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Lipocalin-2 protein may hold key to decreasing organ dysfunction rates in heart transplants

A new study, led by Felix Aigner, M.D., has identified a protein known as Lipocalin-2 (Lcn-2) as potentially responsible for regulating the body's inflammatory response during heart transplants.

30 Apr 2007

Resistance training gets employees with rotator cuff injuries back to work

Resistance training, some of it job-specific, was successful in getting 90 percent of workers with severe rotator cuff injuries back to work, the majority (75 percent) at their previous job, after traditional physical therapy had failed to do so.

30 Apr 2007

FDA approves new treatment for von Willebrand disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Humate-P (Antihemophilic Factor/von Willebrand Factor Complex) for the prevention of excessive bleeding during and after surgery in certain patients with mild to moderate and severe von Willebrand disease (vWD).

30 Apr 2007

Anti-reflux valve improves quality of life for cancer patients

An anti-reflux valve developed to help esophageal cancer patients also has been shown to help those with bile duct obstruction, according to Kulwinder S. Dua, M.D., a research physician at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

30 Apr 2007

BioElectronics Corporation introduces new eye surgery recovery mask

BioElectronics Corporation (BIEL) has announced that its specially designed eye mask for placement of ActiPatch Therapy after blepharoplasty surgery is now available.

30 Apr 2007

Potential new treatment for desmoid fibromatosis

New hope is available for children who have a tumor called desmoid fibromatosis, according to results of a national clinical trial that was led by a St. Jude researcher.

27 Apr 2007

Simple scoring system accurately predicts weight-loss surgery risk

A simple scoring system based on five medical factors accurately predicts which patients being considered for gastric bypass surgery would be at highest risk of dying.

27 Apr 2007

World's first no-scar surgery

On April 2, 2007, at the University Hospital of Strasbourg in France, Professor Jacques Marescaux and his team successfully performed the world's first no-scar surgery.

27 Apr 2007

Increasing survival of organ transplant patients by reducing time interval for transported organs

Preservation of an organ intended for transplant during transport from donor to recipient is of primary concern in ensuring a successful transplant.

27 Apr 2007

Better risk management could cut MRSA infection rates

The larger and busier, an NHS hospital is, the higher the MRSA infection rate, research from the Nottingham University Business School has revealed.

27 Apr 2007

EPCA-2 testing more accurate way to identify cancer in the prostate

New studies of a blood protein recently identified at Johns Hopkins, early prostate cancer antigen-2 (EPCA-2), may change the way men are screened for prostate cancer - a disease that kills tens of thousands of men every year.

27 Apr 2007

University of Nottingham tackles Helicobacter pylori

The occurrence of the disease is currently thought to be due to several factors including the toxic nature of the infecting strain, the genetic susceptibility of the host, and environmental factors.

26 Apr 2007

Physician ties to drug industry stronger than ever

Despite the potential for conflict of interest, virtually all practicing physicians in the U.S. have some form of relationship with pharmaceutical manufacturers but the nature and extent of those relationships vary, depending on the kind of practice, medical specialty, patient mix, and professional activities, reports a study in the April 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Apr 2007

Discovery of hereditary breast cancer gene

A new hereditary breast cancer gene has been discovered by scientists at the Lundberg Laboratory for Cancer Research and the Plastic Surgery Clinic at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden.

26 Apr 2007

New mathematical modeling system for organ allocation

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) announces evaluation of a new mathematical modeling system for lung allocation in the United States and the ethical issues surrounding organ allocation facing patients awaiting transplants.

26 Apr 2007

Anti-reflux biliary stent helps those with bile duct obstruction

26 Apr 2007

Performance league tables are linked to lower death rates after major heart surgery

The findings are based on almost 26,000 patients who had coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) for the first time between1997 to 2005, in the north west of England.

25 Apr 2007

Striking parallelism between humans and horses when it comes to obesity

Horses are inheritably couch potatoes. An overeating, slothful horse leads to an obese horse. Unlike humans, however, horse owners often don't see the dangers of an obese horse.

25 Apr 2007

Financial incentives help control MRSA infections in NHS hospitals

Improved levels of risk management standards in NHS hospitals would reduce MRSA infections by between 11% and 20%, according to new research by Professor Neil Rickman of the University of Surrey and colleagues.

25 Apr 2007

Sexual function after reconstructive surgery for anterior urethral stricture disease

In an effort to better define sexual dysfunction after urethroplasty for anterior strictures, a recent study was performed by Chris Gonzalez and colleagues from Northwestern University in Chicago. The paper is published in the March 2007 issue of BJU International.

25 Apr 2007