scan | Page 3 of 14 | Health Newstrack

Plain cigarette packs not a problem for small shops

Plain cigarette packets to be introduced — Australia was the first country in the world to introduce plain pack cigarettes – Ireland first EU country to ban branding on cigarette packages – Putting all cigarettes in packs of uniform colour, size and design has not caused sales staff any problems in serving customers according to new research. Researchers examining the impact of plain, standardised tobacco packaging studied how long it took shop assistants to identify and retrieve cigarettes in small shops across Australia – twice before the rollout of standardised packaging in December 2012, and twice after.

3D printed device saved life of a baby with tracheobronchomalacia

Baby’s life saved with groundbreaking 3D printed device from University of Michigan that restored his breathing — Bioresorbable splint used for first time, successfully stopped life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia, case featured in New England Journal of Medicine – Every day, their baby stopped breathing, his collapsed bronchus blocking the crucial flow of air to his lungs. April and Bryan Gionfriddo watched helplessly, just praying that somehow the dire predictions weren’t true.

Heart disease risk smaller after breast cancer radiotherapy

Heart disease risk after breast cancer radiotherapy smaller than previously thought – Researchers have for the first time calculated by how much radiotherapy for breast cancer increases the risk of heart disease and the findings can now be used by doctors to help treat patients more appropriately.

Early detection of PML improves survival of multiple sclerosis patients

Early detection of MS treatment complication may improve survival – The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The study suggests that early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels.

Blocked heart arteries can cause stroke

Clogged heart arteries can foreshadow stroke — American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report – Blockages in your heart arteries could mean you’re more likely to have a stroke, even if you’re considered low risk. A new study raises the need for intensified interdisciplinary efforts for providing adequate disease prevention and management strategies for stroke.

Delivery of drug tPA directly into brain helps stroke patients

Treatment with clot-busting drug yields better results after stroke than supportive therapy alone – In an update to previous research, Johns Hopkins neurologists say minimally invasive delivery of the drug tPA directly into potentially lethal blood clots in the brain helped more patients function independently a year after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a deadly and debilitating form of stroke.

Brain activity detected in MRI of Ariel Sharon ex Israeli PM

Ex-Israeli PM Ariel Sharon shows ‘significant brain activity’ — Israeli hospital officials say a comatose former prime minister has undergone a special brain imaging scan – After remaining in a vegetative state for seven years following a devastating stroke, former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has shown “significant signs” of brain activity, doctors have said.

Multiple sclerosis – possible trigger for nerve damage

NIH-funded researchers show possible trigger for MS nerve damage — Results of study in mice may lead to new treatments – High-resolution real-time images show in mice how nerves may be damaged during the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis. The results suggest that the critical step happens when fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein, leaks into the central nervous system and activates immune cells called microglia.

Aspirin reduces aggressive ovarian cancer risk

Aspirin may decrease risk of aggressive form of ovarian cancer – New research shows that women who regularly use pain relief medications, particularly aspirin, have a decreased risk of serous ovarian cancer?an aggressive carcinoma affecting the surface of the ovary, published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.

Blood test may detect aggressive prostate cancer

Scientists develop a blood test that detects aggressive prostate cancers — Spanish and British scientists design a precision blood test that uses blood cells to detect aggressive prostate cancer – Scientists have developed a test that studies genetic patterns in blood cells to detect advanced?stage prostate cancer. The study shows that gene patterns in blood cells act as a barcode and could be used together with the current PSA test to select those patients with the worst prognosis in need of immediate treatment.