Culture | Page 1829 | Science Codex

CPR by medics: Keep pumping or stop for rescue breathing?

Continuous chest compressions during out-of-hospital CPR by emergency medical responders did not offer survival advantages, when compared to interrupting manual chest pumping to perform rescue breathing. Nor were continuous chest compressions better in protecting brain function among those who survived the cardiac arrest and were later discharged from a hospital.

These unexpected findings come from the largest study so far of emergency medical services responses at the scene of adult cardiac arrests not caused by trauma.

The art of appropriate patient selection for heart procedures

A decline in the number of heart patients undergoing unnecessary PCI (angioplasty) procedures reflects improvements in clinical decision-making and documentation to determine which patients benefit most from the procedure, according to new findings by Yale School of Medicine researchers.

The study, which examines how clinical practice has changed since the release of appropriate use criteria, is published in the Nov. 9 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

New study finds testosterone replacement therapy does not increase heart risk

A new study of generally healthy men who used testosterone replacement therapy to normalize testosterone levels has found that taking supplemental testosterone does not increase their risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City studied 1,472 men between the ages of 52 and 63 who had low testosterone levels and no prior history of heart disease. The men were patients at Intermountain Healthcare hospitals.

Researchers find link between specific vitamin D levels and heart problems

A lack of vitamin D can result in weak bones. Recent studies also show that vitamin D deficiency is linked to more serious health risks such as coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

And now, a new study shows what level of deficiency puts someone at risk of developing these heart problems.

Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City have found that patients are fine from a heart standpoint, and may need no further treatment, if their vitamin D level is anywhere above 15 nanograms per milliliter.

Rice U. paper: End 'stem cell tourism'

HOUSTON - (Nov. 9, 2015) - The continued marketing and use of experimental stem cell-based interventions inside and outside the United States is problematic and unsustainable, according to a new paper by science policy and bioethics experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and Wake Forest University. Disillusioned patients, tired of waiting for the cures they were promised, are seeking unproven stem cell-based treatments that are causing more harm than good, said the experts, who argue that public policy is needed to reduce this form of "stem cell tourism."

Earliest church in the tropics unearthed in former heart of Atlantic slave trade

Archaeologists from the University of Cambridge have unearthed the earliest known European Christian church in the tropics on one of the Cabo Verde islands, 500km off the coast of West Africa, where the Portuguese established a stronghold to start the first commerce with Africa south of the Sahara. This turned into a global trade in African slaves from the 16th century, in which Cabo Verde played a central part as a major trans-shipment centre.

New study: Leading cause of blindness could be prevented or delayed

Clarksburg MD - In a major scientific breakthrough, a drug used to treat Parkinson's and related diseases may be able to delay or prevent macular degeneration, the most common form of blindness among older Americans.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Medicine, are a groundbreaking effort in the fight against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects as many as 11 million Americans. AMD hinders central vision, and even when it does not lead to blindness it can severely reduce the ability to read, drive, and recognize faces.

Samumed announces modulation of Wnt pathway for potential cartilage regeneration

SAN FRANCISCO--November 9, 2015--At the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Meeting, Samumed unveiled groundbreaking pre-clinical and clinical research that demonstrated successful modulation of the Wnt pathway for potential applications in regenerative medicine. Samumed researchers have developed an injectable investigational drug that inhibits the Wnt pathway, causing endogenous stem cells to regenerate knee cartilage in animals.

Steps forward in the hunt for easily measurable biomarkers of autism

Future Science Group (FSG) today announced the publication of a new article in Future Science OA, reporting data demonstrating the possibility of measuring 10 biomarkers relevant to autism spectrum disorder in adult saliva.

Diabetes drug reduces risk of heart failure and may prevent it, study shows

New Haven, Conn.--For the first time, research shows that a type 2 diabetes drug significantly reduces hospitalizations and death from heart failure.

The findings, from a large clinical trial known as EMPA-REG OUTCOME, were presented by Yale professor of medicine and clinical chief of endocrinology, Dr. Silvio E. Inzucchi, at the 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Session in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 9.

Complement activation predicts pregnancy complications in women with lupus

For years doctors have been advising patients with lupus not to get pregnant. It was assumed that the likelihood of pregnancy complications was too high in this population. However, ongoing work by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is helping identify those lupus patients who are - and aren't - at increased risk of problem pregnancies.

Vanilla yogurt makes us feel happy, suggests research

Amsterdam, November 9, 2015 - We all know what it's like to take a bite of something expecting one taste and getting another - it can be an enjoyable or disgusting experience. New research published in Food Research International reveals that being pleasantly surprised or disappointed with a food product can actually change a person's mood.

In first real-world example, Penn study shows mechanical and manual CPR produce equivalent survival rates for cardiac arrest pat

ORLANDO -- Mechanical CPR, in which a device is used by Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers to deliver automated chest compressions during cardiac arrest resuscitation care, is associated with an equivalent survival rate for patients experiencing cardiac arrest outside of the hospital as manual CPR, according to new findings from a team of researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Partners of heart defibrillator patients concerned about resuming sex

ORLANDO, Florida, Nov. 9 2015 -- Intimate partners of people with heart defibrillators are more concerned about resuming sexual activity than the patients immediately after the device is implanted, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) deliver an electric shock to the heart to correct life threatening heart beats.

Coronary angioplasties classified as inappropriate reduced since guidelines published

Nihar R. Desai, M.D., M.P.H., of the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and colleagues examined trends in percutaneous coronary intervention use, patient selection, and procedural appropriateness following the introduction of Appropriate Use Criteria. This JAMA study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.