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Research shows women have more risk factors for heart disease

Despite messages to the contrary, most women being seen by a doctor for the first time with suspected heart disease actually experience the same classic symptoms as men, notably chest pain and shortness of breath, according to a study led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

24 Mar 2016

Increased use of PNBs in hip and knee arthroplasty could improve medical outcomes

The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) is associated with better medical and economic outcomes in patients receiving hip and knee replacement, according to research being presented at the 41st Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting later this month.

24 Mar 2016

Innovative ultrasound method can help determine risk of strokes, heart attacks

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a new and more accurate way to distinguish between harmful and harmless plaque in the blood vessels by using ultrasound. This can help healthcare providers determine the risk of strokes and heart attacks - which means avoiding unnecessary surgery for many patients.

24 Mar 2016

Children with cardiomyopathy may benefit from family-linked treatment

A newly published national study by the Children's Hospital of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers shows that "parental impact and family functioning" become increasingly abnormal when children with cardiomyopathy-related chronic heart disease are more severely ill than children less affected by the disease.

24 Mar 2016

City University London opens new City TECS Smart Home Facility

Imagine a world where healthcare professionals are able to identify if patients need help at home and can immediately alert the right person - be it A&E, a fire brigade responder or family member - even before the person knows something is wrong.

24 Mar 2016

Deleting microRNA-155 prevents diet-induced obesity in female mice

Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center seeking a way to combat the growing epidemic of obesity have found that deleting microRNA-155 in female mice prevents diet-induced obesity.

23 Mar 2016

Study helps healthcare providers to explore older patients' health values, set specific goals

Person-centered care puts individual values and preferences at the heart of healthcare decisions, measuring success by focusing attention on people's health and life goals. When you're an older adult faced with a life-threatening illness -- especially if you're also dealing with other chronic health problems -- your expressed values can guide your healthcare provider to helping you decide on the most appropriate treatment approach for you.

23 Mar 2016

Parasitic flatworm rejuvenates its skin to survive in human bloodstream

A parasitic flatworm that infects hundreds of millions of people in the developing world is able to survive in the bloodstream for decades by constantly renewing its skin - a mechanism that could inform potential new treatments against infection.

23 Mar 2016

Exposure to substitute chemical can stimulate formation of fat cells

Exposure to a substitute chemical often used to replace bisphenol A in plastics can encourage the formation of fat cells, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.

23 Mar 2016

Laser light could be used to measure oxygen supply in premature babies' lungs

Premature babies have a hard time getting the oxygen they need as their lungs are not sufficiently developed. Today you can only use X-rays to see how much air babies' lungs contain, but, according to research from Lund University in Sweden, in the future, these types of tests could be done using laser light.

22 Mar 2016

New research links active sun exposure habits of women with longer life expectancy

New research looks into the paradox that women who sunbathe are likely to live longer than those who avoid the sun, even though sunbathers are at an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

22 Mar 2016

Moderate drinking not linked to longer life, study shows

Many people believe a glass of wine with dinner will help them live longer and healthier--but the scientific evidence is shaky at best, according to a new research analysis.

22 Mar 2016

Stress management can cut risk of another heart attack by half

Patients recovering from heart attacks or other heart trouble could cut their risk of another heart incident by half if they incorporate stress management into their treatment, according to research from Duke Health.

22 Mar 2016

Mycophenolate mofetil drug seems safe, effective in treating autoimmune hepatitis

New research indicates that mycophenolate mofetil, a drug that is usually used to prevent rejection after kidney, heart or liver transplant, seems safe and effective in treating autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), a serious chronic liver disease that mainly affects women.

22 Mar 2016

Antipsychotic drugs may do significantly more harm to Parkinson's disease patients

At least half of Parkinson's disease patients experience psychosis at some point during the course of their illness, and physicians commonly prescribe antipsychotic drugs, such as quetiapine, to treat the condition. However, a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan Medical School, and the Philadelphia and Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and suggests that these drugs may do significantly more harm in a subset of patients.

21 Mar 2016

N-KICS tool helps describe intensity of nursing care for children with CMC

Recent medical advances have resulted in increased survival of children with complex medical conditions (CMC), such as cerebral palsy, complex chromosomal anomalies, major congenital heart diseases and respiratory disease.

21 Mar 2016

Potential health benefits of sit-stand desks very uncertain, say Cochrane researchers

An updated Cochrane Review, published today in the Cochrane Library, says that the benefits of a variety of interventions intended to reduce sitting at work are very uncertain.

21 Mar 2016

Researchers elucidate mechanisms underlying impaired ciliogenesis in PKD

In an article published online ahead of print on Feb. 19, 2015 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center report findings from in vitro and in vivo studies that elucidate the mechanisms underlying the impaired ciliogenesis and abnormal kidney development characteristic of polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

21 Mar 2016

Manipulation of NAD could lead to potential therapy for acute kidney injury

Approximately one out of five hospitalized adults and one out of three hospitalized children worldwide experience acute kidney injury, the sudden loss of kidney function. Many different factors, including surgery, chemotherapy or shock, can lead to acute kidney injury, but exactly why the kidneys are so vulnerable to these and other stressors has not been well understood.

19 Mar 2016