Connection Differences in Brains of People With Autism
Carnegie Mellon Researchers Use New Imaging Technique To Discover Connection Differences in Brains of People With Autism
Using a new form of brain imaging known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), researchers in the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that the so-called white matter in the brains of people with autism has lower structural integrity than in the brains of normal individuals. This provides further evidence that the anatomical differences characterizing the brains of people with autism are related to the way those brains process information.
Should patients undergoing surgery get ASA?
Canadian surgeons say they would welcome a randomized controlled trial
- A national survey of Canadian surgeons by researchers at McMaster University found little consistency in their use of the blood thinner ASA in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.
To resolve the issue, Canadian surgeons say they would welcome a randomized controlled trial, and allow their patients to participate in it, said Dr. Rajesh Hiralal, who led the survey and is presenting its results today in Vancouver at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons.
Mother’s stress may slow baby’s growth in the womb
Pregnant women under heavy stress have smaller fetuses in mid-pregnancy than expectant mothers who are not distressed, a new study shows.
Cortisol—the hormone released by the adrenal gland in times of stress—appears to be the responsible factor, Dr. Miguel A. Diego of the University of Miami School of Medicine and colleagues conclude in their report in medical journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
“Women that have clinical depression or diagnosed anxiety disorder or are under some extreme level of stress should be looking for some sort of medical treatment,” Diego told Reuters Health in an interview. “There is an effect of the mother’s psychological state on the development of the fetus.”
New Study Links Bad Breath to Heartburn, GERD
A common prescription medicine class used to treat chronic heartburn and acid reflux disease (GERD) was linked to halitosis, or bad breath, in a study presented at the 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Doctors at UNIFESP in Sao Paulo, Brazil, examined 23 adult patients with GERD (mean age 54 years) and 17 adult patients with dyspepsia (mean age 56 years) in May 2006 to ascertain the relationship between halitosis and GERD. The results showed that 39 percent of the GERD patients suffered from halitosis and that treatment with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) was deemed a factor in at least 75 percent of the cases. Dyspepsia did not seem to be a leading cause of halitosis, with just 18 percent of the dyspepsia patients suffering from bad breath. No gender differences were observed in the GERD group.
AMITIZA™ (lubiprostone) Phase III Constipation Trial Results
In recent studies, AMITIZA™ (lubiprostone) demonstrated improvements in relief of symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), such as abdominal bloating and discomfort. Results of sub-analyses from two Phase III chronic constipation studies of AMITIZA, the first selective chloride channel activator approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation in adults, were presented today at the 71st American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting.
“The results suggest that AMITIZA may have the potential to improve the symptoms associated with IBS-C, a functional bowel disorder that causes abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating and constipation,” said Anthony Lembo, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and director of the Motility Center, Harvard Medical School. “Additional studies are needed to evaluate the potential for AMITIZA with these patients; however, it would benefit patients to have additional treatment options.”
New Study Finds Low 5 Year Colon Cancer Recurrence Rates
Five years after a colonoscopy which detected no precancerous growths or polyps, the risk of having a potential cancer is very low according to findings of a study by researchers from Indiana University presented at the 71st Annual Scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). The risk of advanced adenomas, a type of colon polyp more likely to become cancerous, while still low, was higher in men than in women. These findings suggest a longer interval for follow-up screening may be safe, and support recommendations by the ACG and other groups to re-screen average risk patients after ten years.
Thomas Imperiale, M.D., FACG of Indiana University presented data from patients in a corporate-sponsored screening program supported by Eli Lilly in which employees are screened for colorectal cancer. Among the 2,436 patients who had no precancerous growths upon initial screening, 1,256 returned for screening approximately five years later. No cancers were found upon re-screening, and tests revealed polyps larger than 1 centimeter in 16 percent of the patients. Researchers identified advanced adenomas in 15 patients, or 1.2 percent. Men in the study were more likely to have polyps at all, and to have advanced adenomas.
