Culture

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A research network led by a Mayo Clinic physician found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function. This is the first study to systematically examine the timing and method of stem cell delivery and provides vital information for the field of cell therapy.

The results were presented this morning at the 2011 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Meeting in Orlando, Fla. They also will be published online in JAMA to coincide with the presentation.

(ORLANDO) -- Physicians may be making premature predictions about which patients are not likely to survive following cardiac arrest – and even withdrawing care -- before the window in which comatose patients who have received therapeutic hypothermia are most likely to wake up, according to two new studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

A team of researchers led by the University of Colorado Boulder has discovered the first prehistoric bronze artifact made from a cast ever found in Alaska, a small, buckle-like object found in an ancient Eskimo dwelling and which likely originated in East Asia.

New research from the University of Cincinnati brings into focus the connection between routine, police station mug shots and the marketing-savvy snapshots captured by the fashion police.

Boston, MA – The use of specific medications following a heart attack has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality, however; while highly effective, the rate of adherence to these medications is poor. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) evaluated whether eliminating co-payments for these medications would increase adherence and improve outcomes in patients who have had a heart attack.

University of Granada researchers have proven that infants born to women living in large cities are more likely to have higher weight at birth than those born to mothers living in rural areas. This is probably due to a higher exposure to xenoestrogens, a type of environmental pollutants that act like hormones. This is the first research study conducted in Spain establishing a correlation between estrogenic burden in pregnant women's placenta and a higher birth weight.

PHILADELPHIA - A recent study found no significant difference in the outcome for patients who received carotid artery stenting (CAS) at more than 30 days post-transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke versus those who received CAS at 30 days or less post-event.

Surgical literature recommends that the removal of plaque from the carotid artery take place within 14 days of a TIA or stroke for the best outcomes. However, little is known about the optimal timing of carotid artery stenting for these patients.

Policies to protect the global climate and limit global temperature rise offer the most effective entry point for achieving energy sustainability, reducing air pollution, and improving energy security, according to an article published in the latest issue of Nature Climate Change (Vol 1 Dec 2011). By adopting an integrated perspective on energy and climate policy, one that simultaneously addresses three of the key objectives for energy sustainability, major synergies and cost co-benefits can be realized.

New research into the genealogies of early human pioneers suggests that the settlers who were first to colonize a new region of the world produced more offspring than the settlers who followed them.

ORLANDO, FL – An oral anti-clotting drug, when added to standard medical treatment for acute coronary syndrome, lowered the risk of death, heart attack or stroke an average of 16 percent, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions.

The results were also published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

CLEVELAND/ORLANDO – University Hospitals Case Medical Center researchers could still be close to giving heart attack patients a second chance…just not as they originally thought.

LateTIME was a study of adult stem cells (autologous) harnessed from bone marrow that were believed to have the ability to improve heart function after an attack if injected into the heart within two weeks of the attack. Results are being released today at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions and published this week in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Delay in initiation of therapeutic hypothermia and delay in return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), evidenced by a palpable pulse or a measurable blood pressure, were both associated with poor neurologic outcomes in post cardiac arrest patients, according to a study being presented Nov. 14 at the at the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla. Also, caregivers who have an appropriate understanding of the patient's post cardiac arrest neurologic state could ensure better patient management at discharge.

Cardiomyopathy is common among cardiac arrest survivors. The survival and neuroprotective benefits of therapeutic hypothermia is similar in patients with preexisting cardiomyopathy, compared with those patients without cardiomyopathy, according to a scientific poster being presented Nov. 14 at the at the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla. Therefore, the researchers recommended the use of therapeutic hypothermia in patients with the preexisting condition.

Researchers can predict which children are most likely to become obese by examining their mothers' behaviour around their birth, according to a recent University of Montreal study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. "Although behaviour is extremely hard to change and is also influenced by a complex tangle of influencing factors in the environment, I hope these findings will help improve the social and medical services we offer to mothers and infants," said lead author Laura Pryor, a PhD candidate at the university's Department of Social and Preventive Medi

(Boston) – A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows an increased risk of stroke and mortality among patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) during hospitalization.