Test

First Vaccine Designed for Africa Cleared for Testing in Humans

The first AIDS vaccine candidate designed specifically for Africa will enter human trials this summer. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced on July 11 at the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, that the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) of the United Kingdom has approved Phase I testing of a DNA vaccine based on HIV subtype A, the most commo...

Laboratory Testing Can Identify Risk of Pre-Term Labor and Delivery

A test for fetal fibronectin can predict whether a pregnant woman is at risk for early labor and delivery. Those at high risk for pre-term births are women with previous pre-term deliveries, those with multiple gestation pregnancy, and those who suffer from diabetes and/or hypertension. The current approach for finding whether a woman will go into premature labor is the use of a clinical...

Long-Term Survival can be Predicted by a Simple Lung Test

Researchers have found a simple pulmonary test can predict overall long-term survival rates in both men and women. Their findings are presented in the September issue of Chest. Researchers studied survival rates based on a lung function test, called forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1).They performed the lung function test on a group of more than 550 men and more than 640 wom...

More Accurate "PROSTATE CANCER" Test can save Unnecessary Biopsies

Prostate cancer can effect men over the age of 40 years and is the second commonest cancer among men after lung cancer. Usually it goes undetected till it is advanced and beyond cure. However a lot of awareness has been created about this condition and now men over the age of 40 years can be screened regularly to detect the cancer. One of the most promising "tumour markers" in medicine...

Abstain from sex- the latest mantra of American teens

The latest fad in the United States of America is surprisingly abstinence!!!!! Shockingly enough the teen crowd, particularly below 18 years, is taking the buzzword seriously.Last year there were many public abstinence pledges with many millionaire celebrities joining the jing bang. This pledge has been taken seriously, alteast for a certain period of time, according to some analysts who...

Doctors operate upon patients in candlelight- latest from the quake scene

The latest word from Gujarat is that doctors are being stretched to their limits working on cases for hours together without a break. At times they work in candlelight when the power fails, but the work goes on. Many caesarean sections to deliver babies were conducted in open verandahs. On Jan 27th nearly 1500 patients were operated upon without a break. Many fractures were fixed without...

IMA wants members not to do sex determination tests during pregnancy

The Indian Medical Association has asked its members to refrain from conducting sex-determination tests and aiding female foeticide. No support would be extended to practitioners caught in the act, the IMA said on Sunday. "We as an organisation should warn our members against aiding in such heinous crimes", said Dr. Vinay Agarwal, joint secretary, IMA headquarters, New Delhi. He was spe...

Breast cancer treatment to be determined by gene test

Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, may opt for mastectomy over breast-conserving lumpectomy if they test positive for a breast cancer gene mutation, researchers said California on Monday. About 5% to 10% of all breast cancers are caused by an inherited genetic susceptibility. The majority of these cancers are linked to mutations or alterations in two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. It is...

Diabetic testing gets easier

Of all the problems associated with diabetes, the most painful and bothering one is the trauma of going through the daily blood tests. The worst part according to many diabetics is the finger stick. There are unfortunate patients who use the stick up to six times a day for more than ten to twenty years or so. The main obstacle of these tests is the pain and discomfort associated with them...

Doctors advice early anemia tests

An estimated 12 to 30% of young children are affected by iron deficiency anemia throughout the world. This is one of the common problems in childhood leading on to problems in simple developmental skills such as standing and walking. Eight-month-old infants with low levels of hemoglobin are significantly more likely to have deformities of the motor system, according to a study conducted b...

Vitamin E, the latest warrior against diabetes

Scientists are assessing research that suggests high doses of vitamin E may help fight diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world with many ravaging complications, affecting millions of people. Complications can lead to heart disease, eye damage, kidney failure, non healing ulcers all over the body and can also cause complications of the nervous system. Diabet...

Test-tube babies show no emotional problems

Babies born with the help of fertility treatment grow into emotionally and socially well-adjusted children, according to new research. The world's first study that followed in-vitro, or test tube, babies to the brink of adolescence showed that youngsters who had been conceived through fertility treatments do not suffer any more psychological problems than other children. Since L...

Low testosterone levels lead to eating disorders

The researchers suspect low testosterone levels in men suffering from eating disorders. Men who suffer from eating disorders can be affected more than women with the same problems, researchers say.// Eating disorders are associated with a weakening of the bones, which become dangerously thin and brittle. This is linked to severe weight loss and lack of essential nutrients, particula...

New test for heart attack

A new test really helps detect heart problems. A test for cardiac enzymes allows doctors to spot those people with chest pain who are really having a heart attack. Only 10 to 15 per cent of those who show up in the emergency room with chest pain are actually having a heart attack. Other causes of chest pain are gastrointestinal, kidney, rib or lung problems. But this test may take several...

Decrease in testosterone levels lead to Alzheimer's

Suppression of testosterone levels in men with testicular cancer may inadvertently increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, warn US researchers.A research team from North Carolina University has found that when circulating testosterone levels go down, a high rise in levels of amyloid – the protein implicated in Alzheimer’s disease – occurs. They suggest that this phenomenon might explain...

Cervicogenic headache can be identified with a fibromyalgia test

Findings from a new study presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine by the Medical Director, John McFadden, MD, of the Tupelo Pain Clinic, Mississippi stated that patients with severe headache could benefit from an upper-body fibromyalgia examination to determine if the headache is potentially cervicogenic. According to Dr. McFadden many headaches of ce...

New Test Can Detect Breast Cancer 8 Years Earlier

There is a new test some doctors say could change the way we treat breast cancer. The new Halo Pap Test for the breast is now available to help doctors identify breast disease // up to eight years earlier than a lesion might be found on a mammogram. Breast pap patient Amy Rhoades is taking a screening test that could potentially predict her risk for breast cancer up to eight years in ad...

Mixed Opinion Regarding Common Medical And Engineering Entrance Test

There has been a mixed response from private professional colleges regarding the issue of having a common entrance examination for admission into medical and engineering colleges // . Few educational institutions are under the opinion that the admission should be based on higher secondary marks alone. Following the judgment of the Supreme court that private colleges have the right to d...

Gastrointestinal ills more common in diabetics

People with diabetes often have gastrointestinal symptoms such as incontinence and nausea, according to a report. But the frequent stomach and intestinal troubles may be a result of poor control of blood sugar rather than a side effect of diabetes medications, researchers suggest. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation have been...

Erythromycin and infants’ intestinal disorde

An Indiana University School of Medicine study, in the Journal of Pediatrics, has found a link between erythromycin, and subsequent development of pyloric stenosis, a condition that affects one in 500 newborns. Pyloric stenosis, which usually occurs in the first or second month of life, is a blockage of the outlet of the stomach that causes projectile vomiting//, leading to weight loss...

Blood test may identify ovarian cancer

Some 23,300 American women are expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and the disease is expected to cause 13,900 deaths. It accounts for 4 percent of all cancers among women. A simple blood test may be able to identify ovarian cancer at its earliest stage. Currently, around three-quarters of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, when...

NBE to conduct test for medical students from abroad

National Board of Examinations has decided to conduct tests for any Indian doctor having graduated abroad avid of starting a practice in the country, to ensure a higher standards amongst doctors, the government has made it compulsory from //the 15th of next month official sources said today. The new regulations, which were published in the Indian Gazzette yesterday, specify that...

A Blood test for suicide risk?

How do you know when someone who talks about suicide will actually go through with it? Even experts have difficulty deciding which depressed patients need protection.Now American scientists believe that// they have found a way to assess risk: a blood test that checks glands controlling the stress hormone cortisol. Overactive glands may be a corollary to the mental turmoil that leads peo...

Blood test diagnoses heart failure in short time

Generally, doctors diagnose heart disease by taking a history of symptoms, a physical exam, an electrocardiogram, an ultrasound scan and blood tests to rule out other causes, such as kidney disease.// Even with all this, they are often wrong. A 15-minute blood test allows doctors to accurately find out whether patients with severe shortness of breath are suffering from congestive heart fa...

An inventive blood test for diabetes

According to a study from researchers, steadfast and simple blood test was done on people at high risk that readily detects diabetes in the doctor's surgery.// Around three per cent of the population may have undiagnosed diabetesputting themselves at increased risk of heart disease and kidney problems. The standard test involves measuring blood sugar and requires many hours of prior fasti...

Gastrointestinal Complaint to be dealt Psychologically

According to researchers in Norway should not lookout the psychological side when patients present with gastrointestinal complaints. Nausea is a tricky symptom to investigate.// It is unpleasant for the patient and physical exams which can be invasive often reveal no apparent problem. Before packing the patient off to the gastroenterologist's office, doctors might consider whether anxiety...

Blood test can predict pre-eclampsia

A simple blood test can predict which women are at risk of pre-eclampsia, a complication of pregnancy, in time to prevent it before symptoms appear.// This study showed that a risk factor that can be detected many weeks before symptoms appear may be able to predict who will develop pre-eclampsia. Women who developed pre-eclampsia had higher-than-normal levels of a protein called SHBG earl...

Blood test may aid foretell Alzheimer's

According to study in University of Texas, a novel blood test can detect plaque buildup in mice brains, suggesting a possible new way to predict who might get Alzheimer's disease.Researchers at the School of Medicine in St. Louis said it is unclear whether a similar blood test would work in people, but the findings in the animal studies appeared promising.// Plaque buildup ruins brain...

Treadmill test displays hidden heart disease

Researchers at Hopkins University have found that treadmill testing is a useful way of pinpointing those at risk of heart problems. Many people who develop// heart disease have no obvious symptoms like chest pain or breathlessness. According to researchers, treadmill testing can show up hidden weaknesses long before heart problems become obvious. They report on a study of nearly 2,000...

Patients with testicular cancer dying through unfamiliarity

According to researchers, young men are putting their lives at risk because they fail to examine their testicles for signs of tumors and are embarrassed to consult their general practitioner if they feel a lump. //Authors from the Texas base their argument on a case study involving a young man who was involved in a car accident and suffered minor injuries. Four days later he died of a...

FDA changes rules on testing drugs for children

The FDA is suspending a rule that lets the government require safety testing of adult medicines commonly given to children, a move that has drawn the ire of some Democratic lawmakers. FDA says Congress recently reauthorized financial incentives for manufacturers to do those studies. The FDA said it wants to see if the new law makes the old mandate, which drug makers hated, unnecessary.//...

Ultrasound test may detect heart condition early

According to a new report, a type of ultrasound test may be able to identify patients with a heart condition that is one of the most common causes of sudden death in young people.The condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), can be caused by more than 100 different mutations in as many as 10 genes. In HCM, the heart muscle thickens, eventually limiting the organ's ability to pump bloo...

Gingko languishs memory test

By consuming Gingko, a herbal supplement, memory did not improve, attention or concentration in a group of healthy older adults. Gingko is a herbal extract much prized for many years for its effect on mental performance. Previous research has suggested it may be helpful in improving memory //in people with dementia. It's also claimed that gingko can increase mental sharpness in those who...

Latest device for identifying Melanomas

A research from Australian company has finalized development of a digital screening device it says will take the guesswork out of diagnosing melanomas, the third most common cancer in Australia. Victor Skladnev, managing director of Polartechnics said that in terms of its ability to diagnose melanomas, it matches top specialists.// Image analysis and computer-aided diagnostic software...

Heart test may detect death risk

Researchers from the University of Cleveland, observed in a recent study, that a test commonly used to diagnose heart attacks may also identify patients at increased risk of death after balloon angioplasty, a new study shows.// Blood levels of the enzyme creatine kinase-MB rise after a heart attack. The rise indicates injury to the heart muscle. Measuring CK-MB is a standard diagnostic t...

Latest discovery on Autism

Scientists have ruled out a possible connection to autism. A study in this week's issue of British Medical Journal shows children with autism are no more likely than those without it to have had gastrointestinal problems as infants. // Study investigators from Boston University identified 90 children with autism and compared them to children without autism. They reviewed the children's...

Genetic tests for cancer

Genetic test for cancer has mostly been very beneficial to patients.Around six to eleven per cent of breast, prostate and colorectal cancers have a clear genetic cause. And we now know// at least some of the genes involved, and can test for them. Dr.Lindsay Prior, a sociologist at Cardiff University felt that at least, few of those referred for genetic counselling will be advised to have...

Gene testing kit specific for Doctors

A new model genetic testing kit could soon be procurable in the doctor's office or the drugstore to test for infection and adverse drug responses. Researchers at LGC// (Laboratory of the Government Chemist) have been working to produce a DNA test kit which uses saliva, blood or urine samples and produces results within 15 to 20 minutes. The device has been made small the size of a sho...

Space research leads to needle-free blood tests

In the future, infra-red light may enable assessment of blood chemistry without needing to take a sample.Space medicine has many potential spin-offs for health on the ground.// One of the latest, described by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, is needle-free blood tests. The space researchers want to take blood samples in space, for medical research. For this purpose, they...

Novel test for bowel cancer

Researchers have developed a rapid and infallible test for bowel cancer based upon a molecule found only in cancer cells. We already know that bowel cancer is highly curable if caught early. Screening with sigmoidoscopy - an internal exam// of the bowel can reduce the incidence of the disease. Now researchers in the find that a reliable test can also be done on samples of feces. The b...