Tag Archives: internet

Most Internet sources on prostate cancer disagree with expert panel’s recommendation — ScienceDaily

In an Internet search for the phrase “prostate cancer screening” on three main U.S. search engines, study researchers found that most sites appearing on the first results page recommended a patient-individualized approach to screening…

Most Internet sources on prostate cancer disagree with expert panel’s recommendation

In an Internet search for the phrase “prostate cancer screening” on three main U.S. search engines, study researchers found that most sites appearing on the first results page recommended a patient-individualized approach to screening. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men besides skin cancer, affecting one in seven American men over their lifetime according to the American Cancer Society.1 Screening, which is routine testing in the absence of symptoms, can detect prostate cancer early…

Cancer patients should not hesitate to speak with their doctors about dietary supplements

This gap in communication can happen when patients believe that their doctors are indifferent or negative toward their use of these supplements. As a result, patients may find information about dietary supplements from unreliable sources, exposing themselves to unneeded risks. Since information on these dietary supplements is limited, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch describe a practical patient-centered approach to managing dietary supplement use in cancer care in a review article. Improving the communication between patient and doctor in this area is critical. …

New way to detox? ‘Gold of Pleasure’ oilseed boosts liver detoxification enzymes

“The bioactive compounds in Camelina sativa seed, also known as Gold of Pleasure, are a mixture of phytochemicals that work together synergistically far better than they do alone. This seed meal is a promising nutritional supplement because its bioactive ingredients increase the liver’s ability to clear foreign chemicals and oxidative products. And that gives it potential anti-cancer benefit,” said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of nutritional toxicology. Oilseed crops, including rapeseed, canola, and camelina, contain some of the same bioactive ingredients — namely, glucosinolates and flavonoids — found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables and in nearly the same quantities, she noted. …

New tool aids stem cell engineering for medical research

“This free platform has a broad range of uses for all types of cell-based investigations and can potentially offer help to people working on all types of cancer,” says Hu Li, Ph.D., investigator in the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine and Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, and co-lead investigator in the two works. “CellNet will indicate how closely an engineered cell resembles the real counterpart and even suggests ways to adjust the engineering.” The network biology platform contains data on a wide range of cells and details on what is known about those cell types. Researchers say the platform can be applied to almost any study and allows users to refine the engineering process. In the long term, it should provide a reliable short cut to the early phases of drug development, individualized cancer therapies, and pharmacogenetics. …

Debunking myths about how cancer spreads

Can getting a biopsy spread cancer? Internet rumors have been circulating for years linking needle biopsies to spreading cancer. There is no evidence that a needle biopsy, a procedure used to diagnose many types of cancer, causes the cells to spread. "Needle biopsies of early-onset lesions in the breast, thyroid or lung allow us to diagnose cancer often before it has spread," said Dr. …

FDA urges protection of medical devices from cyber threats

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday urged medical device makers and medical facilities to upgrade security protections to protect against potential cyber threats that could compromise the devices or patient privacy. It released that advisory in coordination with a separate alert from the Department of Homeland Security, which disclosed vulnerability in a wide variety of medical equipment that can make those devices vulnerable to remote attacks from hackers. “Over the past year, we've become increasingly aware of cyber security vulnerabilities in incidents that have been reported to us,” William Maisel, deputy director for science at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an interview. “Hundreds of medical devices have been affected, involving dozens of manufacturers,” Maisel said, adding that many were infected by malicious software, or malware. But he said all the infections appeared to be unintentional, largely due to malware and computer viruses that were circulating in hospital computer networks and jumped onto the devices. An alert published on the government's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team website, cited research from Billy Rios and Terry McCorkle of the cyber security firm Cylance Inc, who said they have identified more than 300 pieces of medical equipment that are vulnerable to cyber attack. They include surgical and anesthesia devices, ventilators, drug infusion pumps, patient monitors and external defibrillators. The problem with the equipment is that it can be controlled using default passwords that can be obtained with relative ease by motivated hackers, Rios said in an interview. Those passwords give their holders complete control of the devices and in some cases can be used to gain that access remotely via the Internet, he said. “Somebody could take over the device and make it do whatever they want it to do and it would be almost impossible for hospital staff to know that it had been tampered with,” Rios said. Rios and McCorkle are among a group of security experts who in recent years have suggested that medical devices such as insulin pumps and pacemakers could be vulnerable to hacking. The FDA on Thursday said it is not aware of any patient injuries or deaths associated with devices and hospital computer networks that have been infected with malware and computer viruses. In an advisory on its website, however, the FDA said manufacturers, hospitals and patients need to protect themselves better from the introduction of malware in medical equipment and unauthorized access to settings that control devices. “Many medical devices contain configurable embedded computer systems that can be vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches,” the agency said. The risk of breaches has grown as devices have become increasingly interconnected, via the Internet, hospital networks, other medical devices and smartphones, the FDA said. “Specifically we recommend that manufacturers review their cybersecurity practices and policies to assure that appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent unauthorized access or modification to their medical devices or compromise of the security of the hospital network that may be connected to the device,” the agency said. Among its recommendations, the FDA said manufacturers need to take steps to limit unauthorized device access to trusted users only, particularly for devices that are “life sustaining” or could be directly connected to hospital networks. User IDs, passwords and other security controls need to be strengthened, including potential use of biometrics, the agency said. Moreover, manufacturers need to assure that devices recover and continue to work once security has been compromised. “Cybersecurity incidents are increasingly likely,” the FDA said, “and manufacturers should consider incident response plans that address the possibility of degraded operation and efficient restoration and recovery.” The FDA also urged health care facilities to evaluate their network security, including restricting unauthorized access to the network and networked devices.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/fda-urges-protection-medical-devices-from-cyber-threats/

New diet craze offers 5 days of feasting for 2 days of famine

Forget abandoning carbohydrates or detoxing. The new dieting craze sweeping Britain and taking off in the United States lets people eat whatever they like - but only five days a week. “The Fast Diet”, also known as the 5:2 diet, is the brainchild of TV medical journalist Michael Mosley and journalist Mimi Spencer and allows people to eat what they want for five days but only eat 600 calories a day on the other two. Their book, “The Fast Diet”, has topped bestselling book lists in Britain and the United States this year and been reprinted more than a dozen times. Mosley said the diet is based on work by British and U.S. scientists who found intermittent fasting helped people lose more fat, increase insulin sensitivity and cut cholesterol which should mean reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. He tried this eating regime for a BBC television science programme called “Eat, Fast, Live Longer” last August after finding out his cholesterol level was too high and his blood sugar in the diabetic range. He was stunned by the results. “I started doing intermittent fasting a year ago, lost 8 kgs (18 pounds) of fat over 3 months and my blood results went back to normal,” Mosley told Reuters. Mosley said he had been amazed at the way the diet had taken off with a list of websites set up by followers of the 5:2 diet or variations of the eating regime to share their experiences. Following the success of “The Fast Diet”, Spencer joined forces with dietitian Sarah Schenker to bring out “The Fast Diet Recipe Book” in April which has topped amazon.co.uk's food and drink list with 150 recipes containing under 300 calories. Eating a 600 calorie daily diet - about a quarter of a normal healthy adult's intake - could consist of two eggs for breakfast, grilled chicken and lettuce for lunch, and fish with rice noodles for dinner with nothing to drink but water, black coffee or tea. One day at a time Mosley put the diet's success down to the fact it is psychologically attractive and leads to steady drop in weight with an average weekly loss of 1 pound (0.46kg) for women and slightly more for men. “The problem with standard diets is that you feel like you are constantly having to exercise restraint and that means you are thinking about food all the time, which becomes self-defeating,” said Mosley. “On this regime you are only really on a diet two days a week. It is also extremely flexible and simple.” Britain's National Health Service (NHS) initially expressed doubts about the diet and its long-term effects, saying side effects could include sleeping difficulties, bad breath, irritability, anxiety, and daytime sleepiness. But as the popularity of the 5:2 diet has grown and become one of the most searched diets on the Internet, the NHS has started to look again at the diet and its effects. On its website last month the NHS said the British Dietetic Association (BDA) reviewed a 2011 study by researchers at the UK's University Hospital of South Manchester that suggested intermittent fasting could help lower the risk of certain obesity-related cancers such as breast cancer. “The increasing popularity of the 5:2 diet should lead to further research of this kind,” the BDA said in a statement. Schenker, a sports and media dietitian who works with football clubs and food companies, said it was a shame that the NHS had criticized the eating regime that had proved such a success with so many people. “We are in the midst of an obesity crisis and you need to balance up which is worse - intermittent fasting of staying obese?” Schenker told Reuters. Despite concerns raised by the NHS, the 5:2 diet has been widely praised by those who follow it. Deb Thomas, 50, a management coach from London, said she has followed the diet for six months and dropped a couple of dress sizes. This has also inspired her husband to join her in fasting two days a week. “It is such an easy diet to follow that fits into my way of life,” Thomas said. “You have a tough day of not eating but you know the next day you can eat normally again, and that keeps you going.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/new-diet-craze-offers-five-days-feasting-for-two-days-famine/