Bowel cancer screening halves emergency admissions and cuts deaths

The effects of population based fecal occult blood test screening upon emergency colorectal cancer admissions in Coventry and North Warwickshire

Bowel cancer screening halves emergency admissions for the disease and significantly cuts death rates, reveal the fifth year results from one of the first UK pilot sites.

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Ibuprofen associated with slower lung function decline in children with cystic fibrosis

Treatment with ibuprofen is associated with a significantly slower rate of decline in lung function in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis, according to a new study.

Researchers found that patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who took high doses of ibuprofen had a 29 percent reduction in loss of lung function compared to those who did not use the anti-inflammatory drug twice daily over a period of two to seven years.

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Researchers develop powerful tool to study the genetics of inflammation

Scientists have known which genes are linked to inflammation, but now researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have organized this information to develop a powerful tool to aid investigators in studying the genetics of inflammatory diseases.

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Antibody responses in patients with Lyme arthritis

Study sheds light on antibiotic resistance and persistent joint inflammation

Lyme disease in the U.S. is caused by a form of bacteria, the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, infecting humans by tick bites. It typically begins with a bull’s-eye skin rash, accompanied by fever, muscle aches, or other flu-like symptoms. If diagnosed early, Lyme can be treated successfully within a month with either oral or intravenous antibiotics. Nearly 60 percent of patients who do not receive antibiotic therapy early in the illness develop intermittent or persistent arthritis, particularly affecting the knees. Moreover, a small percentage of Lyme patients who do receive antibiotic therapy suffer from persistent arthritis for months or even several years after 2-3 months of oral and intravenous antibiotic therapy. This confounding condition has been termed antibiotic-refractory, or slowly resolving, Lyme arthritis.

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Long-term improvement witnessed with hip replacement

Total hip arthroplasty (THA), or hip replacement, is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), but most studies have only followed patients for up to one year. A new study published in the December issue of Arthritis Care & Research (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritiscare) examined patients after an average of eight years following hip replacement and found a long-term positive impact on their physical functioning.

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Eltrombopag Studied In Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell — Led International Clinical Research Trial Found Platelet Growth Factor Decreased Bleeding in Patients with the Autoimmune Bleeding Disorder

NEW YORK (Nov. 29, 2007) — There are estimated to be between 50,000 — 100,000 individuals in the U.S. diagnosed with chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an autoimmune disease that dramatically reduces the number of platelets in their blood — causing bruises, nosebleeds and, sometimes, life-threatening brain hemorrhages. Now, the results of an international multicenter clinical research study led by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center demonstrate that an investigational oral platelet growth factor called eltrombopag successfully increased platelet counts and decreased bleeding in patients with the condition.

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Minimally invasive treatment reduces shoulder pain from tendonitis

Radiologists are using a new minimally invasive procedure to treat tendonitis in the shoulder. Ultrasound-guided non-surgical therapy significantly reduces pain from calcific tendonitis of the rotator cuff and restores mobility, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

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Novel imaging technique shows gray matter increase in brains of autistic children

Using a novel imaging technique to study autistic children, researchers have found increased gray matter in the brain areas that govern social processing and learning by observation. Results of the study conducted at the Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Bethpage, N.Y., were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

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Research suggests new direction for ALS treatment

A research team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the first to show that injections of a protein normally found in human cells can increase lifespan and delay the onset of symptoms in mice with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

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Live kidney donors report high satisfaction rates and minimal health problems

Study looks at 339 people who donated kidneys over year period

Live kidney donors suffer minimal health problems and 90 per cent would strongly encourage other people to a become a donor if a partner or family member needed a transplant, according to a study of more than 300 people published in the December issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.

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