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AF deaths more likely on the weekend

In-hospital mortality rates for patients who have atrial fibrillation are significantly higher on the weekend than on weekdays, show US study results.

23 Jul 2012

Endovascular stroke therapy may prove beneficial in octogenarians

Use of intra-arterial therapy in octogenarian patients with stroke does not appear to increase their risk for dying in hospital above that seen with use of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, a large study suggests.

23 Jul 2012

Training EMS to interpret ECGs can expedite treatment for severe heart attacks

A new program that trains emergency medical service technicians (EMS) to read electrocardiograms so that they can evaluate patients with chest pain, and expedite treatment for the severe heart condition known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a serious form of heart attack, has excellent results and should become the standard of care, according to two studies published in the current issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

21 Jul 2012

U.S. government, World Bank launch initiatives to collect more, better data on women worldwide

"The World Bank and U.S. government on Thursday each announced major new initiatives aimed at expanding knowledge on the experience of women around the world, while acknowledging that much remains to be done on filling the global 'data gap' on women," Inter Press Service reports.

21 Jul 2012

Regeneron, Sanofi initiate enrollment in SAR236553/REGN727 Phase 3 program

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that several trials within ODYSSEY, the Phase 3 clinical program of SAR236553/REGN727, have initiated patient enrollment.

21 Jul 2012

Views on health reform: U.S. not getting value for its spending; Cutting doctors' school debt to curb costs

When it comes to healthcare, Americans are not getting a lot of value for their money. The United States spends 17.6% of its gross domestic product, nearly twice the average of the nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. But life expectancy in the United States in 2010, at 78.7 years, is below the OECD average of 79.8 years. The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most developed countries - it is higher than the rates in Greece, Hungary and Slovakia.

21 Jul 2012

A world of consequences due to physical inactivity

Physical inactivity accounted for an estimated 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths in 2008, a report shows.

20 Jul 2012

Alcohol abuse spills over into critical care resources

A quarter of patients admitted to intensive care units in Scotland have alcohol problems, while a fifth have chronic alcohol disease, a survey finds.

20 Jul 2012

Low serum albumin associated with higher risk of graft failure in pediatric kidney transplants

For children receiving kidney transplants, a potentially correctable blood condition present in about one in four recipients is associated with a moderately increased risk of the graft's later failure, suggesting that clinicians should weigh whether transplant is advisable when the condition is present, according to UC Davis research presented today at the 24th International Congress of the Transplantation Society in Berlin.

20 Jul 2012

Scientists to create new drugs with bone formation stimulating activities

A Simon Fraser University researcher is leading a team of scientists working to create new drugs to stimulate bone regeneration - research that will be furthered by a $2.5 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

20 Jul 2012

HAS-BLED: Atrial fibrillation patients undergoing angioplasty can still take anticoagulants

Researchers say that oral anticoagulation could improve the prognosis of atrial fibrillation patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention, even if they have a high bleeding risk according to the HAS-BLED score.

19 Jul 2012

A quarter of patients admitted to Scottish ICUs have alcohol problems

A quarter of patients admitted to Scottish intensive care units have alcohol problems and the majority of those have chronic alcohol disease, with particular problems among men and younger people.

19 Jul 2012

Adolescents and young adult cancer patients more likely to report unmet need

A cancer diagnosis for adolescents and young adults can be especially challenging, and new research shows the social, psychological and informational support these patients need might be going unmet.

19 Jul 2012

U.N. warns Somalia remains in need of assistance one year after famine declaration

The U.N. warned Tuesday that more than 2.5 million people in Somalia remain in need of assistance despite international aid efforts and the situation could worsen unless more effort is made to build on gains since famine was declared in July 2011, Agence France-Presse reports.

19 Jul 2012

High vitamin E intake associated with reduced risk of liver cancer

High consumption of vitamin E either from diet or vitamin supplements may lower the risk of liver cancer, according to a study published July 17 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

19 Jul 2012

NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Lung Cancer Screening now available free of charge

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), with the support of the NCCN Foundation and Lung Cancer Alliance, announces the latest addition to the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients, patient-friendly translations of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

19 Jul 2012

HCV infections can lead to increased mortality from liver disease or variety of other causes

In a long-term study of people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), researchers found increased deaths from both liver-related and non-liver related diseases in patients with active infections who had not cleared their infection.

19 Jul 2012

Hospital performance at mercy of stroke severity

Accounting for stroke severity has a major impact on the accuracy of models that rank the performance of hospitals in acute stroke care, show findings published in JAMA.

18 Jul 2012

Vaccination more reliable than observation for bovine herpesvirus

Vaccination halts the circulation of bovine herpesvirus type 1 in dairy herds and should been seen as the best way to eradicate the virus, despite it disappearing without intervention in some herds after long periods, report researchers in the Veterinary Record.

18 Jul 2012

BD II patients show altered brain activity during emotion processing

Depressed patients with bipolar II disorder show reduced activation and altered connectivity in brain regions associated with working memory and emotional learning, US researchers report.

18 Jul 2012