Health News

Electrical Storm, An Arrhythmic Complication, Is A Potent Risk Factor For Mortality And Morbidity

Date: Aug-29-2012
Electrical storm (ES) is a potent risk factor for mortality and morbidity, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Federico Guerra from Italy. Data was also presented on which patients are prone to developing ES and how effective current treatments are. Sustained ventricular arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), are often seen as serious and devastating events, given their ability to lead to cardiac arrest and death if not treated promptly...

News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: Aug. 27, 2012

Date: Aug-29-2012
Vitamin B3 helps fight staph infections in mice Staph infections are responsible for an increasing number of life threatening infections and the bacteria that cause these infections are widespread in the community and the healthcare system. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus normally resides on skin and in noses and typically infects tissues through cuts or rashes. The infections can remain minor, but they can also lead to illnesses ranging from abscesses and boils to necrotizing skin infections, pneumonia, or blood stream infections...

Insight Into Development Of Muscular Dystrophy Provided By New Mouse Model

Date: Aug-29-2012
Muscular dystrophy is a complicated set of genetic diseases in which genetic mutations affect the various proteins that contribute to a complex that is required for a structural bridge between muscle cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides the physical and chemical environment required for their development and function. The affects of these genetic mutations in patients vary widely, even when the same gene is affected. In order to develop treatments for this disease, it is important to have an animal model that accurately reflects the course of the disease in humans...

Improved Understanding Of Colonic Diverticulitis May Lead To New Treatments

Date: Aug-29-2012
Recent evidence and new treatments for colonic diverticulitis that may help clinicians manage and treat the disease are summarized in a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Diverticular disease, in which sac-like protrusions form in the wall of the colon, is common in developed countries, although it is increasing throughout the world, likely because of lifestyle changes. In people with the disease, about 25% will develop symptoms, which include abdominal pain and changed bowel habits, often leading to a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: Aug. 28, 2012

Date: Aug-29-2012
1. Insufficient Evidence to Recommend Routine Screening for Chronic Kidney Disease  Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 11 percent of the U.S. population. CKD is associated with advanced age, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease and most people with CKD have no symptoms. Screening and monitoring patients before they have symptoms could lead to earlier interventions that improve health outcomes...

Mother's Metabolism, Not Birth Canal Size, Limits Gestation

Date: Aug-29-2012
New research by a University of Rhode Island professor suggests that the length of human pregnancy is limited primarily by a mother's metabolism, not the size of the birth canal. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of August 27, challenges the long-held notion of an evolutionary trade-off between childbirth and a pelvis adapted for walking upright. Two traits that set humans apart from other primates - big brains and the ability to walk upright - could be at odds when it comes to childbirth...

Cytomegalovirus Increases Risk Of Diabetes In Later In Life

Date: Aug-29-2012
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the viruses that most infected people carry without ill effects. Once infected you are infected for life and, although it normally is dormant, it can become active again at any point in time. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Immunity and Ageing shows that CMV infection is a significant risk factor for the type 2 diabetes in the elderly. Obesity, inactivity and aging are known to be associated with insulin resistance, one of the first signs of incipient diabetes...

Non-Invasive Fractional Flow Reserve In The Identification Of Flow-Restricting Arterial Blockage In Patients With Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

Date: Aug-29-2012
Data presented from the prospective Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve by Anatomic Computed Tomographic Angiography (DeFACTO) study show that, when compared to standard coronary angiography (CT), the non-invasive assessment of fractional flow reserve by computed tomography (FFRct) provides a more accurate determination of which lesions require invasive evaluation.(1) The results of the study were presented by Dr James K...

Quality Measure For Stroke Care: Study Questions Validity

Date: Aug-29-2012
One of the key indicators of the quality of care provided by hospitals to acute stroke victims is the percentage of patients who die within a 30-day period. A new study shows that the decisions made by patients and their families to stop care may account for as many as 40 percent of these stroke-related deaths, calling into question whether it is a valid measure of a hospital's skill in providing stroke care...

Operations Involving Trainee Surgeons Found To Be Safe

Date: Aug-29-2012
UL Professor of Surgery involved in study which shows that having a trainee surgeon in operations is safe A high profile study involving Professor of Surgery, Calvin Coffey at the University of Limerick's Graduate Entry Medical School has shown that surgical operations in which surgeons-in-training* are involved are as safe as operations performed in which trainees have no operative role. The new study addressed earlier studies which raised concerns that the presence of surgeons-in-training may raise the level of risk involved...