Health News

What Is Preeclampsia? What Causes Preeclampsia?

Date: Oct-26-2012
Preeclampsia, also written pre-clampsia, is a condition during pregnancy when there is a sudden, sharp rise in blood pressure, swelling (edema) and albuminuria (excess protein albumin leaks into the urine). Swelling tends to occur in the face, hands and feet. Preeclampsia is the most common complication that can occur during a pregnancy. It generally develops during the third trimester and affects about 1 in every 20 pregnancies. Women in their first pregnancy have a higher risk of developing preeclampsia, as do patients with diabetes and mothers carrying twins...

Nitinol Stent Performs Better Than Balloon Angioplasty Alone In Treating Lesions Of The Popliteal Artery: Results Of The ETAP Trial

Date: Oct-26-2012
A study found that a nitinol stent performed better than balloon angioplasty alone in treating blockages of the popliteal artery, which runs through the leg behind the knee. Results of the ETAP trial were presented at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine...

Link Between Steroid Injection And Increased Risk Of Bone Fractures

Date: Oct-26-2012
Patients treated with an epidural steroid injection for back pain relief are at increased risk of bone fractures in the spine, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. Researchers say the risk of fracture increased 29 percent with each steroid injection, a finding they believe raises patient safety concerns. "For a patient population already at risk for bone fractures, steroid injections carry a greater risk that previously thought and actually pose a hazard to the bone," says Shlomo Mandel, M.D., a Henry Ford orthopedic physician and the study's lead author. Dr...

Results Of PARTNER Cohort B Trial Presented At TCT 2012: Benefits Of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Over 3 Years

Date: Oct-26-2012
A study found that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) yielded lower mortality rates after three years compared with medical therapy in patients deemed to be ineligible for conventional aortic valve surgery. Results of the PARTNER Cohort B trial were presented at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine...

Bacterial Transfer Of Resistance Genes Targeted

Date: Oct-26-2012
The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae - which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia and sepsis - likes to share its antibiotic-defeating weaponry with its neighbors. Individual cells can pass resistance genes to one another through a process called horizontal gene transfer, or by "transformation," the uptake of DNA from the environment. Now researchers report that they can interrupt the cascade of cellular events that allows S. pneumoniae to swap or suck up DNA...

Results Of The FAME 2 Cost-Effectiveness Trial Presented At TCT 2012: FFR-Guided PCI Compared To Medical Therapy For Stable CAD

Date: Oct-26-2012
A strategy of up-front percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for lesions confirmed to be obstructive by fractional flow reserve (FFR) was shown to be cost-effective in terms of quality-adjusted life years when compared to medical therapy alone. Results of the Cost-Effectiveness sub study of the FAME 2 trial were presented at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine...

Emotion-Driven Distortions Of Time Eliminated By A Sense Of Control, Even If Illusory

Date: Oct-26-2012
We humans have a fairly erratic sense of time. We tend to misjudge the duration of events, particularly when they are emotional in nature. Disturbingly negative experiences, for example, seem to last much longer than they actually do. And highly positive experiences seem to pass more quickly than negative ones. Researchers say they have found a way to lessen these emotion-driven time distortions. Having a sense of control over events reduces the influence of emotions on time perception, the researchers report...

Gene Linked To Inflammation In The Aorta May Contribute To Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Date: Oct-26-2012
A gene known to be involved in cancer and cardiovascular development may be the cause of inflammation in the most common form of aortic aneurysm and may be a key to treatment, according to research from Nationwide Children's Hospital. The study, appearing online in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, is the first to show that Notch 1 signaling is activated in abdominal aortic aneurysmal tissue in mice and humans. The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body...

New Commentaries Assess Survival Of The Affordable Care Act

Date: Oct-26-2012
As the presidential candidates clash over the fate of the Affordable Care Act, a set of seven essays by leading legal experts, economists, and scholars examines the implications of the Supreme Court's decision on the ACA and makes it clear that there is no consensus about what is economically or morally just when it comes to health care coverage in this country. The essays appear in the Hastings Center Report.* While the essays provide a range of perspectives, a few common themes emerge. Foremost among them is that the individual mandate may not work as it stands. Mark A...

Second Generation Drug-Eluting Stents Are Safe And Effective In Treatment Of Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Date: Oct-26-2012
A study found that second-generation drug-eluting stents are safe and effective in the treatment of left main coronary artery lesions. Results of the ISAR-LEFT MAIN 2 trial were presented at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine...