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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves outcomes of umbilical cord blood transplant patients

For the past 27 years, cord blood transplants have been a life-saving treatment option for thousands of people with leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and myelodysplastic disorders. Cord blood helps replace cancerous blood cells and replenish a patient's own bone marrow and immune system. Even with its success, researchers are continually looking for ways to improve the transplant process and increase cure rates.

24 Sep 2015

Gene study reveals how a strain of E. coli evolved to become potentially fatal infection

A strain of E. coli became a potentially fatal infection in the UK around 30 years ago, when it acquired a powerful toxin, a gene study has revealed.

22 Sep 2015

HemoPalm technology can benefit physicians and first responders

Each year, hundreds of thousands of patients come to the ER experiencing life threatening events such as possible carbon monoxide poisoning or heart attacks, attending doctors in a medical institution rely on the current standard blood gas analyzers to diagnose the oxygen-carrying capabilities of blood, blood gases and electrolytes.

16 Sep 2015

Trojan horse strategy may elucidate why antibiotics ineffective in some patients

Bacteria are pretty wily creatures. Take for example, an organism such as Salmonella, which which are killed by antibiotics in lab tests, but can become highly resistant in the body.

21 Aug 2015

McMaster University hematologist finds different limb loss syndromes

How people can develop limb gangrene and lose fingers and feet has baffled doctors for centuries. Now a McMaster University hematologist has identified different limb loss syndromes along with explanations for what is happening and what can be done about it.

13 Aug 2015

Nicotine products could be harmful to children

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced it intends to require warning labels and child-resistant packaging on liquid nicotine products such as those used in e-cigarettes.

24 Jul 2015

Retail meat harbors disease-causing Klebsiella pneumoniae, shows new study

Chicken, turkey and pork sold in grocery stores harbors disease-causing bacteria known as Klebsiella pneumoniae, according to a new study. The research, which was published online today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, shows that contaminated meat may be an important source of human exposure to Klebsiella.

23 Jul 2015

Opioid prescribing guidelines that focus high-dose use may need revision, say researchers

Overdoses of opioid pain medications frequently occur in people who aren't chronic users with high prescribed opioid doses--the groups targeted by current opioid prescribing guidelines, reports a study in the August issue of Medical Care.

16 Jul 2015

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment effective for fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is almost impossible to diagnose. The chronic pain syndrome strikes an estimated 1 in 70 Americans, most of them women. The disorder is often triggered by head trauma, a neurological infection, or severe emotional stress, and is characterized by symptoms such as musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, memory loss and mood swings. Fibromyalgia is often mistaken for other culprits and most patients suffer months, even years, of unrelenting pain before being properly diagnosed. And once diagnosed, patients enjoy little respite because few therapies have been found to be effective in assuaging its symptoms.

15 Jul 2015

Bacterial biofilms play role in development of systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type-1 diabetes are among more than a score of diseases in which the immune system attacks the body it was designed to defend. But just why the immune system begins its misdirected assault has remained a mystery.

7 Jul 2015

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

Creating bacterial "fight clubs" is an effective way to find new drugs from natural sources. That is the conclusion of a team of Vanderbilt chemists who have been exploring ways to get bacteria to produce biologically active chemicals that they normally hold in reserve. These compounds are called secondary metabolites.

30 Jun 2015

Ron Simon & Associates files salmonella lawsuit against restaurant located in North Carolina

Today the national food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates, along with local counsel Janet, Jenner & Suggs, filed a lawsuit stemming from salmonella-contaminated food served by the Tarheel Q located in North Carolina on U.S. 64 West in Lexington.

26 Jun 2015

Completing sepsis resuscitation bundle in six hours after diagnosis

Blood poisoning, known as sepsis, is the most common cause of death in intensive care units, according to the National Institutes of Health. The body's immune response to fight the infection triggers inflammation that restricts blood flow and leads to multiple organ failure.

17 Jun 2015

Researchers discover that extreme exercise can lead to blood poisoning

Researchers have discovered that extreme exercise can cause intestinal bacteria to leak into the bloodstream, leading to blood poisoning.

17 Jun 2015

Women who suffer from fibromyalgia benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Women who suffer from fibromyalgia benefit from a treatment regimen in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, according to researchers at Rice University and institutes in Israel.

3 Jun 2015

MedUni Vienna expert suggests pricing strategy to reduce smoking

30% of the estimated 2.3 million smokers in Austria are considered to be heavily tobacco-dependent and, according to experts at MedUni Vienna, require professional treatment. This would mean around 690,000 people. According to Michael Kunze, an expert on smoking at the Center for Public Health at MedUni Vienna, an effective strategy would be to increase the price of tobacco products: "If the price of cigarettes were to rise just one percent above the inflation rate, that would bring about a 0.5% reduction in consumption worldwide."

29 May 2015

Study shows differences in rates of paracetamol-linked acute liver failure among European countries

A fifty-fold between-country difference in rates of paracetamol-induced acute liver failure that leads to liver transplant (ALFT) has been revealed by a study that compared patient data from seven countries at the request of the European Medicines Agency: France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and the UK.

29 May 2015

Simple blood tests diagnose irritable bowel syndrome quickly and accurately

Millions of people afflicted by irritable bowel syndrome can now be diagnosed quickly and accurately with two simple blood tests developed by a Cedars-Sinai gastroenterologist.

14 May 2015

Penn researchers find molecular bond between DNA damage, cellular senescence and premature aging

Like a beloved pair of jeans, human DNA accumulates damage over time, and older people's bodies can't repair it as well. Many scientists believe a build up of damage can cause cells to enter an irreversible dormant state known as senescence. Cellular senescence is believed to be responsible for some of the telltale signs of aging, such as weakened bones, less resilient skin and slow-downs in organ function.

24 Apr 2015

New Commission outlines current state of research into sepsis

Leading doctors today [Monday 20 April, 2015] warn that medical and public recognition of sepsis--thought to contribute to between a third and a half of all hospital deaths--must improve if the number of deaths from this common and potentially life-threatening condition are to fall.

20 Apr 2015