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Teen patient gets a new lease on life

At just 18 years old, Megan Gagliardi was told she might die from a rare genetic heart condition. Now, thanks in part to UAB Medicine's Comprehensive Transplant Institute (CTI), she is celebrating her recent engagement and an important six-year anniversary - all as the University of Alabama at Birmingham celebrates 50 years of transplant success.

19 Apr 2018

Researcher presents case study of asymptomatic patient with severe mitral regurgitation

In primary mitral regurgitation there are anatomic abnormalities of the mitral valve causing backward flow, placing a hemodynamic burden on the left ventricle.

19 Apr 2018

Direct electrical current can be delivered to nerves for blocking pain signals

Using computer models and laboratory rats, Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that "direct electrical current" can be delivered to nerves preferentially, blocking pain signals while leaving other sensations undisturbed.

18 Apr 2018

Researchers build molecular networks of calcific aortic valve disease

Calcific aortic valve disease - a disease that leaves the aortic valve stiff and calcified, preventing blood flow from the heart into the aorta - affects one quarter of the U.S. population aged 65 and over.

18 Apr 2018

Researchers evaluate accuracy of simple blood test to predict lung cancer

Every year, health care providers in the United States discover more than 1.6 million lung nodules in patients.

18 Apr 2018

Obese patients more likely to develop rapid and irregular heart rate

People with obesity are more likely to develop a rapid and irregular heart rate, called atrial fibrillation, which can lead to stroke, heart failure and other complications, according to Penn State researchers.

18 Apr 2018

Deep brain stimulation offers relief to UTHealth patient with treatment-resistant depression

For Shannon Paige McCann, the thought of having brain surgery – which would frighten most – paled in significance to the depression that had dragged her down most of her life.

18 Apr 2018

Novel biomarker can distinguish between benign and malignant lung nodules

Researchers report a newly developed biomarker was 98% effective at distinguishing between benign and malignant lung nodules in a recent multicentre clinical trial.

18 Apr 2018

Study finds no evidence of lower intelligence in young children who had anesthesia

A Mayo Clinic study finds no evidence that children given anesthesia before their third birthdays have lower IQs than those who did not have it. A more complex picture emerges among people who had anesthesia several times as small children: Although their intelligence is comparable, they score modestly lower on tests measuring fine motor skills, and their parents are more likely to report behavioral and learning problems. The findings are published in Anesthesiology.

18 Apr 2018

Axillary ultrasound imaging found to be inferior for detecting lymph node metastases in breast cancer

For patients diagnosed with breast cancer, determining whether cancer cells have spread to the axillary lymph nodes of the armpit is important for guiding treatment decisions. It has been debated whether axillary ultrasound imaging is equally sensitive for detecting axillary metastatic lymph nodes in different subtypes of breast cancer.

17 Apr 2018

Middle ear infection can lead to deadly neurological complications

While antibiotics have greatly reduced the dangers of ear infections, serious neurological complications, including hearing loss, facial paralysis, meningitis and brain abscess still occur, according to an article in the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports.

16 Apr 2018

Post-surgical opioids can prolong pain for more than three weeks, study shows

Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for more than three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.

16 Apr 2018

Safety violations compound pain of painkiller shortages

Safety violations at a major compounding pharmacy are exacerbating hospital shortages of key painkillers, particularly in California where health officials have taken the "extraordinary" step of prohibiting sales from one of its plants.

16 Apr 2018

Flesh eating ulcer cases on the rise in Victoria

Recent reports have shown a rise in cases of flesh eating ulcers in and around Victoria, Australia. Health experts have said that this could become a serious problem if not handled carefully. They have called for funds to deal with this menace. These flesh eating ulcers, according to sources have infected hundreds of individuals in regional Victoria.

16 Apr 2018

Increase in prehospital mortality potentially points to greater intensity of violence

A new Johns Hopkins Medicine analysis of national trauma data shows that trauma patients were four times more likely to die from gunshot wounds and nearly nine times more likely to die from stab wounds before getting to a trauma center in 2014, compared with rates in 2007.

16 Apr 2018

Anti-PD-1 treatment reduces tumor size and post-surgical relapse of lung cancer

A drug given to early stage lung cancer patients before they undergo surgery showed major tumor responses in the removed tumor and an increase in anti-tumor T-cells that remained after the tumor was removed, which resulted in fewer relapse cases in the patients.

16 Apr 2018

Finding ways to reverse obesity’s lingering, pro-cancer effects

Like exposure to too much sun and drinking alcohol, obesity is a risk factor for cancer. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center are working to be a part of the solution -- they want to find ways to reverse obesity-linked biological changes in the body that are associated with cancer growth.

16 Apr 2018

Researchers use graphene to disrupt biofilms on dental implants

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden have demonstrated that a layer of graphene can form a protective film on the surface of implants that could prevent bacterial infection.

16 Apr 2018

Researchers use graphene to disrupt biofilms on dental implants

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden have demonstrated that a layer of graphene can form a protective film on the surface of implants that could prevent bacterial infection.

16 Apr 2018

Tiny layer of graphene flakes becomes deadly weapon against bacteria on implants

A tiny layer of graphene flakes becomes a deadly weapon and kills bacteria, stopping infections during procedures such as implant surgery. This is the findings of new research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, recently published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials Interfaces.

16 Apr 2018