Heart :: Olive oil emulsion helps with problem heart arteries
An emulsion of olive oil, egg yolk and glycerine might be just the recipe to keep heart patients away from the operating room and cardiac bypass surgery.
Laboratory
Alcoholism :: Brains can recover from alcoholic damage but patients stop drinking soon
As people embark on the festive season’s usual round of drinking they should spare a thought for the damage they are doing to their brains. In particular, new research has revealed that while the brain is able to recover from some of the damage caused by alcohol abuse, the longer alcoholics postpone sobriety the less likely their brains may be to regenerate.
New variant of Chlamydia trachomatis reported in Sweden
A new variant Chlamydia trachomatis strain has been isolated in Sweden [1,2]. Certain commercial diagnostic platforms generate false negative results when screening specimens from patients who are infected with the new variant strain.
Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) positive community-associated MRSA in the West Midlands
Eight cases of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) positive community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) have been identified among individuals in a hospital and their close household contacts in the West Midlands. Four individuals developed an infection, two of whom died.
Chikungunya :: Imported chikungunya in the United Kingdom
Between 1 January and 31 October 2006, 106 cases with evidence of chikungunya infection, have been reported by the HPA Special Pathogens Reference Unit (SPRU).
Stem Cell :: Cooperation needed for advancement of stem cell research
Tissue regeneration strategies, such as stem cell research, have undergone notable developments over the past two decades. However, an article in the journal, Artificial Organs, suggests that many challenges must be overcome before regenerative medicine is accepted as a viable science.
Nano design adjustment may help find, clear some water contaminants
Experiments designed to test discrepancies in theoretical computational chemistry have turned up a barely two-angstrom difference that may lead to a new approach to locate and remove dangerous toxins such as perchlorate and nitrates from the environment.
Atrial Fibrillation :: High intensity focused ultrasound, HIFU halts recurrence of atrial fibrillation
Clinical researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Health System are starting a trial utilizing a new mechanism to treat the heart when its electrical pulses essentially short-circuit, referred to as atrial fibrillation (A-Fib). The tool is a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation system. It’s the first to deliver energy bursts forward in a complete circle, all at once, from outside of the vein.
UCR-led research team detects ‘top quark,’ a basic constituent of matter
A group of 50 international physicists, led by UC Riverside?s Ann Heinson, has detected for the first time a subatomic particle, the top quark, produced without the simultaneous production of its antimatter partner ? an extremely rare event.
Breast Cancer :: Restoring Tamoxifen Sensitivity in Resistant Breast Cancer
The widely used breast cancer drug tamoxifen (Nolvadex?), which can become less effective over time, might retain its full strength indefinitely if used along with a second drug, according to new research in mice conducted by investigators from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their partners. The results appear in the December 11, 2006, issue of Cancer Cell.