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Trial of percutaneous coronary intervention added to optimal medical therapy in patients with stable coronary heart disease

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) involve opening partially blocked arteries to improve blood flow to the heart. These procedures are performed more than 1 million times a year.

3 Apr 2007

Effective postoperative pain control using continuous peripheral nerve block reduces days of hospitalization

Effective postoperative pain control using continuous peripheral nerve block reduced average length-of-stay by nearly a day, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physicians reported today during the 81st Clinical and Scientific Congress of the International Anesthesia Research Society at the Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Fla.

3 Apr 2007

New treatment possibilities for Huntington's disease

Howard Florey Institute have opened up new treatment possibilities for Huntington's disease by proving a scientific theory incorrect.

3 Apr 2007

H63D genetic defect linked to increased risk of stroke

One of the most common genetic defects passed on through families significantly increases a person's chance of having a stroke, according to a study published in the March 27, 2007, issue of Neurology?, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Apr 2007

Few surgeons routinely refer breast cancer patients for reconstruction

Forty-four percent of surgeons do not refer the majority of their breast cancer patients to a plastic surgeon prior to the initial surgery when the woman is choosing her treatment course, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Apr 2007

Quality of child care early in life can have a lasting impact later development

The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.

2 Apr 2007

Adding estradiol to a polymer-free rapamycin-eluting stent is not associated with any measurable benefit

Patients admitted to the hospital with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are often treated with a catheter-based procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), during which a stent is inserted into an occluded or narrowed coronary artery to restore blood flow to and from the heart.

2 Apr 2007

MIT MEMS device provides precise way to physically arrange cells

Now MIT researchers led by Sangeeta Bhatia, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and Brigham and Women's Hospital, have solved the problem with a novel device.

2 Apr 2007

New system to speed critical care to acute heart attack patients

Mayo Clinic has designed a new system to speed critical care to acute heart attack patients that dramatically reduces the time that elapses before patients undergo a life-saving procedure -- by as much as 45 percent in some cases.

2 Apr 2007

Symphysiotomy could dramatically reduce maternal deaths

Teaching doctors in Africa a low-tech operation to cut the cartilage of the symphysis pubis could save the lives of women in obstructed labor and their babies, according to an Essay in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

2 Apr 2007

Long-term low to moderate doses of aspirin beneficial for women

Women who take low to moderate doses of aspirin have a reduced risk of death from any cause, and especially heart disease related deaths, according to a report in the March 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Apr 2007

Drug-eluting stents are disappointing in bypass grafts - sometimes!

While drug-eluting stents are effective in keeping open bypassed heart veins that aren?t too diffuse (filled with cholesterol plaque), a new study by cardiologists at Jefferson Medical College shows that they fare less well in keeping open bypassed veins with longer blockages.

2 Apr 2007

New York progresses HPV vaccine distribution to health providers, school clinics

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Thursday announced that it has distributed 57,810 doses of Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil to city health providers, including school-based health clinics, the New York Post reports.

2 Apr 2007

Lesotho struggles to contain spread of tuberculosis

Lesotho is "struggling to contain" the spread of tuberculosis in the face of its HIV/AIDS epidemic, IRIN News reports. In 2006, the country reported 12,000 new TB cases, but TB expert Peter Saranchuk of Medecins Sans Frontieres said the actual number of cases likely is much higher.

2 Apr 2007

Bush apologizes for Walter Reed Army Medical Center issues

President Bush on Friday during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center apologized for recently reported problems with outpatient living conditions and bureaucratic delays at the facility, the Washington Post reports.

2 Apr 2007

BMA comment on Conservative Party election manifesto

Responding to the Scottish Conservative Party's election manifesto launched today, Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of the BMA's Scottish General Practitioners Committee said that the Party had proposed some policies that were particularly interesting for general practice in Scotland.

2 Apr 2007

Hot flashes in women linked to high blood pressure

Women who get hot flashes have higher blood pressure than those who don't, according to a new study led by Weill Cornell Medical College.

2 Apr 2007

Six centers of excellence for influenza research and surveillance established in U.S.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced it is awarding $23 million per year for seven years to establish six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.

2 Apr 2007

Precautions against C. difficile infection

Illness related to C. difficile, a bacterium commonly found in hospitals, is becoming more widespread, more severe, and harder to treat, reports the April 2007 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch . Health experts are worried that a new, more virulent strain may be to blame.

2 Apr 2007

Ultrasound and blood tests screen high-risk pregnant mothers for placental damage

If the placenta is not functioning properly it could be a potential danger to the health of the mother and fetus. Abnormalities can lead to conditions such as preeclampsia, which is maternal high blood pressure, stillbirth or the need for a pre-term delivery.

2 Apr 2007