MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'BMC Medicine' source. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:02:23 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5654490&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F11 Improvements in management strategies to control Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreaks are discussed by Dirk Werber et al, who advocate early detection via careful surveillance and investigation of food source, as well as integration of molecular data. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5654490 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5654490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5654489&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F12 In light of the verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) European epidemic in 2011, Goldwater and Bettelheim comment on the complex pathogenesis of these strains and recommend a multi-targeted approach to current and future treatment strategies. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5654489 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5654489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5654491&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F10 Suzanne Hill comments on the caution required in elucidating cost-effectiveness analysis outcomes, whereby clinicians should consider the benefits and harms in adjusting patient's quality of life years in the use of health care interventions. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5654491 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5654491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5633652&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F9 A novel anti-cancer drug diindolylmethane (DIM) prevents ovarian cancer cell growth by blocking STAT3, and enhances the tumor suppressive effects of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, providing a potential new therapy for cisplatin-resistant tumors. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5633652 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5633652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5623605&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F8 Iron treatment has no significant effect on fatigue symptoms or aerobic capacity in non-anemic blood donors with iron deficiency, suggesting that these donors would not clinically benefit from iron supplementation therapy. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5623605 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5623605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5615365&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F7 Morgenthaler and colleagues review the recent progress in determining the prognostic and diagnostic value of copeptin, which is released in response to stress, as a biomarker for risk stratification in the emergency department. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5615365 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5615365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5602484&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F6 Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis suggests inconclusive predictive value of serum biomarkers for pediatric febrile neutropenic episodes, but further studies for the roles of IL6, IL8 and procalcitonin should be conducted. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5602484 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5602484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5590693&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F5 With the imminent release of the DSM-5, Nesse and Stein discuss the ways that classifications of disease in psychiatry still fall short of the ideal, and argue for a more medical approach to this subject. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5590693 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5590693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5590694&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F4 Lacas and Rockwood review the tools used to assess frailty in elderly patients in the realm of primary care, and address how these tools aide frailty recognition and management, which can impact clinical care. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5590694 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5590694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5590695&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F3 The safe reversal of Type 1 diabetes is possible with Stem Cell Educator therapy which uses stem cells from cord blood to re-educate a diabetic's own T cells, restarts pancreatic function, and reduces the need for insulin. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5590695 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5590695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5566934&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F2 Donadello and colleagues review the clinical utility of suPAR as a biomarker for sepsis, and discuss how it can be used to monitor response to treatment in critically ill patients. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5566934 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5566934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5566935&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F10%2F1 Politis and Lindvall review the evidence from clinical trials of human foetal ventral mesencephalic transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and review the current status of stem cell therapy, both of which aim to provide long-lasting relief of patients' symptoms. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5566935 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5566935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5548631&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F138 Carlo Torti and colleagues comment on a recent debate in BMC Infectious Diseases about the overestimation of asymptomatic neurological disorders (ANI) incidence in HIV patients, and discuss the importance of developing new tools to accurately monitor these disorders. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5548631 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5548631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5548630&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F139 Conclusions: The Alvarado score is a useful diagnostic 'rule out' score at a cut point of 5 for all patient groups. The score is well calibrated in men, inconsistent in children and over-predicts the probability of appendicitis in women across all strata of risk. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5548630 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5548630 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5541518&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F137 In our latest article in the Clinical Biomarkers series, Janin Schulte comments on the enzyme peroxiredoxin 4, an indicator of altered redox environment in acute and chronic infections, and highlights the multiple uses of this enzyme as a prognostic biomarker. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5541518 Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5541518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5531069&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F136 Yves Henrotin discusses the importance of the role myogenic progenitor cells may play in the repair of open fractures, as was recently reported by Renjing Liu and colleagues, and comments on how these cells may lead to improved orthopaedic surgical techniques. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5531069 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5531069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5531070&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F135 Novel biomarkers can be used for prognosis of acute kidney injury (AKI), and in our latest addition to the Clinical Biomarkers series, Stuart L Goldstein discusses the importance of such biomarkers in early detection of AKI. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5531070 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5531070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5510510&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F134 Findings from the ongoing Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study are discussed by Baxter and colleagues who argue that further research is needed to confirm if mental disorders are risk factors for other diseases, and suggest criteria required for future study designs. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5510510 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5510510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5510511&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F133 The biomarker septin 9 methylated DNA, which can be detected in blood plasma, provides a promising diagnostic test for colorectal cancer (CRC) of all stages, and can be used to screen for CRC in patients unable to undergo colonoscopy. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5510511 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5510511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5499808&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F132 Griffiths and colleagues discuss the role of biomarkers in the management of acute lung injury, a life-threatening form of hypoxemic respiratory failure, and critically examine the current strategies used to identify biomarkers. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5499808 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5499808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5491346&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F131 Maltezou and Papa discuss Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), factors influencing its incidence and the treatment of this condition, calling for better surveillance and improved treatments. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5491346 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5491346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5481584&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F130 Diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, an acute vasculitis of infants and young children characterized by an array of symptoms that can mimic other benign conditions, may be easier with a new multi-step algorithm (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5481584 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5481584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5463517&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F129 Group therapy combining regular physical activity, cognitive tasks and active discussion can postpone the progression of cognitive decline in elderly dementia patients, and these therapy sessions appear to be as effective at improving cognitive function as anti-dementia drugs. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5463517 Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5463517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5463518&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F128 In contrast to core muscle stabilization, which is a traditional lumbar exercise, a brief psychosocial education technique can be a more effective strategy for the primary prevention of low back pain. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5463518 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5463518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5452966&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F127 Cayla and Orceau comment on an article published in BMC Public Health analysing efficacy of tuberculosis (TB) management programs in large cities, and discuss the importance of improving organization of such programs. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5452966 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5452966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5446284&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F126 In the wake of the Fukushima radiation incident, Dorr and Meineke review the therapeutic principles of acute radiation syndrome with special reference to hematopoetic and cutaneous radiation syndromes. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5446284 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5446284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5446285&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F125 Endothelial dysfunction may lead to cardiovascular disease, a major cause of death in diabetes type 2 patients, but can be ameliorated by regular consumption of vitamin D fortified yoghurt by improving glycemic status, lipid profile and endothelial biomarkers these subjects. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5446285 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5446285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5426810&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F124 van der Zee and Kroneman comment on research presented in BMC Health Services Research comparing long-term elderly care throughout Europe, and discuss how the study widens knowledge in a neglected but increasingly important area of health services research. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5426810 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5426810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5415305&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F123 There is inadequate evidence for a clear effect of sweetener consumption on glycemic response and weight control, highlighting a need for good quality controlled trials to determine whether they have a clinically relevant outcome. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5415305 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5415305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5415306&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F122 Monteleone and colleagues review the evidence of how T helper 17 (Th17) cells and the cytokines they produce contribute to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and discuss how this knowledge contributes to new avenues of therapeutic development for these diseases. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5415306 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5415306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5403973&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F121 Giannoudis and Kanakaris discuss the formation and development of Regional Trauma Networks in England, including the challenges facing a diverse set of stakeholders, including the public, clinicians and policy makers in order to bring this plan to full implementation. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5403973 Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5403973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5394388&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F120 Daniela Elleri and colleagues review the current status, clinical evaluations and future directions of the artificial pancreas, a closed-loop insulin delivery system using real-time glucose responsive insulin delivery to achieve tight control of glucose in type 1 diabetes patients. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5394388 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5394388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371863&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F119 Shorter and Kosten review recent clinical trials and pre-clinical studies in cocaine addiction treatment, highlighting the potential for future therapeutic developments. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371863 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371864&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F118 Disparities in diabetes prevalence and the quality and outcome of diabetic care of those with mental illness and those without in Australia highlights the need for better, more integrated care for this population. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371864 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371865&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F117 Atrazine, which is a commonly used herbicide with potentially serious environmental side effects including immune impairment, causes splenic atrophy involving apoptosis of spleen cells, which likely contributes to the mechanism of immunotoxicity. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371865 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371866&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F116 Weir and Cader review recent genetic insights into migraine pathogenesis, highlighting that mutations in ion channels and transporters may contribute to pathology, and discussing how these advances will impact future research and therapy for this disease. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371866 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371867&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F115 Prof Margitta Worm, a specialist in food allergies and intolerance, discusses food additive intolerance including risk factors, diagnosis and management. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371867 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371868&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F114 Adding a third "help" question to the traditional two question method used by GPs to screen for depression decreases the sensitivity of screening, so is not effective, however, it may be useful in guiding depression management strategy discussions. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371868 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371869&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F113 Hip resurfacing arthroplasty replaces damaged surfaces in the hip joint with metal implants but can sometimes fail, possibly due in part to distinct sex-specific mechanisms, of which better understanding could affect future therapeutic options for selected patient groups. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371869 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371870&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F112 Rustin and colleagues examine whether the unifying vicious circle hypothesis for Freidreich ataxia, mainly a triplet repeat disorder of the frataxin gene, withstands scrutiny in the face of advances in knowledge about this disease. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371870 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371871&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F110 Fabre and Rodwin discuss the effect of high density urbanization on quality of public health and access to healthcare, focusing on China's pearl river delta region. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371871 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5371871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5244552&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F107 Mueller and colleagues kick off our new thematic series on Clinical Biomarkers with a review on the utility of procalcitonin in the diagnosis of bacterial infection and decisions about antibiotic treatment in different clinical settings. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5244552 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5244552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5244553&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F106 Certain polymorphisms in the MNS16A tandem repeat region, located downstream of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, may contribute to the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) onset in the Chinese population through modification of TERT expression levels (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5244553 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5244553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5231101&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F105 Hamilton and Freedland discuss 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) and how they have so far failed to live up to their initial promise as prostate cancer chemopreventives as well as what the future should hold for research in this area. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5231101 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5231101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216547&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F104 Prevalence of high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) genotypes among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian women is similar, suggesting that higher rates of cervical cancer in Indigenous women may be due to poorer access to screening and treatment. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216547 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5202037&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F103 Risk prediction models for type 2 diabetes are generally poorly reported and use weak methods, highlighting a need for improved and specific reporting guidelines suitable for these types of studies to ensure better clinical utility. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5202037 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5202037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5202038&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F102 Thomson and colleagues review recent progress in developing viable therapies for severe asthma, including humanized monoclonal antibodies and bronchial thermoplasty, as well as highlighting why future new advances may be genotype/phenotype dependent in this disease. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5202038 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5202038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5189599&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F101 Paul Aisen, a member of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) discusses his experiences and outlines some of the lessons learned that are applicable to other disease researchers. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5189599 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5189599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5178597&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F100 Depersonalisation or 'burnout' is a risk to hard-working doctors due to their high-intensity work, impacting on vocation, or job satisfaction - but this state might be avoided by ensuring doctors' vocations are complemented by an 'avocation' or leisure activity. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5178597 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5178597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5167506&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F99 Deininger and colleagues review the efficacy of second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in chronic myeloid leukemia, new agents for resistant disease and the promise of upcoming third generation TKIs. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5167506 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5167506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5167507&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F98 Tollefsbol and colleagues review the evidence for the effect of epigenetic regulation in response to caloric restriction and how it might contribute to clinical advances in treatment and prevention of human aging-associated disease. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5167507 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5167507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5153186&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F97 "Smoker's paradox", the phenomenon of smokers having lower mortality risk after acute coronary syndrome than non-smokers, was originally observed about two decades ago, however, treatment advances, including routine early invasive management, mean this phenomenon no longer holds true. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5153186 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5153186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5136558&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F96 Use of an integrated post-discharge transitional care system (PDTC) as a post-hospital discharge follow-up service using disease-specific care, telephone monitoring, hotline counseling, and a hospitalist-run clinic reduces rates of post-discharge readmission and death. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5136558 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5136558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5115455&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F95 Mannello introduces matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), focusing on an article published this month in BMC Cancer looking at the association of MMP-1 and clinical outcome, highlighting its potential as a biomarker to determine breast cancer prognosis. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5115455 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5115455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5115456&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F94 Common herbal supplements such as St John's Wort and Ginseng, which may cause side effects and have interactions with conventional medicines, are often not labeled with appropriate safety information for consumers. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5115456 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5115456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5092662&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F93 Enhanced training of birth attendants in the Democratic Republic of Congo using one of the WHO's established care programs ultimately reduces childbirth mortality rates, and indicates its potential as a low cost intervention in developing countries. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5092662 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5092662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5092663&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F92 Guidelines for probiotic treatment in neonates to reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis should be expanded to include preterm and lowbirth weight babies where appropriate supplements are available. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5092663 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5092663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5074943&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F91 ME/CFS or chronic fatigue syndrome is a significant burden on health providers so a new call to use definitions consistently will make it easier to classify sub-groups of patients according to treatment needs. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5074943 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5074943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5067430&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F90 Major depression is a significant public health problem around the globe which affects women twice as commonly as men and is most strongly correlated with being separated, divorced or widowed. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5067430 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5067430 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046420&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F89 User testing of participant information sheets provided to potential volunteers for clinical trials is an effective way of improving their layout and readability, which have been criticized as being obscure and difficult to understand, ensuring that "informed consent" is just that. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046420 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046422&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F87 The spread of infectious diseases can be modeled by face-to-face interactions among conference attendees obtained using radiofrequency identification devices, but model design should be considered carefully to properly inform the study and management of real epidemics. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046422 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046421&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F88 Blower and Go comment on the use of dynamic social networks in which to model airborne infectious disease spread, and emphasize that increased complexity of these models does not necessarily increase accuracy. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046421 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5025688&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F86 Interest in the patient's views of his or her illness and treatment has increased dramatically. However, our ability to appropriately measure such issues lags far behind the level of interest and need. Too often such measurement is considered to be a simple and trivial activity that merely requires the application of common sense. However, good quality measurement of patient-reported outcomes is a complex activity requiring considerable expertise and experience. This review considers the most important issues related to such measurement in the context of chronic disease and details how instruments should be developed, validated and adapted for use in additional languages. While there is often consensus on how best to undertake these activities, there is generally little evidence to support... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5025688 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5025688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5015785&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F85 Background: Hypovitaminosis D has been recently recognized as a worldwide epidemic. Since vitamin D exerts significant metabolic activities, comprising free fatty acids (FFA) flux regulation from the periphery to the liver, its deficiency may promote fat deposition into the hepatocytes. Aim of our study was to test the hypothesis of a direct association between hypovitaminosis D and the presence of NAFLD in subjects with various degree of insulin-resistance and related metabolic disorders. Methods: We studied 262 consecutive subjects referred to the Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases clinics for metabolic evaluation. NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) was diagnosed by upper abdomen ultrasonography, metabolic syndrome was identified according to the Third Report of National Cholesterol ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5015785 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5015785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5015786&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F84 Conclusions: The comparative approach followed here is helpful in understanding the various models selected and will thus benefit (low-income) countries in designing their own cost-effectiveness analyses using new or adapted existing models. Potential users of the models in low and middle income countries need to consider results from existing studies and reviews. The comparative approach followed here is helpful in understanding the various models selected and will thus benefit (low-income) countries in designing their own costeffectiveness analyses using new or adapted existing models. Potential users of the models in low and middle income countries need to consider results from existing studies and reviews. There will be a need for contextualisation including the use of country specific... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5015786 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5015786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5004640&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F83 Frailty is a common syndrome that is associated with vulnerability to poor health outcomes. Frail older people have increased risk of morbidity, institutionalization and death, resulting in burden to individuals, their families, health care services and society. Assessment and treatment of the frail individual provide many challenges to clinicians working with older people. Despite frailty being increasingly recognized inthe literature, there is a paucity of direct evidence to guide interventions to reduce frailty. In this paper we review methods for identification of frailty in the clinical setting, propose a model for assessment of the frail older person and summarize thecurrent best evidence for treating the frail older person. We provide an evidencebased framework that can be used to g... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5004640 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5004640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4996680&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F82 Conclusions: MIA is a potential serum biomarker of tumor load in NF1 patients which could be useful in following the disease course and monitoring efficacy of therapies. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4996680 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4996680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4990227&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F81 Conclusions: Diabetes increases the risk of failure and death combined, death, and relapse among patients with tuberculosis. This study highlights a need for increased attention to treatment of tuberculosis in people with diabetes, which may include testing for suspected diabetes, improved glucose control, and increased clinical and therapeutic monitoring. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4990227 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4990227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4981195&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F80 Background: The complex mechanism responsible for tinnitus, a symptom highly prevalent in elderlypatients, could involve an impaired control of the microcirculation of the inner ear,particularly in patients with poor blood pressure control and impaired left ventricular (LV)function. Methods: In order to define the relationship between the presence of tinnitus and the severity andclinical prognosis of mild-to-moderate chronic heart failure (CHF) in a large population ofelderly patients (N = 958), a cross-sectional study was conducted with a long-termextension of the clinical follow-up. Blood pressure, echocardiographic parameters, brainnatriuretic peptide (BNP), hospitalization, and mortality for CHF were measured.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4981195 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4981195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4973778&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F79 Network meta-analysis, in the context of a systematic review, is a meta-analysis in which multiple treatments (that is, three or more) are being compared using both direct comparisons of interventions within randomized controlled trials and indirect comparisons across trials based on a common comparator. To ensure validity of findings from network meta-analyses, the systematic review must be designed rigorously and conducted carefully. Aspects of designing and conducting a systematic review for network meta-analysis include defining the review question, specifying eligibility criteria, searching for and selecting studies, assessing risk of bias and quality of evidence, conducting a network meta-analysis, interpreting and reporting findings. This commentary summarizes the methodologic chall... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4973778 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4973778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4966228&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F78 Conclusions: Although propensity-score methods suggested a mortality benefit with DES, consistent with prior observational studies, a stent era comparison failed to support this conclusion. Unobserved factors influencing stent selection in observational studies likely account for the observed mortality benefit of DES not seen in randomized clinical trials. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4966228 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4966228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4958399&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F77 Conclusion: The prevalence of problematic Internet usage among US college students is a cause for concern, and potentially requires intervention and treatment amongst the most vulnerable groups. The prevalence reported in this study is lower than that which has been reported in other studies, however the at-risk population is very high and preventative measures are also recommended. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4958399 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4958399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4950463&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F76 Conclusion: Comparisons of our findings with earlier data show that the prevalence of DMT2, hypertension and CAD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has alarmingly worsened. Aggressive promotion of public awareness, continued screening and early intervention are pivotal to boosting a positive response. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4950463 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4950463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4943322&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F75 Conclusions: MITS elements of successful interventions were individual, supervised and non-directed sessions, added after physical practice. Successful design characteristics were dominant in the Psychology literature, in interventions focusing on motor and strength-related tasks, in interventions with participants aged 20 to 29 years old, and in MI interventions including participants of both genders. Systematic searching of the MI literature was constrained by the lack of a defined MeSH term. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4943322 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4943322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4930283&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F74 Conclusions: Aerobic exercise combined with a prudent diet is highly efficacious for improving TC, TC:HDL-C, LDL-C and TG, but not HDL-C concentrations, in adults. However, additional studies are needed, including effectiveness studies using intention-to-treat analysis. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4930283 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4930283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4930284&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F73 Conclusion: Our survey showed that an alarmingly large proportion of chronic disease trials do not define a primary outcome, do not use appropriate methods for subgroup analyses or use naive methods to handle missing data, if at all. As a consequence, biases are likely to be introduced in many trials on widely prescribed treatments in patients with chronic disease. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4930284 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4930284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4918809&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F72 Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a neurocognitive behavioural developmental disorder most commonly seen in childhood and adolescence, which often extends to the adult years. Relative to a decade ago, there has been extensive research into understanding the factors underlying ADHD leading to far more treatment options available for both youths and adults with this disorder. Novel stimulant formulations have made it possible to tailor treatment to the duration of efficacy required by patients and to help mitigate the potential for abuse, misuse and diversion. Several new non-stimulant options have also emerged in the past few years. Amongst these, cognitive behavioral interventions have proven popular in the treatment of adult ADHD, especially within the adult population who ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4918809 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4918809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4909262&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F71 Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that FTO may represent a low-penetrance susceptible gene for obesity risk. Individual studies with large sample size are needed to further evaluate the associations between the polymorphisms and obesity risk in various ethnic populations. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4909262 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4909262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4900072&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F70 The prevalence of obesity worldwide has dramatically increased during the last three decades. With obesity comes a variety of adverse health outcomes which are grouped under the umbrella of metabolic syndrome. The liver in particular seems to be significantly impacted by fat deposition in the presence of obesity. In this article we discuss several liver conditions which are directly affected by overweight and obese status, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic infection with hepatitis C virus and post-liver transplant status. The deleterious effects of obesity on liver disease and overall health can be significantly impacted by a culture that fosters sustained nutritional improvement and regular physical activity. Here we summarize the current evidence supporting nonpharmacol... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4900072 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4900072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4900073&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F69 Conclusions: Since lymph node involvement is the most important prognostic factor in breast cancer patients, the antimetastatic activity of alpha-mangostin as detected in mammary cancers carrying a p53 mutation in the present study may have specific clinical applications. In addition, alpha-mangostin may have chemopreventive benefits and/or prove useful as an adjuvant therapy, or as a complementary alternative medicine in the treatment of breast cancer. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4900073 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4900073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4890047&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F68 Conclusions: This study shows for the first time that hACL-SCs are intrinsically different from hMCL-SCs. We suggest that the differences in their properties contribute to the known disparity in healing capabilities between the two ligaments. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4890047 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4890047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4890048&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F67 Conclusions: Individual signs and symptoms are not powerful enough to discriminate GABHS pharyngitis from other types of sore throat. The Centor Score is a well calibrated CPR for estimating the probability of GABHS pharyngitis. The Centor score can enhance appropriate prescribing of antibiotics but should be used with caution in low prevalence settings of GABHS pharyngitis such as primary care. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4890048 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4890048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4882140&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F66 Bone regeneration is a complex well-orchestrated physiological process of bone formation seeing during normal fracture healing or continuous remodelling throughout adult life. However, there are complex clinical conditions in which bone regeneration is required in large quantity for skeletal reconstruction of large bone defects created by trauma, infection, tumour resection and skeletal abnormalities; or cases in which the regenerative process is compromised, including avascular necrosis, atrophic non-unions and osteoporosis. Currently, there is a plethora of different strategies to augment the impaired or "insufficient" bone regeneration process, including the "gold standard" autologous bone graft, free fibula vascularised graft, allograft implantation, the use of growth factors, osteocon... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4882140 Mon, 30 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4882140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4869413&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F64 Several theories of the underlying mechanisms of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) have been proposed. These theories have born relatively narrow beach-head research programs attracting generous research funding sustained for many years at expense to the public purse. This perspective endeavors to critically examine the evidence and bases of these theories and determine their plausibility; and questions whether or not a safe and reasoned hypothesis lies at their foundation. The Opinion sets specific criteria by asking the following questions: 1. Does the hypothesis take into account the key pathological findings in SIDS? 2. Is the hypothesis congruent with the key epidemiological risk factors? 3. Does it link 1 and 2? Falling short of any one of these answers, by inference, would imply i... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4869413 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4869413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4859863&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F63 Soft tissue sarcomas of childhood are a group of heterogeneous tumors thought to be derived from mesenchymal stem cells. Surgical resection is effective only in about 50% of cases and resistance to conventional chemotherapy is often responsible for treatment failure. Therefore, investigations on novel therapeutic targets are of fundamental importance. Deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms underlying chromatin modifications during stem cell differentiation has been suggested to contribute to soft tissue sarcoma pathogenesis. One of the main players in this scenario is EZH2, a methyltransferase belonging to the Polycomb Group proteins. EZH2 catalyzes histone H3 methylation on gene promoters thus repressing genes that induce stem cell differentiation to maintain an embryonic stem cell signatu... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4859863 Tue, 24 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4859863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4851576&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F62 The functional role of oxidative stress in cancer pathogenesis has long been a hotly debated topic. A study published this month in BMC Cancer by Goh et al., directly addresses this issue by using a molecular genetic approach, via an established mouse animal model of human breast cancer. More specifically, alleviation of mitochondrial oxidative stress, via transgenic over-expression of catalase (an anti-oxidant enzyme) targeted to mitochondria, was sufficient to lower tumor grade (from high-to-low) and to dramatically reduce metastatic tumor burden by >12-fold. Here, we discuss these new findings and place them in the context of several other recent studies showing that oxidative stress directly contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. These results have important clinical and tran... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4851576 Sun, 22 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4851576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4846478&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F59 Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV-1 infection confers substantial benefits to HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected infants, to their families, and to programs providing prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services, but has been challenging to implement in resource-limited settings. In order to correctly inform parents/caregivers of infant infection status and link HIV-infected infants to care and treatment, a "cascade" of events must successfully occur. A frequently-cited barrier to expansion of EID programs is the cost of the required laboratory assays. However, substantial implementation barriers, as well as personnel and infrastructure requirements, exist at each step in the cascade. In this update, we review challenges to uptake at each step in the EID cascade, highlighting... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4846478 Thu, 19 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4846478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4846477&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F60 Correspondence - no abstractPlease see research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/18 and commentary article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/61 (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4846477 Thu, 19 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4846477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4846476&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F61 We describe the approach of Bosl et al and examine their results with respect to baseline prevalence rates, the inclusion of which is necessary to distinguish infants with a biological risk of autism from typically developing infants with a sibling with autism. This is an important distinction that should not be overlooked.Please see research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/18 and correspondence article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/60 (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4846476 Thu, 19 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4846476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4838024&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F58 Conclusions: : Future research should include an expanded focus on the specific structures of care that differentiate hospitalists from other inpatient physician groups and the development of better conceptual and statistical models that identify and measure underlying mechanisms driving provider-outcome associations in quality. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4838024 Tue, 17 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4838024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4826889&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F57 Conclusions: Within the oldest old, a history of UTI between the age of 85 and 86 years, cognitive impairment, ADL disability and urine incontinence are independent predictors of developing UTI. These predictive factors could be used to target preventive measures to the oldest old at high risk of UTI. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4826889 Sun, 15 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4826889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4818474&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F56 Conclusions: Following validation and confirmation in new patient samples, this tool could help ruling-out pneumonia and to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions in patients presenting with cough and fever in primary care. The algorithm might be especially useful in those instances where history taking and physical examination alone are inconclusive for ruling out pneumonia. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4818474 Thu, 12 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4818474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4818477&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F53 Conclusion: Vaccine cost (dose price and number of doses). vaccine efficacy and epidemiology of critical endpoint (e.g. incidence of pneumonia, distribution of serotypes causing pneuomia) influential parameters in the models we compared. Understanding differences and similarities of such CE tools through regular comparisons could render decision making processes in different countries more efficient, as well as provide guiding information for further clinical and epidemiological research. A tool comparison exercise using standardized data sets can help model developers to be more transparent about their model structure and assumptions and provide analysts and decision makers with a more in-depth view behind the disease dynamics. Adherence to the WHO guide of economic evaluations of immuniz... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4818477 Wed, 11 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4818477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4818476&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F54 Conclusions: The results indicated the usefulness of considering results from several models and sets of modelling assumptions in decision making. Modelling groups were prepared to share their models and expertise to work with stakeholders in developing countries.Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/9/55. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4818476 Wed, 11 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4818476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4818475&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F55 The objectives of these assessments are to provide decision makers with a menu of existing CE tools for vaccines and their characteristics rather than to endorse the use of a single tool. The outcome will provide policy makers in LMICs with information about the feasibility of applying these models to inform their own decision making. We argue that if models and CE analyses are used to inform decisions, they ought to be critically appraised beforehand, including a transparent evaluation of their structure, assumptions and data sources (in isolation or in comparison to similar tools), so that decision makers can use them while being fully aware of their robustness and limitations. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4818475 Wed, 11 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4818475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4810826&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F50 Clinical trials aiming to assess the safety and efficacy of foetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease rely on the hypothesis that the grafted tissue will survive and grow, restore striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission, improve the connectivity between striatum, thalamus and cortex and thereby produce long-lasting clinical improvement whilst avoiding the development of adverse effects. Although transplantation of human foetal ventral mesencephalic tissue has been reported as one of the most effective reparative therapies in Parkinson's disease patients to date, different studies have shown inconsistent results causing a paucity of new trials over the last decade. However, during this period, functional imaging alongside other scientific developments from clinical observations and... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4810826 Mon, 09 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4810826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4810825&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F51 Pluripotent stem cells have the capacity to generate all cell lineages, and substantial progress has been made in realizing this potential. One fascinating but as yet unrealized possibility is the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into thymic epithelial cells. The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ essential for naive T cell generation. T cells play an important role in adaptive immunity, and their loss or dysfunction is underlies in a wide range of autoimmune and infectious diseases. T cells are generated and selected through interaction with thymic epithelial cells, the functionally essential element of thymus. The ability to generate functional thymic epithelial cells from pluripotent stem cells would have applications in modeling human immune responses in mice, in tissue transp... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4810825 Mon, 09 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4810825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4810824&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F52 In recent years, clinical trials with stem cells have taken the emerging field in many new directions. While numerous teams continue to refine and expand the role of bone marrow and cord blood stem cells for their vanguard uses in blood and immune disorders, many others are looking to expand the uses of the various types of stem cells found in bone marrow and cord blood, in particular mesenchymal stem cells, to uses beyond those that could be corrected by replacing cells in their own lineage. Early results from these trials have produced mixed results often showing minor or transitory improvements that may be attributed to extracellular factors. More research teams are accelerating the use of other types of adult stem cells, in particular neural stem cells for diseases where beneficial out... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4810824 Mon, 09 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4810824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4801041&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F49 Conclusion: We conclude that the key obstacle to implementation of the new subgrouping for targeted treatment system for low back pain in primary care was an initial failure to achieve 'coherence' of the desired practice change with GPs. Despite this, GPs used the tool to different degrees, though this signified a general commitment to participating in the study rather than a deeper attitude change towards the new system. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4801041 Sun, 08 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4801041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4787002&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F48 Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder defined by a cluster of interconnected factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases and diabetes mellitus type 2. Currently several different definitions of the MetS exist, causing substantial confusion, as to whether they identify the same individuals or represent a surrogate of risk factors. Recently, a number of other factors, besides those traditionally used to define MetS, that are also linked to the syndrome have been identified. In this review we critically consider existing definitions and evolving information, and conclude that there is still a need to develop uniform criteria to define MetS enabling comparisons between different studies in the hope to better predict patients at risk. As the application o... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4787002 Wed, 04 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4787002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4778990&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F47 Discussion: Research has now established a strong and consistent effect size in the relationship between major depression and coronary heart disease. Prospective cohort and case-control studies have demonstrated appropriate temporality in the relationship between pre-existing depression and incident coronary heart disease. A dose response relationship appears to exist and plausible biological pathways have been proposed. However, a number of challenges exist when conducting a rigorous assessment of the literature including heterogeneity issues, definition and measurement of depression and coronary heart disease, publication bias and residual confounding. Summary: The current evidence satisfies established criteria for considering depression as an independent risk factor in development of c... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4778990 Mon, 02 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4778990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4761709&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F46 Conclusions: This systematic review presents innovative research on the barriers and facilitators to EHR implementation. While important similarities between user groups are highlighted, differences between them demonstrate that each user group also has a unique perspective of the implementation process that should be taken into account. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4761709 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4761709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4757665&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F45 Information and communications technologies (ICTs) in healthcare are often introduced with expectations of higher-quality, more efficient, and safer care. Many fail to meet these expectations. We argue here that the well-documented failures of ICTs in healthcare are partly attributable to the philosophical foundations of much health informatics research. Positivistic assumptions underpinning the design, implementation and evaluation of ICTs (in particular the notion that technology X has an 'impact' which can be measured and reproduced in new settings), and the deterministic experimental and quasi-experimental study designs which follow from these assumptions, have inherent limitations when ICTs are part of complex social practices involving multiple human actors. We suggest that whilst ex... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4757665 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4757665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4752070&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F44 Conclusions: Access to a rapid method for etiologic diagnosis of ARTIs may reduce antibiotic prescription rates at initial visit in an outpatient setting. To sustain this effect, however, it seems necessary to better define how to follow and manage the patient according to the result of the test, which warrants further investigation.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01133782 (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4752070 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4752070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4740489&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F43 Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are isolated tumor cells disseminated from the site of disease in metastatic and/or primary cancers, including breast cancer, that can be identified and measured in the peripheral blood of patients. As recent technical advances have rendered it easier to reproducibly and repeatedly sample this population of cells with a high degree of accuracy, these cells represent an attractive surrogate marker of the site of disease.Currently, CTCs are being integrated into clinical trial design as a surrogate for phenotypic and genotypic markers in correlation with development of molecularly targeted therapies. As CTCs play a crucial role in tumor dissemination, translational research is implicating CTCs in several biological processes, including epithelial to mesenchymal... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4740489 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4740489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4740490&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F42 ObjectiveMotor impairment in old age is a growing public-health concern, and several different constructs have been used to identify motor impairments in older people. We tested the hypothesis that combinations of motor constructs more strongly predict adverse health outcomes in older people. Methods: In total, 949 people without dementia, history of stroke or Parkinson's disease, who were participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (a longitudinal community-based cohort study), underwent assessment at study entry. From this, three constructs were derived: 1) physical frailty based on grip strength, timed walk, body mass index and fatigue; 2) Parkinsonian Signs Score based on the modified motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; and 3) a motor construct, based ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4740490 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4740490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4730668&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F41 A tumour biomarker is a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated in tumour samples as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention. The development of a biomarker contemplates distinct phases including discovery by hypothesis generating preclinical or exploratory studies, development and qualification of the assay for the identification of the biomarker in clinical samples, and validation of its clinical significance. Although guidelines for the development and validation of biomarkers are available, their implementation is challenging, owing to the diversity of biomarkers being developed. The term validation undoubtedly has several meanings, however in the context of biomarker research, a test ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4730668 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4730668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4730669&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F40 Conclusions: Four-week L-lysine treatment, 6 g/day, caused a significant increase in blood concentration of L-lysine that was well tolerated. Patients showed a significant decrease in positive symptoms as assessed by PANSS in addition to self-reported symptom improvement by three patients. The NO-signalling pathway is an interesting, potentially new treatment target for schizophrenia, however the effects of L-lysine need further evaluation to decide its' potentially beneficial effects on symptom severity in schizophrenia.Trial registration: NCT00996242 (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4730669 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4730669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4713303&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F38 Conclusions: Over 90% of patients with OA are at increased GI and/or CV risk. In over half of these patients, the prescription of NSAIDs was not in accordance with current guidelines or recommendations madeby regulatory agencies. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4713303 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4713303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4713302&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F39 Framework analysis is a technique used for data analysis in primary qualitative research. Recent years have seen its being adapted to conduct syntheses of qualitative studies. Framework-based synthesis shows considerable promise in addressing applied policy-questions. An innovation in the approach, known as "best fit" framework synthesis, has been published in BMC Medical Research Methodology this month. It involves reviewers in choosing a conceptual model likely to be suitable for the question of the review, and using it as the basis of their initial coding framework. This framework is then modified in response to the evidence reported in the studies in the reviews, so that the final product is a revised framework that may include both modified factors and new factors that were not antici... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4713302 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4713302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4708164&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F37 Background: Some areas of Africa are witnessing a malaria transition, in part due to escalated international donor support and intervention coverage. Areas where declining malaria have been observed are largely characterized by relatively low baseline transmission intensity and rapid scaling of interventions. Less well described are changing patterns of malaria burden in areas of high parasite transmission and slower increases in control and treatment access. Methods: Uganda is a country predominantly characterised by intense, perennial malaria transmission. Monthly paediatric admission data from five Ugandan hospitals and their catchments have been assembled retrospectively across 11 years from January 1999 to December 2009. Malaria admission rates adjusted for changes in population densi... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4708164 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4708164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4702349&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F36 Conclusion: R-C is superior to standard C in terms of overall response and it does not increase the overall incidence of severe infection. However data on special groups of patients (e.g.: HIV positive subjects and HBV carriers) are lacking. In our opinion more studies are needed to explore the potential effect of R on silent and chronic viral infections. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4702349 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4702349 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4702350&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F35 Conclusions: A neuromuscular training and injury prevention counselling programme was effective in preventing acute ankle and upper-extremity injuries in young male army conscripts. A similar programme could be useful for all young individuals by initiating a regular exercise routine.Trial registration: The ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier number: NCT00595816. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4702350 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4702350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4691408&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F34 During the past two decades, the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has fundamentally changed our understanding of brain-behavior relationships. However, the data from any one study add only incrementally to the big picture. This fact raises important questions about the dominant practice of performing studies in isolation. To what extent are the findings from any single study reproducible? Are researchers who lack the resources to conduct a fMRI study being needlessly excluded? Is pre-existing fMRI data being used effectively to train new students in the field? Here, we will argue that greater sharing and synthesis of raw fMRI data among researchers would make the answers to all of these questions more favorable to scientific discovery than they are today and that such... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4691408 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4691408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4681593&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F33 Biguanides have been developed for the treatment of hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. Recently, metformin, the most widely prescribed biguanide, has emerged as a potential anticancer agent. Epidemiological, preclinical and clinical evidence supports the use of metformin as a cancer therapeutic. The ability of metformin to lower circulating insulin may be particularly important for the treatment of cancers known to be associated with hyperinsulinemia, such as those of the breast and colon. Moreover, metformin may exhibit direct inhibitory effects on cancer cells by inhibiting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and protein synthesis. The evidence supporting a role for metformin in cancer therapy and its potential molecular mechanisms of action are discussed. (Source: BMC Medicin... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4681593 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4681593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4657290&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F30 Conclusions: The majority of our participants could not generate appropriate conclusions from SRs independently. Judicious direction from the authors' conclusions still appears crucial to guiding our health care practitioners in identifying appropriate messages from research. Authors, editors and reviewers should ensure that the conclusions of a paper accurately reflect the results. Similar studies should be conducted in other settings where awareness and application of EBM are different.Please see Commentary: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/31/. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4657290 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4657290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4657289&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F31 A study conducted by Lai and colleagues, published this week in BMC Medicine, suggests that more guidance might be required for interpreting systematic review (SR) results. In the study by Lai and colleagues, positive (or favorable) results were influential in changing participants' prior beliefs about the interventions presented in the systematic review. Other studies have examined the relationship between favorable systematic review results and the publication of systematic reviews. An international registry may decrease the number of unpublished systematic reviews and will hopefully decrease redundancy, increase transparency, and increase collaboration within the SR community. In addition, using guidance from the Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA: http://w... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4657289 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4657289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4640250&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F29 Conclusion: Results from this study indicate that focusing interprofessional simulation education on shared leadership may provide the most leverage to improve interprofessional care. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4640250 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4640250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4620464&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F26 Conclusions: The prevalence of CFS, but not chronic fatigue, varies by ethnic group. Anxiety, depression, physical inactivity, social strain, and negative aspects of social support together accounted for prevalence differences of CFS in the overall sample. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4620464 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4620464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4599142&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F25 Recent studies have shown that adipose tissue is an active endocrine and paracrine organ secreting several mediators called adipokines. Adipokines include hormones, inflammatory cytokines and other proteins. In obesity, adipose tissue becomes dysfunctional, resulting in an overproduction of proinflammatory adipokines and a lower production of anti-inflammatory adipokines. The pathological accumulation of dysfunctional adipose tissue that characterizes obesity is a major risk factor for many other diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Multiple physiological roles have been assigned to adipokines, including the regulation of vascular tone. For example, the unidentified adipocyte-derived relaxing factor (ADRF) released from adipose tissue has been shown... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4599142 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4599142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4588959&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F24 'Gut health' is a term increasingly used in the medical literature and by the food industry. It covers multiple positive aspects of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as the effective digestion and absorption of food, the absence of GI illness, normal and stable intestinal microbiota, effective immune status and a state of well-being. From a scientific point of view, however, it is still extremely unclear exactly what gut health is, how it can be defined and how it can be measured. The GI barrier adjacent to the GI microbiota appears to be the key to understanding the complex mechanisms that maintain gut health. Any impairment of the GI barrier can increase the risk of developing infectious, inflammatory and functional GI diseases, as well as extraintestinal diseases such as immune-medi... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4588959 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4588959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4558226&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F22 Conclusions: This pilot study is the first to report a significant relationship between the severity of CCSVI and hypoperfusion in the brain parenchyma. These preliminary findings should be confirmed in a larger cohort of MS patients to ensure that they generalize to the MS population as a whole. Reduced perfusion could contribute to the known mechanisms of virtual hypoxia in degenerated axons. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4558226 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4558226 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4539531&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F21 Conclusions: The multitude of highly perturbed local chemistry seen with MD in patients with TBI predominately represents long-term metabolic patterns and is weakly correlated to ICP and CPP. This suggests that disturbances other than pressure and/or flow have a dominant influence on MD levels in patients with TBI. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4539531 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4539531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4530698&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F20 DiscussionThis paper provides an accessible treatment of the concepts needed to avoid misinterpreting significance tests. We begin by thoroughly explaining the basic concepts of probability theory, in particular providing an account of the origin and meaning of Bayes' rule, showing that its scope is more profound than generally appreciated. Next, we explain the two essential ingredients of significance testing, binary hypothesis testing and p-values. We then show that significance testing as usually understood represents a perversion of sound probabilistic reasoning. We show how understanding Bayes' rule can protect against common errors in statistical reasoning, and how physicians can exploit their experience with interpreting diagnostic tests to gain solid intuitions about probabilistic ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4530698 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4530698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4516072&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F19 Conclusions: MUC4 polymorphisms are associated with endometriosis development and endometriosis-related infertility in the Taiwanese population. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4516072 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4516072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4505932&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F18 Conclusions: This proof-of-principle study suggests that mMSE computed from resting state EEG signals may be a useful biomarker for early detection of risk for ASD and abnormalities in cognitive development in infants. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an information theoretic analysis of EEG data for biomarkers in infants at risk for a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4505932 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4505932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4487936&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F16 Conclusions: We found higher levels of estrogens and androgens in Japanese Brazilians than in Japanese and levels similar to or higher than in non-Japanese Brazilians. Our findings may help explain the increase in the incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer among Japanese Brazilians. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4487936 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4487936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4458649&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F14 No abstract (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4458649 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4458649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4539532&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F12 Conclusions: The associations derived represent the first evidence that somatic gene conversion could be a significant causative factor in each of the seven diseases. The specific genes provide potential insights about disease mechanisms, and are strong candidates for further study. Please see Commentary: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/13/abstract. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4539532 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4539532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4432050&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F12 Conclusions: The associations derived represent the first evidence that somatic gene conversion could be a significant causative factor in each of the seven diseases. The specific genes provide potential insights about disease mechanisms, and are strong candidates for further study. Please see Commentary:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/13/abstract. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4432050 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4432050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4432049&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F13 The hunt for the genetic contributors to complex disease has used a number of strategies, resulting in the identification of variants associated with many of the common diseases affecting society. However most of the genetic variants detected to date are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variants (CNVs) and fall far short of explaining the full genetic component of any given disease. An as yet untapped genomic mechanism is somatic gene conversion and deletion, which could be complicit in disease risk but has been challenging to detect in genome-wide datasets. In a recent publication in BMC Medicine by Kenneth Ross, the author uses existing datasets to look at somatic gene conversion and deletion in human disease. Here, we describe how Ross's recent efforts to detect su... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4432049 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4432049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4427829&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F11 Acute kidney injury (AKI) is independently associated with increased morbidity and mortality.Ischemia is the leading cause of AKI, and short of supportive measures, no currently available therapy can effectively treat or prevent ischemic AKI. This paper discusses recent developments in the understanding of ischemic AKI pathophysiology, the emerging relationship between ischemic AKI and development of progressive chronic kidney disease, and promising novel therapies currently under investigation. On the basis of recent breakthroughs in understanding the pathophysiology of ischemic AKI, therapies that can treat or even prevent ischemic AKI may become a reality in the near future. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4427829 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4427829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4417815&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F10 Conclusions: Irinotecan added to weekly bolus 5FU plus LV did not result in improvement in disease-free or overall survival in stage II or III colon cancer, but did increase toxicity.Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12610000148077 (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4417815 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4417815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4398124&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F9 Background: Focal adhesion (FA) family genes have been studied as candidate genes for osteoporosis, but the results of genetic association studies (GASs) are controversial. To clarify these data, a systematic assessment of GASs for FA genes in osteoporosis was conducted. Methods: We developed Cumulative Meta-Analysis of GAS-OSTEOporosis (CUMAGAS-OSTEOporosis), a web-based information system that allows the retrieval, analysis and meta-analysis (for allele contrast, recessive, dominant, additive and codominant models) of data from GASs on osteoporosis with the capability of update. GASs were identified by searching the PubMed and HuGE PubLit databases. Results: Data from 72 studies involving 13 variants of 6 genes were analyzed and catalogued in CUMAGAS-OSTEOporosis. Twenty-two studies prod... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4398124 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4398124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4392962&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F8 Conclusions: The results of this study show that 12-week comprehensive treatment of MTrPs in shoulder muscles reduces the number of muscles with active MTrPs and is effective in reducing symptoms and improving shoulder function in patients with chronic shoulder pain.Trial Registration. Current Controlled Trials [ISRCTN75722066]. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4392962 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4392962 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4359571&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F7 Conclusions: The accuracy of COPD epidemiological parameters is important for guiding decision making with regard to preventive measures, interventions and patient management in various health care systems. Therefore, the recent initiatives for standardizing data collection should be enhanced to result in COPD epidemiological estimates of improved quality. Moreover, establishing international guidelines for reporting research on COPD may also constitute a major contribution. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4359571 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4359571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4359572&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F6 Background: The Chinese government has provided health services to those infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) under the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) care policy since 2003. Detailed research on the actual expenditures and costs for providing care to patients with AIDS is needed for future financial planning of AIDS health care services and possible reform of HIV/AIDS-related policy. The purpose of the current study was to determine the actual expenditures and factors influencing costs for untreated AIDS patients in a rural area of China after initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) under the national Free Care Program (China CARES). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Yunnan and Shanxi Provinces, where HAART and all medical care... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4359572 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4359572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4348491&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F5 Background: Persistent disabilities are key manifestations of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection, especially incapacitating polyarthralgia and fatigue. So far, little is known about their impact on health status. The present study aimed at describing the burden of CHIKV prolonged or late-onset symptoms on the self-perceived health of La Reunion islanders. Methods: At 18 months after an outbreak of Chikungunya virus, we implemented the TELECHIK survey; a retrospective cohort study conducted on a random sample of the representative SEROCHIK population-based survey. A total of 1,094 subjects sampled for CHIKV-specific IgG antibodies in the setting of La Reunion island in the Indian Ocean, between August 2006 and October 2006, were interviewed about current symptoms divided into musculoskelet... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4348491 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4348491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4341672&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F4 Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is the most commonly prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) in rheumatoid arthritis. ATP-binding cassette transporter-A1 (ABCA1) and 27-Hydroxylase (HY27) are known antiatherogenic proteins that promote cellular cholesterol efflux. In THP-1 macrophages, MTX can promote the reversal of cholesterol transport, limit foam cell formation and also reverse COX-2 inhibitor-mediated downregulation of ABCA1. Despite its antiatherogenic potential in vitro, the impact of clinical use of low-dose MTX on cholesterol metabolism in humans is unknown. Objective of the study was to examine whether clinical MTX use is associated with altered blood lipids and/or ABCA1/HY27 expressions. Methods: In all, 100 rheumatoid arthritis subjects were recruited from a medi... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4341672 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4341672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4335940&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F3 Conclusion: Following a structured therapy plan based on a "test and treat" strategy, the prevalence of clopidogrel or aspirin low response can be significantly reduced and the risk of inadequate dual antiplatelet therapy minimized.Trial Registration: NCT01212302 (Clinicaltrials.gov) (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4335940 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4335940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4335941&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F2 This study addresses the possibility that genetic differences affecting the biology of the vascular endothelium could be a factor contributing to the increased burden of cardiovascular disease and cancer among African Americans (AA) compared to Caucasian Americans (CA). Methods: From self-identified, healthy, 20 to 29-year-old AA (n = 21) and CA (n = 17), we established cultures of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOEC) and applied microarray profiling. BOEC have never been exposed to in vivo influences, and their gene expression reflects culture conditions (meticulously controlled) and donor genetics. Significance Analysis of Microarray identified differential expression of single genes. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis examined expression of pre-determined gene sets that survey nine biolog... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4335941 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4335941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4329709&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F9%2F1 Conclusions: People admitted to hospital with immune-mediated diseases may be at an increased risk of subsequent VTE. Our findings need independent confirmation or refutation; but, if confirmed, there may be a role for thromboprophylaxis in some patients with these diseases. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4329709 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4329709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4280112&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F89 In view of the growing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) worldwide, there is an urgent need for the development of better diagnostic tools and more effective therapeutic interventions. At the earliest stages of AD, no significant cognitive or functional impairment is detected by conventional clinical methods. However, new technologies based on structural and functional neuroimaging, and on the biochemical analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may reveal correlates of intracerebral pathology in individuals with mild, predementia symptoms. These putative correlates are commonly referred to as AD-related biomarkers. The relevance of the early diagnosis of AD relies on the hypothesis that pharmacological interventions with disease-modifying compounds are likely to produce clinically relev... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4280112 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4280112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4276917&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F87 Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that obesity is associated with methylation changes in blood leukocyte DNA. Further studies are warranted to determine the causal direction of this relationship as well as whether such methylation changes can lead to immune dysfunction.See commentary: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/8/XX/abstract (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4276917 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4276917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4276916&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F88 Obesity is a complex disease with multiple well-defined risk factors. Nevertheless, susceptibility to obesity and its sequelae within obesogenic environments varies greatly from one person to the next, suggesting a role for gene x environment interactions in the etiology of the disorder. Epigenetic regulation of the human genome provides a putative mechanism by which specific environmental exposures convey risk for obesity and other human diseases and is one possible mechanism that underlies the gene x environment-treatment interactions observed in epidemiological studies and clinical trials. A study published in BMC Medicine this month by Wang et al. reports on an examination of DNA methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes of lean and obese adolescents, comparing methylation patterns be... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4276916 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4276916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4274380&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F86 Conclusions: This study shows that endoglin is an indicator of hypertension- and diabetes-associated vascular pathologies as endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular damage. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4274380 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4274380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4270617&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F85 The objectives of this study were to determine whether clinically significant changes in symptoms of burden and depression occur among caregivers within 12 months of nursing home admission (NHA) of their relatives with dementia, and to identify key predictors of clinically persistent burden and depression in the first year after institutionalization. Methods: Secondary longitudinal analysis of dementia caregivers were recruited from eight catchment areas in the United States with 6- and 12-month post-placement follow-up data. The sample included data on 1,610 dementia caregivers with pre- and six-month post-placement data and 1,116 with pre-placement, six-month, and 12-month post-placement data. Burden was measured with a modified version of the Zarit Burden Inventory. Depressive symptoms ... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4270617 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4270617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4257188&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F84 Conclusion: The available data have numerous limitations, but clearly show that continuing smokers have a beta that is dose-related and over 10 mL/yr greater than in never smokers, ex-smokers or quitters. The greater decline in those with respiratory disease or reduced lung function is consistent with some smokers having a more rapid rate of FEV1 decline. These results help in designing studies comparing continuing smokers of conventional cigarettes and switchers to novel products. (Source: BMC Medicine) BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4257188 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4257188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4257189&cid=s_28859_49_f&fid=28859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1741-7015%2F8%2F83 Nanooncology, the application of nanobiotechnology to the management of cancer, is currently the most important chapter of nanomedicine. Nanobiotechnology has refined and extended the limits of molecular diagnosis of cancer, for example, through the use of gold nanoparticles and quantum dots. Nanobiotechnology has also improved the discovery of cancer biomarkers, one such example being the sensitive detection of multiple protein biomarkers by nanobiosensors. Magnetic nanoparticles can capture circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream followed by rapid photoacoustic detection. Nanoparticles enable targeted drug delivery in cancer that increases efficacy and decreases adverse effects through reducing the dosage of anticancer drugs administered. Nanoparticulate anticancer drugs can cross som... BMC Medicine journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4257189 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4257189