Enhanced View Of Muscles Possible With New Tool

Simon Fraser University associate professor James Wakeling is adding to the arsenal of increasingly sophisticated medical imaging tools with a new signal-processing method for viewing muscle activation details that have never been seen before. Fascinated with the mechanics of muscle movement in people and animals, Wakeling has developed a novel method using ultrasound imaging, 3D motion-capture technology and proprietary data-processing software to scan and capture 3D maps of the muscle structure - in just 90 seconds.

The Likelihood Of Parasitic Worm Infections Halved With Availability And Use Of Sanitation

Access to sanitation facilities, such as latrines, reduces by half the risk of becoming infected by parasitic worms that are transmitted via soil (soil-transmitted helminths) according to a study published in this week's PLoS Medicine. These findings are important as infection with parasitic worms can cause diarrhea, weakness, and malnutrition, which in turn can impair physical and mental development in children; they reinforce the importance of increased access to sanitation (a Millennium Development Goal target) to improve health outcomes.

7 Of Americans Have Oral HPV

A study published online in JAMA on Thursday suggests 7% of men and women in the US carry the Human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes a distinct form of cancer that affects the part of the throat that sits at the back of the mouth. The study suggests oral HPV infection is predominantly sexually transmitted, and estimates that men are nearly three times more likely to have the virus than women. Maura L. Gillison, Professor in the College of Medicine at Ohio State University (OSU), and others carried out the study.

Greater Lifetime Risk For Heart Disease Driven By Middle-Age Risk Factors

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that while an individual's risk of heart disease may be low in the next five or 10 years, the lifetime risk could still be very high, findings that could have implications for both clinical practice and public health policy. "The current approach to heart disease prevention focuses on only short-term risks, which can give a false sense of security, particularly to individuals in their 40s and 50s, " said Dr. Jarett Berry, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center who was lead author of the study.

Dentists Could Screen 20 Million Americans For Chronic Physical Illnesses

Nearly 20 million Americans annually visit a dentist but not a general healthcare provider, according to an NYU study published in the American Journal of Public Health. The study, conducted by a nursing-dental research team at NYU, is the first of its kind to determine the proportion of Americans who are seen annually by a dentist but not by a general healthcare provider. This finding suggests dentists can play a crucial role as health care practitioners in the front-line defense of identifying systemic disease which would otherwise go undetected in a significant portion of the population, say the researchers.

Impetigo - Ozenoxacin Phase lll Trial

The pharmaceutical company Ferrer has received approval to start phase III human trials of ozenoxacin, formulated as a topical treatment for infectious skin conditions. In February 2012, participants are expected to enter the multicenter, randomized, placebo controlled, parallel, double-blinded superiority clinical study, which is scheduled to complete in 2013. The study will consist of approximately 465 infants younger than 2 years old, with a clinical diagnosis of non-bullous or bullous impetigo, at around 50 centers in the USA, Germany, Romania, Ukraine, South African and India, subject to completion of additional regulatory approvals.

Scientists Reassess Weight Loss Surgery For Type 2 Diabetes

Weight loss surgery is not a cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can improve blood sugar control, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Surgery. Whereas some previous studies have claimed that up to 80 per cent of diabetes patients have been cured following gastric bypass surgery, researchers at Imperial College London found that only 41 per cent of patients achieve remission using more stringent criteria. The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre awarded to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London.

ED Eye Care In Florida - A Payment Review

A major part of Florida's emergency department eye care is reimbursed through Medicaid or paid for directly by the patients. According to a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, these findings may be beneficial in strategic planning as the debate over how best to implement the nation's new health care reform law progresses. The background information of the study reveals that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will raise insurance coverage in large part by expanding the eligibility for Medicaid, which is "an already stressed and under-funded system in many states.

MSU Seeks To Revamp HIV-Prevention Programs In Caribbean

While global attention to HIV/AIDS remains strong, a lack of focus on prevention strategies is stonewalling health experts in many developing nations, specifically in the Caribbean. By adopting a new approach to HIV prevention, Michigan State University's Institute of International Health is hoping to turn the tide on new infections on the island of Hispaniola, which accounts for nearly 75 percent of the Caribbean's AIDS cases. "Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have struggled to respond to the epidemic of HIV/AIDS based upon the resources available to them, " said Reza Nassiri, director of MSU's Institute of International Health and an associate dean in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.