High-Intensity Ultrasound Destroys Esophageal Tumors

Intraluminal high-intensity ultrasound appears to be an effective treatment for esophageal tumors, which are usually not amenable to curative resection, and can even achieve complete tumor necrosis, according to French researchers who are the first to use this approach in a small pilot study. Their findings are published online on June 5 by the Journal […]

Increasing Global Surgery Volume Mandates Improved Safety, Availability

Surgery now occurs at a tremendous volume worldwide, resulting in a great need for public health efforts to improve the safety and availability of surgical services, according to the results of a study reported in The Lancet, published online June 25. "Little is known about the amount and availability of surgical care globally," write Thomas […]

Gastric Bypass Can Improve Renal Function in Patients With Morbid Obesity

Patients with morbid obesity who also have chronic renal disease (CRD) may improve or stabilize renal function after gastric bypass, according to a study presented here at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery 25th Annual Meeting. CRD is common in obese patients, and chronic renal failure is more than 7 times higher in […]

Outcomes Similar With Resective or Drainage Procedures in Pancreatitis

Long-term follow-up of chronic pancreatitis patients who underwent the pylorus-preserving variant of the Whipple resection procedure shows that results are ultimately comparable to those achieved using the more recent Frey organ-sparing extended drainage approach, according to German researchers.

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 […]

Coffee and Tea May Protect Against Stroke

High consumption of coffee or tea every day appears to protect male smokers against at least 1 type of stroke, a new study suggests. This large, prospective, observational study showed that Finnish smokers who consumed 8 or more cups of coffee per day had a 23% lowered risk for cerebral infarction, whereas those who drank […]

World Health Organization Issues Safety Checklist for Surgical Teams

To improve surgical safety worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new safety checklist for surgical teams to use in operating rooms, according to a report regarding the Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative, published online June 25 in The Lancet and also available on the WHO Web site. These WHO guidelines and checklist […]