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Released: 5-Oct-2010 9:35 AM EDT
"Paradign Shift" in How Physicians Treat Peripheral Artery Disease
Loyola Medicine

A balloon angioplasty device that sucks up dangerous plaque debris could trigger a "paradign shift" in how physicians treat peripheral artery disease.

Released: 4-Oct-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Human Growth Hormone Shows Promise in Treating Cystic Fibrosis
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Human growth hormone can be used successfully to treat some symptoms of cystic fibrosis, but its impact on the disease itself remains unknown.

Released: 1-Oct-2010 12:55 PM EDT
Mayo Clinic Review of Ethical Decision Making With End-of-Life Care
Mayo Clinic

In a review article published in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic physicians differentiate the ethical and legal permissibility of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments and accepted comfort measures, specifically palliative sedation, from that of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia.

24-Sep-2010 10:00 AM EDT
How to Improve Health and Reduce Risk for Dialysis Patients
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Two studies appearing in CJASN provide recommendations for improving health and reducing risk for dialysis patients. Titles of studies: “Depressed Mood, Usual Activity Level, and Continued Employment after Starting Dialysis" and "Change in Vascular Access and Hospitalization Risk in Long-Term Hemodialysis Patients".

Released: 30-Sep-2010 9:30 AM EDT
Why Do Some Dialysis Centers Have Higher Survival Rates?
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Characteristics such as patient engagement, physician communication, and staff coordination may help to explain why some dialysis centers achieve higher patient survival rates than others, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

27-Sep-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Sharing Unanticipated Findings in Community Health Research
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

An article published online September 29 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) relates how the finding of unexpected biomarker results during a pilot community health study of school-age girls led to a debate about how and when to inform the study families. Ultimately, the transdisciplinary research team, which included community breast cancer advocates, was able to draw on its diverse experience and knowledge of ethical principles to craft a comprehensive plan to communicate the findings to the families.

Released: 27-Sep-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Surgery Found Effective for Patients with Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Mayo Clinic

In one of the first studies to focus exclusively on the outcomes after treatment for patients with high-risk prostate cancer,(http://www.mayoclinic.org/prostate-cancer/) researchers have found that surgery provides high survival rates.

Released: 22-Sep-2010 5:30 PM EDT
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Shows Promise for Patients Too Sick for Conventional Surgery
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Just released data from a clinical trial shows promise for a new minimally invasive treatment option for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are too sick for traditional forms of open-heart surgery. As compared to standard medical therapy, the new procedure, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), significantly reduced mortality rates in patients who received the new valve.

Released: 22-Sep-2010 4:35 PM EDT
Equation Provides Practical Approach to Monitoring Arteriovenous Fistula Function in Dialysis Patients
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

A simple equation provides real-time feedback to detect access recirculation in arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) during hemodialysis, reports a study in the September/October issue of ASAIO Journal, Official Journal of the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs.

16-Sep-2010 4:35 PM EDT
Shorter Biological Marker Length in Aplastic Anemia Patients Linked to Higher Relapse, Death Rates
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy for severe aplastic anemia (a condition in which the bone marrow is unable to produce blood cells), the length of telomeres (chromosome markers of biological aging) was not related to the response to treatment but was associated with a higher rate of relapse (return to low blood cell counts) and lower overall survival, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.

20-Sep-2010 12:40 PM EDT
Researchers Identify Genetic Patterns That May Predict Severe Osteoarthritis
University of North Carolina Health Care System

The study, which was part of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, showed patients with X-ray evidence of knee osteoarthritis who inherited a specific pattern of genetic variations in the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene were almost twice as likely to progress to severe disease as other patients.

Released: 20-Sep-2010 3:00 PM EDT
Elderly Might Not Benefit From TB Vaccines in Development
Ohio State University

Elderly people might not benefit from some of the tuberculosis vaccines currently in development, recent research suggests.

10-Sep-2010 3:50 PM EDT
JAK Inhibitor Provides Rapid, Durable Relief for Myelofibrosis Patients
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

An oral medication produces significant and lasting relief for patients with myelofibrosis, a debilitating and lethal bone marrow disorder, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the Sept. 16 New England Journal of Medicine.

13-Sep-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Scientists Find Genes Related to Body Mass
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins scientists who specialize in unconventional hunts for genetic information outside nuclear DNA sequences have bagged a weighty quarry — 13 genes linked to human body mass. The experiments screened the so-called epigenome for key information that cells remember other than the DNA code itself and may have serious implications for preventing and treating obesity, the investigators say.

14-Sep-2010 10:45 AM EDT
Researchers Develop Database to Help Accelerate Drug Discovery
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new computational method that will help streamline the analysis of gene expression experiments and provide scientists with a better mechanistic understanding of the differences between diseased and normal cells.

10-Sep-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Researchers Find Mechanism Behind Cleft Palate Development
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a new mechanism that explains why a certain gene mutation causes craniofrontonasal syndrome (CFNS), a disorder that causes cleft palate and other malformations in the face, brain, and skeleton. Cleft palate affects one of every 1,000 newborns. The research is published in the September 15 issue of Genes & Development.

8-Sep-2010 8:55 AM EDT
Present Imperfect: Doctors in Training Work Even When Ill
University of Chicago Medical Center

Three out of five residents surveyed came to work while sick, possibly exposing their patients and colleagues to suboptimal performance and communicable disease. One out of three did so more than once. At one hospital, 100 percent of residents worked when sick. More than half of resident physicians surveyed said they didn't have time to see a doctor.

8-Sep-2010 11:55 AM EDT
Program to Improve Palliative Care Falls Short of Hopes
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

There may be no simple one-size-fits-all approach to improving end-of-life care in ICU settings, according to a recent study from some of the world’s leading researchers in palliative care.

Released: 8-Sep-2010 1:10 AM EDT
Adults Demonstrate Modified Immune Response After Receiving Massage
Cedars-Sinai

Researchers in Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences have reported people who undergo massage experience measureable changes in their body’s immune and endocrine response. Although there have been previous, smaller studies about the health benefits of massage, the Cedars-Sinai study is widely believed to be the first systematic study of a larger group of healthy adults.

27-Aug-2010 10:30 AM EDT
Occurrence of Increased Kidney Transplant Listings in Patients with Prior Non-Kidney Transplants
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Individuals who received a non-kidney organ transplant in the past may be more likely to be listed for a kidney transplant prior to initiation of dialysis (pre-emptive listing) than other candidates, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results indicate that the growth in the numbers of this group of kidney transplant candidates adds to the list of organ allocation challenges.

30-Aug-2010 3:30 PM EDT
New Warning Signs May Predict Kidney Transplant Failure
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Kidney transplants that show a combination of fibrosis (scarring) and inflammation after one year are at higher risk of long-term transplant failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

Released: 1-Sep-2010 8:30 AM EDT
Oral Supplements Enhance Effectiveness of Botox Injections
Houston Methodist

Taking a dietary supplement of organic zinc and the enzyme phytase four days before receiving botulinum toxin injections made the toxin more effective in 93 percent of patients tested in a recent study at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

Released: 31-Aug-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Sangart Reports Positive Phase IIa Data for Novel Oxygen Therapeutic Agent MP4OX in Severe Trauma Patients
Sangart

Sangart, Inc., today announced positive results from its Phase IIa proof-of-concept study of MP4OX (oxygenated pegylated hemoglobin) in severely injured trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock causing lactic acidosis.

27-Aug-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Lower-Dose Heparin Use During Coronary Procedure Does Not Appear to Reduce Risk of Major Bleeding
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Patients with acute coronary syndromes initially treated with the anticoagulant fondaparinux who underwent a coronary procedure (such as balloon angioplasty) and received a lower dose of the anticoagulant heparin during the procedure did not have a reduced rate of major bleeding and vascular access site complications, according to a study that will appear in the September 22 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Stockholm.

Released: 26-Aug-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Rapid Response Team Lowers Hospital Cardiac Arrest Rate
International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS)

Implementing a rapid response team to aid in managing "potentially unstable" patients has led to a sharp reduction in the rate of cardiac arrests at a U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, reports a study in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

23-Aug-2010 2:10 PM EDT
Common Blood Cell Variations Not an Independent Predictor of Adverse Outcomes for European Kidney Disease Patients
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Fluctuations in blood composition that often arise from commonly used therapies among kidney disease patients are not an independent predictor of adverse outcomes for European hemodialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that although hemoglobin variability is common in kidney disease patients, it does not appear to increase their likelihood of dying early.

Released: 26-Aug-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Macrophages: The “Defense” Cells That Help Throughout the Body
American Physiological Society (APS)

The term “macrophage” conjures images of a hungry white blood cell gobbling invading bacteria. However, macrophages do much more than that: Not only do they act as antimicrobial warriors, they also play critical roles in immune regulation and wound-healing.

19-Aug-2010 10:00 AM EDT
Drugging the Undruggable: Advances Toward Next-Generation of Disease-Fighters
American Chemical Society (ACS)

After decades of dreaming the drug developer’s impossible dream, scientists finally are reporting progress in making drugs that target the “untouchables” among the body’s key players in health and disease. The advances could lead to new treatments for cancer, diabetes, and other major diseases, they say. Scientists will describe advances toward these next-generation drugs during a special symposium, “Drugging the Undruggable,” during the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

Released: 18-Aug-2010 5:00 PM EDT
An Occupational Hazard for Percussionists?
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

You've heard of tennis elbow and runner's knee, but how about "percussionist's wrist"? A case of overuse injury of the wrist occurring in a professional percussionist is presented in a report in the August issue of JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology.

Released: 18-Aug-2010 4:35 PM EDT
Disease Activity Is Main Factor in Disability from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

For people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the level of disease activity—measured using the standard DAS 28 score—is the factor most strongly affecting the level of RA-related disability, according to a study in JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology.

12-Aug-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Prediction Model May Help Determine Risk of Critical Illness Following Out-of-Hospital Emergency Care
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

A prediction score that included such factors as age, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate for patients who received out-of-hospital emergency care was associated with the development of critical illness during hospitalization such as severe sepsis, the need for mechanical ventilation or death, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.

9-Aug-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Not all Kidney Patients Treated Equal: Differences in Care for Patients Beginning on Dialysis
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Kidney disease patients insured by some federally sponsored national health care organizations are more likely to undergo an important predialysis procedure than patients with other types of insurance, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

Released: 12-Aug-2010 11:00 AM EDT
Stress Gets Under Our Skin
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA researchers have discovered that how you respond to social stress may negatively affect health

6-Aug-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Certain Vena Cava Filters May Fracture, Causing Potentially Life-Threatening Complications
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Two specific types of vena cava filters, devices used to prevent blood clots from reaching the lungs, appear to have evidence of fracturing inside the body, with some fractured fragments traveling to the heart and causing potentially life-threatening complications, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November 8 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Released: 9-Aug-2010 10:20 AM EDT
Crucial Milestone in Quest for Lifelong Joint Replacement Devices
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Total knee and hip joint replacement devices that last a lifetime are closer to reality thanks to recent breakthroughs in Department of Physics laboratories at the University of Alabama at Birmingham involving specialized nanodiamonds a billionth of a meter in size.

30-Jul-2010 3:10 PM EDT
Community Poverty Impacts Pre-Dialysis Care
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

The wealth or poverty of kidney disease patients’ communities impacts the quality of care patients receive before starting dialysis, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that medical professionals need to improve care for patients who have not yet started dialysis.

Released: 5-Aug-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Lower Risk of Certain Colon Cancers
American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)

The link between Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and reduced risk of distal large bowel cancer in women; a promising combination antibiotic therapy for ulcerative colitis patients; and the high-rate of alcoholic liver disease mortality, are among the scientific findings featured in the August issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

3-Aug-2010 2:55 PM EDT
Proximity Could be Key to Success of Healing Prayer
Indiana University

Findings reported today from a new international study of healing prayer suggest that prayer for another person's healing just might help -- especially if the one praying is physically near the person being prayed for.

Released: 4-Aug-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Patients Experience Faster Recuperation with Healing Touch
Greenwich Hospital

Greenwich Hospital is among a growing number of medical facilities utilizing Healing Touch, a gentle, noninvasive therapy shown to facilitate the relaxation response to enhance the healing process.

Released: 3-Aug-2010 3:10 PM EDT
Researchers Share Latest Findings in CT Radiation Dose Reduction Efforts
Mayo Clinic

In recent years, advances in CT scanner technology have made perfusion computed tomography (CT) imaging an important diagnostic tool for patients with suspected stroke. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic are working to reduce radiation dosages used to acquire perfusion and other CT images. Mayo Clinic medical physicist Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., and her group of researchers presented their findings related to CT dose reduction at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine on July 20 in Philadelphia. The presentation was entitled “20-Fold Dose Reduction Using a Gradient Adaptive Bilateral Filter: Demonstration Using in Vivo Animal Perfusion CT.”

Released: 3-Aug-2010 12:00 PM EDT
New Vestibular Rehabilitation Techniques Can Help Patients with Dizziness
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Rehabilitation is essential for patients with disabling symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, and unsteadiness caused by disorders of the vestibular system. A special issue of The Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy (JNPT) presents an update on new and emerging vestibular rehabilitation techniques, highlighting the physical therapist's role on the multidisciplinary teams providing patient care and research.

Released: 2-Aug-2010 1:50 PM EDT
Investigators Find Withdrawing Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Support Ethical
Mayo Clinic

Patients have the right to refuse or request the withdrawal of any unwanted treatment. In an article published in the online issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, investigators explore the legal and ethical permissibility of carrying out such a request specific to a ventricular assist device (VAD).

Released: 2-Aug-2010 11:00 AM EDT
Menstrual Cycle Affects Hemodynamic Response to Tracheal Intubation
International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS)

In women undergoing surgery, the heart rate and blood pressure response to ventilation tube placement varies at different times of the menstrual cycle, according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

26-Jul-2010 12:15 PM EDT
Kidney Injury Prevention May be Possible: Watch for the Warning Signs
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Reduced kidney function and protein in the urine place a person at risk for kidney injury, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that improved recognition of these warning signs could help reduce preventable forms of acute kidney injury (AKI).

26-Jul-2010 2:00 PM EDT
CPR without Mouth-To-Mouth Rescue Breathing May be Better for Many Victims of Cardiac Arrest
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A leading expert in cardiopulmonary resuscitation says two new studies from U.S. and European researchers support the case for dropping mouth-to-mouth, or rescue breathing by bystanders and using “hands-only” chest compressions during the life-saving practice, better known as CPR.

Released: 23-Jul-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Study Questions Use of Paid Medical Expert Witnesses in Malpractice Cases
University of North Carolina Health Care System

This study suggests that the use of experts who are blinded to both the medical outcome and the litigation in malpractice cases may be a more objective way of determining whether or not the standard of care has been met.

19-Jul-2010 2:20 PM EDT
Stopping Anemia Drug May be Wiser than Reducing Dose to Normalize Hemoglobin Levels
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Discontinuing the anemia drug epoetin may be more effective than reducing the dose for normalizing potentially dangerous high hemoglobin levels in hemodialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results provide useful information about the balance required between administering epoetin and achieving target hemoglobin levels.

19-Jul-2010 2:15 PM EDT
Premature Death Less Likely Than End Stage Renal Disease for African Americans with Kidney Disease
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Regardless of demographics, African American patients with hypertensive nephrosclerosis have a higher rate of developing end stage renal disease (ESRD) than dying prematurely, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). Earlier studies showed patients of all races with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) were at greater risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than reaching ESRD.

Released: 22-Jul-2010 12:50 PM EDT
Study Finds Structural Brain Alterations in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A large academic study has demonstrated structural changes in specific brain regions in female patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes pain and discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both. According to researchers, the finding removes the idea once and for all that IBS symptoms are not real and are 'only psychological.'

14-Jul-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Faster Tracking of Lung Tumors May Help Treatment
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Today, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) in Philadelphia, a group of researchers from Stanford University will describe the latest developments toward their goal of integrating two existing medical devices.



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