French scientists, examining the possibility of using nuclear medicine with gene therapy to fight heart diseases, reported their findings at the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s 52nd Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto.
Previous studies have suggested a beneficial effect of Cyr61–a cysteine-rich, angiogenic inducer protein–in rabbits submitted to ischemic limb disease. However, no data have been available on using Cyr61 in vivo for fighting chronic myocardial ischemia (insuf
Researchers from the United States, France and Germany make advances, provide alternatives to traditional chemotherapy treatment
Three scientific studies–each highlighting new discoveries in treatment for patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma–were announced at the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s 52nd Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto.
“Nuclear medicine has a growing role in treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” said SNM member Richard L. Wahl, M.D., director
Lifestyle impacts safety
Most pregnant women don’t drink, speed, or behave recklessly; yet many will end up in trauma rooms across Canada this summer.
According to a new study, to be published in the Journal of Trauma’s July issue, led by Dr. Donald Redelmeier, Director of Clinical Epidemiology and a practicing physician at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre, risks are too high for pregnant women during the summer, amounting to approxi
A new technique for detecting forged photographs will help newspapers and magazines check celebrity pictures that might have been doctored to make them more newsworthy, and prevent hackers from tampering with sensitive legal images including fingerprint records and medical scans used as evidence in court.
Defence agencies could also use the technique to verify the source of secret military reports, and to protect satellite images, such as aerial photographs of the Iraqi desert,
Not everyone can enjoy the fresh strawberries in summer. Some experience an allergic reaction with itching and swelling in mouth and throat. Biochemists at Lund University have identified a strawberry allergen among the thousands of proteins in a strawberry. Screening is now performed to find strawberries with no or little of the allergen protein. Sofar, a colourless, ’white’ strawberry variety has been found to be virtually free from the allergen.
The allergen was identified usin
Tri-modality imaging on live small animals introduced at Society of Nuclear Medicine’s Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto
The first imaging system to offer researchers three different imaging techniques in one instrument–allowing flexibility in configuring anatomical and functional imaging modalities that will best support their research objectives–was introduced at the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s 52nd Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto.
“For years researcher
Tumor control persists four to six years, could be treatment of choice for certain patients
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have shown that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) – a minimally invasive way of destroying tissue – is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients. In a followup to research published in 2003, the investigators found that RFA treatment of renal cell carcinoma, the most common kidney cancer, continued to be s
Purdue University researchers may have isolated the substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury, a discovery that could also improve treatments for a host of other neurodegenerative conditions.
A research team led by Riyi Shi (REE-yee SHEE) has found that a chemical called acrolein, a known carcinogen, is present at high levels in spinal tissue for several days after a traumatic injury. Although acrolein is produced by the body and is no
An innovative idea from a Northumbria University student could stop the deadly MRSA superbug in its tracks.
Final year Design for Industry student Sarah Clark has invented a home screening kit to test for the bug before admission to hospital.
Sarah hit on the idea after discovering that one third of the British population carries the MRSA bug in their noses.
The device is a simple two-pronged plastic instrument that is simply inserted into the nose to allow a sw
The air pollution in Central London and the London borough of Croydon is being forecast daily as part of a pioneering ESA-backed project.
Around a thousand asthma sufferers and other vulnerable individuals in Croydon should soon receive text message warnings to their mobile phones before elevated air pollution days, with additional patients in other London boroughs receiving the service later on.
The YourAir service predicts levels of the pollutants nitrogen dioxide, o
A pilot study at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in support of the National Cancer Institute’s Early Detection Research Network (EDRN), has validated the measurement accuracy of new techniques that use mitochondrial DNA as an early indicator for certain types of cancer. Additional results suggest that a relatively simple diagnostic test using a DNA microarray “chip” could enable early detection of some solid tumors, including lung cancer.
Mitochondrial D
Arterial spin labeling distinguishes between Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia
A non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called arterial spin labeling is just as accurate as invasive scanning techniques in distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease from frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in the brains of elderly people, according to a new study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).
The study, led by Norbert Schuff, PhD, a Principle Invest
New York University School of Medicine researchers have developed a brain scan-based computer program that quickly and accurately measures metabolic activity in a key region of the brain affected in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Applying the program, they demonstrated that reductions in brain metabolism in healthy individuals were associated with the later development of the memory robbing disease, according to a new study.
“This is the first demonstration that red
Biopolymers obtained by Russian researchers with the help of hydrogen bacteria, are compatible with tissues of the organism and are autodestractive after a while. That makes such biopolymers indispensable for medical articles.
Polymers of microbe origin, or biopolymers, have recently drawn increasing attention of a great variety of specialists. These polymers have two important advantages. Firstly, they get destroyed in the environment and thus solve the contamination problem.
Just as placebos have been shown to bring relief from pain, researchers have now found that they can affect emotion, alleviating the impact of unpleasant experiences. In an article in the June 16, 2005, issue of Neuron, researchers led by Predrag Petrovic of the Karolinska Institutet show that, in relieving anxiety, placebo treatment affects the same basic modulatory circuitry in the brain as it does for relieving pain.
In their experiments, the researchers tested the effect of pla
For and against: Aspirin for everyone over 50? BMJ Volume 330, pp 1440-3
Experts go head to head in this week’s BMJ over whether everyone over 50 should take a daily aspirin to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes. Peter Elwood and colleagues at Cardiff University believe that the evidence now supports more widespread use of aspirin, and there needs to be a strategy to inform the public and enable older people to make their own decision.
As a general rul
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