Researchers have discovered that fibrocartilage tissue in the knee has a more varied molecular structure than previously realized – and that could pave the way for better treatment of injuries. The new study, by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware, has implications for treatment… Continue reading Hope for Better Knee-Injury Surgery
Category: Medical Procedures
Computers May Not Always Benefit Doctor-Patient Relationship
Although exam-room computers may seem to support safer and more effective patient care, in fact it can be a threat to patient safety, good relationships and positive health outcomes. In a commentary published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Regenstrief Institute Investigator and Indiana University School of Medicine Professor of Medicine Richard Frankel, Ph.D., writes that the… Continue reading Computers May Not Always Benefit Doctor-Patient Relationship
A New Weapon to Fight MRSA?
Researchers have discovered that a new class of antimicrobials may help in the fight against the drug-resistant MRSA superbug. The Georgia State University study showed that small molecule analogs that target the functions of SecA, a central part of the general bacterial secretion system required for viability and virulence, have potent antimicrobial activities. Their findings… Continue reading A New Weapon to Fight MRSA?
Many Prostate-Cancer Patients Don’t Have Adequate Followup
Most men who decide in favor of monitoring rather than treating low-level prostate cancer aren’t getting the followup they need, according to a new study. The study, by UCLA researchers, found that less than 5 percent of men who chose to forgo aggressive treatment are being monitored as closely as they should be, putting them… Continue reading Many Prostate-Cancer Patients Don’t Have Adequate Followup
Patient Mood Can Impact Medical Procedure Results
Feeling high levels of distress, fear and hostility prior to undergoing an angioplasty or other interventional radiology procedure may lead to a poor outcome, according to research presented December 3rd 2016 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago. A release from the society quotes study author Nadja Kadom,… Continue reading Patient Mood Can Impact Medical Procedure Results
Even When Heart Attack Patients Are in a Coma, Reducing Body Temperature Saves Brain Functions
Survivors of cardiac arrest who remain in comas have better survival and neurological outcomes when their body temperatures are lowered, according to research done in November 2015 by Dr. Sarah Perman at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and published the journal Circulation. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health. A release… Continue reading Even When Heart Attack Patients Are in a Coma, Reducing Body Temperature Saves Brain Functions
The Elderly Can Recover from Traumatic Brain Injury
According to a study completed at the Helsinki University Hospital Department of Neurosurgery in November 2015, even patients over the age of 75 may recover from severe traumatic brain injury. This is the first study to describe the results of surgically treated elderly patients with acute subdural hematomas. A release from the university explains that… Continue reading The Elderly Can Recover from Traumatic Brain Injury
Is An Arthritis Cure In Our Own Body?
Arthritic cartilage, long considered untreatable, could actually be treated by a substance in the patient’s own body. The discovery was made by researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Their early study indicates that arthritic cartilage could be treated by a patient’s own ‘microvesicles’ that are able to travel into cartilage cells and deliver… Continue reading Is An Arthritis Cure In Our Own Body?
Hospital Practices Can Make Patients Sicker
Up to half of seriously ill patients are sickened further by avoidable and risky bouts of food and sleep deprivation, according to a Johns Hopkins surgeon and prominent patient safety. researcher is calling on hospitals to reform emergency room, surgical and other medical protocols that sicken up to half of already seriously ill patients —… Continue reading Hospital Practices Can Make Patients Sicker
Good Communication in the OR Prevents Patient Complications
In a study by psychologists and surgeons concerning elective, open abdominal surgeries conducted in 167 patients, communication by the surgical team that was relevant to the procedure was linked with a reduced risk of the development of surgical site infections. On the other hand, irrelevant communication during the closing phase of the procedure was linked… Continue reading Good Communication in the OR Prevents Patient Complications
Hospitals Unfairly Penalized for Good Care
A study by Johns Hopkins researchers indicates that hospitals suffer improper financial penalties because of the number of patients who suffer blood clots in the lung or leg. The researchers said the penalties did not take into account clots that occurred despite consistent use of the best preventive therapies. “We have a big problem with… Continue reading Hospitals Unfairly Penalized for Good Care
Treatment for Stroke Shows Wide Regional Variations
According to a new study, treatment for stroke varies sharply from region to region – and thousands of people a year may end up unnecessarily disabled as a result. In the July issue of the journal Stroke, University of Michigan Medical School researchers report the results of a study that for the first time shows… Continue reading Treatment for Stroke Shows Wide Regional Variations
On The Horizon: Better Cell Treatments for Arthritis
Researchers have identified individual stem cells that can regenerate tissue, cartilage and bone – a significant advance that could vastly improve cell-based treatments for arthritis. Scientists from the Departments of Biology and Physics at the University of York, UK, working with colleagues at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, published the findings in the journal… Continue reading On The Horizon: Better Cell Treatments for Arthritis
Botox Ends Up in Our Central Nervous System
Botox, widely used in cosmetic surgery, may be escaping deep into the body’s central nervous system. According to researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, Botox – also known as Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A – is transported via our nerves back to the central nervous system. Botox is used to smooth wrinkles because it promotes… Continue reading Botox Ends Up in Our Central Nervous System
New Guidelines for Some Hospital Visitors
Experts have issued new guidelines for people visiting hospital patients with infectious diseases. The recommendations were published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). “Visitors have initiated or been involved in healthcare-associated infection outbreaks, but it is unknown to what extent this occurs in the… Continue reading New Guidelines for Some Hospital Visitors
Will Doctors Stop Ordering Too Many Tests?
Ask enough people and most will say that their physician has a fairly decent reason for ordering tests and prescribing treatments. Recent studies show that their doctor may be among the growing number of physicians who disagree. In a survey of 600 physicians conducted by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, almost 3 out… Continue reading Will Doctors Stop Ordering Too Many Tests?
Deep Brain Stim OK for Older PD Patients
Older patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS) appear to have a 90-day complication risk similar to younger patients, suggesting that age alone should not be a primary factor for excluding patients as DBS candidates. That’s the finding of research done by Michael R. DeLong, B.A., of the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. and colleagues and published online August 25th 2014 inJAMA Neurology.