.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 09 May 2011 10:27:05 EST news224155602