http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. William M. Tierney, M.D. focuses on the potential of electronic medical systems and computer-based decision support to control healthcare costs in "Controlling costs with computer-based decision support: a hammer, a scalpel or an illusion?" published online in JAMA Internal Medicine on April 15. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-computer-based-decision-health.html Health Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:47:31 EST news285346043 A proof-of-concept device is nearly perfect in separating breast cancer cells from blood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-circulating-tumor-cells.html Cancer Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:07:18 EST news283428431 Women with atrial fibrilation have more symptoms and lower quality of life than men with the same heart condition, according to an analysis of patients in a large national registry compiled by the Duke Clinical Research Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-symptoms-irregular-heartbeats-differ-gender.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:13:57 EST news282219230 (HealthDay)—Most patients with localized prostate cancer know little about the out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) of the different treatments, and would not have chosen a different treatment even if they had known the actual OOPE of their treatment, according to a study published in the December issue of Urology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-unaware-out-of-pocket-prostate-cancer-tx.html Cancer Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:39:55 EST news276604787 Prostate cancer experts at Johns Hopkins have developed an updated version of the Partin Tables, a tool to help men diagnosed with prostate cancer and their doctors to better assess their chance of a surgical cure. The updated tool, based on a study of more than 5,600 men treated at The Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2006 to 2011, is published in the Jan. 3 issue of the British Journal of Urology International. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-partin-tables-tool-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 04 Jan 2013 07:22:01 EST news276506378 Australian scientists have shown in the laboratory how a 'transcription factor' causes breast cancer cells to develop an aggressive subtype that lacks sensitivity to estrogen and does not respond to known anti-estrogen therapies. The research, which has significant implications for breast cancer treatment, is published December 27 in the open access journal PLOS Biology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-factor-future-breast-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:00:11 EST news275848914 The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the American Dental Association (ADA) found that there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of antibiotics for patients with orthopaedic implants to prevent infections prior to having dental procedures because there is no direct evidence that routine dental procedures cause prosthetic joint infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-evidence-insufficient-routine-antibiotics-joint.html Other Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:23:07 EST news275059377 For three years, University of Utah researchers have been deploying a computer-based design program called SketchUp in workshops to teach and develop life skills for youth on the autism spectrum. An earlier study showed that using the program helps kids develop their spatial and visual acuity, as well as to leverage those strengths to build positive social interactions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-tech-doors-grandparents-grandkids-asd.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:53:03 EST news274330368 Many of the controversial incentive schemes aimed at improving quality of service in the NHS may not be working as intended, a major new study has warned. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-nhs-schemes-impact.html Health Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:59:11 EST news273315523 A new article being published early online in Annals of Internal Medicine describes the diagnosis and treatment protocol established in a Roanoke, Va. hospital to care for dozens of patients presenting with suspected fungal meningitis related to contaminated epidural spinal injections. This unprecedented surge of patients seeking care for a rare central nervous system (CNS) infection required physicians to react quickly with little data to guide treatment decisions. The authors suggest that the data collected from these cases may fill information gaps and inform current and future therapy for fungal meningitis patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-early-clinical-fungal-meningitis-outbreak.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:40:44 EST news271942837 Patients' preferences are often misinterpreted or ignored in treatment decisions, leading to a "silent misdiagnosis" that is damaging to both doctors and patients, warn experts on BMJ today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-patient-treatment-decisions-experts.html Health Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:30:04 EST news271613806 (Medical Xpress)—The first UK multicentre figures showing that one in five women having major gynaecological cancer surgery have some sort of complication will help set standards in the NHS, according to research presented at the NCRI Cancer Conference today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-figures-standard-gynaecological-cancer-surgery.html Cancer Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:46:35 EST news271323977 Men whose testosterone drops following radiation therapy for prostate cancer are more likely to experience a change in PSA levels that signals their cancer has returned, according to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center. The findings will be presented on October 29 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 54th Annual Meeting. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-testosterone-tied-prostate-cancer-recurrence.html Cancer Sun, 28 Oct 2012 14:03:59 EST news270651769 (HealthDay)—Many people with incurable cancer mistakenly believe chemotherapy may save them, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-terminal-cancer-patients-false-chemo.html Cancer Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:10:31 EST news270317416 In a new perspective piece being published Online First tonight in Annals of Internal Medicine, a physician recalls lessons learned from treating patients affected by the 2002 outbreak of Exophiala (Wangiella) dermatitidis meningitis or arthritis related to contaminated, injectable coticosteroids prepared from a compounding pharmacy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-dont-fungal-meningitis-outbreak.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:24:21 EST news269799853 Until there are more validated biomarkers to direct treatment decisions, many physicians use patient age to decide what therapy to give their patients. Literature data report that older patients often go undertreated because of concerns for limited tolerance to toxic therapies. A study, published in the November 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, says that fit elderly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients should be considered for salvage targeted therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-elderly-patients-therapy.html Cancer Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:52:26 EST news269524333 (HealthDay)—A significant number of hospitalized children have moderate to severe pain, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-hospitalized-children-severe-pain.html Health Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:30:05 EST news269107769 After surgeons removed the tumor from her breast last November, Karen Hajiaskari, of Hamburg, N.Y., was deemed cancer-free. But for the next five years she will take a drug called tamoxifen, a medication that's commonly used to prevent a breast cancer recurrence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-additional-medicines-recurrence-issues.html Cancer Sun, 07 Oct 2012 15:30:01 EST news268839720 A new anticoagulant called apixaban is superior to warfarin in preventing stroke with consistent effects across a wide range of stroke and bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-apixaban-superior-warfarin-range-patient.html Cardiology Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:30:03 EST news268329611 (Medical Xpress)—During an ice climbing trip to the Canadian Rockies last Christmas, two young researchers from the UW,  Michael Schmitt and Jesse Salk,  talked about a simple but powerful idea to get better results when looking at cancer cells. If they could reduce the error rate in DNA sequencing, then researchers could better pinpoint which cells are mutating. This improvement could lead to early diagnosis of cancer and a better treatment plan once researchers knew which cells were resistant to chemotherapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-duplex-sequencing-method-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:57:23 EST news268300631 There are approximately 400,000 people in the United States with multiple sclerosis. Worldwide, the number jumps to more than 2.1 million people. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to treating the millions with multiple sclerosis, what if doctors could categorize patients to create more personalized treatments? A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) may one day make this idea a reality in the fight against the debilitating autoimmune disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-categories-multiple-sclerosis-patients.html Neuroscience Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:00:01 EST news267876407 (HealthDay)—For patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), most patients are treated with chemotherapy, even if they express negative or marginal preferences, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-patient-doesnt-affect-chemo-advanced.html Cancer Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:13:45 EST news267452006 Every year, nearly 45,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The odds against those stricken by the disease are truly dismal; pancreatic cancer almost always kills within two years after diagnosis, no matter how it is treated. Even aggressive intervention with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery rarely yields more than an extra month to a year of survival, depending on the stage of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-pancreatic-cancer-patients-hard-choices.html Cancer Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:40:01 EST news264951130 Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once described England and America as two countries separated by a common language. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-underscores-moms-critically-ill-infants.html Health Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:20:01 EST news264330104 How are you sleeping? Any nausea? How about pain? Monitoring symptoms is an important part of cancer care, as it guides treatment decisions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-kids-cancer-symptoms-cartoons-digital.html Health Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:46:42 EST news263720780 For more than 1 million people in the U.S. living with spinal cord injury, the frightening days and weeks following the injury are filled with uncertainty about their potential for recovery and future independence. A new model based on motor scores at admission and early imaging studies may allow clinicians to predict functional outcomes and guide decision-making for therapy and care-giving needs, as described in an article published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-recovery-spinal-cord-injury.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:46:05 EST news263645156 Most informed consent disputes involve disagreements about who said what and when, not stand-offs over whether a particular risk ought to have been disclosed. But doctors may "routinely underestimate the importance of a small set of risks that vex patients" according to international experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-doctors-dont-disclose-patients-treatment.html Health Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:37:11 EST news263637422 Among patients with mild or no cognitive impairment, brain scans using a new radioactive dye can detect early evidence of Alzheimer's disease that may predict future decline, according to a multi-center study led by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-alzheimer-plaques-pet-brain-scans.html Neuroscience Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:00:06 EST news261240709 In the current online issue of PLoS ONE, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a set of laboratory-based biomarkers that can be useful for understanding brain-based abnormalities in schizophrenia. The measurements, known as endophenotypes, could ultimately be a boon to clinicians who sometimes struggle to recognize and treat the complex and confounding mental disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-biomarkers-schizophrenia.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:30:54 EST news261232247 Cancer patients across the country have a new way to navigate through difficult treatment decisions and communicate better with their doctors. “Open to Options,’’ which recently launched nationally, was developed in conjunction with UCSF to guide patients in making critical health decisions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-cancer-patients.html Cancer Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:13:34 EST news261216807