After a heart attack, cardiovascular health and even survival can be improved by intensive dietary therapy and early dosing with a medication that blocks the harmful hormonal effects in the heart, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 56th annual Scientific Session in New Orleans.
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Satellite solutions delivering information and communication technologies can help improve health in sub-Saharan Africa; this was the main conclusion of a dedicated telemedicine task force which met recently in Botswana. To make these solutions a reality, some short-term, concrete actions have been suggested in a pilot projects proposal.
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Platinum outweighs gold in the jewelry market, but as part of an ongoing effort to produce efficient and affordable fuel cells, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory are using gold atoms to enhance the value of the pricier metal. Specifically, they’re studying how gold can prevent the destruction of platinum in the chemical reactions in fuel cells.
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Researchers are searching for new methods and therapies to reduce infarct size and improve blood flow to the heart muscle in patients who experience myocardial infarction (MI), or heart attack. In a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit in New Orleans, La., a team from the Duke Clinical Research Institute presented the results from a Phase 1 study evaluating a novel protein kinase C inhibitor.
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Young children’s “self regulation” abilities, such as shifting and focusing attention, have been found to account for greater variation in early academic success than measures of intelligence. This study examined how the development of self-regulation is associated with emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. One particular aspect of self-regulation was particularly associated with early ability in math. Some children may be at risk of early school failure due to slower development of self-regulation abilities.
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A new study suggests that people whose diets contain dramatically more of one kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid than another may be at greater risk for both clinical depression and certain inflammatory diseases. The report suggests that we need to balance out our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The current typical American diet contains 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3, a ratio that researchers say should be lowered to 4-to-1, or even 2-to-1.
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Although it’s been more than a year since Mount Augustine had its memorable eruption, work continues for University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers. Researchers recorded a “spectacular lightning sequence” during a volcanic eruption.
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A study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy provides the best available evidence that cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) — one of the most common and increasing types of hospital-acquired infection — can be reduced in hospital wards if doctors prescribe narrow-spectrum antibiotics rather than broad-spectrum agents.
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Flourine-labeled nanoparticles could soon allow researchers and physicians to directly track cells used in medical treatments using unique signatures from the nanoparticle beacons. The nanoparticles are readily ingested by living cells and allow the cells to be easily and specifically located with MRI scanners once injected into an organism.
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Mounting evidence shows that a tumor’s growth and spread may depend on “cancer stem cells,” which comprise only a very small subset of the tumor. A new study by Rockefeller University scientists shows that immunity to cancer stem cells may help protect people with a precancerous condition from developing the full-blown disease, and that these cells could be an important target for cancer vaccines.
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