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Curbs on Organ Trafficking Tightened by Europe

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A new international convention to make organ trafficking a criminal offence has been adopted by The Council of Europe on Wednesday, giving the police greater scope to hunt mafia groups involved in the trade across borders. The new convention calls on governments to make it illegal for donors to be paid for their organs, or for organs to be removed without the person giving "free and informed consent". The new laws will also apply to dead donors and their families. ...

First Adult-only Sleepover Under Blue Whale: New York

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The American museum of Natural History hosts its first adult-only sleepover under the 94-foot-long blue whale, along with an evening's fun and food package. The August 1 overnight adventure was so popular that it sold out within hours of being advertised at the celebrated museum opposite Central Park, home to more than 32 million specimens. For 150 guests, paying (Dollar) 375 a head, the night's festivities will kick off with a champagne reception and a little ...

(Dollar) 40 Million Awarded by US Military Toward Memory Implant

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A new kind of brain implant that could help restore memories in wounded soldiers and civilians is to be developed by US military researchers, for which they have awarded (Dollar) 40 Million. The work represents a major scientific leap forward, but experts said many hurdles remain before it can be shown to work in people, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said. The hope is that some day, a wireless, implantable device will bridge gaps in the ...

Education and Protection of Athletes from Concussion is Doctors' Ethical Obligation

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It is the ethical obligation of doctors to educate and protect athletes from sports concussion and clear them to play only when the athlete is medically ready. This was told in a new position paper released by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the largest professional association of neurologists and a leading authority on sports concussion. The paper also mentions that doctors need to stand firm against objections from players, parents or coaches. The statement is published ...

Researchers Discover New Means to Erase Pain

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Researchers have discovered a new method to relieve pain hypersensitivity. This finding could lead to novel means to alleviate chronic pain. The researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at Universite Laval and Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Quebec (IUSMQ) were inspired by previous work on memory conducted some fifteen years ago. These studies had revealed that when a memory is reactivated during recall, its neurochemical encoding is temporarily ...

World Population Day 2014: Investing in Young People

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The theme for World Population Day on July 11, 2014 is 'Investing in Young People.' The exponential growth of population over the past few years has been extremely alarming. A look at the population clock on the iWorldometers/i website reflects the scary state we are in today in terms of a href="http:www.medindia.net/patients/calculators/worldpopulation.asp" target="_blank" class="vcontentshlink"population/a growth. Countries like China and ...

Heart Stents With Minimally Invasive Surgery Safer

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Safety benefits of aortic stent grafts inserted during minimally invasive surgery to repair abdominal aortic aneurysms have been documented by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. They have also documented the weaknesses in the body's largest artery that can rupture, causing potentially lethal internal bleeding. The study, published July 9 in iJAMA Surgery/i, shows that patients who received the minimally invasive aortic ...

Vasectomy may Up Aggressive Prostate Cancer Risk

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A study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health scientists finds that vasectomy is associated with a stronger risk for advanced or lethal prostate cancer. The study appears online July 7, 2014 in iJournal of Clinical Oncology/i. "This study follows our initial publication on vasectomy and prostate cancer in 1993, with 19 additional years of follow-up and tenfold greater number of cases. The results support the hypothesis that vasectomy ...

Recurrence of Severe Perineal Tearing During Childbirth Explored in New Study

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There is an increased risk of severe perineal tearing during childbirth in women who had such a tear in a previous delivery, suggests a new study. The study is published today (9 July) in iBJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology/i (BJOG). This study, investigates among women who have had a third or fourth degree perineal tear, the mode of delivery in subsequent pregnancies and the recurrence of severe perineal tears. Most women ...

Study Observes Link Between Inflammation in Maternal Blood During Pregnancy and Schizophrenia in Offspring

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Maternal inflammation as indicated by the presence in maternal blood of early gestational C-reactive protein (an established inflammatory biomarker) appears to increase the risk for schizophrenia in offspring, a new study reveals. The findings were observed by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The study, "Elevated Maternal C-Reactive Protein and ...

Use of Minimally Invasive Surgery Varies Widely in US Hospitals: Study

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A wide variation has been found in the use of minimally invasive surgery across hospitals in the United States, found in a study published on the bmj.com on Tuesday. This is in spite of better outcomes with minimally invasive surgery compared with traditional open surgery for many common procedures. This disparity in surgical care has important implications for quality improvement, say the authors. Surgical complications represent a substantial burden ...

Protein of Huntington's Disease Helps Wire the Young Brain

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A protein mutation in Huntington's disease is critical for wiring the brain in early life, reveals a new Duke University study. Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes a wide variety of symptoms, such as uncontrolled movements, inability to focus or remember, depression and aggression. By the time these symptoms appear, usually in middle age, the disease has already ravaged the brain. The new findings, published July ...

Gene Expression Profile Associated With Crohn's Disease and Microbial Community

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Crohn's and other inflammatory bowel diseases are painful and debilitating, but there are no known cures for the diseases. The symptoms have to be managed by the individual with professional help. It is widely thought that IBDs develop as a result of an individual's genetic make-up, their gut microbiota, and environmental cues, though it is not fully understood how these factors promote IBDs. A new study in the iJournal of Clinical Investigation/i identifies ...

Hepatitis C Virus Transmission Following Antiviral Treatment

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Hepatitis infection is affecting millions of people throughout the world, but if left untreated, infection results in serious complications such as cirrhosis of the liver and cancer. Many HCV-infected patients respond well to anti-viral therapy and remain virus free. However, trace amounts of HCV RNA are sporadically detected in patients thought to have successfully responded to HCV treatment. A recent study in the iJournal of Clinical Investigation/i ...

Hand Hygiene Among Health-care Workers Improved in Presence of Auditors

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Healthcare workers maintained three times higher rates of hand hygiene in presence of auditors compared to when there were no auditors present, found in a study in a major Canadian acute care hospital. The study, titled, "Quantification of the Hawthorne effect in hand hygiene compliance monitoring using an electronic monitoring system: a retrospective cohort study," published today on-line in the iBMJ Quality (and) Safety Journal/i, by first author Dr. Jocelyn ...

Men Wearing Wedding Bands More Likely to Attract Women

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Married men who wear their wedding rings have a higher chance of luring women towards them, a new survey has found. IllicitEncounters.com, UK's largest dating site for married people, conducted a survey on 2,000 members, and found that 87 percent of men still wear their wedding bands while looking for an affair, which actually works, as 68 percent of women members found such men to be sexually more appealing, the Daily Star reported. Mike Taylor, spokesperson ...

Microwave That Now Counts Calories!

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A new technological boon has been developed by General Electric- a new microwave that counts calories in food. Microwave will utilize the three pieces of information, which are fat content, water content, and weight. From this microwave will provide with the calorie content in the food item, reported The Verge. The glitch with the appliance is that it only works with blended food and the food needs to be uniform to get the actual reading, which makes ...

New Technologies Improve Patient Participation and Data Collection in Research

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Researchers claim that the changing dynamic of health studies driven by big data researches empowers patients to become active participants. The analysis, published in the July 2014 issue of Health Affairs, lays out a new paradigm for health research, particularly comparative effectiveness studies that are designed to assess which therapies work best in routine clinical practice. Fueled by new technologies -- including electronic health records and monitoring ...

Survival Following Repair of Failed Bioprosthetic Aortic Valves

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A new study has found that in patients with failed bioprosthetic aortic valves who underwent transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation, the survival rate was only 83 percent. Surgical aortic valve replacements increasingly use bioprosthesis (composed of biological tissue) implants rather than mechanical valves. Owing to a considerable shift toward bioprosthesis implantation, it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of patients with degeneration ...

Minimally Invasive Surgery Underused at Many Hospitals

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Even though studies have shown that minimally invasive surgery is superior to open surgery, hospitals across the country vary in the use of this form of treatment. The finding represents a major disparity in the surgical care delivered at various hospitals, the study's authors say, and identifies an area of medicine ripe for improvement. "Some surgeons specialize in complex open operations, and we should endorse that expertise," says Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., ...

Smoking Cessation Rates Improved With Varencline Combined With Nicotine Patches

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Smoking cessation medication varenicline in combination with nicotine replacement therapy was more effective than varenicline alone at achieving tobacco abstinence at 6 months, says a study in the July 9 issue of emJAMA/em. The combination of behavioral approaches and pharmacotherapy are of proven benefit in assisting smokers to quit. Combining nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) with varenicline has been a suggested treatment to improve smoking abstinence, but ...

Gene Mutation may Help Drive Formation of Tumors in Liver Cancer

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A new study has found that two genetic mutations in liver cells may drive the formation of tumors in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), the second most common form of liver cancer. A team led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Harvard Medical School has discovered a link between the presence of two mutant proteins IDH1 and IDH2 and cancer. Past studies have found IDH mutations to be among the most common genetic differences seen in patients ...

Early Predictor for Preeclampsia Identified

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A biomarker that could give expecting mothers and their doctors the first simple blood test to reliably predict that a pregnant woman may develop preeclampsia has been discovered by researchers. Preeclampsia is a cardiovascular disorder generally occurring late in pregnancy and often resulting in an early delivery, creating immediate and potentially lifelong risks to both mother and baby. It causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine, and is typically ...

New PLAC Test To Risk Stratify Your Cardiac Health Now Available in India

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A blood test to assess your cardiac health called "PLAC Test" has been introduced by one of the leading diagnostic labs in India. It is a risk stratification test which identifies the enzyme in the blood vessels. PLAC test is a simple blood test that measures the enzyme activity of Lp-PLA2 level in the body. It is a cardiovascular-specific inflammatory marker implicated in the formation of rupture-prone plaque. Lp-PLA2 (Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase ...

Need of the Day is Improved Healthcare - Not Universal Healthcare

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People in Wisconsin, USA, find that health premiums under the Affordable Care Act increased by 69% last year. Early signs indicate that they may go up again this summer. This is unexpected as according to promises made by President Obama to the American people - the Obamacare would decrease the premiums substantially. He - the president had also promised an era of universal health care, though, at least 31 million are still without health insurance. This ...

Nurse Intervention may Reduce Preventable Mortality in Low Income Moms

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A new study has found how low-income mothers and their first born babies would be less likely to die from preventable causes if they received home visits from nurses. David Olds, PhD, professor of pediatrics and lead investigator of the study, reviewed data covering a two-decade period to understand the impact of the Nurse-Family Partnership (Regd) (NFP) program and found that low-income mothers and their first-born children living in disadvantaged, urban neighborhoods were less ...

Young Smokers Aren't Aware of the Health Risks of Hookah

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Many young adults believe that using hookah isn't harmful to their health despite the warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a new study has found. Researchers visited three Southern California hookah lounges and asked patrons between the ages of 18 and 30, "Do you believe smoking hookah is harmful to your health?" Fifty-seven percent said they thought that it was not. When asked why they thought hookahs were not harmful, 47 percent of the ...

Gene Variants may Predict Cancer Patients' Risk for Radiation-induced Toxicity

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A new study has found how key genetic variants could affect how cancer patients respond to radiation treatment. The research team, which included researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, found that variations in the TANC1 gene are associated with a greater risk for radiation-driven side effects in prostate cancer patients, which include incontinence, impotence and diarrhea. The current results are based on a genome-wide association study, a ...

Gallbladder Removal for Suspected Stone may Hold Benefits

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Removal of the gallbladder among patients with duct stones is linked to reduced length of hospital stay as compared to an endoscopic assessment followed by the removal, a study has found. Many common duct stones eventually pass into the duodenum (a section of the small intestine just below the stomach), making preoperative common duct investigations unnecessary. Conversely, a strategy of gall bladder removal first can lead to the discovery of a retained common ...