As early as one or two days after a stroke, that is, far earlier than was previously thought, the formation of new nerve cells and blood vessels gets underway in the affected area. This is indicated by findings in a dissertation by Wei Juang at Umeå University in Sweden.
Stroke is most often caused by a blockage of one of the heart’s blood vessels, which results in disrupted blood flow, so-called ischemic stroke. Brain damage occurs directly and spreads for the first few critical
Considerable gaps exist among European national pandemic plans, according to a new report published in the online edition of The Lancet on 20 April 2006.
The report, ‘How prepared is Europe for Pandemic Influenza? An analysis of national plans’, issued by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), reveals marked discrepancies in pandemic preparedness across Europe. The authors conclude that further planning and implementation is needed so that governments can e
Adults and children with asthma will breathe deeper and have better control over their asthma with inhaled corticosteroids than with the medicine cromolyn, according to a new review of recent studies comparing the two treatments.
Adult asthma patients using inhaled steroids such as the brand names Beclovent, Pulmicort and Flovent had on average three fewer severe asthma flare-ups each year compared to patients using inhaled cromolyn, sold under the brand name Intal.
Patients taki
The mitral valve is an essential part of your heart. Matter of fact, you wouldn’t exist without it. The valve is essentially a small, round hole with two flaps on the top and bottom. Its job is to open and close rapidly, regulating the flow of blood between the upper and lower chambers of the heart’s left side- the main pumping chambers that send oxygen-rich red blood to your limbs and organs.
In some people, however, the mitral valve can leak, usually because of a congenital d
Pulmonary complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, are a common – and dangerous – problem for patients following major surgery. To address this issue, a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis in the April 18, 2006 issue of The Annals of Internal Medicine provides clinicians with new guidelines to use prior to surgery in assessing a patient’s risk of developing pulmonary problems postoperatively.
“Independent of surgical complications, such as infec
People wearing compression stockings on long-haul flights may have one tenth the risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) compared to those who do not wear compression stockings. So concludes a systematic review of medical research to be published in The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, on April 19th 2006.
“This review shows that airline passengers travelling for long distances can expect a substantial reduction in the incidence of symptomless DVT if they wear compression stockings,” s
No more need for clinical trials. A systematic review of currently available literature published this week in The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2006 shows that insecticide treated nets (ITNs) reduces placental malaria, low birth weight, and abortions and stillbirths in women living in malaria affected regions of Africa. The benefit is most noticeable in women during their first two to four pregnancies, and the effect is seen if the ITNs are used by whole communities or by individual women.
Directly observed therapy (DOT) has no quantitatively important effect on cure rates or treatment completion in people receiving treatment for tuberculosis (TB). So concludes a systematic review of randomized controlled trials conducted in low-, middle, and high-income countries.
To fight TB people need to take medication regularly for at least six months, but many people fail to complete the regimen. One approach to improving compliance has been to directly observe people as they
At the Institut Curie, CNRS and Inserm researchers have shown that cysteamine, which is already used to treat a rare disease called cystinosis, prevents the death of neurons in Huntington’s disease. Like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, is characterized by the abnormal death of neurons.
Cysteamine raises neuronal levels of BDNF protein, a trophic factor which is depleted in Huntington’s disease, and by assaying BDNF in the blood it is possible to evaluate the eff
The burden of malnutrition in Africa continues to rise and it is costing the continent billions of dollars in lost productivity as a direct consequence of the effects of lack of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals in particular.
It is estimated that about 40% of people in Sub-Sahara Africa are affected by vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency raises the risk of severe illness and death in children by as much as 23-40%, and is a major cause of blindness in many count
Nearly half of health workers surveyed would not go to work during an influenza pandemic. The results of a survey of health workers in Maryland, USA, published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health reveal that the staff’s perceived importance of their role in the response to a pandemic is the most important factor influencing willingness to come to work during a pandemic. This is lowest among technical or support staff. These results highlight the need for increased training and sup
Veterinary scientists in Liverpool have found that some African cattle have natural immunity to a parasite, similar to that which causes river blindness in humans.
These new findings, by scientists at the University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, indicate that it may be possible to vaccinate humans against River Blindness. The disease causes blindness in thousands of people in some of the poorest countries in the world, partic
University Georgia researchers have developed an anti-microbial treatment that adheres to the skin without being toxic.
Already, the treatment has helped heal Spirit, a burned dog in a high-profile animal cruelty case, and Gasper, a beluga whale at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The researchers envision a human application for the technology, which they’re currently seeking to patent.
Dr. Bran Ritchie, a distinguished research scientist in the department o
Stressed individuals might be particularly prone to binge eating or drug addiction because of the high levels of the stress hormone corticotropin-releasing factor in their brain. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Biology (http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcbiol/) shows that rats with levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in their brain similar to the levels experienced by humans when they are stressed show an exaggerated craving for a reward – a piece of sugar – whenever
Researchers have demonstrated that an antibiotic is effective at treating acute asthma attacks, potentially providing a new way to help asthma sufferers.
Research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that the antibiotic, telithromycin, can hasten the recovery time of patients who have had asthma attacks by three days, as well as reducing their symptoms and improving lung function.
Treatment for some serious asthma attacks can involve the us
A new collaboration covers the spectrum from molecules to therapies
Today three research organisations announce the merging of their expertise to fight cardiovascular diseases, which are among the most common health problems and causes of death in the world. The Magdi Yacoub Institute (MYI) at the UK’s Harefield Heart Science Centre, Imperial College London, and a unit of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) near Rome will work together to connect discoveries in basic
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