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Elevated blood lactate levels may indicate poor prognosis in liver failure

A new study on fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), a sudden and severe shutdown of the liver, examined ways of determining early on whether patients would benefit from a transplant as opposed to responding to other medical treatment. The results showed that elevated blood lactate levels indicate a poor prognosis and thus the need for a transplant.

28 Aug 2005

Nitric oxide synthase plays a role in peripheral vascular disease

The enzyme nitric oxide synthase plays a role in peripheral vascular disease, a common disease that impairs the mobility of 25 percent of people over the age of 50, according to a Yale study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

26 Aug 2005

UCI study helps identify one reason why women have lower stroke risk than men

Estrogen's role as an inhibitor of toxic-free radicals in cerebral blood vessels may be a key reason why premenopausal women have a lower stroke risk than men.

26 Aug 2005

Compound might defeat African sleeping

One of the most devastating diseases in sub-Saharan Africa almost disappeared in the late 1950s.

26 Aug 2005

Inflammation plays an important role in post-operative stroke

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that patients who have two specific gene variants are more than three times as likely to suffer a stroke after heart surgery.

26 Aug 2005

Making human lungs in the lab a future possibility

Scientists in the UK say they have made a significant step towards making human lungs for transplantation.

25 Aug 2005

Call for closer examination of a metabolic syndrome

Two major health organizations in Europe and the United States are calling for closer examination of a syndrome that has been widely believed to predict the risk of developing heart disease, questioning whether it has been appropriately defined and whether it is in fact a syndrome at all.

25 Aug 2005

Stem cells with heart bypass surgery trial to begin

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has been granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a clinical trial to determine the safety and feasibility of injecting a patient's own bone marrow-derived stem cells directly into the heart during conventional heart bypass surgery.

25 Aug 2005

Acupuncture relieves symptoms of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia patients treated with six sessions of acupuncture experienced significant symptomatic improvement compared to a group given simulated acupuncture sessions according to a new Mayo Clinic study.

25 Aug 2005

Experimental immunusuppressant drug preserves transplanted kidneys

An international team of transplant physicians has shown that the investigational drug belatacept (LEA29Y) preserves transplanted kidney function as effectively as cyclosporine, the drug most commonly used to prevent the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs.

24 Aug 2005

New drug that selectively blocks immune responses protects kidneys after transplant

In an international clinical trial, a new drug that selectively blocks immune responses has proved as effective in preventing acute kidney transplant rejection as cyclosporine, the standard anti-rejection treatment.

24 Aug 2005

Scientists convert human embryonic stem cells into lung cells

According to research to be published in the journal Tissue Engineering, the team from Imperial College London, took human embryonic stem cells and 'directed' them to convert into the type of cells needed for gas exchange in the lung, known as mature small airway epithelium.

24 Aug 2005

Unique blood test detects iron deficiency in infants earlier

A unique blood test detects iron deficiency in infants earlier and more accurately than the commonly used hemoglobin screening test, according to a study in the August 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 Aug 2005

Benefits of MAO-B inhibitors are small but may be worthwhile in some patients with early Parkinson's disease

A class of drugs known as MAO-B inhibitors may be effective in improving motor symptoms in people with early Parkinson's disease and may delay the need for treatment with other drugs, according to a new systematic review of current evidence.

23 Aug 2005

Study examines the incidence and risk factors associated with Hepatitis C infection in rural Egypt

The prevalence of antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Egypt is among the highest in the world. From the 1950s until 1982 hundreds of thousands were infected during mass campaigns to control schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease) using mass therapy with intravenous antimony compounds, but little is known about current risk factors and rates of transmission.

23 Aug 2005

Dietary supplement chitosan shows some promise in treating obesity

The dietary supplement chitosan shows some promise in treating overweight and obesity but has not been shown conclusively to be an effective weight loss aid, according to a new systematic review of current evidence.

23 Aug 2005

Study shows potential treatment for brain cancer

A compound that kills cancer can sneak past the blood brain barrier, which protects the brain from foreign substances, to do its work in fighting a particularly invasive brain cancer, according to a new Saint Louis University animal study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition the week of Aug. 22.

22 Aug 2005

MRI helps map smallest deformations inside hearts

Using magnetic resonance imaging technology, or MRI, to tag the work of millions of individual strands of heart muscle fibers, researchers at Johns Hopkins have successfully mapped the smallest deformations inside the beating hearts of 441 middle-aged and elderly men and women who have either silently developed heart disease or remained healthy.

22 Aug 2005

Gene therapy advance shows potential for developing improved treatment for hemophilia

A virus that typically infects insects could help with the development of gene therapy treatment for Hemophilia A, a condition in which even a bump on the knee can cause serious internal bleeding in people.

22 Aug 2005

Heart healthy habits are good for oral health

Heart healthy habits are good for oral health, too, according to a new study published in the current issue of the Journal of Periodontology, the official publication of the American Academy of Periodontology.

22 Aug 2005