Peter B. Bach, M.D., of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the evidence regarding the benefits and harms of low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death. "Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, resulting in a very low 5-year survival rate," the authors write. "Renewed enthusiasm for lung screening arose with the advent of LDCT imaging, which is able to identify smaller nodules than can chest radiographs." For the review, ...

Margaret Rosenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., of Seattle Children's Hospital, and colleagues conducted a study to examine if hypertonic saline would reduce the rate of pulmonary exacerbations in children younger than 6 years of age with cystic fibrosis (CF). Inhaled hypertonic saline is recommended as therapy for patients 6 years or older with CF, but its efficacy has not been evaluated in patients younger than 6 years. In the randomized trial, the active treatment group (n = 158) received 7 percent hypertonic saline and the control group (n = 163) received 0.9 percent isotonic saline, ...

To learn its signature melody, the male songbird uses a trial-and-error process to mimic the song of its father, singing the tune over and over again, hundreds of times a day, making subtle changes in the pitch of the notes. For the male Bengalese finch, this rigorous training process begins around the age of 40 days and is completed about day 90, just as he becomes sexually mature and ready to use his song to woo females. To accomplish this feat, the finch's brain must receive and process large quantities of information about its performance and use that data to precisely ...

A new study led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery identifies the mechanism by which a cell signaling pathway contributes to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, the study provides evidence that drugs under development for diseases such as cancer could potentially be used to treat RA. Rheumatoid arthritis, a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease that can be crippling, impacts over a million adults in the United States. "We uncovered a novel mechanism by which the Notch pathway could contribute to RA, said Xiaoyu Hu, M.D., Ph.D., a ...

Internationally recognized fitness enthusiast, Flavia Del Monte, has spent years helping women learn how their bodies work, proper nutrition for women and how to exercise in a way that benefits women. As the founder of Flavilicious Fitness she has been creating workout and nutrition programs specifically designed for the needs of women. Flavia Del Monte's newest workout and nutrition program, Curvalicious, is the first to target metabolic fat loss while increasing both Myogenic and Neurogenic muscle tone. Myogenic muscle tone is the residual tension in a muscle at rest. ...

Barcelona, 20 May 2012. The Stem Cells and Cancer Research Group headed by Dr Héctor G. Palmer at the Vall d'Hebrón Institute of Oncology (VHIO) has identified the molecular mechanisms that determine patients' response to certain drugs used in clinical trials for colon cancer treatment. The study led by VHIO also benefited from the collaboration with Professor Alberto Muñoz´s laboratory at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas Alberto Sols, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IIB-CSIC-Madrid). Published today in Nature Medicine, this work identifies biomarkers ...

The histone de-acetylase (HDAC) inhibitor panobinostat is able to target and destroy triple negative breast cancer, reveals a new study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research. Researchers from Tulane University Health Sciences Center have shown that panobinostat was able to destroy breast cancer cells and reduce tumor growth in mice. Approximately 15% of breast cancers are found at diagnosis to be triple negative. These aggressive tumours are missing both the estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, which means that they do not respond ...

Finding the right clothes at the right price can be an inconvenient chore for those that do not know where to look. It will not take much to be forced to overpay, especially when on the search for wholesale apparel that is stylish and fashion forward. With some of the huge discounts of up to 60 percent now offered by the leading wholesale clothing retailer, ApparelUS.com, customers are now finding the outfits that they need while staying within their budget. Purchasing wholesale clothes in person can turn into a lengthy ordeal with pushy salespeople and second-rate items. ...

Modern day soldiers who mutilate enemy corpses or take body-parts as trophies are usually thought to be suffering from the extreme stresses of battle. But, research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) shows that this sort of misconduct has most often been carried out by fighters who viewed the enemy as racially different from themselves and used images of the hunt to describe their actions. "The roots of this behaviour lie not in individual psychological disorders," says Professor Simon Harrison who carried out the study, "but in a social history ...

NEW YORK, CAMBRIDGE, Mass., AND BOSTON (May 20, 2012) -- A collaborative expedition into the deep genetics of prostate cancer has uncovered a distinct subtype of the disease, one that appears to account for up to 15 percent of all cases, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In the study, published online May 20 by the journal Nature Genetics, investigators describe how they discovered novel mutations in the SPOP ("S-pop") gene in numerous patient tumors, saying this alteration is ...

The teeth whitening industry has become very popular in recent years as individuals are now looking for the most effective and pain-free treatments that will create a bright and lustrous smile. Finding a dental practice that is going to put a patient at ease and provide affordable and effective services at the same time can be difficult though, but the choice is now just a little bit easier for residents of Los Angeles. Dr. Afar, Los Angeles dentist, is now offering free in-office teeth whitening to all new patients that would like a vibrant smile this summer. Visit WilshireDentalCare.com ...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) nasal colonization is associated with longer hospital stays and an increase in surgical site infections (SSI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, according to a new study from Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Temple, TX. Antibiotic-resistant organisms such as MRSA can cause infections after surgery. Many studies have shown that MRSA nasal colonization increases the risk of developing SSI, and there has been an effort to conduct swab testing to isolate those patients and decontaminate or reduce the risk ...

BOSTON – Treatment of early stage prostate cancer can also result in improved quality of life for a subgroup of men who suffer from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), according to an abstract of a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-led study presented to the American Urological Association. LUTS, which includes problems of frequent or urgent urination, particularly at night, is a common problem that affects approximately 40 percent of men, a percentage that rises with age. It is not a reason to suspect prostate cancer. "Possible benefits of prostate cancer treatment ...

For the first time, scientists at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute have shown that an experimental bariatric surgery can lower blood sugar levels in rats with type 1 diabetes. A team led by Dr. Tony Lam and Dr. Danna Breen, a post- doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Lam, used a rat model to study novel nutrient-sensing signals in the jejunum, located in the middle of the intestine. Dr. Lam and his team demonstrate that duodenal-jejunal bypass surgery activates novel nutrient-sensing signals in the jejunum and rapidly lowers blood sugar levels in non-obese ...

Many of those with misaligned teeth or gaps in their smile may be hesitant about seeking out treatment due to the fact that they would like to steer clear from traditional metal braces. Even though these appliances work wonderfully for those that would like a straight and balanced smile, they do come with a handful of drawbacks. For those that are looking for an affordable alternative, Dr. Afar, North Hollywood dentist, is now offering huge discounts on Invisalign aligners, one of the most advanced teeth straightening systems in the world. Visit BestNorthHollywoodDentist.com ...

Hanan M. Isaacs, P.C. with offices located in Kingston, New Jersey, is proud to announce their hiring of the newest attorney member of the firm, Misty Velasques. Ms. Velasques will focus on family law and employment law, while supporting other areas of general civil practice. Ms. Velasques graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2011. She worked for a general practice law firm while attending law school in Lansing, Michigan. Additionally, she participated in the law school's Mock Trial Board and the Disaster Relief Legal Association. Recently, Ms. Velasques sat ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A pioneering study to gauge the toxicity of quantum dots in primates has found the tiny crystals to be safe over a one-year period, a hopeful outcome for doctors and scientists seeking new ways to battle diseases like cancer through nanomedicine. The research, which will appear on May 20 in Nature Nanotechnology online, is likely the first to test the safety of quantum dots in primates. The study and information in this press release are embargoed until Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time. In the study, scientists found that four ...

Families who lose children are left devastated by their loss. While nothing can be done to bring back their loved one, families can investigate what happened, and if the death resulted from negligent medical care, a medical malpractice case can be brought. A Chicago couple who'd faced difficulty conceiving was finally welcoming a tiny baby boy into its family. Although the baby was born 15 weeks premature, he had responded well to intensive care treatment at the local hospital. Sadly, their hope turned to sorrow when their child died six weeks after birth, the victim ...

Nordic walking enables heart failure patients to exercise more intensely than walking without poles. The research was presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2012, 19-22 May, in Belgrade, Serbia. The Congress is the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology. Aerobic exercise in patients with heart failure improves quality of life and reduces heart failure related hospitalisations. However, many heart failure patients find it difficult to exercise. In Nordic walking, people use poles and their arms copy the motions ...

Nearly halfway through 2012 and here we have a thriving oil boom in many areas of the U.S. The oil boom is our answer, our counterpoint, in an economy that continues to struggle in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse. And it's not just oil. It's natural gas, too. We have technological developments in drilling to thank for unlocking reserves of oil and natural gas under shale rock formations. The technology is called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," for short, and is responsible for both the good and bad of today's oil boom. Our Abundant Shale ...

Obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease already have heart damage, according to new research. The findings were presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2012, 19-22 May, in Belgrade, Serbia. The Congress is the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology. Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and previous research has shown that obese adults have structural and functional changes to their hearts. The current study (abstract P843) investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) ...

Folic acid fortification of foods may reduce the incidence of the most common type of kidney cancer and a type of brain tumors in children, finds a new study by Kimberly J. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, and Amy Linabery, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota. Incidence reductions were found for Wilms' tumor, a type of kidney cancer, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), a type of brain cancer. Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has mandated fortification of foods with ...

Washington, DC—Rising prices for care were the chief driver of health care costs for privately insured Americans in 2010, according to the first report from the newly formed Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). The per capita spending on inpatient and outpatient facilities, professional procedures, and prescriptions drugs rose 3.3 percent in 2010 for beneficiaries under age 65 with private, employer-sponsored group insurance. HCCI data show that this 3.3 percent increase follows spending increases in 2008 (6.0%) and 2009 (5.8%). Hospital and ambulatory care facility prices ...

Despite the ban on use of handheld cellphones and other portable electronic devices while driving in New York, these laws may not actually contribute to improved motorist safety. In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that these laws have not made a difference. In reality, bans on texting and driving may be causing more problems than they resolve. Because texting while driving is illegal, drivers often try to hide their phones in order to avoid detection -- resulting in their eyes being away from the road for even longer periods of time. ...

ARLINGTON, VA (May 14, 2012) - Vaccination studies from Mercer University (Ga.) headline the groundbreaking research being unveiled at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference (NBC). The conference takes place Monday, May 21 - Wednesday, May 23 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. Other topics to be discussed include diversity and complexity of vaccine manufacturing, scale-up and tech transfer strategies, applications of multi-scale systems pharmacology, and advances in novel small protein therapeutic modalities. Development ...