Video Games Enhance Skills of Laparoscopic Surgeons

Laparoscopic surgeons who play video games requiring spatial skills and dexterity are faster and less prone to error when performing advanced surgical procedures, researchers reported on Sunday at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Boston.

Byetta Linked to Acute Pancreatitis

Six new cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis have been reported in patients using exenatide injection (Byetta, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised healthcare professionals today.

HHS Announces New International Programs to Enhance Drug and Food Safety

Joint Inspections with European Union and Australian Regulators; Third-Party Certification Program Are Latest Steps toward Implementing New Import StrategyU.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced two groundbreaking programs designed to enhance the safety of food and medical products exported to the United States.

Evaluation of an Internet-Based Psychological Intervention for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunctio

AbstractRecent research on the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) has focused on medical interventions, in particular oral medications. The current study examined the effectiveness of an internet-based psychological intervention for this condition. In total, 31 men (12 in treatment group, 19 in control group) completed the program. The results demonstrated that men who completed the […]

Safe STEP Program Effective for Getting Older Hospitalized Patients Home

An innovative program helps elderly patients avoid the pitfalls associated with making the transition from hospital to home, Param Dedhia, MD, instructor in the Collaborative Internal Medicine Service, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, reported here at Hospital Medicine 2008, the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.

Does acupuncture work?

According to the NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, there have been many studies on acupuncture's potential usefulness, but results have been mixed because of complexities with study design and size, as well as difficulties with choosing and using placebos  or sham acupuncture. However, promising results have emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture, for example, in adult […]