The recent findings of a two-year-long clinical trial at Brisbane’s Wesley Hospital in Australia suggests that by using a new system to detect prostate cancer called multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), patients can avoid side effects of unnecessary treatment.

Currently, to detect prostate cancer, a man with raised PSA levels has to undergo a painful procedure called transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy (TRUSGB) that involves taking up to 30 random needle biopsies of his prostate through the rectum. With the new MRI-guided system, doctors first do a scan to see where a tumor might be located. Then, if the scan indicates a need, they  take just two needle samples of that area, sparing the need for multiple biopsies.

The trial enrolled 223 patients with raised PSA levels. All of the patients underwent both diagnostic procedures: the standard TRUSGB, and the new method where an mpMRI scan is done first. Then, only patients whose MRI image indicated high-risk prostate cancer underwent MRI-guided biopsy.

The researchers concluded that the new system halved the number of men needing prostate biopsies, showed a 92 percent sensitivity (compared to 70 percent) in diagnosing life-threatening cancer, and cut the problem of over-diagnosis of non-life-threatening prostate cancer by around 90 percent.

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Sourced from: Medical News Today, MRI helps diagnose prostate cancer more accurately

If you think that eating many small meals throughout the day is a good way to lose weight, prepare to be disappointed. Researchers at the University of Warwick in the U.K. say that simple calorie counting is more effective and may, in fact, be the only thing that matters when trying to shed some pounds.

Previous research has found that eating one high-fat meal increases inflammation in the body when gut bacteria, called endotoxins, enter the blood stream. The researchers wanted to see if eating more frequently would cause more inflammation in obese individuals, and increase risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

For the study, 24 lean and obese women were given two meals or five meals on different days. These women all consumed the same amount of calories on both days. Researchers then measured their energy expenditure using whole body monitor calorimeters.

Results showed that whether women ate two or five meals, it had no effect on how many calories were burned. They also found that obese women who ate five meals a day had significantly higher endotoxin levels by the end of the day, compared to when they ate two meals.

Further research will focus on diet, gut flora and how calories are burned in different people.

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Sourced from: Medical News Today, Weight loss: counting calories more important than ‘eating little and often’