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Drug's ability to reverse acute ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke patients who arrive at the hospital too late to receive currently available treatment options might someday have a new treatment option. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the only site in Chicago to participate in a phase III trial of abciximab (ReoPro - Centocor/Eli Lilly and Company), which seeks to determine the drug's ability to improve neurological function and minimize disability in patients who present with an acute ischemic stroke.

13 Apr 2004

Mercy Hospital opens new cardiovascular catheterization laboratory

The $40 million expansion of The Cardiac Centers of Mercy & Unity Hospitals reaches a significant milestone this week with the opening of the most technologically advanced cardiovascular catheterization laboratories in Minnesota.

13 Apr 2004

Leeches back to relieve pain

The leech was indispensable in 19th Century medicine for bloodletting, a practice believed to be a cure for anything from headaches to gout. Leeching was largely abandoned as medical science advanced, only occasionally being called upon to treat bruising and black eyes.

13 Apr 2004

Prosthetic heart valve made completely of the body’s own tissue

Eight out of every 1000 children are born with a heart problem. Out of these, every fifth child needs a heart valve. While today’s mechanical or biological heart valves allow children to continue their lives, a research team at RWTH is developing a significantly more compatible heart valve that grows along with the body’s growth.

13 Apr 2004

Vitamin C can reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation and chronic disease

Vitamin C supplements can reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation and chronic disease risk in humans, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

12 Apr 2004

Study shows link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Studies are showing that the link between cardiovascular disease and type 1 (juvenile) diabetes – particularly among women – has been significantly underestimated, according to an article in the latest edition of Countdown, the quarterly journal of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

12 Apr 2004

Sorority members were urged to lie about their health

University of Missouri-Columbia sorority members were urged to lie about their health to qualify as donors in a blood drive at the University, a school that once set a world record for blood collection.

12 Apr 2004

Continuous insulin monitoring does not raise hospital costs

Patients with diabetes whose glucose is continually monitored after coronary bypass artery graft surgery do not incur higher medical costs despite the additional testing, Penn State Diabetes Center researchers report.

12 Apr 2004

Kentucky's first robotic procedure treats prostate

Earlier this year, the University of Kentucky Hospital was the first hospital in Kentucky to perform a minimally invasive, coronary artery bypass graft using surgical robotic instruments.

12 Apr 2004

AMA tackles health literacy

An estimated 90 million adults – nearly half the adults in America – have trouble understanding medical terms and directions, according to two studies published on April 8 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

12 Apr 2004

New nose cancer test kit promises to simplify the process and speed cancer testing

Inflexion a Singapore based offshoot of Nanyang Technological University has announced a new kit to test for and diagnose nose cancer. The kit was prepared some 3 years ago and had been forgotten until 3 young entrepreneurs realised it's commercial potential.

12 Apr 2004

Green tea helps kill cells of the most common leukemia

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that a component in green tea helps kill cells of the most common leukemia in the United States.

12 Apr 2004

Latest developments in prostate cancer research

New research on genes linked to hereditary prostate cancer helps scientists better understand how prostate cancer grows. Tests to find abnormal prostate cancer genes could also help tell which men are at high risk. They could then be tested more often. Further research could provide answers about the chemical changes that lead to prostate cancer. Then, perhaps, we could design drugs to reverse those changes.

12 Apr 2004

A drug that improves function of retinal blood vessels may be able to reduce the risk of stroke

The small study found that endothelial function is abnormal in eye blood vessels of patients who have early-stage hypertension, but that treatment with an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) drug improves endothelial function. The endothelium is the lining of vessel walls and plays a key role in the vessels’ ability to relax and to constrict.

9 Apr 2004

Unique heart arrhythmia drug represents one of the first molecular-based therapies for heart failure

Heart researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have developed and tested a unique heart arrhythmia drug that could prevent the sudden death of millions of people with heart failure as well as people with an inherited heart disorder. The drug represents one of the first molecular-based therapies for heart failure and avoids the toxicity of current treatments.

8 Apr 2004

Britain's NHS to buy large volume of mobile MRI scanners

British Health Secretary John Reid today invited bidders to supply the NHS with new, mobile, 'state of the art' MRI scanners and highly qualified staff to help cut waiting times across England. These new scanners will targeted at areas of greatest need. It's expected that they will be operational this summer.

8 Apr 2004

Alcohol screening can spot addiction

Have you ever felt like you needed a drink? If an occasional cocktail changes into a need, it could mean an alcohol problem. National Alcohol Screening Day is April 8. In cities and towns throughout the United States, screening programs will be offered to help people determine whether they exhibit drinking behaviors that could be signs of alcohol addiction.

7 Apr 2004

Results of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease research in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers

The largest study of its kind, designed to track the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers, has found that the vast majority of those who received the hormone did not contract the fatal condition. However, some recipients (26 out of approximately 7,700) did develop the disease.

7 Apr 2004

The Cambridge-MIT Institute has launched a project to tackle the bottlenecks that slow development of new drugs

The Next-Generation Drug Discovery Community will unite researchers at Cambridge University and MIT with partners from the information technology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to find ways to speed up development of the next generation of drugs--particularly those that treat diseases with complex causes such as cancers, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

7 Apr 2004

Cinacalet helps control overactive thyroids, a major complication of advanced kidney disease

A new drug can help control an overactive thyroid, a major complication of advanced kidney disease, by playing a trick on the gland, a new study finds. The drug, cinacalet, is much more effective at keeping the parathyroid gland working normally than a placebo, according to the study. It may be a good alternative to standard therapy, researchers said.

7 Apr 2004