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Sildenafil may improve cardiac function in children, young adults with single ventricle defects

Sildenafil, also known as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, may give a boost to underdeveloped hearts in children and young adults with congenital heart defects. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia report that sildenafil significantly improved echocardiographic measures of heart function in children and young adult survivors of single ventricle heart disease palliation.

9 May 2012

Poor women and African Americans with ovarian cancer less likely to receive care

Poor women and African Americans with ovarian cancer are less likely to receive the highest standards of care, leading to worse outcomes than among white and affluent patients, according to a study of 50,000 women presented by UC Irvine's Dr. Robert Bristow at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology's annual meeting March 27.

9 May 2012

Study offers new insight on known link between exposure to violence and sexual risk-taking

Women who have experienced multiple forms of violence, from witnessing neighborhood crimes to being abused themselves, are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, according to a new report in the Psychology of Violence.

9 May 2012

Highlights of orthopaedic research studies in JBJS

Below are highlights of orthopaedic research studies appearing in the May 2, 2012 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), as well as the issue's full Table of Contents.

9 May 2012

Researchers develop potent new drug that can kill tumor cells

All cells have the ability to recycle unwanted or damaged proteins and reuse the building blocks as food. But cancer cells have ramped up the system, called autophagy, and rely on it to escape damage in the face of chemotherapy and other treatments. Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine; the Abramson Cancer Center; and the School of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Pennsylvania, have developed a potent new drug that clogs up the recycling machinery and kills tumor cells in mouse models.

9 May 2012

Telit CC864-DUAL cellular module to connect next generation MCOT from CardioNet

Telit Wireless Solutions, a global leader in machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless technology, today announced its CC864-DUAL cellular module will connect the next generation Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry (MCOT) from CardioNet, Inc., a leading wireless medical technology company with a current focus on the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias.

9 May 2012

Current anticoagulant therapy to prevent stroke might not be sufficient for older women with AF

In a study that examined use of the anticoagulant medication warfarin and risk of stroke following a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in older patients, women, especially those 75 years or older, had a higher risk of stroke than men, regardless of their risk profile and use of warfarin, suggesting that current anticoagulant therapy to prevent stroke might not be sufficient for older women, according to a study in the May 9 issue of JAMA.

9 May 2012

Rutin may inhibit formation of blood clots

A compound called rutin, commonly found in fruits and vegetables and sold over the counter as a dietary supplement, has been shown to inhibit the formation of blood clots in an animal model of thrombosis.

9 May 2012

Regulatory T cell diversity provides cumulative protective effect against RA

Untangling the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been a difficult task for immunologists, as decades of research has pointed to multiple culprits in our immune system, with contradictory lines of evidence. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute announce that it takes a diverse array of regulatory T cells (a specialized subset of white blood cells) to prevent the immune system from generating the tissue-specific inflammation that is a hallmark of the disease. Regulatory T cell diversity, the researchers say, provides a cumulative protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis. When that diversity is not present, it allows the immune system to attack joints.

9 May 2012

Antidepressives reduce risk of suicides in schizophrenic patients

Antidepressive drugs reduce the mortality rate of schizophrenic patients, while treatment with bensodiazepines greatly increases it, especially as regards suicide. Giving several antipsychotics simultaneously, however, seems to have no effect at all. This according to a new study examining different drug combinations administered to patients with schizophrenia.

9 May 2012

Overweight girls with body satisfaction less likely to gain unhealthy weight

In a study that examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction, body mass index (BMI) and binge eating in overweight and obese adolescent girls, Kendrin R. Sonneville, ScD, RD, researcher at Boston Children's Hospital, discovered that the less satisfied a girl is with her body, the more unhealthy weight she is likely to gain and the more likely she is to develop a pattern of binge eating.

9 May 2012

Two studies suggest long-term value of Deplin in treating MDD

Two studies presented this week at the 164th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association suggest the long-term value of Deplin (L-methylfolate 15mg) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and describe subsets of patients who may benefit more robustly from this medical food.

9 May 2012

Women & Infants Hospital to receive Health Care Innovation award

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island is among the first batch of organizations selected for Health Care Innovation awards. Made possible by the health care law - the Affordable Care Act - the awards will support 26 innovative projects nationwide that will save money, deliver high quality medical care, and enhance the health care workforce. The preliminary awardees announced today expect to reduce health spending by $254 million over the next three years.

9 May 2012

Researchers discover location and effect of abnormal heart proteins

University of Guelph researchers have found the location and effect of abnormal heart proteins that can cause cardiac failure, a discovery that points to potential new ways to treat the most costly health problem in the world.

9 May 2012

Basser Research Center to focus on treatment and prevention of inherited cancers

A $25 million gift to the University of Pennsylvania from alumni Mindy and Jon Gray will establish a center focused on the treatment and prevention of cancers associated with hereditary BRCA mutations.

9 May 2012

Stereotaxis launches V-Sono module for Vdrive Remote Navigation System

Stereotaxis, Inc. today announced that the Company has released to the European market the V-Sono intracardiac echocardiography manipulator module for the Vdrive Remote Navigation System.

9 May 2012

UVA achieves two important milestones in VISIUS Surgical Theatre

IMRIS Inc. today reported on the preliminary successes that the University of Virginia (UVA) has achieved in their VISIUS Surgical Theatre. UVA clinicians have treated over 50 patients in their VISIUS Surgical Theatre since its opening, achieving two important milestones in the use of their new intraoperative imaging capabilities.

9 May 2012

New measurement tool for clinical trials to help children with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

An international study led by the University of Sydney and published in the Annals of Neurology has the potential to improve the design of clinical trials for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder which affects the peripheral nervous system.

8 May 2012

Ads for “affordable care act” claim to protect Medicare: Really?

Proponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have a very costly, tax-payer funded national advertising campaign--- posing as “protectors” of Medicare—even as the massively unpopular law cut $500-$800 billion from Medicare to fund expansion of Medicaid, shifting more medical care services to younger voters.

8 May 2012

More teenagers and young adults diagnosed with skin cancer

With summer just around the corner, pediatricians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center are sounding the alarm on a disturbing trend: A growing number of teenagers and young adults diagnosed with skin cancer.

8 May 2012