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In the first study to directly examine the effects of beta-blockers on surgical patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers have found that, contrary to previous thought, beta-blockers significantly reduce mortality in COPD patients.

"Patients with COPD frequently have unrecognized, atherosclerotic disease. This is also a major cause for late morbidity and mortality," said principle investigator Don Poldermans, M.D., Ph.D., of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C – A study of almost 1,500 kidney cancer patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center suggests that surgery to spare as much kidney tissue as possible may improve overall survival in patients who also have reduced kidney function at the time their cancer is diagnosed. The finding is significant because both kidney cancer and decreased kidney function appear to be increasing.

PHILADELPHIA – In pre-clinical studies, vitamin C appears to substantially reduce the effectiveness of anticancer drugs, say researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

These new findings, published in the October 1 issue of Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), came from studying laboratory cancer cells and mice, but the study's authors say the same mechanism may affect patient outcomes, although they add this premise needs to be tested.

PHILADELPHIA – Clinicians could detect oral squamous cell carcinoma, a form of oral cancer, using a simple test that detects proteins in saliva, according to a report in the October 1, 2008, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. This work was led by David T. Wong, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., professor and associate dean for research, at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry.

Sustainable farming that employs shade trees may improve crops' resistance to temperature and precipitation extremes that climate changes are expected to trigger, according to an article published in the October issue of BioScience. The article, by Brenda B. Lin, Ivette Perfecto, and John Vandermeer, of the University of Michigan, focuses on coffee production, although their conclusions could be applicable to other economically important crops, including cocoa and tea, which also were traditionally grown under shade trees.

October 1, 2008, St. Louis, MO – Women who have a history of dieting or other restricted eating practices are at risk of gaining an inappropriate amount of weight during pregnancy.

Testing for diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis could soon be as simple as using a pregnancy testing kit.

A team led by scientists at the University of Leeds has developed a biosensor technology that uses antibodies to detect biomarkers - molecules in the human body which are often a marker for disease – much faster than current testing methods.

Westchester, Ill.— A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the increased rate of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) change that occurs during menopause is associated with increased objective sleep duration but poor subjective sleep quality.

Westchester, Ill.— A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine.

Bethesda, MD (Oct. 1, 2008) – Obese patients with a specific genetic make-up lose more weight when taking the weight loss drug sibutramine and undergoing behavioral therapy compared to those without this genetic make-up, reports a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

What:

A study conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic shows that obese patients with specific genetic makeup had enhanced response to the weight loss drug sibutramine, while others who lack these genetic factors lost little or no weight.

The findings are published in the October issue of Gastroenterology (www.gastrojournal.org).

Alexandria, VA – Hay fever, the often seasonal allergy that affects between 10 and 20 percent of the American population, is best controlled through a course of patient-adjusted dosing, according to new research published in the September 2008 edition of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Patients' responses to a simple questionnaire can reliably predict whether they will adhere to physical therapy after spine surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest in a new study. The findings could help physicians identify patients who might benefit from additional preoperative preparation to ensure they attend therapy sessions and follow through with prescribed exercise, a factor that can greatly affect their long-term recovery.

STANFORD, Calif. - Pregnant women who are part of an Asian-whitecouple face an increased risk of gestational diabetes as compared withcouples in which both partners are white, according to a new studyfrom Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford UniversitySchool of Medicine.

The researchers also found that Asian women whose partners are whiteare more likely than white women with Asian or white partners to havea caesarean delivery, as part of a broad analysis of perinataloutcomes among Asian, white and Asian-white couples.

New MR techniques show that facet joint effusion (the collection of fluid in the spinal joints) and interspinal ligament edema (swelling of the interspinal ligaments) are major sources of lower back pain, according to a study performed at Baskent University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey and Alanya Research Center in Antalya, Turkey.