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Study illuminates how Aldo and galectin-3 protein contribute to vascular remodeling, CHF

Cardiovascular disease will kill nearly 2.5 million people in the United States this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Over time, inflammation, collagen deposition and scar tissue formation can cause blood vessels to stiffen, a process called vascular fibrosis. Though researchers have known that the hormone aldosterone (Aldo) plays a role in this process, the precise mechanisms have been poorly understood.

17 Nov 2012

Possible link between mind wandering and aging

Scientific studies have suggested that a wandering mind indicates unhappiness, whereas a mind that is present in the moment indicates well-being. Now, a preliminary UCSF study suggests a possible link between mind wandering and aging, by looking at a biological measure of longevity.

17 Nov 2012

Young relatives of sudden cardiac death individuals at high heart disease risk

Young first- and second-degree relatives of individuals who were victims of sudden cardiac death are at a significantly increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, research suggests.

16 Nov 2012

Potential to reduce preterm births ‘shockingly small’

If developed countries were to successfully implement five preventive interventions, only a 5% relative reduction in the preterm birth rate could be achieved by 2015, shows a study published by The Lancet.

16 Nov 2012

A.U. launches website on maternal, newborn survival program

"The African Union has launched a new website for its Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal, Newborn and Child Mortality in Africa (CARMMA)," which "aims to promote maternal and newborn survival, and provide evidence on progress to achieving health targets that have been set by African leaders," according to the Maternal Health Task Force's blog.

16 Nov 2012

Family planning is 'global priority' to be recognized as human right

Improving access to family planning for the 222 million women who lack such services would bring many benefits, including helping to reduce maternal mortality and improve infant survival, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin says in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog, citing the recently released State of the World Population 2012 report.

16 Nov 2012

D737 compound restores motor function and longevity in fruit flies with Alzheimer's

An efficient, high-volume technique for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease, according to new research that could help put the search for an effective Alzheimer's drug on a faster track.

16 Nov 2012

Research!America to honor authors of study on EMR and infant mortality with Garfield award

The authors of a landmark study on the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) to reduce infant mortality will receive the 2012 Garfield Economic Impact Award. Amalia R. Miller, PhD, and Catherine E. Tucker, PhD, are being honored for their paper, "Can Health Care Information Technology Save Babies?"

16 Nov 2012

Tanshinones protect against sepsis: Study

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that tanshinones, which come from the plant Danshen and are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine, protect against the life-threatening condition sepsis. The findings are published in the December issue of Biochemical Pharmacology.

16 Nov 2012

Dialysis raises complication, mortality risk after general surgery

Long-term dialysis patients undergoing general surgical procedures have a significantly increased risk for postoperative complications and death within 30 days of surgery compared with their nondialysis counterparts, study findings show.

15 Nov 2012

Antibody-coated stents carry increased risk of myocardial infarction and re-operation

If narrowed or blocked coronary vessels have to be widened or opened, a vascular support (stent) is usually inserted. Drug-coated stents are preferred for patients at high risk of renewed narrowing of vessels (restenosis). However, the use of antibody-coated stents has been increasing in recent years. Current studies provide indications that these new antibody-coated stents more frequently lead to myocardial infarction and make re-operation necessary.

15 Nov 2012

Surgeon volume influences patient outcomes following rectal resection

The volume of operations a surgeon performs affects both short- and long-term patient outcomes following resection for rectal carcinoma, show data from a German hospital.

14 Nov 2012

Polio vaccination refusal in Nigeria continues to thwart eradication efforts

The number of reported cases of wild poliovirus infection in northern Nigeria has risen significantly in the last few years, which researchers say is largely due to vaccine refusals and problems with healthcare infrastructure in the country.

14 Nov 2012

MADIT-RIT: ICD reprogramming leads to fewer inappropriate shocks, deaths

High-rate or delayed implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy is associated with reductions in inappropriate therapy and all-cause mortality, researchers say.

14 Nov 2012

UTA researchers to examine cognition, mortality, economic outcomes from high school and beyond

University of Texas at Austin sociologist Chandra Muller and economist Sandra Black have received a $3.2 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study the effects of cognition on health, mortality, education and employment from high school and beyond.

14 Nov 2012

Home-birth-like experience in hospitals ultimately safer, more satisfying and cost effective for patients

Advocates of planned home birth have emphasized its benefits for patient safety, patient satisfaction, cost effectiveness, and respect for women's rights. A clinical opinion paper published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology critically evaluates each of these claims in its effort to identify professionally appropriate responses of obstetricians and other concerned physicians to planned home birth.

14 Nov 2012

Study finds lower uptake of HPV vaccination among racial/ethnic minorities

A new Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) study has found that improving Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in black women may require culturally sensitive approaches that address ethnic-specific barriers.

14 Nov 2012

WHO member states approve new treaty to fight illegal tobacco trade

WHO member states meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday unanimously approved a new international treaty to combat the illegal tobacco trade, VOA News reports.

14 Nov 2012

NPR, GlobalPost examine polio in Nigeria

NPR's "Shots" blog reports on an update about the polio situation in Nigeria, published Thursday in the CDC's latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), writing, "Despite beefed-up efforts to vaccinate kids and a flood of new resources, ... there have been twice as many polio cases as last year, and a few communities, where kids chronically miss vaccines, are serving as 'sanctuaries' for the poliovirus, giving it a place to replicate and survive."

14 Nov 2012

U.N., partners call for greater efforts to fight number one killer of children on World Pneumonia Day

On World Pneumonia Day (WPD), recognized on November 12, "the United Nations and its partners ... called for greater efforts to eradicate pneumonia, the number one killer of children under the age of five," the U.N. News Centre reports.

14 Nov 2012