Ultra High-Risk Patients With Schizophrenia At Long-Term Risk For Psychotic Disorder

JAMA Psychiatry Study Highlights Ultra high-risk (UHR) patients with schizophrenia appear to be at long-term risk for psychotic disorder, with the highest risk during the first two years after entry to a specialist clinic according to a study by Barnaby Nelson, Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne, Australia. The study included 416 UHR patients in a follow-up of a group of UHR patients who were recruited to participate in research studies between 1993 and 2006. Researchers assessed the transition to psychotic disorder in UHR patients up to 15 years after study entry...

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Postoperative Patient Care Program Associated With Reduction Of Common Postoperative Complications

JAMA Surgery Study Highlights A study by Michael R. Cassidy, M.D., and colleagues at the Boston University Medical Center, suggests that I COUGH, a standardized postoperative care program emphasizing patient education, early mobilization, and pulmonary interventions, is associated with reduced risk of postoperative pneumonia and unplanned intubation...

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UK GPs At High Risk Of Burnout

Nearly half of all General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK are at a very high risk of burning out and are jeopardizing their mental health, according to a PULSE survey. PULSE is a UK medical journal that focuses on general practice (primary care). According to the study, 72% of primary care physicians throughout the country are showing high levels of "emotional exhaustion". A GP (General Practitioner) is a primary care physician, a family doctor. PULSE researchers used the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory tool and found that 43% of GPs surveyed were at a very high risk of burnout...

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A Third Of Autism Cases Also Have ADHD Symptoms

According to new research carried out at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, nearly a third of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) between the ages of four to eight also showed clinically significant symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study, which was published in Autism: The International Journal and Practice, identified a significant co-occurrence of ADHD and ASD...

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Drug Companies' Patent-Extending Strategies Substantially Increases Health Care Costs

Evergreening strategies--where pharmaceutical companies slightly change the formulation of their brand drug into "follow on" drugs by combining formulations or producing slow-release forms, for example, so that they can extend the patent--substantially contributed to an increase in overall healthcare costs in the Swiss canton of Geneva, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine...

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Unraveling Tumor Growth One Stem Cell At A Time

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that a single mutation in a leukemia-associated gene reduces the ability of blood stem cells to make more blood stem cells, but leaves their progeny daughter cells unaffected. Their findings have relevance to all cancers that are suspected to have a stem cell origin as they advance our understanding of how single stem cells are subverted to cause tumors...

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Ketamine Effective At Treating Depression

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found that the general anesthetic, Ketamine, is very effective at treating depression when administered over a long period. The study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, revealed that prolonged, low-dose intravenous infusions of Ketamine, have excellent potential in reducing the symptoms of severe depression. About ten years ago researchers identified that Ketamine has properties that can help alleviate depression. However, given the serious psychiatric side effects of the drug, experts have been looking for the safest ways to use it...

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Can Oral Sex Cause Throat Cancer?

Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer (oropharyngeal cancer) three years ago. He initially said it was caused by years of heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and stress. However, he recently told The Guardian newspaper that it was caused by oral sex (cunnilingus). In an Interview with Guardian reporter, Xan Brooks, Douglas said that his type of cancer was caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) "which actually comes from cunnilingus"...

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Daily Sunscreen Use Prevents Skin Aging

Daily sunscreen use greatly reduces skin aging, even in middle-aged men and women, according to new research in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Sunscreen and antioxidants have historically been shown to prevent skin aging, however, there has been no scientific evidence of their effectiveness. The current study calculated *photoaging of 903 subjects aged younger than 55 from Australia in order to find out whether regular use of sunscreen could slow skin aging compared with voluntary application...

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Healthy Habits Linked To Reduced Memory Loss

People with healthy habits are at a reduced risk of memory complaints, according to a new study carried out by UCLA researchers. The researchers analyzed the link between healthy behaviors and memory throughout adult life. A national poll, which included a total of 18,552 people, was conducted by UCLA researchers and the Gallup organization. The participants were asked questions about their memory as well as their lifestyle...

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We Need More Breast Cancer Trials For Younger Patients Urge Experts

The poorer survival rates of younger breast cancer patients could be a result of insufficient clinical trials for this age group. This was a conclusion of a major new Cancer Research UK study published online recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). Senior author Dianna Eccles, who heads Cancer Research UK's Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, says in a statement: "This study adds to the evidence that breast cancer can behave very differently when diagnosed in younger women...

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New Anticancer Drug Shows Effect Against Melanoma

A new drug being tested in patients with advanced melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, has shown significant antitumor activity, according to preliminary results of a new study. The research, conducted by a team of experts from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine in the division of hematology-oncology, demonstrated that the novel drug comes with "very manageable side effects...

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Avastin Can Lengthen The Lives Of Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients

The addition of targeted therapy Avastin (bevacizumab) with chemotherapy can significantly lengthen the lives of women with advanced cervical cancer by close to 30%, according to research presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology Congress. The finding is an important discovery in the fight against cervical cancer - the most common cancer in women under the age of 35. More than 3,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, while 1,000 will die from it. Cervical cancer is normally treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy...

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More Kids Poisoned With Adult Prescriptions

The volume of adults prescriptions in the USA has risen, and so too have rates of poisonings in children who accidentally took adult prescription drugs, says a study published in the journal Pediatrics (June 3rd issue). As background information, the authors, from Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, San Diego State University and the University of Colorado, explained that accidental ingestion of prescription drugs (non-therapeutic medication ingestion) continues to be a serious pediatric health problem in the USA...

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First Drug To Help Melanoma Of The Eye

AstraZeneca's experimental drug, selumetinib, is the first targeted medication to show a significant clinical benefit for patients with melanoma of the eye (metastatic uveal melanoma), researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center explained at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in Chicago, Illinois. The scientists say that their findings will probably change clinical practice for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, which to date has been an "untreatable disease"...

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Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer

A novel therapy for the most common form of lung cancer shows promise and seems to yield largely manageable side effects, according to new research that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The researchers, from Fox Chase Cancer Center, are conducting an ongoing clinical trial to determine whether the compound is more effective at treating tumors than existing treatments. Hossein Borghaei, DOs, chief of thoracic medical oncology at Fox Chase, said: "We're very excited about this drug...

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Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics

Probiotic supplements can prevent or lower the risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, according to new research in The Cochrane Library. Scientists from the Cochrane Collaboration suggest that taking probiotics alongside antibiotics can prevent this troublesome side effect. Antibiotics interfere with the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and permit other dangerous bacteria like C. difficile to take hold. Some people who have C. difficile do not have symptoms, while others are afflicted with diarrhea or colitis...

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Study Suggests Cost-Effectiveness Of Resident-Performed Cataract Surgery For Uninsured Patients

A study at a Seattle hospital suggests that supervised, resident-performed cataract surgery is successful and cost-effective in an underserved patient population, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Ophthalmology, a JAMA Network publication. The literature regarding resident physician influence on patient cost and surgical outcomes is inconclusive, Daniel B. Moore, M.D., and Mark A. Slabaugh, M.D., of the University of Washington, Seattle, write in the study background...

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Doctor Passengers Help Solve In-Flight Medical Emergencies Most Of The Time

Medical emergencies during commercial airline flights can be a scary occurrence, but most cases are well taken care of by other passengers and flight attendants, in accordance with consulting doctors on the ground. The study, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that doctors, nurses and other medical professionals on planes help treat sick passengers in three-fourths of the emergencies observed...

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Two GSK Skin Cancer Drugs Approved By FDA

Two new GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drugs, Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), have been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and the number one cause of death from skin disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 76,690 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the U.S. in 2013, and about 9,480 will die from the disease...

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