Health News

One-quarter of high risk patients denied anticoagulation after AF ablation

Date: Feb-19-2014
One-quarter of high risk patients do not receive anticoagulants after ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to the latest survey of European practice.The EORP Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Pilot Study, conducted by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), reveals that 65% of patients were taking anticoagulants one year after ablation of AF.1 But up to 25% of patients at high risk of stroke (defined as a CHA2DS2-VASc score >1) were not taking any anticoagulant drug.

Study finds Medtronic insertable cardiac monitors detect atrial fibrillation in stroke patients better than standard care

Date: Feb-19-2014
Medtronic, Inc. has announced results from the CRYSTAL AF (CRYptogenic STroke And underLying Atrial Fibrillation) Clinical Trial, which found that continuous cardiac monitoring with the Reveal® XT Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) was superior to standard care at detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients who have had strokes of undetermined causes (cryptogenic stroke).

MPS highlights prescribing as one of the top risks in general practice in the UK

Date: Feb-19-2014
Prescribing continues to be one of the top five risks in general practice based on Clinical Risk Self Assessments (CRSAs) conducted by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) at more than 150 practices across the UK and Ireland in 2013. Data from assessments conducted in 2013 revealed that 95.4% of practices visited had risks relating to the prescribing system. Common specific examples include uncollected scripts, repeat prescribing systems, and administrative staff changing medications on the computer.

Published study validates MammaPrint test for long-term prediction of breast cancer outcome

Date: Feb-19-2014
A newly published study concludes that the MammaPrint® breast cancer test can accurately stratify a woman's breast cancer risk for up to 25 years after she is first diagnosed with the disease. U.S. and Dutch researchers reported the longest-term follow-up study of its kind that confirms the durable accuracy of a unique genomic test for early-stage breast cancer.

Suicide and the internet: Groundbreaking research

Date: Feb-19-2014
Samaritans are joining forces with Bristol University to carry out groundbreaking research on the role the internet plays for those with suicidal thoughts. This is the first time this hugely important issue will be researched by talking to people with actual experience of using the internet when they were feeling suicidal. The project is being funded by the Department of Health Policy Research Programme.The announcement comes amid growing concern that the internet is playing an increasing role for those experiencing suicidal feelings.

HIV drug used to reverse effects of virus that causes cervical cancer

Date: Feb-19-2014
A commonly-used HIV drug has been shown to kill-off the human papilloma virus (HPV) that leads to cervical cancer in a world-first clinical trial led by The University of Manchester with Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi.Drs Ian and Lynne Hampson, from the University's Institute of Cancer Sciences and Dr Innocent Orora Maranga, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at KNH in Nairobi examined Kenyan women diagnosed with HPV positive early stage cervical cancer who were treated with the antiviral HIV drug lopinavir in Kenya.

Metal in the heart is non-hazardous to health

Date: Feb-19-2014
Materials Scientists at the University of Jena examine implants made of nickel-titanium alloy in a long-term study: The team led by Professor Rettenmayr and his colleague Dr. Andreas Undisz report in the current issue of the scientific journal Acta Biomaterialia that the release of nickel from wires made of nickel-titanium alloys is very low, also over longer periods of time.A trousers button, a coin or a watch can be dangerous for people with a nickel allergy. Approximately 1 in 10 Germans is allergic to the metal.

Researchers discover new way to prevent some strokes

Date: Feb-19-2014
Larry Ambrose woke up one night, wandered into his kitchen but couldn't completely read the time on his microwave. A few days later when he noticed his blood pressure was unusually high, he went to the hospital and was diagnosed as having a stroke. Ambrose, like 25 percent of all stroke patients, experienced a cryptogenic stroke, meaning despite numerous tests, physicians were unable to determine a cause."There were no warning signs and I felt there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening again," said Ambrose, who is 75 years old. "It's a scary feeling.

The death penalty: targeted campaigns provoke judges to cater to majority sentiment

Date: Feb-19-2014
While it may seem that judges in nonpartisan elections would be less influenced by popular majority opinion, a Princeton University-led report by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs finds the opposite is true.On hot-button issues like the death penalty, state supreme court justices in the United States are more likely to side with the public majority sentiment, the researchers report in the American Political Science Review.

If common medicines could mimic timing of body's natural systems many side-effects would be prevented

Date: Feb-19-2014
Debilitating side effects associated with prescription medication for some of today's most common conditions could be eradicated if they mimicked the body's natural hormone secretion cycles, a new report has said.Scientists from Exeter and Bristol have studied how conventional steroid treatments - commonly used to treat a range of conditions from steroid deficiency to inflammatory diseases such as asthma and arthritis - can have serious side effects due to the way in which they are delivered to the body.