Contractions News and Research

RSS

Prototype ring with sensors helps to detect, prevent preterm labor

The birth of a baby is usually a joyous event, but when a child is born too early, worrisome complications can occur, including serious health problems for the baby and steep medical bills for the family. To address this, Johns Hopkins graduate students and their faculty adviser have invented a new system to pick up very early signs that a woman is going into labor too soon.

22 Jul 2010

Children of unemployed Americans experience avoidable loss of healthcare coverage: Research

Not only are the children of the 15.3 million unemployed Americans feeling the impact of financial hardship brought on by the economic recession, many of their children may be experiencing an avoidable loss of healthcare coverage, according to new research by the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center published in the July issue of Health Affairs.

8 Jul 2010

Cytokine PharmaSciences completes misoprostol vaginal insert Phase II study

Cytokine PharmaSciences, Inc. today announced the completion of a Phase II study of the misoprostol vaginal insert (MVI), a proprietary, controlled-release and retrievable polymer chip containing prostaglandin E(1) (PGE1). Results of the dose-finding study in pregnant women at term gestation confirm the efficacy and safety of this investigational product and suggest that the MVI may reduce time to delivery after induction, support more natural labor, and reduce the rate of cesarean delivery.

16 Jun 2010

Canadian researchers: Probiotic found in breast milk reduces painful cramping in gut

Here's another reason to breast feed your baby: Canadian researchers have discovered how a probiotic found in breast milk reduces or eliminates painful cramping in the gut. In a new research report published online in the FASEB Journal, these scientists use mice to show that a specific strain of Lactobacillus reuteri decreases the force of muscle contractions in the gut within minutes of exposure.

3 Jun 2010

Researchers identify body's natural self-repair mechanism that kicks in after spinal-cord injury

Researchers in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine have made an important discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for spinal-cord injuries. Karim Fouad and David Bennett have identified one of the body's natural self-repair mechanisms that kick in after injury.

31 May 2010

Tips for cutting back on added sugar

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Gatorade, and other drinks now come in versions made with "real" sugar as opposed to the often vilified high-fructose corn syrup. A whole swath of sugar alternatives are now available to consumers including the new BioVittoria, an extract of the monk fruit, which is grown in Southern China. But a new special report from Consumer Reports on Health questions whether turning to alternatives is the solution to America's growing obesity epidemic.

15 May 2010

GRNCM1 do not cause cardiac arrhythmias after transplantation: Preclinical study

Geron Corporation today reported positive preclinical study data showing that GRNCM1, Geron's cardiomyocyte product derived from human embryonic stem cells, does not cause cardiac arrhythmias after transplantation into a model of chronic heart damage designed to test this potential safety concern.

14 May 2010

Pregnant women at risk for pregnancy problems caused by oral bacteria

Even healthy pregnant women can be at risk for pregnancy problems caused by oral bacteria. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University began to understand which bacteria from the 700 species living in the mouth are responsible for the growing health problem of preterm and stillbirths.

11 May 2010

Pericytes may use mechanical forces to initiate angiogenesis: Researchers

Pericytes, the contractile cells surrounding capillaries, may use mechanical forces to initiate angiogenesis, the "sprouting" of new blood vessels, according to researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

27 Apr 2010

Noninvasive method to predict premature birth

Existing techniques for predicting premature birth are inadequate or invasive - with risks and discomfort. Researcher Chiara Rabotti (Eindhoven University of Technology) developed a new measuring method, based on a rather simple electrode plaster that is attached to the abdomen. In the future every pregnant woman can thereby calmly await the moment, Rabotti expects.

27 Apr 2010

Critical experts introduce mild exercise programs to care critically ill patients in ICU

A new report from critical care experts at Johns Hopkins shows that use of prescription sedatives goes down by half so that mild exercise programs can be introduced to the care of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.

9 Apr 2010

New study to compare Botox against oral medications for urge incontinence in women

A new study is underway at Loyola University Health System to compare botulinum toxin A or Botox® versus common oral medications for urge incontinence in women. Urge incontinence is urinary incontinence with a strong or sudden need to urinate. Millions of women suffer in silence each day from this condition.

6 Apr 2010

Researchers identify a novel way to study species-specific reproductive behavior

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have discovered that injecting a simple hormone into leeches creates a novel way to study how hormones and the nervous system work together to produce species-specific reproductive behavior.

17 Mar 2010

InnerPulse selects Dassault Systemes' Abaqus FEA software

Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced that InnerPulse, a medical device company pioneering a novel technology for those patients with cardiac rhythm disorders, has selected Abaqus finite element analysis (FEA) software from the SIMULIA to assist in development of their technology designed in SolidWorks CAD software.

16 Mar 2010

Minimally invasive surgical ablation for AFib: Unapproved, warns whistleblower

As reported in today's Wall Street Journal, the more than 2 million Americans with atrial fibrillation are now on notice that the over-zealous marketing tactics and incentives by manufacturers of expensive medical devices which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation are likely to be influencing doctors' and hospitals' decisions about treatment for their patients' heart conditions.

12 Mar 2010

FDA approves BOTOX for treatment of increased muscle stiffness in adults with upper limb spasticity

Allergan, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of increased muscle stiffness in the elbow, wrist and fingers in adults with upper limb spasticity.

9 Mar 2010

Hypertension: Regular nifedipine administration may lead to development of GERD

Nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker, was shown to decrease lower esophageal sphincter pressure and increase esophageal acid exposure time, while atenolol, a b1 blocker, was shown to inhibit relaxation of the smooth muscle of the esophagus. However, the influence of these anti-hypertensive drugs on the segment of esophageal body contraction using high-resolution manometry was not fully investigated.

5 Mar 2010

Allergan celebrates 20th anniversary of BOTOX in Canada

Twenty years ago, the first approved use of BOTOX(R) (botulinum toxin type A), a neurotoxin widely used to treat several life altering medical conditions, was granted in Canada. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, healthcare professionals from coast to coast reflect upon the discovery, science and evolution of a therapy that has impacted the lives of millions of patients worldwide.

3 Mar 2010

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends that the drug quinine, although effective, should be avoided for treatment of routine muscle cramps due to uncommon but serious side effects.

23 Feb 2010

New gene locus influencing risk for atrial fibrillation identified

Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac arrhythmia - a chronic irregularity of heartbeat - which affects an estimated 1 million people in Germany. Although the condition is not acutely life-threatening, it does increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses, such as cardiac insufficiency, stroke and dementia. In the third of a series of genomewide asssociation studies, an international team of researchers, led by LMU physician PD Dr. Stefan K--b, now reports the identification of a new gene locus that has a significant influence on risk for atrial fibrillation.

22 Feb 2010