November 27th, 2011 by Medgadget in Research
Tags: Brain Damage, embryonic stem cells, In-Vivo, Light-based stimulation, Mice, neurodegenerative disorder, Neuroscience, Paralysis, Parkinson's, Research, Stem Cell, Study, Technology, Transplanted tissue, UW-Madison, Waisman Center
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Embryonic stem cells have the potential to treat a range of diseases and conditions for which current treatment options are lacking. Capable of differentiating practically into all of the types of tissues in the human body, the cells could be used in therapies to treat conditions such as paralysis, brain damage, and Parkinson’s disease. Among the many challenges to be overcome before human embryonic stem cells live up to their promise is difficulty in proving whether transplanted stem cells can integrate successfully in vivo.
Researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison have announced progress on that front. Having created Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
November 26th, 2011 by DeborahSchwarzRPA in Research
Tags: Breast Cancer, Breast Reconstruction, Cancer, Clinical Trial, Columbia University, Dr. Jeffrey Ascherman, FDA, Health News, New York-Presbyterian, Plastic, Research
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Jeffrey A. Ascherman, MD, FACS
After the jubilation of beating cancer, many women who seek breast reconstruction have another journey to complete. Before they can receive a permanent breast implant, they must first undergo a process to create the space to house the new implant – a process which can be uncomfortable at times and may take many months.
“Traditionally, women undergoing breast reconstruction have had to endure a long process of inconvenient and sometimes uncomfortable saline injections every 2 to 3 weeks to create a pocket for the permanent implant following a mastectomy,” said Jeffrey Ascherman, MD, Site Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. According to some women, this process can also involve a significant time burden, since they must visit their doctor’s office every few weeks for an average of four to six months.
Dr. Ascherman is now the first physician in the United States to be enrolling patients in a study of a new, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog*
November 24th, 2011 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Research
Tags: addiction, Asthma, CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Death, Heart Disease, Illness, Lung Cancer, nicotine, Prevalence, Research, Smoker, smoking, Tobacco
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I live on the West Coast, where it is rare to see a smoker. Because it is not socially accepted, smokers are not out in the open. They lurk behind buildings to take a smoke break at work and I don’t even own an ashtray for friends because none of my friends smoke. But San Francisco isn’t the rest of America. In 2010 there were 45.5 million Americans who smoke, with men smoking more than women. Tobacco remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Each year approximately 433,000 people die of smoking-related illness.
Here are some more stats on American adult smokers. The highest prevalence is American Indians/Alaska Natives (31.4%) followed by whites (21%). Smoking incidence decreases with increasing education and improved economics. By region, the Midwest has the most smokers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia (22-27%). That is huge.
California and Utah have the lowest percentage of adult smokers at Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
November 24th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Research
Tags: Archives of Internal Medicine, Dementia, End Of Life, Ethics, Hospice, Hospital Medicine, Hospitalization, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, Nursing Home, Palliative Care, Research, Reuters
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Sending dementia patients to the hospital could overwhelm the health care system and not offer them any better care at the end of life, researchers noted.
The researchers obtained data on all hospitalizations involving a dementia diagnosis for the 85 years and older group between years 2000 and 2008 from the nationally representative Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, a part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Healthcare Costs and Utilization Project.
Annual hospitalization data came from the U.S. Census Bureau. They projected the future volume of hospitalizations involving a dementia diagnosis in the 85 years and older group two ways, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
November 23rd, 2011 by Medgadget in News, Research
Tags: Aalto University Finland, Applications, Computerized, Contact Lens, Eye, Gaming, Glucose Levels, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, LED, Navigation, Ophthalmology, Pixels, Research, Technology, University of Washington
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We’re another step closer to integrating real time information into our vision. Researchers from the University of Washington and Aalto University Finland have engineered the first prototype of a computerized contact lens on which you can see information updates. They presented their findings today in IOP Publishing’s Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.
The lens only contained one pixel, but by proving that the concept works without any adverse side effects, they can develop it into lenses with more pixels. This could eventually lead to contact lenses on which you can read your email and catch up on the news. A device like this could also Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
