http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Using a tiny ball of ice, a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment called cryoneurolysis safely short circuits chronic pain caused by nerve damage, according to data being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-nerves-pain-cold.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:00:04 EST news285143481 Surgical patients who demonstrated heightened pain sensitivity, or hyperalgesia, induced by high doses of a synthetic opioid had their symptoms alleviated by co-treatment with dexmedetomidine, according to new research. Study investigators, who presented their results today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, concluded that dexmedetomidine may be a new and effective treatment option for opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-dexmedetomidine-surgery-remifentanil-induced-hyperalgesia.html Medications Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:39:36 EST news284960342 Agios Pharmaceuticals announced today the publication of two articles in the journal Science by Agios scientists and their collaborators demonstrating the effects of the company's small molecule isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) mutant specific inhibitors in primary human tumor models. These data add to a growing body of scientific research demonstrating the significant promise of targeting mutant IDH1 and IDH2 enzymes as novel approaches to treating cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-effects-mutant-idh1-idh2-inhibitors.html Cancer Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:00:01 EST news284301154 The frequency of vena cava filter (VCF) use to prevent migration of blood clots to the lungs in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) appears to vary widely and be associated with which hospital provides the patient care, according to a study of California hospitals published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-tracks-variation-hospitals-vena-cava.html Cardiology Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:00:01 EST news282828891 Surgery offers better survival benefit for men with localised prostate cancer, according to a large observational study, conducted by a group of researchers in Sweden and the Netherlands. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-surgery-superior-radiotherapy-men-localized.html Cancer Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:00:05 EST news282499092 Scientists at Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics and The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have discovered a critical weakness in leukaemic cells, which may pave the way to new treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-breakthrough-leukemia.html Cancer Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:13:54 EST news282388426 Lower back pain is a common complaint, and treatment often requires many hours of physical therapy over multiple weekly clinic visits—a costly commitment. Now Dr. Michal Katz-Leurer of Tel Aviv University's Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says that a simple aerobic walking program is as effective in alleviating lower back pain as muscle strengthening programs that require specialized equipment in rehabilitation clinics. The program includes walking two to three times a week for a period of 20 to 40 minutes, http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-pain.html Health Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:16:58 EST news281708211 (HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat postmenopausal women who experience pain during sex, the agency announced Tuesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-fda-drug-older-women-experiencing.html Medications Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:03:55 EST news281124170 An international team of researchers has found that a once-a-month, high-dose injection of a commonly used asthma drug is highly effective in treating teens and adults chronically afflicted with hives and severe, itchy rash. The drug, omalizumab, was tested on 323 people at 55 medical centers for whom standard antihistamine therapy failed to quell their underlying, allergy-like reaction, known as chronic idiopathic urticaria or chronic spontaneous urticaria. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-asthma-drug-highly-effective-chronic.html Immunology Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:00:29 EST news280917558 (HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its approval for the use of Botox against a form of urinary incontinence known as overactive bladder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-fda-botox-overactive-bladder.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:10:01 EST news277800794 Pemphigus vulgaris is a life-threatening autoimmune skin disease that is occurs when the body's immune system generates antibodies that target proteins in the skin known as desomogleins. Desmogleins help to form the adhesive bonds that hold skin cells together and keep the skin intact. Currently, pemphigus vulgaris is treated by long-term immune suppression; however, this can leave the patient susceptible to infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-small-peptide-ameliorates-autoimmune-skin.html Immunology Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:00:06 EST news276953717 The production of new neurons in the adult normal cortex in response to the antidepressant, fluoxetine, is reported in a study published online this week in Neuropsychopharmacology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-induction-adult-cortical-neurogenesis-antidepressant.html Neuroscience Fri, 04 Jan 2013 09:51:46 EST news276515488 (Medical Xpress)—Gene therapy involving modified stem cells obtained from fatty tissue and bone marrow could represent a new option for the treatment of severe orthopaedic injuries to the extremities. This treatment has been developed by Martina Hauser-Schinhan from the University Department of Orthopaedics at the MedUni Vienna during a research fellowship at the Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies at the Harvard Medical School. The treatment could in future prevent threatened amputations or massive shortenings of bones. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-gene-therapy-option-bone-defects.html Medical research Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:27:06 EST news274109193 A new study shows that endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) before radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with nodular Barrett's esophagus (BE) and advanced neoplasia. The performance of EMR before RFA was not associated with a diminished likelihood of success of therapy or an increased rate of stricture compared with those with advanced neoplasia undergoing RFA alone. The study appears in the October issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-endoscopic-mucosal-resection-radiofrequency-ablation.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:50:34 EST news269614222 Treatment with denosumab, a drug targeted against a protein that helps promote bone destruction, decreased the number of tumor giant cells in patients with giant-cell tumor of the bone, and increased new bone formation, according to the results of a phase II study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-denosumab-burden-giant-cell-tumor-bone.html Cancer Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:41:14 EST news267446466 A whole-genome scan to identify large-scale chromosomal damage can help doctors choose the best treatment option for children with neuroblastoma, one of the most common types of childhood cancer, finds an international collaboration jointly led by The Institute of Cancer Research, London. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-whole-genome-scan-treatment-childhood-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:21:24 EST news266836870 A minimally invasive procedure known as endovascular repair used for abdominal aortic aneurysms has a low rate of complications, even in high-risk patients such as those with kidney, heart or lung problems, a Mayo Clinic study shows. Researchers found that even when aneurysms ruptured, endovascular repair had lower mortality rates than open-abdominal surgery, the other treatment option. The findings are being presented at the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society Annual Meeting, Sept. 6-8, in Milwaukee, Wis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-minimally-invasive-surgery-abdominal-aortic.html Cardiology Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:20:04 EST news266064266 Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) leads to meaningful improvements in health-related quality of life in patients with severe aortic stenosis that are maintained for at least 1 year, according to a study presented at ESC Congress 2012. The results from the German transcatheter aortic valve interventions registry were presented by Professor Till Neumann, MD, from Essen, Germany. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-tavi-quality-life-patients-severe.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:07:08 EST news265370819 After the SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) outbreak in 2003, academia experts in immunology and molecular biology joined forces with industrial vaccine production experts in order to develop preventive and therapeutic measures for SARS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-sars.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:20:58 EST news265364451 New research published Online First in the Lancet is the first to show that gabapentin, a drug widely used to treat pain and seizures, substantially reduces the frequency and severity of coughing and other symptoms associated with the extremely common and difficult-to-treat problem of long-term chronic cough. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-widely-drug-substantial-relief-people.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:30:02 EST news265298383 The largest study of patients with severe asthma to date, published in the Lancet special issue on respiratory medicine, shows that those treated with the monoclonal antibody mepolizumab experienced an almost 50 percent reduction in severe exacerbations, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations compared with patients given placebo. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-mepolizumab-halves-exacerbations-patients-severe.html Immunology Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:30:01 EST news264345938 Breast cancers that depend on the hormones estrogen and progesterone are susceptible to treatments targeting these hormones. Take away this dependence and you lose a valuable treatment option. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-unmaking-stem-like-aggressive-breast-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:36:20 EST news263734574 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study by TCD researchers investigates drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells. The findings which have been recently published in the international publication, PLoS One will increase understanding of molecular markers in drug-resistant ovarian cancer with a view to improving clinical treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-drug-resistant-ovarian-cancer-clinical.html Cancer Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:47:52 EST news263720848 Many people have probably heard of off-label drug use, but they may not know when that applies to prescriptions they are taking, a Mayo Clinic analysis found. Off-label drug use occurs when a physician prescribes medication to treat a condition before that use has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In a newly published article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers pose and answer 10 questions about off-label drug use. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-off-label-drug-common-patients-theyre.html Medications Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:04:10 EST news263473443 Ticagrelor, a blood-thinning drug approved by the FDA in 2011, should be considered along with older blood thinners clopidogrel and prasugrel for treating patients who are experiencing chest pain or some heart attacks, according to joint updated guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the American College of Cardiology (ACCF) Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-ahaaccf-guidelines-unstable-angina-blood-thinning.html Cardiology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:03:11 EST news261669774 Emotional problems in childhood are common. Approximately 8 to 22 percent of children suffer from anxiety, often combined with other conditions such as depression. However, most existing therapies are not designed to treat co-existing psychological problems and are therefore not very successful in helping children with complex emotional issues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-emotion-uncover-ways-youth-anxiety.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:26:46 EST news261235598 Leading muscular dystrophy researcher Dean Burkin, of the University of Nevada School of Medicine summarizes the impact of a new protein therapeutic, MG53, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in an article published this week in Science Translational Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-muscular-dystrophy-therapies.html Medical research Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:38:12 EST news259576622 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers have identified a gene that controls susceptibility to drug treatment in Trypanosoma brucei, the parasite responsible for African sleeping sickness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-gene-clue-drug-resistance-african.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 19 Jun 2012 06:43:54 EST news259306951 New long-lasting weekly injections of fertility hormones are as safe and effective as standard daily injections, according to Cochrane researchers. The researchers compared weekly and daily hormone injections in a Cochrane systematic review and found no difference in pregnancies or serious side effects between the two regimens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-weekly-fertility-daily.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:00:06 EST news258745420 (Medical Xpress) -- An influential independent body has found that a pioneering mitochondrial transfer technique is ethical. Developed by a team at Newcastle University, the technique aims to prevent the transmission of maternally inherited mitochondrial disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-mitochondrial-technique-ethical.html Genetics Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:10:27 EST news258707415