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Study shows that steroids target hemangioma stem cells

Hemangiomas -- strawberry-like birthmarks that commonly develop in early infancy - are generally harmless, but up to 10 percent cause tissue distortion or destruction and sometimes obstruction of vision or breathing. Since the 1960s, problematic hemangiomas have been treated with corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or prednisone.

19 Mar 2010

Evaluating functional significance of blockages in cardiac blood vessels with formulas from fluid mechanics

Improved care for cardiac patients and people with coronary artery disease is the goal of a new pilot study being led by engineering and medical researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.

18 Mar 2010

Modulating body's inflammatory response may help fight serious infection

Treating virulent influenza, sepsis, and other potentially deadly infections long has focused on looking for ways to kill viruses and bacteria. But new research from the University of Utah and Utah State University shows that modulating the body's own overeager inflammatory response to infection may help save more lives.

18 Mar 2010

Researchers find retinoic acid regulates SHF tissue formation

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have identified a key cellular mechanism that guides embryonic heart tissue formation-a process which, if disrupted, can lead to a number of common congenital heart defects.

18 Mar 2010

Bone marrow stem cells offer potential treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease

Bone marrow stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles dramatically improve the body's ability to build new blood vessels in the upper leg-providing a potential future treatment for those with peripheral arterial disease or PAD, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

18 Mar 2010

Liver cancer: Treatment with intra-arterial yttrium-90 microspheres promising

An interventional radiology treatment-the use of intra-arterial yttrium-90 microspheres for liver cancer (also known as hepatocellular carcinoma)-shows promise in prolonging life for many patients with this devastating condition, according to researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

17 Mar 2010

Patent applications continue to alter medical landscape to improve patient care

Over the past 40 years, more than 2,400 patents and patent applications-pioneering modern medicine with the devices and drugs that advance minimally invasive treatments-have been filed by members of the Society of Interventional Radiology.

17 Mar 2010

New clinical guidelines: Early diagnosis and treatment of TAD can save lives

When actor John Ritter died suddenly in 2003 from a tear in his thoracic aorta-the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body-that tragedy brought attention to a rare but deadly condition that takes the lives of an estimated 10,000 Americans each year.

17 Mar 2010

Novel procedure opens door to new and future treatment for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer-known as the most fatal cancer with no known effective treatment-requires a radical new therapy. A promising approach may come in the form of tiny gold nanoparticles-loaded with a therapeutic agent to kill cancer-in a novel procedure called "nanoembolization," said researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

17 Mar 2010

Obesity and passive smoking are risk factors for elevated umbilical cord neonatal immature

Babies born to mothers with obesity and exposed to passive smoking are more likely to have health problems than others. This conclusion is based on evidence of elevated levels of nucleated red blood cells in the umbilical cord reported in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health.

17 Mar 2010

Mortality in CAD patients: Key predictor identified

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) hospitalizes more than 160,000 Canadians every year, and almost one quarter of those patients die from this common form of heart disease. But now a team of Vancouver-based researchers has identified a key predictor of mortality in CAD patients, which means that specialists can better determine how to treat and improve outcomes for patients with CAD.

16 Mar 2010

Study reveals comparable fertility rates between UFE and surgical myomectomy

Uterine fibroid embolization, a minimally invasive interventional radiology procedure that blocks blood supply to treat painful uterine fibroids, has a comparable fertility rate to myomectomy, the surgical removal of uterine fibroids, for women who want to conceive, according to the first study on the subject released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

16 Mar 2010

Research suggests anti-cancer drugs can help treat infectious diseases

Drugs increasingly used to treat cancer could have a major impact on a wide range of infectious diseases, according to new research.

16 Mar 2010

Endobronchial ultrasound: More precise and less invasive than other lung cancer staging methods

A new technique being used by thoracic surgeons at Rush University Medical Center offers a more precise, less invasive and more versatile way of assessing a patient's lymph nodes and chest tumors to determine if lung cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

16 Mar 2010

Vitamin D supplements might do more harm than good for African-American patients

Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "go-to" remedy for treating a wide range of illnesses, from osteoporosis to atherosclerosis. However, new evidence from a Wake Forest University School of Medicine study suggests that supplementing vitamin D in those with low levels may have different effects based on patient race and, in black individuals, the supplement could actually do harm.

16 Mar 2010

Drug-eluting stents offer new hope to patients with critical limb ischemia

In the United States, more than 100,000 amputations are performed each year on individuals with critical limb ischemia, the most severe form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The number one priority in treating these patients is to re-establish blood flow to avoid limb amputation.

16 Mar 2010

Researchers discover microtentacles that play key role in spreading cancer to distant locations in body

Researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center have discovered that "microtentacles," or extensions of the plasma membrane of breast cancer cells, appear to play a key role in how cancers spread to distant locations in the body. Targeting these microtentacles might prove to be a new way to prevent or slow the growth of these secondary cancers, the scientists say.

15 Mar 2010

Study finds new way to reduce risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in newborns

Hospitals may reduce the risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in newborns with peripherally inserted central venous catheters by replacing the device every 30 days or so, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study.

15 Mar 2010

Military surgeons update management of high-energy knee injuries

The ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in uniquely destructive patterns of combat injuries, including limb-threatening injuries to the knee. In the March special issue of Techniques in Knee Surgery military surgeons serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom share their experience with managing these high-energy injuries of the knee. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

15 Mar 2010

VEGF-B protein can control levels of FATPs in vascular wall: Study

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that the blood vessels and muscles of the heart can regulate the uptake of fatty acids that we ingest through meat, milk products and other food. The researchers behind the study have also identified the way in which regulation is governed by the muscles themselves.

15 Mar 2010