Health News

Why Some Fats Are Worse Than Others

Date: Aug-29-2012
All dietary fats are not created equal. Some types of fats have been linked to ailments like heart disease and diabetes, while others, like those often found in plants and fish, have well documented health benefits. So why do our bodies respond so destructively to some fats but not others? A new hypothesis described in latest issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology suggests the answer may lie in how different fats interact with the microbes in our guts...

Cancer Researchers Highlight Gating Factors In The Success Or Failure Of Novel Cancer Vaccines

Date: Aug-29-2012
In one of the most comprehensive peer-reviewed discussions on cancer vaccines and immunotherapeutics, a Special Focus in the journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics provides a critical view on cancer vaccines and a discussion on best approaches for the future...

Effect Of MitraClip Therapy On Mitral Regurgitation: The ACCESS-EU Study

Date: Aug-29-2012
The percutaneous catheter-based treatment of mitral regurgitation with the MitraClip system improves symptoms and cardiac function at one-year, according to results of a prospective observational study presented at ESC Congress 2012. ACCESS-EUROPE (ACCESS-EU) was a multicentre study of the MitraClip system in a commercial setting in 567 patients enrolled at 14 European sites, the largest group of patients evaluated to date. The results were presented by the study's co-principal investigator Professor Wolfgang Schillinger of the Universitätsmedizin Göttingen in Germany...

The Effect Of Insulin Glargine And Fish Oil Supplements On Atherosclerosis Progression In High-Risk Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Or Pre-Diabetes

Date: Aug-29-2012
A sub-study of the Outcome Reduction with an Initial Glargine Intervention (ORIGIN) trial, designed to investigate the effect of insulin glargine and omega-3 fatty acids on atherosclerosis progression, has found that, compared to standard care, only insulin glargine (a long-acting insulin) had a "modest" statistically non-significant reducing effect on the primary outcome of rate of change in maximum carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) at 12 carotid sites...

Sudden Death Risk In Heart Failure Patients Who Would Benefit From ICDs, Predicted By Novel Blood Test

Date: Aug-29-2012
A novel blood test that predicts sudden death risk in heart failure patients is set to help physicians decide which patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The findings were presented at the ESC Congress 2012 by Professor Samuel Dudley from Chicago, IL, US. Approximately 5 million patients in the US have heart failure, a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood adequately, and nearly 550,000 people are diagnosed annually. Heart failure is the single most common cause of admission to hospitals in the US...

First-Of-Its-Kind Study Finds Lack Of Sleep To Be A New Risk Factor For Aggressive Breast Cancers

Date: Aug-29-2012
Lack of sleep is linked to more aggressive breast cancers, according to new findings published in the August issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment by physician-scientists from University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Seidman Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. Led by Cheryl Thompson, PhD, the study is the first-of-its-kind to show an association between insufficient sleep and biologically more aggressive tumors as well as likelihood of cancer recurrence...

Prostate Cancer Care's Racial Disparities Revealed By Study

Date: Aug-29-2012
A study led by investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Nashville, Tenn., finds that black men with prostate cancer receive lower quality surgical care than white men. The racial differences persist even when controlling for factors such as the year of surgery, age, comorbidities and insurance status.   Daniel Barocas, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Urologic Surgery, is first author of the study published in the Aug. 17 issue of the Journal of Urology...

Precision(TM) Plus Spinal Cord Stimulator System Receives CE Mark Approval For Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

Date: Aug-29-2012
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has received CE Mark approval for use of its PRECISION(TM) PLUS SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR (SCS) System, the world's first rechargeable SCS device, in peripheral nerve stimulation for patients with chronic intractable pain of the trunk. Peripheral nerve stimulation provides physicians and patients with an additional treatment option for managing chronic intractable pain of the trunk by stimulating peripheral nerves through a small surgically implantable device...

What Is Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD)?

Date: Aug-29-2012
Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder, also known as PGAD or Restless Genital Syndrome or Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome, is a condition characterized by unrelenting, spontaneous and uncontainable genital arousal in females. The condition may or may not include arousal with orgasm and/or genital engorgement. The patient's arousal is not linked to sexual desire. PGAD has only recently been classed in medical literature as a distinct syndrome. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV does not recognize PGAD as a diagnosable medical condition...

Diagnosing Cardiac Abnormalities In Young Athletes Is Cost Effective Using ECGs

Date: Aug-29-2012
Cardiovascular screening with ECG in young athletes is a cost effective way of diagnosing cardiac abnormalities, at just 138 Swiss Francs (about 115 Euros) per athlete. The findings were presented, August 26, at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Andrea Menafoglio from Switzerland. Sport is beneficial for health in most people. But for the small minority of the population who has cardiovascular abnormalities, sport can cause harm and very rarely - in one to three per 100,000 athletes per year - it can lead to sudden cardiac death...