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Dartmouth-Hitchcock research offers new hope for PAD sufferers

Lebanon, NH - Research led by vascular surgeons at Dartmouth-Hitchcock may offer new hope to sufferers of peripheral artery disease, the cause of nearly 60,000 lower-limb amputations annually, through the use of a patient's own stem cells.

Richard J. Powell MD, chief of vascular surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, is the principal investigator on a national study – involving 550 patients at 80 sites around the country – of so-called "no option" patients, for whom the disease is so advanced that amputation is the only available treatment.

Long-term outcome similar with thrombus aspiration and stents in PCI

New research confirms thrombus aspiration (TA) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) provides long-term outcomes similar to conventional intervention with bare-metal or drug-eluting stents.

Low-dose whole-body CT finds disease missed on standard imaging for patients with multiple myeloma

Low dose whole body CT is nearly four times better than radiographic skeletal survey, the standard of care in the U.S., for determining the extent of disease in patients with multiple myeloma, a new study shows.

Study questions the relevance of benchmarks among CABG patients receiving insulin infusions

Boston – Cardiothoracic surgeons and endocrinologists from Boston Medical Center (BMC) have found that among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, achieving Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) benchmarks for glycemic control may be irrelevant when perioperative continuous insulin infusion protocols are implemented. These findings will be presented at the Annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery on May 1 in San Francisco, CA.

Gene mutation leads to impairment of 2 senses: Touch and hearing

People with good hearing also have a keen sense of touch; people with impaired hearing generally have an impaired sense of touch. Extensive data supporting this hypothesis was presented by Dr. Henning Frenzel and Professor Gary R. Lewin of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany. The two researchers showed that both senses – hearing and touch – have a common genetic basis.

Examination of registered clinical trials suggests weakness in size and methodology of many studies

CHICAGO – Clinical studies registered in clinicaltrials.gov between 2007-2010 are dominated by small, single-center trials and contain significant heterogeneity (different in nature, difficult to compare) in methodological approaches, including the use of randomization, blinding, and data monitoring committees, according to a study in the May 2 issue of JAMA.

Protections needed for some people who say no to research, study concludes

(Garrison, NY) Although federal regulations provide protections for people who participate in research, protections are also needed for some people who decline to participate and may face harmful repercussions as a result, concludes an article in IRB: Ethics & Human Research.

Hepatitis C drug can cause depression

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- There's a high rate of depression among patients with hepatitis C, but a standard treatment for the disease includes a drug, interferon, that can cause depression.

In a review article, researchers tackle the complexities of diagnosing and managing depression before and after initiating treatment with interferon.

Dr. Murali S. Rao of Loyola University Medical Center is a co-author of the study, published in the International Journal of Interferon, Cytokine and Mediator Research.

Bigger gorillas better at attracting mates and raising young

Conservationists with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have found that larger male gorillas living in the rainforests of Congo seem to be more successful than smaller ones at attracting mates and even raising young.

The study—conducted over a 12-year period in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo—helps to illuminate the selective pressures that influence the evolution of great apes.

With climate and vegetation data, UCSB geographers closer to predicting droughts in Africa

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– What might happen if droughts were predicted months ahead of time? Food aid and other humanitarian efforts could be put together sooner and executed better, say UC Santa Barbara geographers Chris Funk, Greg Husak, and Joel Michaelsen. After over a decade of gathering and analyzing climate and vegetation data from East Africa, the researchers, who are part of the U.S.

Interpreting the Avastin-Lucentis study for persons with macular degeneration

Clarksburg, MD—This week, the second-year results of an important clinical trial on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), known as the Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (or CATT), were published in the journal Ophthalmology. Researchers found that two drugs known as Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lucentis (ranibizumab), commonly used to treat the wet form of AMD, were similarly effective in maintaining vision.

Sports and energy drinks responsible for irreversible damage to teeth

CHICAGO (May 1, 2012)—A recent study published in the May/June 2012 issue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, found that an alarming increase in the consumption of sports and energy drinks, especially among adolescents, is causing irreversible damage to teeth—specifically, the high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel, the glossy outer layer of the tooth.

Stun guns not safe for citizens, but benefit police, study finds

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The use of stun guns by police significantly increases the chances of citizen injury, yet also protects the officers more than other restraint methods, according to the most comprehensive research to date into the safety of stun guns in a law enforcement setting.

New study challenges current thinking on risk factors for contrast induced nephrotoxicity

Contrary to current belief, a new study finds that patients with a history of diabetes are not one of the most at risk for contrast induced nephrotoxicity. Instead, the study found that patients with a history of renal disease, hypertension and/or heart disease are more likely to suffer from renal insufficiency, putting them at greater risk for contrast induced nephrotoxicity.

Key lessons from history on alcohol taxes

Steep rises in taxes on alcohol do not necessarily reduce consumption, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) into the history of intoxicants in 16th and 17th England.

Dr Philip Withington at the University of Cambridge has found that affluence rather than poverty has tended to drive consumption levels, especially among the middle classes and higher,even though legislation and enforcement is often focused on the poorer parts of the population.