Health News

Gold Standards Of Success Defined For AF Ablation

Date: Aug-31-2012
The 2012 expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation was developed by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and the European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society (ECAS) and published in their respective journals: Heart Rhythm, EP Europace (1) and the Journal of Interventional Cardiovascular Electrophysiology (JICE)...

Unique Mouse Model Created For The Study Of Aplastic Anaemia

Date: Aug-31-2012
Maria Blasco's Telomere and Telomerase Group at the CNIO elucidates the link between telomeres and bone marrow failure in aplastic anaemia by means of a new mouse model. Aplastic anaemia is characterised by a reduction in the number of the bone marrow cells that go on to form the different cell types present in blood (essentially red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets)...

Exercise Can Help Cancer Patients, But Few Oncologists Suggest It

Date: Aug-31-2012
Numerous studies have shown the powerful effect that exercise can have on cancer care and recovery. For patients who have gone through breast or colon cancer treatment, regular exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of the disease by up to 50 percent. But many cancer patients are reluctant to exercise, and few discuss it with their oncologists, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management...

Animal Study Of Single Gene Improves Understanding Of Neural Circuits That Control Leg Movements, Gait

Date: Aug-31-2012
Researchers at Uppsala University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and their international collaborators have discovered a mutation in a single gene in horses that is critical for the ability to perform ambling gaits, for pacing and that has a major effect on performance in harness racing. Experiments on this gene in mice have led to fundamental new knowledge about the neural circuits that control leg movements. The study is a breakthrough for our understanding of spinal cord neuronal circuitry and its control of locomotion in vertebrates. The study is published in Nature...

For Patients With Lacunar Stroke, Aspirin-Clopidogrel Is No Better Than Aspirin Alone

Date: Aug-31-2012
Aspirin combined with the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel is no better than aspirin alone for stroke prevention in people with a history of lacunar strokes, and the combination carries a greater risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to results of a trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. Lacunar strokes occur due to chronic high blood pressure and typically produce small lesions deep within the brain. The trial results also point to an overall improvement in stroke management during the past decade...

Precision(TM) Plus Spinal Cord Stimulator System Receives CE Mark Approval As MRI Conditional

Date: Aug-31-2012
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has received CE Mark approval for use of its PRECISION(TM) PLUS SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR (SCS) System in patients with the system and are in need for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) head-only scans. The PRECISION PLUS SCS System is the world's first rechargeable SCS device. This approval provides physicians with an additional diagnostic option for patients with chronic intractable pain...

Arrhythmia Treatment Gaps Between Eastern And Western Europe Revealed By ESC Analysis

Date: Aug-31-2012
The analysis was conducted using five editions of the EHRA White Book, which is produced by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The EHRA White Book reports on the current status of arrhythmia treatments in the 54 ESC member countries and has been published every year since 2008. Data is primarily provided by the national cardiology societies and working groups of cardiac pacing and electrophysiology of each ESC country...

Having To Make Quick Decisions Helps Witnesses Identify The Bad Guy In A Lineup

Date: Aug-31-2012
Eyewitness identification evidence is often persuasive in the courtroom and yet current eyewitness identification tests often fail to pick the culprit. Even worse, these tests sometimes result in wrongfully accusing innocent suspects. Now psychological scientists are proposing a radical alternative to the traditional police lineup that focuses on eyewitnesses' confidence judgments...

Using FDA-Approved Test, Some Lung Cancer Patients Who Could Benefit From Crizotinib Slip Through The Net

Date: Aug-31-2012
Break apart a couple worm-like chromosomes and they may reconnect with mismatched tips and tails - such is the case of the EML4-ALK fusion gene that creates 2-7 percent of lung cancers. Almost exactly a year ago, the FDA approved the drug crizotinib to treat these ALK+ lung cancer patients, who were likely never smokers. Informed doctors use the test called a FISH assay to check for the EML4-ALK fusion gene, and then if the test is positive, ALK+ patients benefit greatly from crizotinib...

Fetal Cell-Free DNA In Maternal Blood Unaffected By Trisomy Risk, Study

Date: Aug-31-2012
Findings Support Applicability of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing in General Screening Population A study published in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine demonstrates that the fraction of fetal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal blood is unaffected by the mother's presumed risk for trisomy, offering support for the use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for detecting genetic conditions such as Down syndrome in a broad patient population. Lead and senior authors of the study were Dr. Herb Brar, Director of Riverside Perinatal Diagnostics Center, and Dr...