When a portion of a zebrafish’s heart is removed, the dynamic interplay between a mass of stem cells that forms in the wound and the protective cell layer that covers the wound spurs the regeneration of functional new heart tissue, Duke University Medical Center scientists have found.
New evidence to explain how a common tropical fish mends a broken heart may suggest methods for coaxing the damaged hearts of mammals to better heal, researchers report. The researchers found that the hearts of zebrafish harbor progenitor cells that spring into action to restore wounded heart muscle. Cells from a membrane layer that surrounds the heart, called the epicardium, follow suit, invading the wounded cardiac tissue and stimulating the growth of new blood vessels.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that treatment for periodontal disease in pregnant women does not result in a lower rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight. At the same time, the study showed that periodontal treatment during pregnancy is safe. The researchers recommend additional studies to assess the potential benefits of the treatment.
Multiple organ failure is the main cause of death in intensive care units. A study published today in the journal Critical Care shows that the main risk factors for death in the intensive care unit are central nervous system failure and cardiovascular failure, and the most frequent cause of death is multiple organ failure. In the hospital, once patients have been discharged from the intensive care unit, the main causes of death are malignant tumours and exacerbation of cardiovascular disease.
A leading population expert will today make a plea for a revitalization of the family planning agenda in the world’s poorest countries, cautioning that soaring population rates are now a bigger threat to achieving the MDGs than HIV/AIDS.
Exposure to violence is putting the people of Iraq at risk of serious psychological damage, says a doctor in this week’s BMJ.Previous studies have suggested that the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder following a traumatic event ranges from 7.5 percent to 72 percent, with the risk being highest in those exposed to sustained combat trauma.
UK doctors working for charities overseas are being removed from the lists of approved practitioners in the UK because they are unable to attend face to face appraisal, warns a GP in this week’s BMJ.This means that they cannot work as soon as they return to the UK.
An interdisciplinary research team led by Dr. Joe Cannon (third from right) will examine the effects of follicle stimulating hormone on white blood cells. Future studies may lead to alternatives… Click here for more information. Regulating a hormone abundant in women approaching menopause could offer alternatives for hormone replacement therapy, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Just a small fraction of patients who have a stroke receive the only drug — TPA — available to treat the condition. Now doctors and scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have developed a potential new treatment that will reach a milestone in the next few months, when the experimental treatment is tested for the first time in people who have suffered a stroke or “brain attack.”
Chemicals commonly used to treat heartburn also display fighting power against the oral bacteria linked with gum disease, according to researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center and G?teborg University in Sweden.