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Dobkin's technique delays brain damage in heart attack victims

After a heart attack and the victim stops breathing, a process of irreversible brain damage starts to occur within 3 to 4 minutes. Or does it?

8 Dec 2010

First standard-of-care guidelines for children with congenital muscular dystrophy

In 2008, Eunice and Andrew Kim were facing a situation that would bewilder any parents: Two expert pediatric surgeons were giving opposing advice about treatment for their daughter.

8 Dec 2010

Music benefits patients on mechanical ventilation

The benefits of listening to music for patients on mechanical ventilation was revealed in a systematic review by a team of Cochrane researchers led by Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions associate professor Dr. Joke Bradt. The review found that listening to music may relax patients and potentially result in fewer complications.

4 Dec 2010

Exposure to polluted air leads to accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, according to new research.

3 Dec 2010

CAIRE enters definitive agreement to acquire SeQual

Chart Industries, Inc. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, CAIRE Inc., which operates under its BioMedical segment, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SeQual Technologies Inc. for approximately $40 million, plus the possibility of up to $20 million of additional future payments contingent on SeQual's financial performance over a two-year period post-closing.

From CAIRE Inc 2 Dec 2010

CSC files IND application to commence Phase I study for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

California Stem Cell, Inc. (CSC) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) announced today that CSC has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to commence a Phase I safety study on a jointly-developed stem cell-derived motor neuron transplantation therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I.

2 Dec 2010

Common sleep complaints predict development of metabolic syndrome: Study

A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that loud snoring and two common insomnia symptoms difficulty falling asleep and unrefreshing sleep each significantly predicted the development of the metabolic syndrome. The study emphasizes the importance of screening for common sleep complaints in routine clinical practice.

1 Dec 2010

Increased staffing enhances patient survival in medical ICU

In a first-of-its-kind study to measure the impact of the highest recommended specialist staffing levels in an intensive care unit, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that increased staffing by specially trained physicians and other health care professionals can enhance patient survival and enable patients to breathe sooner without assistance. The results of the study have been released online ahead of print in the journal Critical Care Medicine.

30 Nov 2010

People with OSA are prone to develop atherosclerosis: Study

People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder associated with obesity, have more non-calcified or "bad" plaque in their coronary arteries, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2010

Whooping cough outbreak in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is witnessing an outbreak of whooping cough with more people falling ill. Health authorities are urging all people over 7 years of age to get vaccinated against the disease.

28 Nov 2010

Pollen burst leads to 10 year spike in asthma cases

Melbourne hospitals are flooded with patients with respiratory problems in a phenomenon experts have described as “thunderstorm asthma”.

25 Nov 2010

NC family hopes to win Pepsi Refresh Project grant to fund research for Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood

A Rolesville, NC family is hoping to win the Pepsi Refresh Project that could help to find a cure for a rare neurological disorder for which there is no current cure. Matthew Wuchich, age 3, was diagnosed with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood or AHC when he was 18 months old. Winning the grant is important to the family and to others with the disease since rare diseases often are overlooked by more common ailments.

23 Nov 2010

New editorial dispel doubts about Lou Gehrig's ALS diagnosis

A recent study suggesting that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be attributed to repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports lacks scientific epidemiological evidence to support this claim.

20 Nov 2010

Tips to improve obese children's surgical outcomes and health

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is taking action to educate parents about the increased risk of complications faced by obese children undergoing anesthesia. The number of obese children has doubled in the past two decades and tripled among adolescents and the ASA encourages parents to help improve both the surgical outcomes and long-term health of America's youth.

20 Nov 2010

Simple strategies to cope with holiday stress

Dr. Richard Blonna, author, life coach, and stress management expert, offers five simple strategies for managing holiday stress. His approach to managing the worry and anxiety associated with holiday stress is adapted from his new book, Stress Less, Live More; How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Can Help You Live a Busy Yet Balanced Life.

20 Nov 2010

Scientists solve receptor structure that responds to neurotransmitter dopamine

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has solved the structure of one of the receptors that responds to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Although dopamine transmission is essential to normal brain functioning, the biological assembly of the molecules involved in this crucial neuronal interplay had not been known until now.

19 Nov 2010

Low allergenic wines with less potential to trigger allergy symptoms

Scientists have identified a mysterious culprit that threatens headaches, stuffy noses, skin rash and other allergy symptoms when more than 500 million people worldwide drink wine. The discovery could help winemakers in developing the first low allergenic vintages - reds and whites with less potential to trigger allergy symptoms, they say. The new study appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

18 Nov 2010

COPD Biomarkers Qualification Consortium launched

The COPD Foundation announces the launch of an unprecedented collaborative effort to pool information on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): the COPD Biomarkers Qualification Consortium (CBQC). The CBQC brings together government agencies, academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies that will share research data on COPD biomarkers—indicators of disease progression/severity.

18 Nov 2010

Study shows end-of-life care varies widely

A new study released by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care finds that "America's hospitals treat patients with life-ending cancers very differently in their final months, with some deploying chemotherapy and other life-prolonging efforts until the end and others directing most of their patients into hospice," reports Kaiser Health News. The aggressive care may not be best for patients, and hospice may be a "more humane way to die," the report argues. A point the report doesn't address: that aggressive treatment "also adds to the drain on Medicare's pocketbook."

18 Nov 2010

Study reveals very high cumulative estimated effective doses to patients undergoing MPI

Multiple testing with the cardiac diagnostic imaging technique of myocardial perfusion imaging is common, and in many patients is associated with a high cumulative estimated radiation dose, according to a study in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2010