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Emergency angioplasty better than clot-busting drugs

Across America, hospitals large and small have been racing to offer angioplasty and other minimally invasive treatments to open blocked heart arteries. But not all of them have the ability to do it on an emergency basis, performing angioplasty around the clock on heart attack patients. So, during evenings and weekends, many hospitals use clot-busting drugs instead.

16 Jan 2006

Duration of anesthesia as an indicator of morbidity and mortality in office-based facial plastic surgery

The length of time patients spend under anesthesia during outpatient facial plastic surgery procedures does not appear to be linked to their risk of injury or death, according to a study in the January issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

16 Jan 2006

Bisphosphonate use in dermatology patients receiving long-term oral corticosteroid therapy

In a small study from a referral center for dermatology, most patients receiving prolonged oral corticosteroids for chronic skin diseases were not receiving therapies to prevent osteoporosis that may be caused by the drug, according to an article in the January issue of Archives of Dermatology.

16 Jan 2006

Quality of life after treatment for head and neck cancer associated with longer-term survival

Several studies have provided evidence that quality of life (QOL) might be associated with long-term survival in cancer patients, according to background information in the article.

16 Jan 2006

Thiamin supplements may help protect heart failure patients

Among patients hospitalized with heart failure, about one in three has deficient levels of thiamin, although thiamin deficiency was less common among those patients who were taking vitamin supplements, according to a new study in the Jan. 17, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jan 2006

Acetazolamide improves central sleep apnea in heart failure

Since sleep apnea is associated with heart failure, patients who take a single dose of acetazolamide - a mild diuretic and respiratory stimulant - before going to bed exhibit less sleep apnea, improved blood oxygen levels and fewer daytime symptoms of sleepiness.

16 Jan 2006

Physiogenomic resources for rat models of heart, lung and blood disorders

Every year, heart disease claims an estimated 7 million lives, according to the World Health Organization. Scientists have struggled to pinpoint the precise genes behind this complex disease. Now, however, they have a new research ally: the designer rat.

16 Jan 2006

Molecular disruption of hypothalamic nutrient sensing induces obesity

In their latest finding on the brain's role in controlling appetite and weight, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have shown that reducing levels of fatty acids in the hypothalamus causes rats to overeat and become obese. Their results suggest that restoring fatty-acid levels in the brain may be a promising way to treat obesity.

16 Jan 2006

Study highlights distress caused by bladder problems

More than three-quarters of people with overactive bladders (OAB) say that their condition makes it difficult to perform daily activities, yet only 43 per cent would consider consulting a doctor.

16 Jan 2006

Lung transplant survival extended by Cyclosporine

According to a new study in the U.S., lung transplant patients live longer when they inhale the rejection-fighting drug Cyclosporine.

16 Jan 2006

Trip overseas could give you more than you bargained for!

According to a new study by U.S. researchers, that trip overseas to an exotic country may not be as trouble free as you might wish, and you could bring back more than you bargained for.

16 Jan 2006

Cut calories, cut portions for a younger healthier heart

According to a new study, which is the first to associate calorie restriction with delaying the onset of aging, cutting down on calories and restricting portions, really does work.

16 Jan 2006

Fabricated cancer study published in the Lancet

In a somewhat shocking revelation it has been disclosed that a Norwegian cancer expert made up fictitious patients for an article about treatment of oral cancer published in a leading medical journal.

16 Jan 2006

Drugs and electroconvulsive therapy best treatment for severe depression

According to a new study, despite the fact that over the last decade, two treatments which are often castigated in the media, and have raised both public and professional concern, antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), remain the most effective treatments for moderate to severe depression.

16 Jan 2006

Canada gets serious about smoking

Health authorities in Ontario have announced a new study aimed at helping Ontarians quit smoking.

16 Jan 2006

Having kids bad for mental well being

A new study in the U.S. says that being a parent may not be as fulfilling an experience as might be expected and in fact parenthood does not appear to offer any mental health benefit for the individuals involved.

16 Jan 2006

Major grant to study institutional care of disabled people in Europe

The Tizard Centre at the University of Kent has been awarded a 350,000 euro grant by the European Commission to find out how many disabled people are still cared for in institutions across Europe and what would be the costs of replacing institutions with services in the community.

11 Jan 2006

Protein finding could lead to new topical treatment for inflammatory diseases

A protein that undesirably shields a skin poxvirus from the immune system may become the key ingredient in a new topical treatment for inflammatory diseases, say medical researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

11 Jan 2006

Molecular mechanism involved with neural tube defects

Environmental and genetic factors lead to neural tube defects in 1 in every 1,000 births and cause 1 in 20 of every spontaneous abortion. One cause of these defects is the failure of cells within the neural tube to migrate to the middle of the developing neural tube.

11 Jan 2006

Inhaled corticosteroids most effective for persistent asthma in children

While both inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) have been proven to help control mild-to-moderate persistent asthma in school-age children, a new study shows ICS may be the more effective treatment.

11 Jan 2006