A simple new rule can help primary care physicians rule out coronary heart disease in patients with chest pain, states a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj100212.pdf.
Chest pain is common, yet it is challenging for primary care physicians to reliably identify serious cardiac disease while protecting patients from unnecessary interventions.
Antibody-producing B cells promote atherosclerosis in mice, according to a study to be published online on July 5th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org) These findings came as a surprise, as prior studies had suggested that B cells help protect against the disease.
Durham, NC — Saber-toothed cats may be best known for their supersized canines, but they also had exceptionally strong forelimbs for pinning prey before delivering the fatal bite, says a new study in the journal PLoS ONE.
Complications shortly after a stroke deprive patients of about two years of healthy life — in addition to the toll of stroke, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Findings from the Complication in Acute Stroke Study (COMPASS) are based on data from more than 1,200 patients (average age 66) treated at four South Korean university hospitals in 2004-05. All patients had an acute ischemic stroke, which results when a blood vessel supplying the brain is blocked.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The quality of online information about the most common sports medicine diagnoses varies widely, according to a study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Therefore, patients who use the Internet to help make medical decisions need to know that the web may not be giving the whole picture.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 02, 2010 -- Using ever-growing genome data, scientists with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee are tracing the evolution of the bacterial regulatory system that controls cellular motility, potentially giving researchers a method for predicting important cellular functions that will impact both medical and biotechnology research.
DURHAM, N.C.—A personalized approach to smoking cessation therapy is quickly taking shape. New evidence from Duke University Medical Center and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggests that combining information about a smoker's genetic makeup with his or her smoking habits can accurately predict which nicotine replacement therapy will work best.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet recommends a new routine for protection against infection when percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), a tube for feeding directly through the abdominal wall, is surgically inserted in the stomach. The new routine is both simpler and cheaper than the one used today. The method, presented in the British Medical Journal, has been clinically tested on over 200 patients at the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Stockholm County, Sweden.
(WASHINGTON, July 1, 2010) – Allogeneic (donor-derived) stem cell transplant (alloSCT) may be a promising option for patients with treatment-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), regardless of the patient's underlying genetic abnormalities, according to the results of a study published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. About 15,000 new CLL cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2009 and about 4,000 deaths were documented (according to the American Cancer Society).
PASADENA, Calif.—When does a cell decide its particular identity? According to biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in the case of T cells—immune system cells that help destroy invading pathogens—the answer is when the cells begin expressing a particular gene called Bcl11b.
(WASHINGTON, July 1, 2010) – Older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a history of heart disease face a high risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after completing treatment, according to research published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. HL is a form of cancer of arising in the lymph nodes, and approximately 8,500 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2009, according to the American Cancer Society.
"The negative effect of high temperature does not operate in Cane Toads, meaning that toads will do very well with human induced global warming", explains Professor Frank Seebacher from the University of Sydney.
Unlike fish and other cold-blooded creatures, whose oxygen transport system suffers at high temperatures, the cardiovascular system (heart and lungs) of Cane Toads performs more efficiently.
The researchers present their new findings at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague on Friday 2nd July 2010.
People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that cutting back on foods and beverages containing a lot of fructose (sugar) might decrease one's risk of developing hypertension.
Older adults taking the antibiotic combination trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX)—widely prescribed for urinary tract infections—are at increased risk of elevated potassium levels, called hyperkalemia, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). "We found a significant risk of severe hyperkalemia associated with TMP-SMX," comments Matthew A. Weir, MD (London Health Science Centre).