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New valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is participating in a nationwide clinical trial of a new valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery in some patients.

8 Nov 2004

Impaired cognitive and motor function following stem cell transplantation for severe blood disorders can improve

Patients who suffer a loss of cognitive and motor function as a result of stem cell transplantation for severe blood disorders are likely to see those functions return to previous levels after one year, according to a new study in the November 15, 2004, issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Nov 2004

ACE inhibitors not needed for many heart disease patients

Many heart disease patients who are already receiving state-of-the-art therapy do not benefit from additional treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, according to results of a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

8 Nov 2004

Australian trial set to transform nursing home care

Medications trolleys in nursing homes may soon become mobile medical centres. The University of New South Wales has won a $300,000 grant to develop and trial a new point-of-care system that will allow nursing staff to manage medications, check patients’ clinical signs and streamline administration and clinical interaction with patients’ GPs.

8 Nov 2004

Patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension who kept their blood pressure very tightly controlled had fewer eye disorders caused by their diabetes

According to the article, type 2 diabetes and hypertension are often associated. At age 40, approximately 32 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes are also hypertensive, and that proportion increases to 47 percent by age 60, the article states.

8 Nov 2004

MRI technique for measuring blood volume helps distinguish between abscesses and tumors in the brain

Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI allows physicians to differentiate between cerebral abscesses—inflamed areas in the brain caused by infection—and malignant brain tumors without surgery, says a new preliminary study by researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

8 Nov 2004

Doctors must choose and manage implanted cardiac defibrillators patients carefully

Implanted devices that can shock a failing heart back into regular rhythm do an excellent job of keeping patients alive, two new University of Michigan studies find.

8 Nov 2004

Reviparin significantly reduces death and repeat heart attacks without increasing the risk of stroke

A major Canadian-led global study has found that an inexpensive anti-blood-clotting drug significantly reduces death and repeat heart attacks without increasing the risk of stroke.

8 Nov 2004

Walnut supplementation favorably affects cholesterol and other lipids that are signs of cardiovascular risk

A Penn State study has shown that a diet rich in alpha-linolenic acid from walnuts, walnut oil and flaxseed oil not only lowered bad cholesterol but also decreased markers for blood vessel inflammation in men and women representative of typical Americans at cardiovascular risk.

8 Nov 2004

People active in their 50s and 60s about 35 percent less likely to die in the next eight years

A new study gives people in their 50s and 60s another reason to get off the couch and be physically active — especially if they have conditions or habits that endanger their hearts, like diabetes, high blood pressure or smoking.

8 Nov 2004

Stone tools of Indonesian "hobbit" studied

A Southern Cross University researcher has begun the painstaking task of analysing hundreds of stone tools believed to have been used by the “hobbits” – a new species of miniature humans found on the Indonesian island of Flores.

8 Nov 2004

Search for genetic key to corneal disease

A new federal grant focusing on painful inherited visual disorders that scar the cornea will allow researchers to narrow the genetic cause of one type of corneal dystrophy and to offer improved diagnosis of this family of diseases.

8 Nov 2004

Technology to determine a patient's response to aspirin therapy taken to prevent heart attacks

This technology has demonstrated the ability to assess an individual's relative risk for heart attack by measuring the person's degree of aspirin resistance.

8 Nov 2004

Infection rates from MRSA superbug will be halved by 2008, according to Health Secretary John Reid

Blood borne infection rates of the hospital superbug MRSA will be halved by 2008, Health Secretary John Reid said in a speech last week.

8 Nov 2004

Genetic testing can be used to distinguish between ischemic and nonischemic forms of heart failure

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that genetic testing can be effectively used to distinguish between heart failure patients who suffer from ischemic or nonischemic forms of the disease.

8 Nov 2004

Association between long-term air pollution exposure and the early stages of atherosclerosis

Air pollution may trigger and accelerate narrowing of carotid arteries, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2004.

8 Nov 2004

Obese and overweight men spend 3.5 times more on prescription drugs than normal-weight men

As middle-aged men’s weight goes up, so do their monthly costs for prescription drugs to treat heart disease risk factors and weight-related conditions, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.

8 Nov 2004

Coronary stents have no impact on mortality over the long term

While the placement of stents in newly reopened coronary arteries has been shown to reduce the need for repeat angioplasty procedures, researchers from the Duke Clinical Research Institute have found that stents have no impact on mortality over the long term.

8 Nov 2004

Stable weight significantly reduces risks of heart disease and development of metabolic syndrome

Gaining 15 pounds or more over several years is the major contributor to progression of risk factors for heart disease and development of metabolic syndrome, while maintaining a stable weight -- even in individuals considered obese – significantly reduces those risks, according to a study led by a Northwestern University researcher.

8 Nov 2004

Prevalence of occult HBV in hemodialysis patients is 4 to 5 times higher than standard HBsAg testing would suggest

Some kidney dialysis patients contract hepatitis B virus (HBV) during the course of their treatment, possibly from other members of the dialysis population with occult HBV.

8 Nov 2004

Blood News and Research

New valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery

Impaired cognitive and motor function following stem cell transplantation for severe blood disorders can improve

ACE inhibitors not needed for many heart disease patients

Australian trial set to transform nursing home care

Patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension who kept their blood pressure very tightly controlled had fewer eye disorders caused by their diabetes

MRI technique for measuring blood volume helps distinguish between abscesses and tumors in the brain

Doctors must choose and manage implanted cardiac defibrillators patients carefully

Reviparin significantly reduces death and repeat heart attacks without increasing the risk of stroke

Walnut supplementation favorably affects cholesterol and other lipids that are signs of cardiovascular risk

People active in their 50s and 60s about 35 percent less likely to die in the next eight years

Stone tools of Indonesian "hobbit" studied

Search for genetic key to corneal disease

Technology to determine a patient's response to aspirin therapy taken to prevent heart attacks

Infection rates from MRSA superbug will be halved by 2008, according to Health Secretary John Reid

Genetic testing can be used to distinguish between ischemic and nonischemic forms of heart failure

Association between long-term air pollution exposure and the early stages of atherosclerosis

Obese and overweight men spend 3.5 times more on prescription drugs than normal-weight men

Coronary stents have no impact on mortality over the long term

Stable weight significantly reduces risks of heart disease and development of metabolic syndrome

Prevalence of occult HBV in hemodialysis patients is 4 to 5 times higher than standard HBsAg testing would suggest

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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