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Wireless transmission of eletrocardiograms to a cardiologist's hand-held device from ambulance cuts time to direct clot removal

When emergency medical technicians (EMTs) wirelessly transmit eletrocardiograms (ECG) directly to a cardiologist's hand-held device, heart attack patients can potentially receive direct clot removal in half the usual time, according to cardiologists at Duke University Medical Center and NorthEast Medical Center, Concord, N.C.

14 Mar 2006

Researchers to investigate links between asthma and genes

Professor Bill Cookson and Dr Miriam Moffatt, formerly at the University of Oxford, have joined Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute to further develop the genetic research there, particularly focusing on how genes influence the development of asthma.

14 Mar 2006

Latest "Mad Cow" case will affect the lifting of bans against American beef

The U.S. Agriculture Department has confirmed that an Alabama cow suspected of having mad cow disease, did have the fatal brain disease.

14 Mar 2006

Three dead in Azerbaijan from bird flu

According to government health officials in Azerbaijan, three people have died from bird flu there. They are the country's first known cases of the virus in humans.

14 Mar 2006

HemoCue wins patent infringement suit

For more than two years, HemoCue AB and EKF-diagnostics GmbH, a company in Magdeburg, Germany, have been involved in a patent infringement suit.

14 Mar 2006

Nature play before age 11 fosters adult environmental appreciation

If you want your children to grow up to actively care about the environment, give them plenty of time to play in the "wild" before they're 11 years old, suggests a new Cornell University study.

14 Mar 2006

Bariatric procedure offers long-term reduction in heart risk factors

As rates of obesity in America continue to soar, surgery has become an increasingly popular solution when diet and exercise regimens fail.

14 Mar 2006

Cardiac resynchronization therapy devices during hospital stays linked to better outcomes

Placement of devices that synchronize the pumping chambers of the heart in patients while they're hospitalized for a congestive heart failure episode appears to lower patients' risk of death or rehospitalization during at least the next two to three months, new research suggests.

14 Mar 2006

Innovative treatment for critical limb ischemia

A new randomized study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Session investigates an innovative treatment for critical limb ischemia, or lack of arterial blood supply and oxygen to the legs, using a therapeutic approach to generate new blood vessels.

14 Mar 2006

Researchers find viable new sources for stem cell transplants to the heart

Stem cell transplantation is among one of the most exciting and hotly debated areas of medical research today. While the promise of personalized medicine and effective treatments for debilitating diseases drive progress in this area, moral and ethical dilemmas about embryonic cells continues to cloud the field.

14 Mar 2006

Cells have a natural defense against HIV

Scientists here have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that cells use to fight off the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS.

14 Mar 2006

Creative new therapies for atherosclerotic disease

Patients with a build-up of plaque in arteries in the heart, brain and leg face a high risk of major cardiovascular complications.

14 Mar 2006

Antibiotic use in infants may double asthma risk

Children exposed to at least one course of antibiotics in their first year of life may have an increased risk of developing childhood asthma.

14 Mar 2006

Faxing alerts to physicians not enough to improve antidepressant adherence

"Our findings confirm that patient-specific alerts using faxes to physicians are not effective at improving patient adherence to antidepressant therapy in the absence of other complementary, coordinated interventions," said Bambauer.

14 Mar 2006

Valproic acid may help slow the progression of dementia

Researchers have found that a common anticonvulsant drug improved cognitive function and appeared to restore nerve cells in the brains of patients with HIV-related dementia. The results of the Phase I clinical trial are published in the March issue of the scientific journal Neurology.

14 Mar 2006

Clopidogrel reduces risk of adverse events for patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing balloon angioplasty

Patients with acute coronary syndromes who were pre-treated with the anti-platelet agent clopidogrel before undergoing a procedure such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement had a reduced risk of adverse events if they received the anti-clotting drug abciximab

14 Mar 2006

New device for fixing holes in hearts of young stroke patients

As many as one in four adults is walking around with a "hole" between the upper chambers of the heart. Most of them will never know it.

14 Mar 2006

Does body image play a role in risky sexual behavior and attitudes?

In a recent Penn State study, sexually active male first-year college students who had a positive view of their appearance had a higher likelihood of having multiple sexual partners and engaging in unprotected sex.

14 Mar 2006

Diabetics overestimate healthy body weight

Heavier patients with diabetes are more likely to overestimate their "healthiest" body weight compared to those of normal weight, according to a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care.

14 Mar 2006

Can fixing the heart fix the head?

A study presented during the American College of Cardiology's inaugural Innovation in Intervention: The i2 Summit 2006 in Atlanta, Ga., will answer intriguing questions about whether repairing a hole in the heart known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) can ease the pain of severe migraine headaches.

14 Mar 2006