Anorectal fistulas
• Diseases of the Rectum and Anus • Jan 24 08
Anorectal fistulas are generally uncommon, with some studies reporting an incidence of 8.6 per 100,000 (16). The leading causes are nonspecific in 90% of…
Anal fissures
• Diseases of the Rectum and Anus • Jan 24 08
An anal fissure is a laceration in the lining of the anal canal distal to the dentate line, which most commonly occurs in the…
Hemorrhoids
• Diseases of the Rectum and Anus • Jan 24 08
Hemorrhoids are masses of normal vascular tissue in the anal canal and are often the source of a variety of symptoms including bleeding, anal…
Clinical Examination of the Anorectum
• Diseases of the Rectum and Anus • Jan 24 08
An accurate examination of the anorectum is required in the setting of symptoms referred to that region and should be part of a patient’s…
Marijuana Withdrawal as Bad as Withdrawal from Cigarettes
• Psychiatry / Psychology • • Tobacco & Marijuana • Jan 24 08
Research by a group of scientists studying the effects of heavy marijuana use suggests that withdrawal from the use of marijuana is similar to…
Popular Arthritis Drug May Disrupt Heart Rhythm, UB Research Finds
• Arthritis • • Drug Abuse • • Heart • Jan 24 08
Celebrex, a popular arthritis drug that blocks pain by inhibiting an enzyme known as COX-2, has been shown in laboratory studies to induce arrhythmia,…
Living the American Dream by Helping Others in Mexico
• Public Health • Jan 24 08
When Haywood Hall, MD, became an emergency physician many years ago, he seemed symbolic of the American dream. Here was a Mexican-born, pulled-up-by-his-bootstraps high-school…
Diagnosis: Oral Candidiasis/Thrush
• Dental Health • Jan 24 08
The Candida species are ubiquitous fungi that colonize more than 50 percent of healthy individuals. These strictly opportunistic pathogens result in various disease manifestations…
Hospital Operators May Fail to Steer Stroke Patients to Call 9-1-1
• Stroke • Jan 24 08
Nearly a quarter of hospital or healthline operators mistakenly routed a caller describing classic stroke symptoms to primary care doctors rather than to 9-1-1,…
Cigarettes leave deadly path by purging protective genes
• Genetics • • Tobacco & Marijuana • Jan 24 08
A University of Rochester scientist discovered that the toxins in cigarette smoke wipe out a gene that plays a vital role in protecting the…
Less Education May Delay Recognition of Alzheimer’s
• Neurology • Jan 23 08
A review of epidemiological data has found evidence that people who spend fewer years in school may experience a slight but statistically significant…
Nurses’ Advice Boosts Smokers’ Chances of Quitting
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Jan 23 08
Despite countless public service ads, educational programs and the scary warnings on cigarette packs, roughly one in every five American adults still smokes. However,…
Several genes that regulate the disease SLE have been identified
• Genetics • • Immunology • Jan 22 08
Swedish researchers, in collaboration with foreign colleagues, have identified a number of new genes that can be tied to the disease SLE, including a…
Pain Patients Should Not be Punished for Opioid Medication Abuse or Addiction
• Pain • • Tobacco & Marijuana • Jan 22 08
“Any practitioner prescribing opioids for chronic use should be accountable for having a strategy in place if medication abuse or addiction occurs,” says Peggy…
Tonsillectomy boosts quality of life: studies
• Children's Health • • Ear / Nose / Throat • Jan 18 08
For children and adults who suffer repeated bouts of tonsillitis, surgery to remove the tonsils (tonsillectomy) leads to substantial improvements in quality of life,…
Portable Device Quickly Detects Early Alzheimer’s
• Neurology • Jan 17 08
The latest medications can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but none are able to reverse its devastating effects. This limitation often makes early…
Why High-Protein, Low-Fat, and Low-Carbohydrate Diets Suppress Hunger
• Dieting • Jan 17 08
Many popular diet plans are based on changing the proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats one ingests as a method to promote weight loss.…
New York City reports spike in flu
• Flu • Jan 16 08
Emergency department visits for influenza-related symptoms jumped 19 percent in New York since November, the city’s Department of Health announced Wednesday, urging people to…
Scientists study the link between children’s nutrition and adult diseases
• Children's Health • • Dieting • • Food & Nutrition • Jan 15 08
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC), in collaboration with researchers from Arkansas, Maryland, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, have…
Celecoxib Can Adversely Affect Heart Rhythm
• Drug Abuse • • Heart • Jan 15 08
COX-2 inhibitors like Celecoxib have come under scrutiny lately due to adverse cardiovascular side-effects stemming from COX-2 reduction. In both fruit fly and rat…
Genetic differences may help explain response to multiple sclerosis treatment
• Genetics • • Neurology • Jan 15 08
By comparing the DNA of patients with multiple sclerosis whose symptoms are reduced by interferon beta therapy to the DNA of those who continue…
Low testosterone levels associated with risk of fracture in men over 60
• Endocrinology • • Gender: Male • Jan 15 08
Men over age 60 who have low blood testosterone levels may be at a higher risk for fractures, according to a report in the…
Exploring the Link Between Parkinson’s and Dementia
• Brain • • Neurology • Jan 14 08
Relatives of patients with Parkinson’s disease may have an increased risk of developing dementia or memory problems, researchers report. And the younger the age…
Study suggests genetic connection between short stature and arthritis
• Arthritis • Jan 14 08
Common genetic variants linked to arthritis may also play a role in human height, a new study shows.
The international study was co-led by…
Study Links Drinking, Stroke Risk
• Neurology • • Stroke • Jan 11 08
A study by Tulane University researchers found that heavy drinking - more than 21 drinks per week - may increase the risk of stroke.…