Virtual Medical Centre Medical News

A new beat in heart research

Sudden cardiac arrest syndrome (SCA) is poorly understood, but it's a real danger for the otherwise young and healthy. For no apparent reason, the heart suddenly stops beating, and without treatment d

Tumours may respond to extreme and moderate heat

Aided by ultrasound guidance, treating tumours with extreme heat or moderate heat may provide a possible therapeutic option, according to early research presented at the second AACR Dead Sea Internati

Vaccinating children against flu helps protect wider community

Results of a clinical trial conducted in a largely self-contained religious community during the 2008–09 influenza season show that immunising children against seasonal influenza can significant

Warning on inadequate global response to HIV

The provision of HIV prevention services for injecting drug users, essential to contain the spread of HIV, is inadequate in most countries around the world and presents a critical public health proble

Donating kidney does not appear to significantly increase long-term risk of death

An analysis of outcomes for live kidney donors in the US over a 15 year period finds they have similar long-term survival rates compared to healthy individuals who were not kidney donors, according to

Behavioural problems in childhood doubles risk of chronic widespread pain in adult life

Bad behaviour in childhood is associated with long-term, chronic widespread pain in adult life, according to the findings of a study following nearly 20,000 people from birth in 1958 to the present da

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