Health News

Calling For Change To Improve In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Care, Survival

Date: Mar-13-2013
Policy and practice changes by healthcare institutions, providers and others could greatly improve medical care and improve survival for people who have a sudden cardiac arrest in the hospital, according to an American Heart Association consensus statement in its journal, Circulation. Each year, more than 200,000 adults and 6,000 children have in-hospital cardiac arrests, and survival has remained essentially unchanged for decades, statement authors said. According to the American Heart Association, only 24.2 percent of in-hospital cardiac arrest patients survive to hospital discharge...

1-Year Results Show Fewer Adverse Events With 'Double Kissing' Crush Stent Than Culotte

Date: Mar-13-2013
Patients with a type of coronary lesion linked with poor prognosis fared significantly better with the stent technique known as double kissing crush than with culotte stenting, according to data from the DKCRUSH-III trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. DKCRUSH-III is the first head-to-head comparison of double kissing (DK) crush and culotte stent techniques in coronary artery disease. The study focused on bifurcation lesions, which involve a main branch and a smaller side branch forking off a major artery...

Targeting Mer Receptors Sensitize Acute Myeloid Leukemia And Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia To Chemotherapies

Date: Mar-13-2013
Two University of Colorado Cancer Center studies show that the protein receptor Mer is overexpressed in many leukemias, and that inhibition of this Mer receptor results in the death of leukemia cells - without affecting surrounding, healthy cells. The first study, published in the journal Oncogene, worked with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), for which current chemotherapies offer a cure rate of only about 55 percent. "In about 2/3 of all AML patients and about 90 percent of adult AML patients, we found that the Mer receptor was upregulated...

How Antibi­otics Kill Bac­teria

Date: Mar-13-2013
In recent years, a body of pub­li­ca­tions in the micro­bi­ology field has chal­lenged all pre­vious knowledge of how antibi­otics kill bac­teria. "A slew of papers came out studying this phe­nom­enon, suggesting that there is a gen­eral mech­a­nism of killing by antibi­otics," said Kim Lewis, Uni­ver­sity Distinguished Pro­fessor in the Depart­ment of Biology and director of Northeastern's Antimi­cro­bial Discovery Center...

Fetal Growth Affected By Coffee And Tea Consumption During Pregnancy

Date: Mar-13-2013
Drinking just two cups of coffee a day is associated with the risk of low birth weight. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have conducted a study on 59,000 women in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Expectant mothers who consume caffeine, usually by drinking coffee, are more likely to have babies with lower birth weight than anticipated, given their gestational age...

The Effects Of Energy Drinks On Physical And Cognitive Performance Of Cyclists

Date: Mar-13-2013
Consumption of energy drinks containing caffeine may have beneficial effects on exercise but probably not for mental function. The effects of pre-exercise caffeine consumption by trained cyclists on racing times and cognitive performance were measured and are reported in Journal of Caffeine Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Journal of Caffeine Research website...

Negative Social And Health Factors Noted More Than A Decade Before Neck Injury

Date: Mar-13-2013
Patients with neck injuries incur increased health and social costs - which also affect their spouses and may begin years before the initial injury, reports a study in the March 1 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. Some individuals and families seem more susceptible to experiencing socioeconomic consequences of neck injury, according to the new research by Dr Poul Jennum of University of Copenhagen and colleagues...

In Elderly Treated With Antipsychotics, Stroke Risk Newly Linked To Specific Drug Actions

Date: Mar-13-2013
Antipsychotic administration in the elderly is associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular accident, more commonly known as stroke; a new study published in Biological Psychiatry provides additional insight into this important relationship. Antipsychotics are prescribed to elderly patients to treat symptoms such as agitation, psychosis, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. The increased risk of stroke associated with these medications was identified approximately a decade ago and has since been replicated by subsequent studies...

Violent Video Games An Outlet For Frustration And Aggression

Date: Mar-13-2013
A new study suggests that people get frustrated when they are offered the opportunity to cheat or steal and that chance is then taken away from them. Other studies have shown that blocking people from achieving their positive goals increases frustration, which is not surprising. But this is the first to show that even denying people the chance to commit forbidden behaviors can increase frustration. That's not all. The researchers also found that people who are frustrated in their attempts to cheat or steal are more likely than others to be attracted to violent video games...

1-Year Results Show New Biolimus Stent Equal To Everolimus Stent

Date: Mar-13-2013
In a match-up of Japan's top drug-releasing stent and a new device featuring a biodegradable coating, the newcomer delivered statistically comparable one-year results, according to data from the NEXT trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. Drug-eluting stents are structures placed inside narrowed coronary arteries to restore proper blood flow...