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Timing is everything for some heart attack patients

There is strong evidence that getting to the hospital quickly during a heart attack is critical, since early treatment saves both lives and heart muscle. And if the responsible coronary artery is completely blocked, it should be opened as soon as possible.

11 Nov 2008

Rivaroxaban shows promise in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Researchers reported on a study of a new oral anti-clotting agent - rivaroxaban - designed to identify doses that would be safe to test in subsequent Phase III efficacy and safety trials. The results of ATLAS ACS-TIMI 46 were presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

11 Nov 2008

Exercise training safe in heart failure patients - offer clinical benefit

Exercise training is safe in heart failure patients, does not significantly reduce hospitalization or death, but is associated with several improved clinical outcomes, even in those already receiving optimal medical care, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008. The Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) was presented as a late-breaking clinical trial.

11 Nov 2008

Public smoking ban would reduce heart attack admissions

The number of heart attack patients admitted to Michigan hospitals could be significantly reduced if a statewide public smoking ban were implemented, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

11 Nov 2008

Interferon eliminates specific causes of some viruses in heart failure patients, improving clinical outcomes

Giving interferon to heart failure patients with evidence of a chronic viral infection safely eliminated two viruses from their systems and reduced levels of a third virus.

11 Nov 2008

New report shows high Clostridium difficile infection rates in U.S. hospitals

Consumers Union called on hospitals today to take more aggressive steps to protect patients from Clostridium difficile (C.-diff.) infections in light of a new report showing that they are much more common than previous estimates had indicated. As the rate of hospital acquired C.-diff. infections has jumped in recent years, an increasing number of patients have developed antibiotic-resistant strains of the infection that are more difficult to treat and more deadly.

11 Nov 2008

New genetic kidney atlas will explain kidney disease

An international team of researchers, which included scientists from the University of Queensland, have generated an atlas of genes involved in kidney formation.

11 Nov 2008

Terminally ill teenager wins the right to die with dignity

A British teenager who is terminally ill has won the right to refuse treatment and forced a hospital to drop its High Court case.

11 Nov 2008

Chronic pain makes many sufferers contemplate suicide

According to new research patients suffering chronic pain are more likely than others to consider suicide.

11 Nov 2008

Calls for a more flexible approach to vaccine funding

Governments should take a broader perspective - including quality-of-life impacts - when considering whether to fund vaccines, according to a paper from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

11 Nov 2008

Protein can nurture or devastate brain cells, depending on its 'friends,' UT Southwestern researchers find

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered new insights into the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically, can also lead to nerve-cell damage.

11 Nov 2008

Vision screening law for older Floridians associated with lower fatality rates in car crashes

A vision screening law targeting Florida drivers age 80 and older appears to be associated with lower death rates from motor vehicle collisions in this age group, despite little evidence of an association between vision and car crashes, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Ophthalmology , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 Nov 2008

Discovery of mechanism that regulates the development of stem cells into neurons

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a novel mechanism in the regulation and differentiation of neural stem cells.

11 Nov 2008

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood may help build new heart valves

Children with heart defects may someday receive perfectly-matched new heart valves built using stem cells from their umbilical cord blood, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

11 Nov 2008

Obesity raises levels of hormone leptin

Obese people who don't have high cholesterol or diabetes might think they're healthy - despite the extra pounds.

11 Nov 2008

Scientists create therapy programme to treat depression in women in developing countries

Although depression is a major health problem world-wide, experts say its impact is greatest in developing countries where 80% of the population live. Often there are no resources available to treat sufferers.

11 Nov 2008

Study finds rise in rate of diagnostic imaging in managed care

Use of radiology imaging tests has soared in the past decade with a significant increase in newer technologies, according to a new study that is the first to track imaging patterns in a managed care setting over a substantial time period.

11 Nov 2008

Increased heart attack deaths in NYC ambulance diversions confirmed in new research

Ambulance diversions from nearby, crowded New York emergency rooms to more distant emergency departments are associated with increased deaths among patients suffering from heart attacks, according to a paper presented at a meeting of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®).

11 Nov 2008

Obstructive sleep apnea may be risk factor for sudden cardiac death

After studying the sleep characteristics of nearly 11,000 adults in an overnight sleep laboratory, Mayo Clinic researchers suggest that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) - and, in particular, the low nighttime oxygen saturation of the blood it causes - may be a risk factor for sudden cardiac death (SCD).

11 Nov 2008

Signaling between protein, growth factor is critical for coordinated cell migration

The mysterious process that orchestrates cells to move in unison to form human and animal embryos, heal wounds, and even spread cancer depends on interaction between two well-known genetic signaling pathways, two University of Utah medical school researchers have discovered.

11 Nov 2008