Timing is crucial in the treatment of most medical conditions and none more so than acute stroke. In such cases, experts urge patients and doctors to heed a narrow window of 4.5 hours. This is the amount of time that can elapse between stroke onset and the administration of a clot-busting medication, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), that can significantly reduce the risk of brain damage.

Not enough young women are receiving chlamydia screening, report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the most recent data, only 38 percent of sexually active American women aged 15 to 25 have been tested for chlamydia within the last year. It s a number that s far too low, given that chlamydia is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.

Up until the early 1980s, a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) the most common form of childhood leukemia was considered a death sentence. Now a new study finds that five-year survival rates for kids with ALL rose to 90 percent in the period 2000 to 2005.

Could obesity impact a man s fertility? To explore this possibility, a new meta-analysis, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine included nearly 10,000 men to determine whether obesity had any adverse affect on sperm count.

It turns out that doctors and medical residents may now represent a new niche market for Apple iPads. A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that when 115 internal medicine residents from the University of Chicago were given the tablet computers for four months, they reported that the devices saved them about an hour of work per day.

The results of two observational studies by the same group at the Harvard School of Public Health have made headlines, spurring claims that red meat increases mortality risk and sugar-sweetened drinks raise the risk of heart disease. While these observational studies cannot show causation, it s clear that many in the public are interpreting the studies in exactly this way.

While scientists around the world advocate for adult and childhood immunizations to counter the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, many pediatricians are also doing their part to discourage parents from refusing to vaccinate their children.

Stemmed metal-on-metal (MOM) hip replacements were once hailed as a superior option due to orthopedists belief that the devices had a relatively low risk of dislocation and a high resistance to wear. However, a new study in The Lancet suggests that this type of hip replacement may actually have a higher likelihood of failure than the older standard, ceramic replacement hips and polythene versions.

With the introduction of highly effective antiretroviral drugs to combat HIV and AIDS over the past 17 years, the infection has taken a back burner to other health maladies in the U.S. But a new study presented at the Conference of Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections finds that among black women in America, HIV is still a major concern.

It s not uncommon for women with breast cancer to receive radiation therapy to prevent relapse, but is this modality beneficial for older women with early-stage breast cancer? Current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines say opting out of radiation in these patients is okay a recommendation that was issued in 2005, based on a 2004 study that showed radiation therapy following breast-conserving surgery didn t improve survival in older patients with stage I breast cancer.