New, expensive, widely-used drugs continue to cause liver problems, says Jefferson liver specialist

Adverse drug reactions in the liver are the most common reason for drugs to be taken off the market, and the federal Food and Drug Administration now wants better ways to detect these problem drugs before they reach the market and injure users. more  

Let patients use their own terms to describe ethnicity

Allowing patients to use their own terms to describe their race or ethnicity for medical records may help reduce differences in how health care is provided to racial and ethnic minorities versus whites, according to a study in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health. more

Strokes in children need to be recognized quickly

Who would think a seemingly healthy teenager would suffer a stroke? Certainly not 13-year-old Colin Quinn, of Exton, Pa., who suddenly found he couldn't get into the family car as he was leaving a guitar lesson. Colin was unable to move the left side of his body. more  

Spouse’s hospitalization increases partner’s risk of death, new study of a half-million couples shows

Most people have heard stories about an older person who “dies of a broken heart” shortly after their partner’s death. A new study finds that hospitalization of a spouse for a serious illness also increases their partner’s risk of death. Further, the risk is greater with certain diagnoses, such as dementia, stroke, and hip fracture. The study was sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). more

Problems at World Anti-Doping Agency will ‘drive innocent athletes out of sport’  

The current approach of the international agency responsible for fighting the use of drugs in sport will drive innocent athletes out of the Olympic Games, according to an article in the new International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching edited by Dr Simon Jenkins from the University of Bath. more

Large prospective study examines colon cancer risk in women  

A prospective cohort study of 31,783 American women has found no significant association between levels of physical activity and colon cancer incidence. The study, published online February 17, 2006 in International Journal of Cancer more

Dartmouth study finds how the brain interprets the intent of others

Two Dartmouth researchers have learned more about how the human brain interprets the actions and intentions of others. Scott Grafton, professor of psychological and brain sciences, and Antonia Hamilton, a post-doctoral fellow, have learned that the brain's parietal cortex handles how we understand the goals of other people's actions. more