Tonsil surgery improves some behaviors in children with sleep apnea syndrome — NIH-funded clinical study may help inform decisions about this common surgical procedure – Children with sleep apnea syndrome who have their tonsils and adenoids removed sleep better, are less restless and impulsive, and report a generally better quality of life.
New prostate cancer test improves risk assessment — Tool tested by UC San Francisco helps identify those best suited for active surveillance – A new genomic test for prostate cancer can help predict whether men are more likely to harbor an aggressive form of the disease, according to a new UC San Francisco study. The test, which improves risk assessment when patients are first diagnosed, can also aid in determining which men are suitable for active surveillance – a way of managing the disease without direct treatment.
Vitamin D may reduce risk of uterine fibroids, according to NIH study – Women who had sufficient amounts of vitamin D were 32 percent less likely to develop fibroids than women with insufficient vitamin D, revealed researchers. Fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomata, are noncancerous tumors of the uterus.
US FDA approves Lymphoseek to help locate lymph nodes in patients with certain cancers – breast cancer & melanoma – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lymphoseek (technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept) Injection, a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent that helps doctors locate lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer or melanoma who are undergoing surgery to remove tumor-draining lymph nodes.
Heart disease risk after breast cancer radiotherapy smaller than previously thought – Researchers have for the first time calculated by how much radiotherapy for breast cancer increases the risk of heart disease and the findings can now be used by doctors to help treat patients more appropriately.
U of M researchers find wide variation in cesarean delivery rates among US hospitals – Cesarean delivery is the most common surgery in the United States, performed on 1.67 million American women annually. The latest study, appearing in Health Affairs, shows that cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold across U.S. hospitals, from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent.
FDA approves new silicone gel-filled breast implant — Agency requires post-approval safety studies to assess rare events – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Natrelle 410 Highly Cohesive Anatomically Shaped Silicone-Gel Filled Breast Implant to increase breast size (augmentation) in women at least 22 years old and to rebuild breast tissue (reconstruction) in women of any age. Natrelle 410 implants are manufactured by Allergan, Inc.
Treatment with clot-busting drug yields better results after stroke than supportive therapy alone – In an update to previous research, Johns Hopkins neurologists say minimally invasive delivery of the drug tPA directly into potentially lethal blood clots in the brain helped more patients function independently a year after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a deadly and debilitating form of stroke.
Fungal meningitis outbreak grows worse in US — Mold seen in 83 vials of the steroid linked to fungal meningitis outbreak — Compounding pharmacy linked to meningitis outbreak knew of mold, bacteria contamination – More than 300 people who received a tainted steroid sold by NECC that was used to treat back pain have been infected with fungal meningitis and 25 have died.
Smoking may lead to cataracts in aging population – Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for a wide-range of diseases. Now, scientists have evidence that smoking may also increase the risk of age-related cataract, the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in the world.
