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Memory retraining using mSMT increases cerebral activation in MS patients

Neuroscientists at Kessler Foundation have documented increased cerebral activation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) following memory retraining using the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT).

18 Jan 2012

Peter Munk Cardiac Centre doctors perform renal denervation in first Canadian patient

Doctors at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre today performed a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat high blood pressure, called renal denervation, for the first time in Canada. The procedure can significantly reduce high blood pressure in patients who cannot effectively treat their hypertension through drugs. These patients, numbering approximately 250,000 Canadians, have to endure an especially high risk of heart attacks and stroke, which continues to kill thousands of Canadians every year.

18 Jan 2012

Study examines effect of MELD score-based allocation on post-liver transplant kidney failure

Research from the University of Michigan Health System shows the risk for kidney failure among liver transplant recipients is higher following the implementation of Model of End Stage Liver Disease (MELD), a policy change in 2002 that altered how liver transplant allocation is decided.

18 Jan 2012

Study compares adoptive T-cell therapy with drug-based cancer treatment

In the treatment of large tumors, how effective is adoptive T cell therapy in comparison to drug-based cancer treatment? To answer this question, Dr. Kathleen Anders and Professor Thomas Blankenstein of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and researchers of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, California, USA designed and carried out a study comparing the two methods. Based on a mouse cancer model, the researchers elucidated the mechanisms of the two different treatments.

18 Jan 2012

Combination of tenotomy and PRP injections can treat tendon disorders

Many athletes know the frustration of being sidelined by tendon disorders, like Achilles tendinitis and tennis elbow. In recent years, doctors have begun treating overused tendons with regenerative therapies that jump-start the body's own healing process. One technique, a tenotomy, uses repeated needlesticks to break up scar tissue in the tendon, prompting the body's own cells to begin the rebuilding process.

18 Jan 2012

Scientists develop new gallbladder endoscopy

For more than 100 years, the traditional treatment for the painful growths called gallstones has been removal of the gallbladder, or cholecystectomy. But a new device, patented in China, promises to make removing the entire organ unnecessary. A group of scientists from the Second People's Hospital of Panyu District and Central South University in China have developed an endoscope specially designed for locating and clearing out gallstones and other gallbladder lesions.

18 Jan 2012

Medtronic announces CE mark and launch of Endurant II AAA Stent Graft System

Medtronic Inc. today announced the CE mark and international launch of the Endurant II AAA Stent Graft System, which meaningfully expands the options physicians outside the United States have to treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms through a minimally invasive technique called endovascular aortic repair.

From Medtronic 17 Jan 2012

Gastric bypass superior to lap banding finds study

A new study evaluates the best option in terms of weight loss surgery for those who need it. Researchers found gastric bypass patients lose more weight than gastric banding patients and keep it off longer. Even though banding is a simpler operation, nearly half of those patients were still obese after six years.

17 Jan 2012

Nurse donates kidney to patient

A nurse offered to donate her own kidney to a 23-year-old patient. Allison Batson spent two years on the transplant floor of Emory University Hospital before her encounter with Clay Taber, a recent Auburn University graduate who fell sick one day after his 22nd birthday. He was diagnosed with kidney failure. The Auburn University graduate was diagnosed with Goodpasture's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that can result in severe damage to the kidneys and lungs.

17 Jan 2012

Geisinger, InVivo to conduct injectable biocompatible hydrogel preclinical study for PNI

InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp., a developer of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI), and Geisinger Health System today announced a research collaboration to conduct a preclinical study using InVivo's injectable biocompatible hydrogel for the treatment of chronic pain caused by peripheral nerve compression.

17 Jan 2012

No statistical difference between IO and IV infusion in therapeutic hypothermia

The results of a study conducted by Vidacare Corporation comparing whether Intraosseous (IO) vascular access may be used to infuse chilled saline as effectively as peripheral intravenous (IV) access to achieve therapeutic hypothermia found no statistical difference between the two routes.

17 Jan 2012

Traditional autopsy is still the gold standard in determining cause of death

TV crime shows like Bones and CSI are quick to explain each death by showing highly detailed scans and video images of victims' insides. Traditional autopsies, if shown at all, are at best in supporting roles to the high-tech equipment, and usually gloss over the sometimes physically grueling tasks of sawing through skin and bone.

17 Jan 2012

Combination of lapatinib and trastuzumab more effective in treating HER2-positive breast cancer

Using two drugs that inhibit the growth factor HER2 for preoperative treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer appears to have better results than treatment with a single agent. In a report in the January 17 issue of The Lancet, an international research team reports that a protocol adding lapatinib (Tykerb) to trastuzumab (Herceptin) was more effective than single-drug treatment with either drug in eliminating microscopic signs of cancer at the time the tumors were surgically removed.

17 Jan 2012

Incidence of knee arthroplasty higher in women, finds study

Researchers in Finland found that annual cumulative incidences of partial and total knee arthroplasty, commonly known as knee replacement surgery, rose rapidly over a 27-year period among 30 to 59 year-olds in that country, with the greatest increase occurring in patients aged 50 to 59 years.

17 Jan 2012

New 20-minute procedure effective in treating perforations of the eardrum

A revolutionary surgical technique for treating perforations of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) in children and adults has been developed at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, an affiliate of the Universit- de Montreal, by Dr. Issam Saliba.

17 Jan 2012

Angioplasty improves quality of life in MS patients

Although using angioplasty to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly controversial, sufferers often insist it helps - in some cases dramatically, such as allowing them to walk without a cane. Patients with less severe MS also reported additional quality of life improvements, such as being able to talk more clearly, after having treatment to open blocked blood vessels in the chest and neck, according to research being presented at the 24th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy.

17 Jan 2012

Positive outcomes from Boston Scientific's Epic Stent trial on iliac artery disease

Boston Scientific Corporation reports nine-month clinical endpoint data from its ORION trial, demonstrating excellent outcomes for the Company's Epic Self-Expanding Nitinol Stent System in patients with iliac artery disease, a form of peripheral artery disease associated with severe leg pain caused by insufficient blood flow.

16 Jan 2012

AxoGen reports results from Avance Nerve Graft clinical study on PNI

AxoGen, Inc., an emerging regenerative medicine company focused on the commercialization of proprietary products and technologies for peripheral nerve reconstruction and regeneration, today reported the publication of peer-reviewed clinical research conducted at twelve leading US surgical sites and led by the Buncke Clinic in San Francisco.

16 Jan 2012

Man gets new windpipe with stem cell therapy

Christopher Lyles, 30, of Abingdon, Md, became the first American to undergo an experimental procedure, involving stem cells to treat his trachea cancer. A trachea or windpipe connects the nose and mouth to the lungs, serving a crucial function for life.

16 Jan 2012

Implanting more embryos for IVF may do more harm than good: Study

Researchers have suggested that implanting multiple embryos for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) may do more harm than good. This finding appeared in the current online version of the journal Lancet. The study argues against common practice of implanting multiple embryos in order to maximize a woman’s chances of conception during in vitro fertilization.

15 Jan 2012