Health News

Nanomaterials That Can Cause Oxidative Damage To Cells Quickly Identified By New Method

Date: May-04-2012
Engineered nanomaterials, prized for their unique semiconducting properties, are already prevalent in everyday consumer products - from sunscreens, cosmetics and paints to textiles and solar batteries - and economic forecasters are predicting the industry will grow into $1 trillion business in the next few years. But how safe are these materials? Because the semiconductor properties of metal-oxide nanomaterials could potentially translate into health hazards for humans, animals and the environment, it is imperative, researchers say, to develop a method for rapidly testing these materials to...

Cell Therapy Shows Promise In Fight Against HIV

Date: May-04-2012
UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer to launching human clinical trials involving the use of an innovative stem cell therapy to fight the virus that causes AIDS. In a paper published in the May issue of the Journal of Virology, the UC Davis HIV team demonstrated both the safety and efficacy of transplanting anti-HIV stem cells into mice that represent models of infected patients. The technique, which involves replacing the immune system with stem cells engineered with a triple combination of HIV-resistant genes, proved capable of replicating a normally functioning human immune...

Large-Scale Computer Simulation Of Human Blood

Date: May-04-2012
Having a virtual copy of a patient's blood in a computer would be a boon to researchers and doctors. They could examine a simulated heart attack caused by blood clotting in a diseased coronary artery and see if a drug like aspirin would be effective in reducing the size of such a clot. Now, a team of biomedical engineers and hematologists at the University of Pennsylvania has made large-scale, patient-specific simulations of blood function under the flow conditions found in blood vessels, using robots to run hundreds of tests on human platelets responding to combinations of activating agents...

For Most Heart Failure Patients, Aspirin And Warfarin Equally Effective

Date: May-04-2012
Neither aspirin nor warfarin is superior for preventing a combined risk of death, stroke, and cerebral hemorrhage in heart failure patients with normal heart rhythm, according to a landmark clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The 10-year Warfarin and Aspirin for Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction (WARCEF) trial is the largest double-blind comparison of these medications for heart failure, following 2,305 patients at 168 study sites in 11 countries on three continents. The research was led by clinical principal investigator Shunichi Homma, MD, of Columbia University...

Acupressure Device Effective In Reducing Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting

Date: May-04-2012
In a peer-reviewed published study, a new medically engineered pressure-technology disposable adhesive device (Pressure Right®) developed by Pressure Point Inc. has clinically proven to enhance the efficacy of a popular prophylactic antiemetic drug combination in reducing the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) among high-risk patients after major laparoscopic surgery procedures. PONV is estimated to affect a minimum of 30% of the adult surgical population in the U.S. due to certain risk factors, despite the widespread use of prophylactic antiemetics, according to...

Study Finds Invasive Bladder Testing Before Incontinence Surgery May Be Unnecessary

Date: May-04-2012
Invasive and costly tests commonly performed on women before surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may not be necessary, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine and the Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was released online by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The study, which compared results after a combination of a preoperative check-up and bladder function tests to an office check-up alone, found that women who only had the office examination experienced...

Infants Born Post-Term At Greater Risk Of Behavioural And Emotional Problems In Early Childhood

Date: May-04-2012
We already know there are long-term health problems associated with pre-term birth, but what about babies born post-term? New research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology has found that post-term birth, defined as a birth after a pregnancy of 42 weeks, is associated with more behavioural and emotional problems in early childhood, especially Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) problems. Lead author Hanan El Marroun, of the study entitled 'Post-term birth and the risk of behavioural and emotional problems in early childhood', comments that "post-term children have...

Potential Personalized Therapies Based On A Woman's Vaginal Microbiome

Date: May-04-2012
The delicate balance of microbes in the vagina can change drastically over short periods of time in some women, while remaining the same in others, according to a new study led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences and the University of Idaho. The scientists believe that these microbes affect a woman's susceptibility to infection and other diseases, so such changes might also mean that the risk of infection varies over time. Researchers hope further study will lead to personalized medicine for women, allowing doctors to tailor each woman's treatment...

Bringing Teaching To Life At Medical School

Date: May-04-2012
Dramatic changes are needed in medical student education, including a substantial reduction in the number of traditional lectures, according to a perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine by two Stanford University professors. Medical education has changed little in the past 100 years despite dramatic changes in the world of medicine, the explosion in biomedical information and the ever-growing complexity of the health-care system. The traditional lecture format persists even as class attendance is plummeting and as many complain that the current system is failing to...

Lupus Nephritis - New Guidelines Issued

Date: May-04-2012
Lupus nephritis is a kidney disorder caused by a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Unlike previous guidelines, the new ACR guidelines are specific to lupus nephritis and include newer treatments, techniques for detecting renal disease, as well as treatment of pregnant SLE patients with kidney involvement. The guidelines are published in Arthritis Care & Research. SLE is a long-term autoimmune disorder that causes organ damage, joint pain, inflammation and fatigue. According to estimates up to 322,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with the disorder. One of the...