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High vitamin D level improves survival rate in heart failure patients: Study

Survival rates in heart failure patients with reduced levels of vitamin D are lower than in patients with normal levels. This is the finding of a major study carried out at University Medical Center, Groningen, Netherlands. Results also suggest that low levels of vitamin D are associated with activation of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS - a pivotal regulatory system in heart failure) and an altered cytokine profile.

2 Sep 2010

High levels of OPG hormone associated with adverse outcome after myocardial infarction

Patients suffering with heart failure are more likely to die if they have high levels of a bone hormone called osteoprotegerin (OPG).

2 Sep 2010

Pharmacor 2010 findings predict COPD drug market rise to $13 billion in 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues finds that, through 2019, an expanding aging population and increases in diagnosis and drug treatment will fuel steady 4.6 percent annual growth in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drug market.

2 Sep 2010

Study to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated

A study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics attempts to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is actually being diagnosed and treated.

2 Sep 2010

Anti-smoking measures beefed up

Tasmanians are looking at one of the tightest tobacco control measures ever adopted. The Tasmanian Government is proposing a no-smoking zone at almost all public places including shopping malls and sporting venues and introducing smoke-free buffer zone around children's playgrounds.

31 Aug 2010

KePRO strengthens commercial care management with Preferred Physician Health Alliance acquisition

KePRO Acquisitions, Inc., the commercial subsidiary of the Keystone Peer Review Organization, Inc., acquired Preferred Physician Health Alliance, a fully integrated medical management company located in Orlando, Florida. The acquisition strengthens KePRO's commercial care management offerings by adding new clients throughout the United States and its territories.

31 Aug 2010

Release of cortisol with fixed regularity can help cope with stress better

If your body releases cortisol with fixed regularity then you can cope with stress better, says NWO-funded researcher Angela Sarabdjitsingh. She investigated the rhythm of corticosterone production in rats. This rat hormone is comparable to the human stress hormone cortisol. Rats deal considerably less well with stress if the pattern of corticosterone release changes. An irregular release pattern is a characteristic of chronic stress and stress-related diseases. It might therefore be possible to treat these by restoring the rhythm.

31 Aug 2010

Nutritional recommendations for management of sarcopenia published

Nutritional recommendations for the management of sarcopenia -- also described as age-related muscle and functional loss -- were published this past week in the clinical publication, Journal of American Medical Directors Association.

31 Aug 2010

Neurobiological markers of depression can help tailor antidepressant treatment to the brain

Depression is actually defined by specific clinical symptoms such as sadness, difficulty to experience pleasure, sleep problems etc., present for at least two weeks, with impairment of psychosocial functioning. These symptoms guide the physician to make a diagnosis and to select antidepressant treatment such as drugs or psychotherapy.

31 Aug 2010

Final regulation to aid Veterans exposed to herbicides published in 'Federal Register'

Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final regulation that will be published on August 31, 2010 in the Federal Register by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures to add two new conditions and expand one existing category of conditions.

31 Aug 2010

ANTIPAF trial reveals ARBs do not reduce number of AF episodes in paroxysmal AF patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting about 7 million people in Europe. It is a progressive chronic disease in which episodes become more frequent and long-lasting over time. Conventional anti-arrhythmic therapy aims at halting progression and reducing symptoms, but the use of most anti-arrhythmic drugs is compromised by severe side effects, such as pro-arrhythmia or extra-cardiac organ toxicity.

31 Aug 2010

Study finds cognitive behaviour therapy safe for chronic fatigue syndrome

The aim of this study is to examine the frequency and severity of symptom deterioration during cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Patients receiving CBT do not experience more frequent or more severe symptom deterioration than untreated patients. The reported deterioration during CBT seems to reflect the natural variation in symptoms. Thus, CBT is not only a helpful, but also a safe treatment for CFS.

31 Aug 2010

MGH scientists develop new microfluidic tool for accurate isolation of neutrophils

A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) scientists has developed a new microfluidic tool for quickly and accurately isolating neutrophils - the most abundant type of white blood cell - from small blood samples, an accomplishment that could provide information essential to better understanding the immune system's response to traumatic injury. The system, described in a Nature Medicine paper that received advance online release, also can be adapted to isolate almost any type of cell.

31 Aug 2010

Research on trypanosomes can open way for African sleeping sickness drug development

Trypanosomes are parasites responsible for many human and animal diseases, primarily in tropical climates. One disease these parasites cause, African sleeping sickness, results from the bite of infected tsetse flies, putting over 60 million Africans at risk in 36 sub-Saharan countries. The recent 1998-2001 sleeping sickness epidemics in South Sudan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda killed tens of thousands of people and resulted in over a half million infected individuals.

31 Aug 2010

Infants born by early elective C-section likely to have health problems: Study

Medical experts point to a disturbing trend of expectant mothers who are choosing to deliver their babies for non-medical reasons before 39 weeks of pregnancy.

31 Aug 2010

Detroit Medical Center's system-wide EMR helps save over $5 million in costs

The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) achieved significant improvements in patient safety and quality of care, while also saving more than $5 million in costs last year, thanks to efficiencies created by its system-wide Electronic Medical Record (EMR). This system manages nearly all of the DMC's patient health information via new computer-based technology.

31 Aug 2010

Ten million face hunger in Central Africa; Niger flooding exacerbates food shortage, leaves 200,000 homeless

Flash floods have "worsened an already chronic humanitarian crisis caused by drought" in central Africa where aid agencies have warned that "10 million people are already facing severe food shortages, particularly in the landlocked countries of Chad and Niger, after a drought led to the failure of last year's crops," the Independent reports.

31 Aug 2010

SIR issues position statement to determine safety, effectiveness of interventional M.S. treatment

Recognizing that venous interventions may potentially play an important role in treating some patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis an incurable, disabling disease the Society of Interventional Radiology has issued a position statement indicating its support for high quality clinical research to determine the safety and effectiveness of interventional M.S. treatments.

31 Aug 2010

Amino acid arginine vital in fighting infection

Richard Lamb and his post doctoral fellow Virginie Mieulet, in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, may be able to explain why proper nutrition is so vital in fighting infection.

31 Aug 2010

Antithrombotic therapy increases bleeding risk in CAD patients: Research

Antithrombotic therapy using antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents is the cornerstone of treatment for acute and chronic coronary artery disease (CAD), yet it is also associated with an increased risk of bleeding. It is paradoxical that elderly patients, the most likely population to develop CAD, are those that suffer most from bleeding complications.

31 Aug 2010

Chronic News and Research

High vitamin D level improves survival rate in heart failure patients: Study

High levels of OPG hormone associated with adverse outcome after myocardial infarction

Pharmacor 2010 findings predict COPD drug market rise to $13 billion in 2019

Study to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated

Anti-smoking measures beefed up

KePRO strengthens commercial care management with Preferred Physician Health Alliance acquisition

Release of cortisol with fixed regularity can help cope with stress better

Nutritional recommendations for management of sarcopenia published

Neurobiological markers of depression can help tailor antidepressant treatment to the brain

Final regulation to aid Veterans exposed to herbicides published in 'Federal Register'

ANTIPAF trial reveals ARBs do not reduce number of AF episodes in paroxysmal AF patients

Study finds cognitive behaviour therapy safe for chronic fatigue syndrome

MGH scientists develop new microfluidic tool for accurate isolation of neutrophils

Research on trypanosomes can open way for African sleeping sickness drug development

Infants born by early elective C-section likely to have health problems: Study

Detroit Medical Center's system-wide EMR helps save over $5 million in costs

Ten million face hunger in Central Africa; Niger flooding exacerbates food shortage, leaves 200,000 homeless

SIR issues position statement to determine safety, effectiveness of interventional M.S. treatment

Amino acid arginine vital in fighting infection

Antithrombotic therapy increases bleeding risk in CAD patients: Research

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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