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Transplant survival rates decreased significantly (43%) when patients had abnormal or diseased aortic valves before receiving an LVAD

More and more, physicians are using the left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, to sustain patients who are awaiting heart transplants. The surgically implanted mechanical device takes over for weak and diseased hearts, acting as a bridge to transplant surgery.

22 Apr 2004

Expert calls for standard epinephrine doses when treating children in cardiac arrest

Medical personnel attempting to resuscitate a child in cardiac arrest should abide by epinephrine dosing levels outlined in the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines rather than giving larger amounts of the drug, says a nationally recognized pediatrician from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

22 Apr 2004

Supplements help prevent cavities in children where water quality and fluoride content is poor

Primary care clinicians who practice in areas where the water supply is deficient in fluoride should prescribe oral fluoride supplements to preschool children over the age of 6 months, according to a recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

22 Apr 2004

Genetically engineered bugs to fight cancer

GENETICALLY engineered bacteria could become the latest weapons against cancer, Cancer Research UK scientists suggest in a study published today 22nd April 2004.

22 Apr 2004

Turmeric corrects the cystic fibrosis defect

Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) and Yale University School of Medicine have found that a compound in the spice turmeric corrects the cystic fibrosis defect in mice. This research is reported in the April 23, 2004 issue of the journal Science.

22 Apr 2004

FDA recommends approval of stenting to prevent stroke

Cordis Endovascular today reported the Circulatory System Devices Panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended approval of the company's new Cordis Carotid System. Cordis Endovascular is a division of Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company.

21 Apr 2004

Teenagers being bombarded by alchohol advertising

Alcohol advertising on television, and youth exposure to it, grew substantially in 2002 from 2001, and although new industry marketing codes were announced in 2003, they will still allow for substantial youth overexposure to alcohol ads, according to a study released today by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University.

21 Apr 2004

One woman’s efforts to eliminate health disparities

In 1970, Mulva Pearson, MD, then 10 years old, left her home country of Jamaica with just the clothes on her back – not even a suitcase. Her destination: the United States, where her mother had been living in search of a better job and better life for her family.

21 Apr 2004

Curves program raises metabolic rate in overweight women

Eight research studies from a team of health and fitness experts at Baylor University found that sedentary and overweight women who followed the Curves program were able to significantly raise their resting energy expenditure (REE, also known as metabolic rate), in some cases by as much as 400 kcals/day.

21 Apr 2004

A promising new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

A promising new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine re-educates the body's immune system to prevent an attack against healthy joint tissue.

21 Apr 2004

Surviving pneumonia may only provide a short-term lease on a future healthy life

Researchers have shown that the subsequent 2 to 3 years after discharge from the hospital following treatment for pneumonia may provide only a short-term lease on a future healthy life if the patient has certain significant and independent predictors of mortality.

20 Apr 2004

Infertile couples may be unaware of multiple birth risks

Multiple births -- twins, triplets or more babies in one pregnancy -- have more risks of infant death and long-term disabilities such as cerebral palsy than births of single babies do. However, many couples seeking infertility treatments desire multiples and have poor knowledge particularly about the risks for twins, a University of Iowa study reported.

20 Apr 2004

Healthy lifestyle program to help combat obesity in children and adolescents

The Department of Pediatrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital is promoting a healthy lifestyle program among its patients and their families to help combat the growing concern with overweight and obese children and adolescents.

20 Apr 2004

Dieting greatly reduces risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes

People who severely restrict their caloric intake drastically reduce their risk of developing diabetes or clogged arteries, the precursor to a heart attack or stroke. In fact, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, some risk factors were so low they were comparable to those of people decades younger.

20 Apr 2004

Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation associated with an inherited form of motor neuron disease

Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation associated with an inherited form of motor neuron disease in which symptoms first appear in childhood or young adulthood. The finding is slated for publication in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

20 Apr 2004

FDA Approves PROSCAR® Combined With Doxazosin to Reduce the Risk of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Symptoms

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved changes to the prescribing information for PROSCAR® (finasteride) based on a landmark National Institutes of Health (NIH) study.

20 Apr 2004

Link between iron regulation and the immune system

Patients with chronic inflammatory disorders, including infections, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and cancer, commonly become anemic. The anemia can make them sicker, is sometimes severe enough to require a blood transfusion, and responds only partially to current treatments.

20 Apr 2004

Study is first to see such changes in women without high blood pressure or other diseases

Young obese women who are otherwise healthy have hearts that exhibit changes in structure and function similar to those of hypertensive patients, which may help explain links between obesity and heart failure risk, according to a new study in the April 21, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

20 Apr 2004

Researchers use MRI to capture the intricacies of speech

A team of University of Southern California researchers has brought cutting-edge imaging tools to the study of human speech, capturing the clearest moving images of the rapid vocal movements that turn sound to language.

20 Apr 2004

New developments in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

A booster dose of a substance already found in the body appears to be safe and non-toxic for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and shows signs of arresting pancreatic cancer cell growth in patients, Penn State College of Medicine researchers report.

20 Apr 2004