Virtual Medical Centre Medical News

Increasing neurogenesis might prevent drug addiction and relapse

Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center hope they have begun paving a new pathway in the fight against drug dependence. Their hypothesis – that increasing the normally occ

Possible vaccine for mesothelioma proven safe

Researchers have demonstrated the safety of a potential vaccine against mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated primarily with asbestos exposure. The vaccine, which infuses a patient's own dendritic ce

Tool to measure severity of chronic graft-versus-host disease symptoms

Researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have developed a new assessment tool to measure the severity of symptoms that can complicate stem cell transplantation. The tool a

'Stepping up' asthma treatment in children leads to improvement

Children with asthma who continue to have symptoms while using low-dose inhaled corticosteroids could benefit from increasing the dosage or adding one of two asthma drugs, a new study by researchers a

Adding ECG to health exams may prevent sudden cardiac death in young athletes

A new study by researchers at the MGH Heart Center found the addition of electrocardiogram testing to the standard medical history and physical examination for young athletes may better identify key c

Greater purpose in life associated with reduced Alzheimer's risk

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center, US, found that people who report having greater purpose in their lives appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Their findings are published

Native lemongrass fights headaches like aspirin

Griffith University researchers have found native lemongrass, used by Indigenous Australians as traditional medicine, has the potential to relieve headaches and migraines.

Hormone thought to slow ageing associated with increased risk of cancer death

According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), older men with high levels of the hormone IGF-

Flexing your marathon muscles at work

Budget cutbacks have left many of us with more work than ever. Now new research by Dr Danit Ein-Gar of Tel Aviv University's Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration offers us tips to help

Different fat types can help or hinder obese girls' bone health

According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), obese teenage girls with a greater ratio of vi

Combination therapy more effective in improving symptoms of enlarged prostate

Like any successful team effort, the best qualities of two drugs commonly prescribed for enlarged prostate yielded better results than either of the medicines alone, according to a new study from Univ

Gene affects susceptibility to tuberculosis: Clues to how it works

University of Washington researchers have identified a gene involved in susceptibility and resistance to tuberculosis. This same gene, they have found, has a role in the severity of leprosy, which is

Early cannabis users three times more likely to have psychotic symptoms

Researchers at University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute and School of Population Health have found young adults who use cannabis from an early age are three times more likely to suffer fr

Dietary factors influence ovarian cancer survival rates

2009 estimates projected that in the United States alone 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer would be diagnosed and 14,600 women would die of the disease. Often diagnosed in late stages, ovarian cancer

Combined drug therapy to treat TB and HIV significantly improves survival

Initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) during tuberculosis therapy significantly reduced mortality rates by 56 percent in a randomised clinical trial of 642 patients co-infected with HIV and tubercul