Tech

Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday 24 April: Radioembolisation with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) glass microspheres is a safe and effective treatment for patients with advanced HCC ± portal vein thrombosis, according to new research presented today at EASL 2009, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Some European countries could make better provision for disabled children to allow them to participate in life on an equal basis with others, concludes a large study published on bmj.com today.

Participation, defined as involvement in life situations, is important for all children, but little is known about it in disabled children.

So a team of researchers set out to assess variations in the nature and rates of participation of 818 children with cerebral palsy aged 8-12 years in several European countries.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) gives physicians a safe and accurate tool for the diagnosis of appendicitis in pregnant patients without the increased risks of radiation to the patient and fetus, according to a study performed at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, VA. "Appendicitis is the most common cause of right lower quadrant pain in the pregnant patient that requires emergent surgical intervention. It occurs in approximately one in 1500 pregnancies," said Chris Ho, MD, lead author of the study.

Increased carotid artery wall thickness (CAWT), which can cause heart attack and stroke in many patients, is significantly related to diabetes and hypertension, according to a study performed at A.O.U. in Cagliari Sardegna, Italy (Chairman, Professor Giorgio Mallarini).

The Rosetta Stone allowed 19th century scholars to translate symbols left by an ancient civilization and thus decipher the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

But the symbols found on many other ancient artifacts remain a mystery, including those of a people that inhabited the Indus valley on the present-day border between Pakistan and India. Some experts question whether the symbols represent a language at all, or are merely pictograms that bear no relation to the language spoken by their creators.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Measurements made from the largest Greenland ice sample ever analyzed have confirmed that an unusual rise in atmospheric methane levels about 12,000 years ago was not the result of a catastrophic release of seafloor "hydrate deposits," as some scientists had feared.

The findings, to be published Friday in the journal Science, are good news for those who have worried that this unusual mechanism of releasing methane into the atmosphere might provide a serious reinforcement to global warming at some point in the future.

A trove of Benjamin Franklin letters has turned up in the British Library. Discovered by University of California, San Diego professor Alan Houston, the letters are copies of correspondence that hasn't been seen in more than 250 years.

All dating from the spring and summer of 1755, the 47 letters by, to and about Franklin are in the hand of one Thomas Birch, a contemporary of Franklin's who was a prodigious – almost inveterate – compiler and transcriber of historical documents.

A new computerized assessment has been developed that can help physicians objectively assess a patient's breast density and monitor it over time to detect any alarming changes that may suggest cancer, according to a study evaluating this technology that was performed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

A second look ultrasound of the breast, used in conjunction with MRI, allows radiologists to identify lesions not detected on conventional mammography and first look ultrasound; in some cases it allows radiologists to determine whether or not a lesion is malignant or benign, according to a study performed at the University of Rome La Sapienza in Rome, Italy.

Bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a breakthrough method for sequencing-based methylation profiling, which could help fuel personalized regenerative medicine and even lead to more efficient and cost-effective methods for studying certain diseases.

To do this, the researchers, led by Kun Zhang, a bioengineering professor in the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, developed an accurate assays for quantifying DNA methylation digitally on an arbitrary set of nonrepetitive genomic targets using padlock probes.

A new MR imaging sequence, T2-weighted BLADE, used to image the female pelvis improves image quality and helps radiologists make a more accurate diagnosis, according to a study performed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.

Ultrasound can be used to make an appropriate decision regarding care for patients with rheumatic conditions involving the hands and feet, according to a study performed at St. Joseph's Healthcare/McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

The study included 62 patients. Results showed that, "approximately 50% of patients had a change in management following ultrasound evaluation," said Srinivasan Harish, lead author of the study. "Certainty in clinical findings significantly increased following ultrasound, ranging from 24% to 56% for various findings," he said.

Educating physicians about ventilation-perfusion scanning (VQ) as an alternative to CT for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolisms led to a 23% decrease in patient exposure, according to a study performed at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY. "VQ scanning is a nuclear test which shows blood flow to the lung and airflow. When there is a pulmonary embolism, the air can enter normally, but the blood flow will be disrupted, resulting in an abnormal scan," said Linda Haramati, MD, lead author of the study.

Breast elastography allows physicians to give a more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer, according to a study performed at Singapore General Hospital in Singapore. Breast elastography is a new technique which looks at the mechanical properties of tissues (relative stiffness) as opposed to conventional ultrasound which looks at the backscatter of transmitted ultrasound waves through tissues.

MRI has identified five possible causes of patient complications from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery, according to a study performed at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and Sahlgrenska-Molndal University Hospital in Gothenborg, Sweden.