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ATS releases new clinical policy statement on CCHS

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official clinical policy statement on congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder of respiratory and autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. The ANS regulates reflexive acts, including heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, body temperature and pain perception.

15 Mar 2010

Traumatic brain injuries may lead to life-threatening complications

One of the most common questions I am asked after someone hits their head is, "How serious is this bump on my head and should I make an appointment?" Head injuries are the result of trauma to the scalp, skull or brain. Concussion, the most common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is an injury that occurs after a blow to the head and results in a temporary loss of consciousness.

12 Mar 2010

New changes made to the Dose Conversion Guidelines on Fentanyl Transdermal Systems

The manufacturers of Fentanyl Transdermal Systems, in collaboration with Health Canada, would like to inform Canadians of important new changes made to the Dose Conversion Guidelines in the Product Monograph. These guidelines are used to help determine what dosage of Fentanyl Transdermal Systems is appropriate for each individual patient.

11 Mar 2010

Sleep disorders may increase risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

Many Americans will lose an hour of sleep on March 14, the first day of daylight-saving time, when clocks are set ahead one hour at 2 a.m. local standard time—making it harder to wake up, causing difficulty in staying alert and increasing the chance of sleepy-driving car crashes.

11 Mar 2010

SPO Medical signs MOU with MetroSleep

SPO Medical Inc., a leading developer of biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MetroSleep Inc, a US corporation that specializes in products to diagnose and treat sleep apnea through at-home testing. The MOU enables the integration of SPO Medical' ASIC chip-set technology in a new MetroSleep product offering for the Sleep Disturbance Breathing monitoring market.

10 Mar 2010

Spasticity in flexor muscles of elbow, wrist, and fingers: Botox approved for treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults. Spasticity is common after stroke, traumatic brain injury, or the progression of multiple sclerosis.

10 Mar 2010

Relaxation therapy as effective as massage therapy

A new randomized trial shows that on average, three months after receiving a series of 10 massage sessions, patients had half the symptoms of anxiety.

10 Mar 2010

Study on impact of bystander CPR on pediatric cardiac arrest

Bystanders who perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a child with cardiac arrest increase the child's likelihood of survival, according to the largest pediatric study to date. The outcomes are similar for both chest compression alone (hands-only) CPR and CPR with chest compression and rescue breathing.

3 Mar 2010

RMR can non-invasively, quickly and accurately detect presence of sCAD

Newly published data shows using a Respiratory Modulation Response (RMR) is a novel, non-invasive measure to quickly and accurately detect the presence of significant coronary artery disease (sCAD). Patients in the study with sCAD had a lower RMR compared to patients without, regardless of their risk factors or clinical history of angina, previous myocardial infarction (MI), or angioplasty.

3 Mar 2010

Study: EIB may affect lives and health of public if not addressed properly

For the vast majority of the general public, respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing are a common part of the exercise experience. However, together with chest tightness, noisy breathing and trouble taking a deep breath, these six symptoms make up the phenomenon known as exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB), which has physical, emotional and psychological consequences if not addressed properly.

2 Mar 2010

Reversing protein deficiency through gene therapy can improve SMA

Reversing a protein deficiency through gene therapy can correct motor function, restore nerve signals and improve survival in mice that serve as a model for the lethal childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research shows.

1 Mar 2010

Mutations in MeCP2 cause autism spectrum disorder Rett Syndrome

A paper published online today in Molecular Cell proposes that Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) impacts the entire genome in neurons, rather than acting as a regulator of specific genes. Mutations in MeCP2 cause the autism spectrum disorder Rett Syndrome as well as some cases of neuropsychiatric problems including autism, schizophrenia and learning disabilities.

26 Feb 2010

AAJ says healthcare reform should improve safety, not restrict rights of patients

As President Obama and Congressional leaders prepare for tomorrow's health care summit, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) is today reminding lawmakers to remember the 98,000 patients killed every year by preventable medical errors and how restricting their legal rights will not fix America's broken health care system.

25 Feb 2010

Arterial ischemic stroke in children often go unrecognized, and the strokes can recur

Children can have strokes, and the strokes can recur, usually within a month, according to pediatric researchers. Unfortunately, the strokes often go unrecognized the first time, and the child does not receive treatment before the recurrence.

25 Feb 2010

New non-neurotoxic treatment for head lice in children

A new non-neurotoxic treatment for head lice has been found to have an average of 91.2% treatment success rate after one week, and to be safe in humans from six months of age and up. This is the finding of a study published today in Pediatric Dermatology.

24 Feb 2010

ResMed launches S9 sleep apnoea therapy platform in Europe

ResMed, a leading developer, manufacturer, and distributor of sleep and respiratory medical equipment, today introduced its new cutting-edge sleep apnoea therapy platform called the S9 Series in Europe. The S9 Series combines a sleek design with superior functionality and more comfort. Combined climate control and humidification delivers unsurpassed comfort to the patient by controlling both the temperature and humidity that the patient breathes.

From ResMed Corp 22 Feb 2010

Enzyme can allow nerve cells in brain to grow and form complex networks: Study

Brain researcher Hiroshi Kawabe has discovered the workings of a process that had been completely overlooked until now, and that allows nerve cells in the brain to grow and form complex networks. The study shows that an enzyme which usually controls the destruction of protein components has an unexpected function in nerve cells: it controls the structure of the cytoskeleton and thus ensures that nerve cells can form the tree-like extensions that are necessary for signal transmission in the brain.

20 Feb 2010

Health worker training program cuts stillbirths by 30% in 6 developing countries, study says

The rate of stillbirths was cut by more than 30 percent after health workers in rural parts of six developing countries were trained "in how to help a newborn start breathing and to keep it warm and clean," according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports. The trainees - who included midwives, nurses, traditional birth attendants and physicians - were given "hand-held pumps and masks to fill babies' lungs with air if they were not breathing at birth, clean-delivery kits to prevent infection and scales to measure their weight," the news service writes.

20 Feb 2010

Mayo Clinic's first DCD lung transplantation performed in 59-year-old Illinois man

Lung transplantation is a well-known therapy for patients with end-stage lung disease, but, as with other patients waiting for organs for transplantation, there are more recipients waiting than donors available. A potential solution for patients with end-stage lung disease is donation after cardiac death (DCD). Mayo Clinic reports its - and Minnesota's - first lung transplantation from DCD in the February issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

19 Feb 2010

USPTO grants SPO Medical innovative baby heart rate monitoring patent

SPO Medical Inc., a leading developer of biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices, today announced it has been granted a new and innovative baby monitoring patent relating to a non-invasive device or system for monitoring and measuring the heart rate of a baby to activate an alarm when the level falls outside a predetermined range.

19 Feb 2010