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Management of hospital-onset seizures lacks standards

Seizures in patients admitted to hospital for nonseizure reasons – hospital-onset seizures – largely affect those without any history of seizures, often recur, and are linked to a high mortality, according to a study in JAMA Neurology.

21 Jan 2013

Knee replacement pain predicted by comorbidity

Research may help physicians give patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty a realistic expectation of surgery outcome based on their overall physical and mental health, US researchers believe.

21 Jan 2013

Tattooing poses HCV risk

Hepatitis C virus infection is more common in people who have had a tattoo, research shows.

21 Jan 2013

NICE recommends BP monitor for atrial fibrillation detection

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued recommendations for the use of a new blood pressure device that could detect atrial fibrillation.

21 Jan 2013

Albumin may prove a predictor for pneumonia outcomes

Researchers say that assessing serum albumin levels within 24 hours of admission could be a good prognostic marker of community-acquired pneumonia.

21 Jan 2013

FDA approves Allergan’s BOTOX to treat overactive bladder

Allergan, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BOTOX (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and frequency in adults who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of an anticholinergic medication.

19 Jan 2013

UC Davis professor receives supplemental funds from Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) has awarded Dr. Craig McDonald of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) $175,000 in supplemental funds to expand his ongoing study through the 20 CINRG (Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group) centers to better understand the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) and determine the impact of the Duchenne standards of care established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

19 Jan 2013

ECLS system supports flu patients in their recovery from severe respiratory problems

In recent weeks the intensive critical care units at University Health Network's Toronto General Hospital have used Extra Corporeal Lung Support (ECLS) to support five influenza (flu) patients in their recovery from severe respiratory problems.

19 Jan 2013

Degree of emphysema predicts mortality in ever-smokers with or without COPD

Severity of emphysema, as measured by computed tomography (CT), is a strong independent predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in ever-smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study from researchers in Norway. In patients with severe emphysema, airway wall thickness is also associated with mortality from respiratory causes.

18 Jan 2013

Health Canada approves Forest Laboratories’ BYSTOLIC to treat hypertension

Forest Laboratories, Inc. announced today that its Canadian subsidiary, Forest Laboratories Canada Inc. has received a Notice of Compliance from Health Canada for BYSTOLIC (nebivolol) tablets, a once daily beta blocker for the treatment of hypertension.

18 Jan 2013

New compounds can target RNase H enzyme in HIV

Scientists who study HIV are facing a troubling consequence of their own success. They created drugs that can now give infected patients almost normal life expectancy. However, those same drugs will eventually cause the constantly mutating virus to evolve into a form that eludes current treatments.

18 Jan 2013

Donor feces more effective than antibiotic for C. difficile infection

Treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection with donor feces infusion is significantly more effective than conventional vancomycin therapy, show results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

17 Jan 2013

Prevention opportunity for postoperative cardiac arrest

Postoperative complications occur in more than three-quarters of patients who have a cardiac arrest, shows research that suggests an opportunity for intervention.

17 Jan 2013

Palliative planning reduces out-of-hours hospital admissions

Being able to access an electronic palliative care summary for patients with cancer can help doctors make decisions during out-of-hours care and reduce the chances of unplanned hospital admissions, show UK study results.

17 Jan 2013

Hypercoagulable markers identified in upper arm thrombosis patients

Coagulation tests are warranted in young women undergoing surgery for subclavian vein thrombosis, especially patients with Paget-Schroetter syndrome unrelated to physical activity, say US clinicians.

17 Jan 2013

US breast reconstruction trends highlighted

The number of women undergoing breast reconstruction immediately after mastectomy has increased in recent years in the USA, with implant use being the most common approach, research shows.

17 Jan 2013

True extent of life-support buy-in revealed

Many surgeons contract informally with patients preoperatively about the use of postoperative life support, report researchers.

17 Jan 2013

Underestimating cough duration may skew antibiotic perceptions

US researchers suggest that one reason patients request antibiotics for respiratory infections is that they greatly underestimate how long it usually takes for acute cough illness to resolve.

17 Jan 2013

FDA clears Sanovas’ Vas Zeppelin Smart Catheter to treat chronic pulmonary diseases, lung cancer

Sanovas Inc., a life science technology company developing and commercializing the next-generation of micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies, announced today that it has filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clearance of the company's Vas Zeppelin Smart Catheter for the treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases and lung cancer.

17 Jan 2013

People most often visit doctors because of skin issues, joint disorders and back pain

A new Mayo Clinic Proceedings study shows that people most often visit their health care providers because of skin issues, joint disorders and back pain. Findings may help researchers focus efforts to determine better ways to prevent and treat these conditions in large groups of people.

17 Jan 2013