Washington, Mar 1: Patients with severe, chronic acid reflux disease have been offered a new hope - a unique incision-free procedure called TIF, or transoral incisionless fundoplication.

Chronic GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a painful heartburn caused when stomach acid breaks through what is supposed to be a one-way valve - the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) - and reverses into the esophagus.

GERD can raise the risk of cancer of the esophagus, and can cause damage due to inhalation of stomach acid.

While most patients are prescribed a daily medication, it is sometimes ineffective. In addition, new research indicates that continued drug therapy might cause calcium depletion, contributing to osteoporosis.

Washington, March 1 : A rotator cuff repair surgery can help significantly reduce pain and improve shoulder functions, even after a tear recurrence, according to a new study.

Rotator cuff tears occur due to traumatic events like a fall or wear and tear over a period of time, something that is more common in athletes.

The study, to be presented at the 2009 American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine Specialty Day in Las Vegas, evaluated a group of 15 patients about eight years after they received rotator cuff repair.

Washington, March 1 : Scientists have discovered how changes to a frog's immune system may be the key to beating a viral infection which is devastating frog populations across the UK.

Communities of common frogs (Rana temporaria) are being struck down by a foreign virus which is estimated to be killing tens of thousands of frogs in the UK each year.

When it strikes garden ponds, the surrounding lawn becomes strewn with dead frogs, some with skin ulcers so severe they reduce limbs to stumps, others with internal bleeding.

Washington, Mar 1 : As Barbie gears up to celebrate her 50th birthday, an American researcher weighs in on what the doll with hourglass curves did to boost her health.

At 11½-inches, Barbie, who turns 50 on March 9, has had more careers than most of people have clothes.

According to Cindy Haines, M. D., a family doctor and clinical assistant professor of family and community medicine at Saint Louis University, she's a poster child for what happens when you take good care of yourself.

Washington, March 1 : Healthy elderly patients with severe to profound hearing loss can undergo a surgical procedure to receive cochlear implants with minimal risk, says an Indian-origin researcher.

"Due to concerns about the effects of general anesthesia, many elderly people with hearing loss are not receiving the implants which can significantly improve their hearing and quality of life," says Dr. Anil Lalwani, Mendik Foundation Professor of Otolaryngology and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at NYU School of Medicine and a study co-author.