Clinicians should use echocardiography, an ultrasound that shows the heart’s structure and function, when determining whether patients with heart failure and a leaking heart valve are likely to benefit from valve repair, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session. The new study offers…
Calcium in arteries is shown to increase patients’ imminent risk of a heart attack
About six million people come into an emergency department every year with chest pain, but not all of them are having a heart attack — and many are not even at risk or are at very low risk for having one. Now, a new research study presented at the American…
New cholesterol-lowering drug could help patients unable to take statins
A new class of oral cholesterol-lowering drug could help patients unable to take statins due to side effects. The findings come from the largest study to date to test the effectiveness and safety of bempedoic acid, an oral medication — yet to be approved in Europe — which inhibits the…
Non-invasive imaging technique valid for identifying small airway disease in lung: Discovery holds promise for developing urgently needed new therapies in COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory disease of the small airways in the lungs, affects 16 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Identifying small airway disease in its earliest stages, when…
Hip replacement patients can skip hip precautions, study suggests
Low-risk patients undergoing a total hip replacement with a posterior approach can skip the standard hip precautions currently recommended for post-surgical recovery, according to a new study conducted at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), in New York City. Eliminating standard precautions in this population did not increase the risk of…
Potential way to improve cancer surgery outcomes by managing nontraditional risk factors: Depression, lack of coping strategies, availability of patient’s ’emergency’ resources tied to complications
In a study of 142 patients preparing for cancer surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have evidence that psychological or social risk factors such as depression, limited resilience and lack of emergency resources along with standard medical risk factors such as high blood pressure or diabetes are linked with…
How the microbiota controls neutrophil activity
A host protein called Serum Amyloid A (Saa) is a major factor mediating the effects of the microbiota on the function of immune cells called neutrophils, according to a study published March 7 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by John Rawls of Duke University School of Medicine, and colleagues….
Drug interactions in ER’s common but preventable
In a recent Rutgers study, 38 percent of patients discharged from the emergency department had at least one drug interaction resulting from a newly prescribed medicine. The study, which was published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, identified the most common prescription drug combinations that may result in a…
Lowering lactose and carbs in milk does not help severely malnourished children
Treating hospitalized, severely malnourished children with a lactose-free, reduced-carbohydrate milk formula does not improve clinical outcomes, according to a study published February 26 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Robert Bandsma of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, James Berkley of the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme in…
What happens when sand fleas burrow in your skin?
Tungiasis, a tropical disease associated with poverty, is caused by the penetration of female sand fleas into a person’s skin, usually in their toes or feet. This week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, researchers report five cases of severe tungiasis to illustrate how the disease may develop into a life-threatening…
Air pollution increases ER visits for breathing problems: Rate depends on age, pollutant and lung disease
As levels of ozone and fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) rise, more patients end up in the ER with breathing problems, according to the largest U.S. study of air pollution and respiratory emergency room visits of patients of all ages. The study was published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American…