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Endoscopic vein grafts just as lifesaving as open-vein grafts

Endoscopic vein-graft harvesting is not associated with higher mortality than open vein-graft harvesting, contrary to previous reports, researchers claim.

2 Aug 2012

Hint of tafamidis benefit in rare polyneuropathy

The results of a randomized trial suggest that tafamidis treatment may slow the progression of early-stage V30M transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy.

2 Aug 2012

3D scanner can identify early foot deformity in RA patients

Researchers report that a digital 3D foot scanner can detect foot deformities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even before clinical signs are present.

2 Aug 2012

Increased cortical thinning in schizophrenia patients

Patients with schizophrenia show greater cortical thinning in selected subregions of both the frontal and temporal lobes over a 2-year period than mentally healthy individuals, study results show.

2 Aug 2012

Shared decision-making tool cuts antibiotic use

Patients are much less likely to take antibiotics for an acute respiratory infection if they consult a family doctor who has been trained in shared decision-making, report researchers from Canada.

2 Aug 2012

Teamwork at the front line can reduce SSI rate

Rates of surgical site infection can be markedly reduced by the implementation of a front-line provider group that uses local wisdom and existing evidence on patient safety, report US researchers.

2 Aug 2012

Screening tool could help oral cancer detection

Indian researchers report the development of a novel, simple screening tool with a high degree of accuracy for the detection of oral premalignancies that can be used in a general health setting without the need for much training or clinical experience.

2 Aug 2012

Advanced cancer patients able to state their own pain goals

Advanced cancer patients are successfully able to express their desired level of pain relief on a scale of 1–10, indicating that personalized pain goals could be a novel target for pain treatment response, say researchers.

2 Aug 2012

Sickle cell trait link with sudden athlete death ‘confirmed’

Researchers say they have definitively confirmed that there is a link between the sickle cell trait and sudden cardiac death in African–American athletes.

2 Aug 2012

Emergency diverticulitis surgery victim of the ‘weekend effect’

Patients who have emergency surgery at weekends for acute diverticulitis have worse outcomes than those admitted on weekdays, the results of a US study show.

2 Aug 2012

Position paper recommends standards for quality assessment of CPD for medicines R&D

This position paper recommends a set of standards for quality assessment of continuing professional development (CPD) for medicines research and development (R&D).

2 Aug 2012

People with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia have difficultly managing all 3 conditions

Most people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol have difficultly managing all three conditions; indeed, success is fleeting for those who do manage all three, according to a Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research study that appears online in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

1 Aug 2012

Heart pumping exercises may reduce risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment

The physical benefits of the Olympic sports are pretty obvious: strength, endurance and agility, to name a few. But did you know they also can help the brain? Mayo Clinic research shows that any exercise that gets the heart pumping may reduce the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment -- and slow those conditions if they start. Aerobic exercise also can boost your mood.

1 Aug 2012

Transfer of radioactive compounds in ecosystems is not straightforward

A new study by Tiina Tuovinen, from the University of Eastern Finland, and her colleagues casts doubt over the validity of models used to assess the impact of radiation on human health. Their work is published online in Springer's journal Hydrobiologia.

1 Aug 2012

Pediatric liver transplant recipients have increased risk of death when from obese donors

Children undergoing liver transplantation are at greater risk of graft loss and death from adult organ donors who are severely obese according to research published in the August issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The study, funded in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that pediatric donor body mass index (BMI) did not increase mortality risk in this pediatric population.

1 Aug 2012