Monthly Archives: August 2012

New cancer syndrome published in Journal of Translational Medicine

New research published in the Journal of Translational Medicine’s Personalized medicine section outlines the discovery that germ line BAP1 defects are responsible for a novel cancer syndrome characterised by malignant mesothelioma, uveal melanoma, cutaneous melanoma and atypical melanocytic tumors, known as “melanocytic BAP1-mutated atypical intradermal tumors” (MBAITs). Researchers from the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center… Read more »

Medicine

Dementia – a worry for younger people too

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common form of dementia that affects younger people and is the focus of a new thematic series from Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy and a forthcoming scientific conference. It is reported that 15 to 20 of 100,000 individuals aged between 45 to 64 years, in Western countries, are affected;… Read more »

Medicine

Tamoxifen: a promising therapeutic option for gynecomastia

Anti-androgen therapy, a type of hormonal treatment, is frequently used in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. It slows cancer growth and relieves symptoms in many men by lowering testosterone levels, but can cause a range of side effects due to hormonal disruption. For instance, anti-androgens can increase levels of estrogen, which stimulates the growth… Read more »

Medicine

ACT now: Accuracy, Completeness, and Transparency in health research reporting EQUATOR Network Scientific Symposium October 2012

Guest Blog by Dr Iveta Simera Head of Programme Development at EQUATOR Network We would like to invite you to the scientific symposium and 4th EQUATOR Annual Lecture organised by the EQUATOR Network and the German Cochrane Centre.  The theme for the symposium is “ACT now: Accuracy, Completeness, and Transparency in health research reporting” and… Read more »

Health Medical Evidence Medicine

Stem cell therapy for stress urinary incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), the most common form of incontinence in women, refers to urine leakage during activities such as coughing, sneezing and bending over. It is estimated that SUI affects 15 million women in the United States, and around 50% of men suffer from this condition during recovery from prostate surgery. Despite the prevalence,… Read more »

Medicine
1

Drugs, depression and psychotic disorders

Patients with psychiatric illnesses often require long-term treatment with drugs to alleviate the symptoms- but finding the most suitable medication for a patient is often difficult due to complications with side-effects or efficacy. This week in BMC Medicine, two articles discuss emerging therapies for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In the first article, Michael Berk and… Read more »

Medicine

Social media in healthcare- a BMC Medicine twitter chat

Following the publication of ‘Medicine, morality and health care social media’ in BMC Medicine, author Farris Timimi (Medical Director, Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, @FarrisTimimi) and his colleague Lee Aase (Director, Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, @LeeAase) joined BMC Medicine Editor Sabina Alam (@BMCMedicine) in a twitter chat to discuss the ideas raised… Read more »

Medicine

Does insomnia lead to Alzheimer's disease?

Disruption to sleep patterns is traditionally seen as a downstream symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. Recent evidence, however, has sparked a debate of whether circadian dysfunction may actually lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease by causing the accumulation of one of its main pathogens, amyloid-beta (Aβ) in the brain. Converging research in both animal and… Read more »

Medicine
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Antimicrobial resistance to drugs: a mathematical model to guide treatment decisions

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is an increasing problem for the treatment of infectious diseases; nearly 500,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis emerge each year, and a large number of hospital-acquired infections are caused by resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Recently, the first case of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea was documented, and the World Health Organisation… Read more »

Medicine