Heart patients take their meds, but won’t exercise
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Older patients with heart failure are more likely to take their medications as directed and to keep their office appointments, but they are less likely to follow advice to exercise and to check their weight regularly, according to a new study. Depression, the authors suggest, may contribute to the patients’ lack of compliance.
Non-compliance with heart failure medication and diet recommendations contributes to worsening symptoms, leading to hospitalization in many instances. To pinpoint patient-related factors that influence compliance with heart failure regimens, Dr. Martje H. L. van der Wal from University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, and colleagues surveyed 501 older heart failure patients.
Intensive care innovations win Microsoft award
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An academic team which includes key researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Hull has taken both first and second prizes, in a nationwide innovation competition run by Microsoft.
Dr Paul Dark, a Clinical Lecturer in Intensive Care Medicine from Manchester Medical School based at Hope Hospital, and Drs John Purdy and Rob Miles of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hull, mentored and supported students to develop innovative, software-based products to support intensive care. The students then entered their ideas into Microsoft’s Imagine Cup, a technological ‘Olympic games’ which sets top young technologists from around the globe on the world’s toughest problems.
Egyptian program to eliminate elephantiasis successful
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Organizers of a 20-year global effort to eliminate a parasitic infection that is a leading cause of disability have an early victory to savor: a five-year Egyptian elimination campaign has mostly succeeded, according to a new report in the March 25 issue of The Lancet. Infection with the parasites, threadlike filarial worms, can lead to the dramatic, disfiguring swelling known as elephantiasis.
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Ain Shams University in Egypt found that after five years of annual mass treatments with two drugs, rates of filarial infection sharply declined in Egypt.
Men need more info on prostate cancer options
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When it comes to treating localized prostate cancer, treatment decisions frequently do not appear to reflect patient preferences, investigators report in an upcoming issue of Cancer.
“I think fear is a big factor, and I don’t think patients have the information to discriminate between what it means to have prostate cancer versus what it means to have other types of cancer that are more aggressive,” Dr. Steven B. Zeliadt told Reuters Health.
There is no “gold standard” for the best treatment of localized prostate cancer. The treatment choices include surgery (radical prostatectomy), X-ray therapy, implantation of radioactive pellets (brachytherapy) and “watchful waiting,” the authors of the study note. Despite a plethora of studies examining how men decide on a treatment plan when they are diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, there is no consensus on what issues actually guide their decisions.
First human implant of new style Australian artificial heart
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On 22 March 2006, a 48 year old male patient suffering NYHA Class IV Heart Failure became the first recipient of HeartWare’s HVAD mechanical circulatory assist device.
The implant was conducted at the Vienna General Hospital and the surgical team was led by Dr Georg Wieselthaler, Clinical Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support at the University of Vienna.
The successful implant marks the start of HeartWare’s CE mark clinical study. The trial protocol calls for the implantation of the device in twenty patients suffering advanced heart failure. The implants are to be conducted at the Vienna General Hospital (Austria), the Royal Perth Hospital (Australia), the Hannover Medical Centre (Germany) and Harefield Hospital (UK). HeartWare expects to complete patient enrolment in the trial by the end of 2006.
Alcohol plus energy drink only masks drunkenness
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People who combine energy drinks with their alcohol may feel more sober than they truly are, a new study suggests.
In experiments with young male volunteers, Brazilian researchers found that the men were no less impaired when they drank a mix of alcohol and the energy drink Red Bull than when they downed a standard mixed drink.
Prescription Sleep Aids Not Always Best for Insomniacs
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Studies show that many Americans are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, and an increasing number of those people are turning to fast-acting prescription sleep aids.
Seeing a doctor for an instant insomnia “cure,” however, shouldn’t be the first course of action, says a Purdue University expert.
“When new products come out on the market, doctors tend to rely upon them because samples are readily available and doctors are short on time,” says Gail Newton, an associate professor of pharmacy practice in Purdue’s School of Pharmacy.
Cystic Fibrosis Research May Benefit from New Sensing Tool
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Researchers are using an innovative, multi-functional sensing tool to investigate adenosine triposphate (ATP) release and its role in cystic fibrosis. The ATP study marks the first application of a novel sensing system developed by a research team led by Christine Kranz at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
This patented technology adds recessed micro- and nano-electrodes to the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM), creating a single tool that can simultaneously monitor topography along with electrochemical activity at the cell surface.
Clinton urges investment in disaster early warning
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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton urged the world on Monday to invest in early warning systems to prevent the massive death and destruction seen in recent earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters.
“Hazards are not disasters by definition. Hazards only become disasters when lives and livelihoods are swept away,” Clinton said in a statement before the start of the International Early Warning Conference in Bonn on Monday.
Scientists seek biotech answer to hunger
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As he pores over plant tissue and Petri dishes in a biotech seed lab in Johnston, Iowa, Luke Mehlo is half a world away from his home in South Africa.
Although the corn fields of Iowa bear little resemblance to the arid plains of Africa, the research center where Mehlo toils has become home to a unique joint venture that is merging African agricultural interests with U.S. money and technology.
The goal is to turn sorghum—a common U.S. row crop used in animal feed, cereals and industrial products—into a plant that can not only weather devastating drought but also yield a rich blend of vitamins and minerals. Researchers believe such a combination could help combat the hunger and malnutrition ravaging parts of Africa.
New glucose-monitoring system approved in US
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DexCom Inc. on Monday announced that U.S. regulators approved its glucose-monitoring system designed to diabetics manage their blood-sugar levels.
DexCom said its STS Continuous Glucose Monitoring System consists of a tiny wire-like sensor that is inserted by the patient just under the skin.
Uniting Africans to Save Women’s Lives from Postpartum Hemorrhage
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The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Africa is at crisis level. African women of reproductive age have the highest death risk from maternal causes in the world, with an average of 830 deaths per 100,000 live births. As it currently stands, the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal mortality in Africa by 75 percent by 2015 is a far-reaching target. One proven effort to close the gap is to aggressively address one of the least-discussed but largest contributors to the high MMR. Severe bleeding after childbirth, also known as postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), is the most fatal complication, accounting for at least one-quarter of maternal deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, PPH occurs in 10-15 women out of 100 giving birth in developing countries, and severe PPH that can lead to death occurs in two out of 100 women. In Africa, PPH contributes to an even higher proportion of maternal mortality. In a region where half of the women deliver without skilled providers, when PPH occurs, a great number of these women die, oftentimes leading to the death or neglect of their newborns as well.
“Maternal mortality is closely related to the accessibility of quality health care. There is an urgent need to address the overwhelming number of deaths due to PPH because most cases are preventable. We can save these women with simple PPH prevention and treatment techniques. Whether the woman gives birth in a facility with a skilled provider present or at home with a family member, we have proven methods to share in Africa that cover the range of birthing situations,” comments Dr. Koki Agarwal, Program Director, Access to Clinical and Community Maternal, Neonatal and Women’s Health Services (ACCESS).
Questions Over Accuracy of MRI in Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis
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Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: systematic review BMJ Online First
The accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not sufficient to rule in or rule out a diagnosis of MS with a high degree of certainty, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.
Noisy environment may raise heart attack risk
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Living or working in noisy surroundings may raise a person’s risk of suffering a heart attack, a new study suggests.
Researchers in Germany found that urban middle-aged adults who lived near high-traffic roads were 46 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who lived in more peaceful neighborhoods.
Similarly, men whose jobs exposed them to high noise levels were about one-third more likely to have a heart attack than their peers in quieter workplaces.
Head injury may be major risk in sport fighting
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Blows to the head often leading to concussion may be the single most common ending to “no-holds-barred” sport fighting, according to a new study.
The sport—known variously as mixed martial arts fighting, cage fighting and ultimate fighting—is basically a blend of martial arts, wrestling and street fighting. Competitions are banned in some U.S. states, but others allow them, and pay-per-view TV has brought matches to a wide audience.
Critics call the sport barbaric, as fighters try to knock each other out with punches, elbow strikes, choke holds and body throws, to name a few maneuvers. Defenders say no-holds-barred fighting is as legitimate as other combat sports, with one argument being that boxing is more likely to cause serious head trauma.
