Category Archives: research

Concussion concerns: Make sure you know how to react

Posted on September 27, 2016 by

When concussions are properly managed, patients usually have no lasting effects. The key is to recognize the injury when it happens. An injured athlete needs to be removed from play until he or she is properly evaluated. Symptoms vary but … Continue reading →

Posted in adolescents, brain/neurology, disability, health care, HealthLink on Air, illness, medical imaging/radiology, mental health/emotional health, physical therapy/rehabilitation, prevention/preventive medicine, research, safety, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Once fatal, now curable: Story of infective endocarditis ‘a miracle of medical progress’

Posted on September 26, 2016 by

Upstate cardiologist Harold Smulyan, MD, and infectious disease expert Donald Blair, MD, tell the tale of infective endocarditis in the August 2015 issue of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. They call the nearly complete conquest of the disease … Continue reading →

Posted in aging/geriatrics, death/dying, drugs/medications/pharmacy, health care, HealthLink on Air, heart/cardiovascular, history, illness, infectious disease, pathology, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meth lab dangers: Exposure can cause lasting effects

Posted on September 22, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH Rescuers whose jobs take them to clandestine methamphetamine labs risk exposure to chemicals that can cause what appears to be permanent damage to their memory-making ability. Specialists in anesthesiology and neurology at Upstate Medical University tell about … Continue reading →

Posted in brain/neurology, community, disability, drugs/medications/pharmacy, health care, illness, mental health/emotional health, patient story, poison center/toxicology, research, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grateful patient loses his voice … creates Voice of PALS

Posted on September 19, 2016 by

BY BETHANN KISTNER Cliff Maus woke up one morning with slurred speech. He and his wife knew something was wrong, but neither imagined he would be diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. After several … Continue reading →

Posted in brain/neurology, brain/spine/neurosurgery, disability, fundraising, health care, illness, patient story, research, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why a kidney biopsy may be unnecessary

Posted on August 31, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH For decades, kidney experts believed that biopsies of the organ were not helpful in determining how to treat a small kidney tumor. Today, more doctors believe a biopsy helps guide treatment. It can – sometimes, says Gennady … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, illness, kidney/renal/nephrology, prevention/preventive medicine, research, urology

Instead of a biopsy: Scientists seek better, noninvasive diagnostic tool to detect liver cancer early

Posted on August 29, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH One of the reasons liver cancer is so deadly is that people rarely discover the disease at an early stage, when it’s treatable. What might help would be a screening test, similar to the one that exists … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, illness, liver/ gallbladder/ pancreas, medical imaging/radiology, pancreas/liver/gallbladder/bile ducts, research

Quality or quantity? Serious illness prompts serious discussion

Posted on August 23, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH Some doctors are reluctant to recommend palliative care, particularly for patients who are younger than 65 and dealing with a serious illness. The shift from lifesaving treatment to comfort care may seem like admitting the futility of … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, community, death/dying, grief/loss, health care, HealthLink on Air, illness, research

Early detection of cancer appears to improve survival odds

Posted on August 19, 2016 by

While the incidence of cancer is rising, death rates are dropping, presumably because of improvements in screening that allow for earlier detection and improvements in cancer treatment options. This chart shows the rate, per 100,000 people living in Onondaga County, … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, community, death/dying, health care, illness, public health, research

Have you seen the summer issue of Cancer Care magazine?

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

Welcome to Cancer Care magazine’s summer 2016 issue. Medical student Ogochukwu Ezeoke, smiling from our cover, aspires to a career in cancer research, and like many scientists she’s intrigued with the idea of using a patient’s immune system to fight … Continue reading →

Posted in bioethics & humanities, bones/joints/orthopedics, brain/spine/neurosurgery, cancer, dermatology/skin care, genetics, health care, history, kidney/renal/nephrology, research, surgery, urology, women's health/gynecology

Breast cancer gene also increases risk of prostate cancer

Posted on August 11, 2016 by

BY AMBER SMITH Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the United States, the disease kills fewer than 3 percent of those diagnosed. It typically grows slowly, becoming deadly after it metastasizes, or spreads beyond … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, genetics, health care, HealthLink on Air, illness, men's health, prevention/preventive medicine, public health, research, urology, women's health/gynecology