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MHI cardiologists use Montreal technology to treat atrial fibrillation

A team of cardiologists from the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) specializing in cardiac arrhythmias has used for the very first time in Canada, a technology developed in Montreal to treat a patient with atrial fibrillation. Recently licenced by Health Canada, this sophisticated device is a balloon inserted by catheter that uses extreme cold to burn malfunctioning heart tissue.

From Medtronic 26 Sep 2012

Orexin-A hormone also affects emergence after anesthesia

A neuropeptide hormone called orexin-A—which plays an important role in regulating the normal sleep-wake cycle—also affects emergence (waking up) after anesthesia, reports an experimental study in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

26 Sep 2012

UCSD evaluates safety and tolerability of dexanabinol in Phase I brain cancer study

Researchers at University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center are evaluating the safety and tolerability of a synthetic cannabinoid called dexanabinol (ETS2101). Delivered as a weekly intravenous infusion, the drug is being tested in patients with all forms of brain cancer, both primary and metastatic.

26 Sep 2012

New computer program predicts most stable structures of nanometer-sized collagen

The human body is proficient at making collagen. And human laboratories are getting better at it all the time. In a development that could lead to better drug design and new treatments for disease, Rice University researchers have made a major step toward synthesizing custom collagen. Rice scientists who have learned how to make collagen - the fibrous protein that binds cells together into organs and tissues - are now digging into its molecular structure to see how it forms and interacts with biological systems.

26 Sep 2012

Two tiny RNA molecules play a key role in pathological heart growth and failure

Cardiac stress, for example a heart attack or high blood pressure, frequently leads to pathological heart growth and subsequently to heart failure. Two tiny RNA molecules play a key role in this detrimental development in mice, as researchers at the Hannover Medical School and the Göttingen Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry have now discovered.

26 Sep 2012

Maternal obstetric problems linked to schizophrenia risk

Certain maternal pregnancy complications are associated with an increased risk for schizophrenia spectrum psychoses among individuals at high genetic risk for the condition, Finnish research shows.

25 Sep 2012

Yoghurt may lower hypertension risk

The addition of yoghurt to the diet without increasing calorie intake may lower the risk for high blood pressure, say US researchers.

25 Sep 2012

Low blood sugar danger for critically ill

Further analysis of the NICE-SUGAR trial shows a dose‑response relationship between the degree of hypoglycemia and the risk for death in critically ill patients.

25 Sep 2012

Microcirculation secrets could shed new light on risks of heart disease and diabetes

Researchers at the University of Southampton together with colleagues at King's College London have embarked on a unique study that will shed new light on the risk of heart disease and diabetes in later life.

25 Sep 2012

Chronic respiratory disease treatments: an interview with Dr Sven Jan-Anders Karlsson, CEO of Verona Pharma

There are many different chronic respiratory diseases. Verona Pharma is mainly focused on two diseases: asthma and COPD. Asthma is a very common disease and unfortunately it has been increasing in prevalence in developed countries. This is the same with COPD; however, there may be different reasons for this.

25 Sep 2012

Study unlocks secrets in bone marrow that could lead to improved treatments for colitis, Crohn's

Michigan State University researchers have unlocked secrets in bone marrow that could lead to improved treatments for colitis and Crohn's disease.

25 Sep 2012

New nanotechnology detects micrometastases in mouse models of breast cancer

Malignant cells that leave a primary tumor, travel the bloodstream and grow out of control in new locations cause the vast majority of cancer deaths. New nanotechnology developed at Case Western Reserve University detects these metastases in mouse models of breast cancer far earlier than current methods, a step toward earlier, life-saving diagnosis and treatment.

25 Sep 2012

Lonafarnib proves effective for children with progeria

Results of the first-ever clinical drug trial for children with Progeria, a rare, fatal "rapid-aging" disease, demonstrate the efficacy of a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), a drug originally developed to treat cancer. The clinical trial results, completed only six years after scientists identified the cause of Progeria, included significant improvements in weight gain, bone structure and, most importantly, the cardiovascular system, according to The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) and Boston Children's Hospital.

25 Sep 2012

Absence of proteinuria good prognostic sign in IgA nephropathy

The presence of normal renal function and minor urinary abnormalities indicates a good long-term prognosis among Caucasian patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, say Spanish researchers.

24 Sep 2012

Bone marrow transplants hold promise for sickle cell patients

Research shows that even partially matched bone marrow transplants are able to eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients with sickle cell anemia.

24 Sep 2012

Yoghurt may lower hypertension risk

The addition of yoghurt to the diet without increasing calorie intake may lower the risk for high blood pressure, say US researchers.

24 Sep 2012

Location of fat determines diabetes risk in obesity

New tools are needed to discriminate risk for prediabetes and diabetes among obese individuals, suggest findings from a US study.

24 Sep 2012

Study on epigenetics link of PTSD and respiratory disease in 9/11 responders

The "Epigenetics Link of PTSD and Respiratory Disease in 9/11 Responders" study is the first to investigate the association between genetic changes and the development of both conditions in the 9/11 responder patient population. Approximately 500 patients treated at the LI-CCE for both conditions will be evaluated during the two-year study.

24 Sep 2012

Study reveals potential of NIR spectral imaging for intra-operative skin flap assessment

In 2010 breast reconstruction entered the Top Five list of reconstructive procedures in the US, with 93,000 procedures performed, up 8% from 2009, and 18% from 2000. This is among the most common skin flap procedure performed.

24 Sep 2012

Study to examine SYMPLICITY renal denervation system for treatment-resistant hypertension

The University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center will participate in a national clinical trial to treat the most challenging form of high blood pressure.

24 Sep 2012