Since 1927, obesity has been thought to be a risk factor for fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). Because of the high proportion of obesity in the general population, previous studies have not determined whether obesity is an independent risk factor for PE or deep venous thrombosis (DVT). In an extensive study published in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers from St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Pontiac, Michigan; Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; and Oakland
Mayo Clinic study details treatment for bile duct cancer patients
A new treatment for patients with a type of bile duct cancer promises a greater chance at survival by combining radiation, chemotherapy and liver transplantation, Mayo Clinic physicians report in the September issue of the Annals of Surgery.
The five-year survival rate for patients who received a liver transplant after radiation and chemotherapy was 82 percent, significantly higher than for those who ha
Accurate stent positioning does not require use of high-tech device
Once a coronary stent becomes blocked with scar tissue, the likelihood it will become blocked again is 30 percent to 80 percent. Inserting a second coronary stent that slowly releases anti-scarring medication can markedly cut that risk, according to a study in the just-published October 2005 issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions: Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interv
Bleeding stops in just 37 seconds
A metal clip that closes an arterial puncture by drawing the wound edges together like a drawstring stitch is proving an easy and effective way to speed patient recovery after coronary interventions, according to a study in the just-published October 2005 issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions: Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
The study–the first published report in humans–t
Methoxychlor (MXC), a common insect pesticide used on food crops, may interfere with proper development and function of the reproductive tract, leading to reduced fertility in women, researchers at Yale School of Medicine write in the August issue of Endocrinology.
The researchers found that MXC, which was manufactured as a safer replacement for the now-banned DDT, alters the estrogen-regulated gene Hoxa10 in the reproductive tract and reduces the ability of the uterus to supp
Emerging relationships between the two viruses could one day lead to a vaccine for human AIDS
A University of Florida researcher has discovered an unexpected link between the viruses that cause feline and human AIDS: Cats vaccinated with an experimental strain of the human AIDS virus appear to be at least as well-protected against the feline version of the disease as those immunized with the vaccine currently used by veterinarians.
The surprise finding may mean cats with f
An article published in the Sept. 8, 2005 New England Journal of Medicine sheds new light on the $130 billion smoking cessation plan proposed in the Department of Justice suit against the tobacco companies. The tobacco cessation plan was embroiled in controversy when Department of Justice attorneys reduced the amount proposed for the smoking cessation remedy from $130 billion over 25 years to $10 billion over five years.
“Spending $5 billion a year on tobacco cessation for 25 y
Often viewed as a hindrance, having a quirky or socially awkward approach to lifemay be the key to becoming a great artist, composer or inventor.
New research on individuals with schizotypal personalities – people characterized by odd behavior and language but who are not psychotic or schizophrenic – offers the first neurological evidence that they are more creative than either normal or fully schizophrenic individuals, and rely more heavily on the right sides of their brains tha
ACTIVE-A and ACTIVE-I to continue
Study treatments for the ACTIVE W trial of the ACTIVE (Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial with Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events) program have been discontinued due to a significant difference in efficacy, in favour of the standard oral anticoagulation (OAC) over antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel plus aspirin).
The ACTIVE trial, the largest randomised international trial program ever conducted in atrial fibrillation (AF), was
Registry Sheds Light on Procedure’s Risks and Benefits
Episodes of dangerously low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, were greatly reduced in people who received an islet transplant for poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, according to an analysis of outcomes in 138 patients who had the procedure at 19 medical centers in the United States and Canada. This is one of the conclusions of the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry (CITR), which tracks many factors affecting the success o
National study calls for more use of CT scans in evaluating spinal injury
A new national study indicates that patients with a cervical spinal injury (CSI) may harbor additional spinal damage not visible on regular x-rays. In fact, more than a third of patients who were thought to have low-risk injuries actually have additional damage that may include significant fractures with the potential to produce serious spinal problems if not detected and treated properly.
This s
New research shows that bacteria lurking in household dust produce chemicals that may trigger asthma and asthma-related symptoms such as wheezing. These bacterial chemicals, called endotoxins, particularly those found on bedroom floors, were linked with increased respiratory problems in adults. This study, supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health, is the first nationwide study of endotoxins in the household envir
Researchers at Westmead Millennium Institute have discovered a safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess, and an accurate and rapid way of diagnosing meningitis.
Several hundred serious brain infections such as abscesses and meningitis are diagnosed in Australians every year. Neurological infections require immediate identification and treatment, however doctors have always faced difficulty in accurately and rapidly diagnosing an infection, in
The Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT has developed a new method, which increases product development cycle. This process will also enhance the competitiveness of drug development and reduce costs. VTT is working in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, one of the leading international pharmaceutical companies, to enhance quality control for drugs by using Process Analytical Technologies (PAT). The goal of the PAT is to develop drug process’ production analysis into real-time qu
The molecular biologist Cathrine Persson at Umeå University has been allotted SEK 2.5 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research on a vaccine against malaria.
The project “Immunogenicity of synthetic peptide malaria vaccines” spans five years and is designed to study the protection offered by various synthetic vaccines against malaria. Cathrine Persson is collaborating with Professor Elizabeth Nardin, NYU School of Medicine in New York.
Repeat interventions to treat restenosis are the Achilles heal of stenting. The new drug-eluting stents (DES) have reduced the need for repeat interventions significantly compared to bare-metal stents (BMS), however, they are so much more expensive, that their use in all patients threatens to ‘kill’ hospital budgets. This has led to difficult discussions among physicians, patients and hospital administrators with regard to who should or could get DES and it was questioned whether withholding DES fo
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