Culture

SAN FRANCISCO, May 5 - Atrial fibrillation patients taking warfarin, a popular anticoagulation drug, are at higher risk of developing kidney failure if anticoagulation levels are not properly managed, according to a new study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia, which means the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular pattern. Between 2.7 and 6.1 million people in the United States are living with atrial fibrillation.

In a small study that included 12 legally blind participants, use of a portable artificial vision device improved the patient's ability to perform tasks simulating those of daily living, such as reading a message on an electronic device, a newspaper article or a menu, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.

SAN FRANCISCO - Patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who receive catheter ablation to cure their abnormal heart rhythms are just as likely as non-ablated patients to develop atrial fibrillation no matter what age they receive ablation, according to a new study.

The study by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City also found that Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a long-term cause of atrial fibrillation in addition to traditional risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyles, and sleep apnea.

Orlando, Fla. - A study using a stem cell therapy to treat challenging refractory angina (RA) patients demonstrated promising results, including improved exercise time, reduced angina and reduced mortality. The RENEW results were presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2016 Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla.

Gastrointestinal graft vs. host disease (GI-GVHD) is a life threatening complication that can occur after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, a procedure that is commonly used to treat patients with leukemia. There is currently no way to predict which patients will develop GI-GVHD before the presentation of clinical symptoms. Unfortunately, the symptoms of GI-GVHD are not very specific and many patients undergo treatment for GI-GVHD in the absence of a confirmed diagnosis because the disease is so dangerous.

Orlando, Fla. - Patients treated with processed autologous adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) injected into the heart muscle demonstrated symptomatic improvement and a trend towards lower rates of heart failure hospitalizations and angina, despite no improvement in left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) or ventricular volumes. The ATHENA trial results were presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2016 Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla.

Patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of atherosclerosis and subsequent heart disease. It is not fully understood why atherosclerosis is increased with diabetes, but it has been proposed that insulin resistance in endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, promotes inflammation. In this issue of JCI Insight, a team led by George King of Harvard Medical School shows that increased insulin signaling in the endothelium of atherosclerosis-prone mice reduces development of disease and improves aorta function.

A new device that slowly releases eye medication may one day be a promising option for the many glaucoma patients who struggle with administering their own daily prescription eye drops. New research shows a medicated silicone ring that rests on the surface of the eye reduced eye pressure in glaucoma patients by about 20 percent over six months.

While dental drills, or burs, are used extensively in dentistry to mechanically prepare tooth structures for fillings, little is known about the bur debris left behind in the teeth and whether it poses potential health risks to patients.

Imaging analyses have revealed dental bur fragments of different sizes in different locations on the floor of the prepared surface of the teeth and under the filling, which places them in direct contact with the tubules and fluid within dentin. The fragments are made of tungsten carbide-cobalt, which is bio-incompatible.

People who may be exposed to trauma can train themselves to think in a way that could protect them from PTSD symptoms, according to a study from Kings College London and Oxford University.

Clinical psychologists Rachel White and Jennifer Wild wanted to test whether a way of thinking about situations called 'concrete processing' could reduce the number of intrusive memories experienced after a traumatic event. These intrusive memories are one of the core symptoms of PTSD.

A link between handedness and mathematical skills exists, but is more complex than is thought according to a study by the University of Liverpool.

The relationship between handedness and mathematical abilities is controversial. Some studies have claimed that left-handers are gifted in mathematics, and strong right-handers perform the worst in mathematical tasks. Finally, more recently, it has been proposed that ambidextrous individuals are the most disadvantaged group in terms of mathematical ability.

While it's known that metabolism slows when people diet, new research indicates that metabolism remains suppressed even when people regain much of the weight they lost while dieting.

The findings come from a study of contestants in "The Biggest Loser" television series. Despite substantial weight regain in the 6 years following participation, resting metabolic rate remained at the same low level that was measured at the end of the weight loss competition. The average rate was approximately 500 calories per day lower than expected based on individuals' body composition and age.

CHICAGO (May 5, 2016): Important information on a motor vehicle crash can help ambulance personnel and hospital staff better direct crash victims to the most appropriate care, but getting that information into a meaningful format for those personnel to use has been an ongoing challenge. Recently, a team of biomechanical specialists and clinicians at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, developed a computer algorithm that's capable of providing that information through a novel method using data from electronic data recorders (EDRs) on board cars and trucks today.

Years before inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is diagnosed and symptoms exist, biomarkers are already circulating that can help predict risk not only of disease development but also of complications, according to research published online last week, which will also appear in the June 15, 2016 print issue of Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - A smartphone app that tracks palpitations in heart patients provides comparable performance to the 14-day event monitors that are the current standard of care, according to a University at Buffalo study presented May 4th at the annual Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) meeting in San Francisco.

Throughout the two-week study, 32 patients who had had some symptoms of cardiac arrhythmias, were required to use both methods to record when they were having palpitations.