Air pollution may trigger and accelerate narrowing of carotid arteries, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.

Researchers found an association between long-term air pollution exposure and the early stages of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). “We knew that people in more polluted areas die earlier from cardiovascular disease, but it was not clear how early in the disease process air pollution contributes. Our stu

A new study finds surgery to transplant an ovary to the upper arm is feasible and preserves hormonal function in women undergoing treatment for cervical cancer. The report details the technical procedure and outcome of only the second successful human ovarian autotransplantation in the world. The study will be published in the December 15, 2004 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. A free abstract of this study will be available via the CANCER News Room upon o

Reviparin is simple, effective therapy for heart attack patients worldwide

A major Canadian-led global study has found that an inexpensive anti-blood-clotting drug significantly reduces death and repeat heart attacks without increasing the risk of stroke. The study is of significance to patients in all countries, including developing countries where access to high-tech treatments for cardiovascular problems may be limited.

The CREATE randomized trial was initiated and c

A new study shows that an enzyme that normally alters the activity of other protein molecules in cells may also help prevent cancer.

The enzyme is known as PTPRO (for “protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type O”). When the gene responsible for producing PTPRO is silenced, as can happen in lung cancer, for example, the amount of the enzyme drops, allowing the cells to grow when they shouldn’t.

The research, led by investigators at The Ohio State University Comprehensive

USC study shows brachytherapy holds promise as treatment for once-debilitating cancers

Brachytherapy, the administration of radiation therapy locally through radioactive seeds, holds promise as part of a limb-sparing treatment program for patients with soft-tissue sarcomas, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. After five years, 83 percent of patients in a trial incorporating brachytherapy into the treatment plan had survi

Loyola University Health System begins today the national clinical trial using PolyHeme®, an investigational oxygen-carrying blood substitute designed to increase survival of critically injured and bleeding trauma patients at the scene of injury. Loyola has been involved in extensive public education, staff education and paramedic training since its Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Research Subjects (IRB) approved the clinical trial in May. Loyola is one of 20-25 Level

Results differ from adult patients, underscore need for more research

A new study has shown for the first time that transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) from sibling donors may be more harmful than bone marrow in pediatric leukemia patients.

Researchers from the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR) found that patients undergoing PBSC transplants were more likely to die of transplant-related causes than those who underwent bone marrow tr

Risk of dying from experimental cancer treatment drops by 90 percent over 12 years

The chance that patients participating in early-stage cancer research studies will die from the experimental treatments has dropped dramatically over the past decade, according to a study from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In an analysis of more than 200 Phase 1 research trials from 1991 through 2002, the researchers found

A study from the Netherlands suggests that elderly persons who receive a yearly influenza vaccination have reduced risk of death from all causes, according to a study in the November 3 issue of JAMA.

“Influenza-associated morbidity and mortality increase with age, especially for individuals with high-risk conditions,” the authors provide as background information in the article. “The effectiveness of vaccination has been reported to decrease in high-risk persons. Annual influenz

Without making outdoor education a statutory part of every child’s schooling, the government risks undermining its ability to tackle important environmental issues such as climate change, the British Ecological Society has warned.

Reacting to yesterday’s adjournment debate on schools and fieldwork in the House of Commons, Debbie Smith, the BES education officer said: “Outdoor classroom education allows students to connect abstract scientific ideas with ‘hands on’ experi

It’s one of the defining tenets of modern biology: The characteristics of a living organism are coded into the organism’s DNA, and only information in the DNA can be passed to the organism’s offspring.

A new study by scientists at The Wistar Institute, however, suggests that this is not the full story. Instructions that control gene activity and are recorded solely in the molecular packaging of the DNA can also be passed to an organism’s progeny, according to th

Adults who dispense eye drops daily to correct a child’s “lazy eye” take note: a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and 29 other centers across North America finds that giving the drops just twice during the weekend is just as effective as administering them every day of the week.

In what is believed to be the first clinical trial comparing treatment regimens of atropine sulfate eye drops for the treatment of amblyopia, the investigators co

Researchers have found capsule endoscopies can be effective in detecting tumors in the small bowel that previously went undetected. According to a study released today at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, researchers from the Mt. Sinai Medical Center and the University of Miami School of Medicine found the capsule endosocopy detected tumors in the small bowel after patients had undergone an average of 4.6 negative evaluations. Of the tumors found, 65

Surgeons at Western Pennsylvania Hospital report that laparoscopic surgery for obesity, known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, effectively improves unhealthy conditions associated with severe clinical obesity (or “morbid” obesity). The results, which were presented at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, reveal that after this surgery many patients are able to stop medications for a range of serious obesity-related health problems, including diabetes, sl

Data from two ongoing studies testing new approaches for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) this afternoon.
Presented by principal investigator Nezam Afdhal, M.D., Chief of Hepatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the new findings provide researchers with sufficient evidence to demonstrate promising re

CT with multiplanar reconstruction provides a clear multi-dimensional view of tibial triplane fractures of the ankle–a view that alters what is found in many medical textbooks and changes the way physicians understand these complex fractures, a new study shows.

The study included 51 young people, ranging in age from 10 to 17 years old. Triplane fractures, (fracture lines occur in three planes of the ankle) account for about 6%-10% of ankle fractures in young people, says Stephe