



The twin epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes will continue to fuel an explosion in heart failure, already the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease, according to John McMurray, professor of cardiology at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, and President of the Heart Failure Association. He reported that around one-third of patients with heart failure have evidence of diabetes, and for them the outlook is very serious. For doctors, he added, effective treatment is 'very difficult'…
Although heart failure is a chronic condition, acute exacerbations are frequent and occur with serious complications; patients with heart failure and their families can help improve prognosis in acute events if they are taught to recognise the tell-tale signs of worsening condition and seek immediate medical help. 'Any delayed recognition of these signs is associated with an increased rate of hospitalisation and complications, including mortality,' says Professor Ferenc Follath from the University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland…
Telemonitoring systems, by which the symptoms of heart failure can be remotely assessed, now provide a strategy for the improved personalised care of patients, according to Professor John Cleland from the University of Hull, UK. He told Heart Failure Congress 2009 that the management of heart failure is complex but most effective when tailored to the individual patients' needs and condition. 'Unfortunately,' he added, 'the resources required to offer this tailored treatment outside a hospital setting are generally not available. Current services provide, at best, only a crude attempt to deliver long-term, personalised healthcare, but telemonitoring provides a strategy which could radically change this situation'…
Results and updates from eight studies were presented during a late-breaking trials session at Heart Failure 2009. Reviewing them at a press conference, Professor John McMurray, President of the Heart Failure Association, described the trials' objectives and main implications…
A new study shows that a large majority of patients who present with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to other organs (stage IV) don't require immediate surgery to remove the primary tumour in the colon. Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) presented their data today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting…
Ohio newspapers, radio and TV news recently broadcast the results of a study performed at the University of Minnesota (UM) School of Public Health with Elizabeth Klein, Assistant Professor, Health Behaviour and Health Promotion, Ohio State University as lead researcher. This study was funded by ClearWay Minnesota, a non-profit organisation that funds Minnesota tobacco control, and used employment data as its sole economic indicator…
Theta oscillations are a type of prominent brain rhythm that orchestrates neuronal activity in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for the formation of new memories. For several decades these oscillations were believed to be 'in sync' across the hippocampus, timing the firing of neurones like a sort of central pacemaker. A new study conducted by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) argues that this long-held assumption needs to be revised. In a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Nature, the researchers showed that instead of being in sync, theta oscillations actually sweep along the length of the hippocampus as travelling waves…
The popular belief that healthy eating starts at home and that parents' dietary choices help children establish their nutritional beliefs and behaviours may need rethinking, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An examination of dietary intakes and patterns among U.S. families found that the resemblance between children's and their parents' eating habits is weak. The results are published in the 25 May 2009 issue of Social Science and Medicine…
People who feel pressure to look attractive are more fearful of being rejected because of their appearance than are their peers, according to a new study by researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Kent…
By using ultrafast laser pulses to slice off pieces of chromosomes and observe how the chromosomes behave, biomedical engineers at the University of Michigan have gained pivotal insights into mitosis, the process of cell division…
Stars stop forming when big galaxies collide
Infrared echoes give Spitzer a supernova flashback