(February 9, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

From Australia - According to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, obese teens who underwent gastric banding lost a significant amount of weight. Researchers studied 50 obese teenagers, some underwent gastric banding while others tool part in a lifestyle intervention program. They found that 84% of participants in the gastric banding group lost more than 50% of excess weight compared with only 12% of participants in the intervention group.

From Michigan - Glaucoma patients taking medication for the condition may have a decreased risk of mortality, according to a report published in the Archives of Ophthalmology. Researchers studied over 20,000 glaucoma patients for 4 years, finding that those on any kind of glaucoma medication were 74% less likely to die than those on no medication at all.

And finally, from Germany - A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that many patients suffering unexplained chest pain receive little relief from standard medical care. Researchers studied over 800 patients suffering from non-specific chest pain, finding that 55.5% still had chest pain six months after visiting a primary care office, and that 10.7% underwent unnecessary further testing.