Health News

Pre-hospital cooling 'does not improve survival' after cardiac arrest

Date: Nov-18-2013
A new study suggests that survival rates of adults who suffer cardiac arrest are not improved by the lowering of their body temperature prior to hospital arrival. This is according to a study published in JAMA.Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping blood around the body. The most common cause of the condition is an irregular heart rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation (VF).Researchers say that pre-hospital cooling for patients who suffer cardiac arrest does not improve their outcomes.

Strokes: recovering hand function with 'virtual' hands

Date: Nov-18-2013
For some stroke survivors, recovering the ability to move their hands and arms is a difficult task. But a research team has created a brain-computer interface, which provides "virtual reality hands" controlled by the stroke survivors' thoughts, potentially helping them regain mobility.The team will report their findings from a small study at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.

Medication adherence after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome

Date: Nov-18-2013
Patients better adhered to their medication regimens in the year following hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) when they were part of a program that included personalized attention from a pharmacist compared with usual care, according to a study by P. Michael Ho, M.D., Ph.D., of the Denver VA Medical Center, and colleagues. Previous studies have found that adherence to cardioprotective drug regimens is poor after patients are discharged from the hospital, with one-third of patients discontinuing at least one medication by mouth by one month.

New report finds rapid growth in use of Medicare observation services

Date: Nov-18-2013
Hospital emergency rooms sometimes hold patients for observation before admitting them or sending them home. The use of this service, known as observation status, has grown rapidly in recent years. For Medicare patients, the distinction is important because it can affect out-of-pocket costs. Use of observation status as a substitute for admission also raises concerns about quality of care.The report, "Rapid Growth in Medicare Hospital Observation Services: What's Going On?

New research shows nocturnal hypoglycaemia is keeping the diabetes world awake

Date: Nov-18-2013
New global research reveals that over three quarters (76%) of people with diabetes surveyed who had experienced nocturnal hypoglycaemia are worried about these events.1 The World Awake research found that those surveyed had experienced an average of three night time events in the previous 30 days that they could treat themselves.1 Of those who worried about these events, three quarters (75%) stated that the worry impacted their sleep and one in five (19%) said that it caused them severe sleep disturbances or insomnia.

Urine culture study in NEJM suggests updated approach to diagnosing UTIS

Date: Nov-18-2013
Urinary tract infections account for millions of outpatient visits each year, and half of women report having had at least one occurrence by age 32. Many have experienced multiple occurrences of this bacterial infection that leads to tens of millions of courses of antimicrobial therapy in the U.S. A new study from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine sheds light on the accuracy of midstream urine cultures used to determine treatment.In a study published in the November 14 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Thomas M. Hooton, M.D.

Eye health network for GPs launched, UK

Date: Nov-18-2013
A new network for GPs with an interest in eye health has been launched as part of the Royal College of General Practitioners' (RCGP) Clinical Priority for eye health, with a focus on ageing and sight loss. The free network aims to bring together GPs from across the UK to raise the profile of eye health within general practice and improve the quality of care for patients with sight loss. It is the first network of its kind.

Research identifies potential new treatment for sepsis

Date: Nov-18-2013
Sepsis is the leading cause of in-hospital death and there is no specific treatment for it. Now, research led by Dr. Qingping Feng of Western University suggests a protein called recombinant human annexin A5 may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of this disease. The paper is published in advance, online in Critical Care Medicine. Sepsis is caused by an overwhelming immune response to an existing infection. It's estimated there are 18 million cases annually worldwide. The mortality rate is 30 to 40 per cent for severe sepsis and 40 to 80 per cent for septic shock. Dr.

Protein found in fat-derived stem cells could halt age-related retinal damage

Date: Nov-18-2013
A team of researchers from Gifu Pharmaceutical University and Gifu University in Japan has published results demonstrating that a type of protein found in stem cells taken from adipose (fat) tissue can reverse and prevent age-related, light-induced retinal damage in a mouse model, offering hope for those faced with permanent vision loss.The research, published in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, has determined that a single injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) reduced the retinal damage induced by light exposure in mice.

CPR training via public kiosks could save lives

Date: Nov-18-2013
One-minute training sessions on how to do hands-only CPR delivered via kiosks placed in shopping malls, airports and other public places could save lives. This was the finding of new research presented at an American Heart Association (AHA) Resuscitation Science Symposium held in Dallas, TX, over the weekend.A team from the University of Arizona came to this conclusion after carrying out a short study based around an AHA Hands-Only CPR training kiosk that was installed at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport earlier this year.