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Cardiac arrest sudden death: The seven warning signs

As Americans look to keep their fitness resolutions and increase their physical activity, Dr. Bing Liem, cardiologist and electrophysiologist at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., is hoping to raise awareness of a critical but rare heart condition: congenital malformations of the heart or vascular system, which is to blame for the majority of sudden cardiac deaths in athletes under the age of 40.

2 Feb 2010

U.S. government resumes medical evacuations from Haiti; new food voucher distribution targeting women begins

"The U.S. government said on Sunday it would resume military evacuation flights" within 12 hours for critically ill and injured Haitians who were harmed in the Jan. 12 earthquake, Reuters reports (Rosenberg/Brown, 1/31). Medical evacuations had been suspended for a few days, but the reason for the suspension "is unclear as various government authorities have provided different explanations," the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Feb 2010

ADT can worsen heart risk factors and may increase the risk of heart attack

Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), commonly used to treat prostate cancer, can worsen heart risk factors and may increase the risk of heart attack and/or cardiac death, although the relationship between ADT and heart attack or cardiac death has not been definitively established, according to a science advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

2 Feb 2010

PET for children: CHOP-Penn researchers study reduction in radiation dosage

Studies have shown positron emission tomography's (PET) value as a minimally invasive, painless and safe diagnostic tool for many pediatric conditions. In a study published in the February issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM), researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) gathered data that may provide clinicians with new formulas-specific to pediatrics-to calculate the amount of radiotracer that should be injected based on the patient's weight.

2 Feb 2010

Loyola surgeon performs complicated laparoscopic procedure

Mild cases of diverticulitis can be treated with changes in diet, rest and antibiotics. However, Bunch's condition was more serious and the chances of recurrences were high. Her doctors at Loyola University Health System said her best option would be surgery to remove the inflamed section of colon.

2 Feb 2010

Smoking cessation increases cardiac health later in life

Smoking affects your cardiac health both before and after a major event like a heart attack. But how much? And does cutting back instead of quitting have a positive effect as well?

2 Feb 2010

GMC designated as NMDP collection site to collect bone marrow from willing donors

Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) was recently designated a National Marrow Donation Program (NMDP) collection site, becoming the only site in the region to collect bone marrow or blood stem cells from willing donors.

2 Feb 2010

Professional Products unveils Shoulder Stabilizing Orthosis for athletes

The most unstable joint in the body, the shoulder, is most at risk for dislocation and subluxations. Current shoulder supports immobilize a patient's shoulder.

2 Feb 2010

Nursing jobs no longer recession-proof

"A few years ago, hospitals were offering nurses $10,000 signing bonuses, loan payoffs, even cars as incentives to battle a nursing shortage in Texas. Today, some nursing school graduates say they're fortunate to find a job," The Star-Telegram reports. "Three years ago there were three job offers for every graduate, said Dr. Pamela Frable, director of nursing at Texas Christian University's Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. But at graduation last summer, there were more students without a job than ever before.

2 Feb 2010

Finger and thumb injuries account for majority of pediatric traumatic amputations

According to a new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, there were more than 950 cases of traumatic amputations among children aged 17 years and younger in the United States in 2003. Of these cases, finger and thumb amputations accounted for the majority of the injuries (64 percent).

2 Feb 2010

Study could help in developing therapeutic strategies for Chikungunya virus infection

A study published online on February 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org) shows that antiviral proteins called type I interferons (IFNs) are needed to fend off infection with an exotic mosquito-borne virus called Chikungunya virus.

2 Feb 2010

Serious liver disorder associated with use of HIV drug, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, a rare, but serious, liver disorder, has been reported in some HIV patients taking Videx/Videx EC (didanosine).

2 Feb 2010

Researchers identify antiviral small molecule that is effective against numerous viruses

Viruses are insidious creatures. They differ from each other in many ways, and they can mutate - at times seemingly at will, as with HIV - to resist a host of weapons fired at them. Complicating matters further is that new viruses are constantly emerging.

2 Feb 2010

Stem Cell Therapy International completes merger with Histostem of South Korea

Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. announced that it has completed its merger with Histostem Ltd. of South Korea ("Histostem"), forming one of the first fully merged Pacific Rim stem cell companies and cord blood repositories with a U.S. entity.

2 Feb 2010

TOPICA's IND for onychomycosis antifungal agent accepted by FDA

TOPICA Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held biotechnology company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the use of luliconazole, its lead product candidate, in patients with onychomycosis (nail and nail bed fungal infections).

1 Feb 2010

Ecolab launches EnCompass Environmental Hygiene program to improve patient room hygiene

Ecolab Inc. today announced the launch of its new EnCompass™ Environmental Hygiene program, a comprehensive clinical program that helps hospitals improve patient room hygiene and prevent the spread of infections.

1 Feb 2010

Researchers design bioactive nanomaterial that promotes cartilage growth

Northwestern University researchers are the first to design a bioactive nanomaterial that promotes the growth of new cartilage in vivo and without the use of expensive growth factors. Minimally invasive, the therapy activates the bone marrow stem cells and produces natural cartilage.

1 Feb 2010

University of Pittsburgh awarded $3.5M NIH grant for WaferGen Biosystems's SmartChip Real-Time PCR System

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genetic analysis systems, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a grant to the University of Pittsburgh that includes funding of $350,000 over the grant period for WaferGen's SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR System. The researchers will conduct novel gene expression research in the areas of advanced lung disease and asthma and will use the SmartChip system as the key platform for high throughput validation.

1 Feb 2010

BioBehavioral Diagnostics completes $10M Series B financing round

BioBehavioral Diagnostics (BioBDx), a privately held company which manufactures and markets the Quotient™ ADHD System, a tool that aids in the objective and accurate assessment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), announced today the first close of a $10 million Series B financing.

1 Feb 2010

Congress faces one-month deadline on doctor payment fix

The doctor payment fix and several marketplace issues, such as insurance red tape and malpractice cases, continue to loom while health care reform efforts stall.

1 Feb 2010