As part of Maquet Critical Care
‘Today, we
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) have created a synthetic form of low-molecular-weight heparin that can be reversed in cases of overdose and would be safer for patients with poor kidney function.
‘We took this drug and not only made it cost effectively, but we
Probiotics are effective in preventing hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a new study. Hepatic encephalopathy is a deterioration of brain function that is a serious complication of liver disease.
‘This rigorous new research finds that probiotics modify the gut microbiota to prevent hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver,’ said David W. Victor III, MD. ‘These results offer a safe, well-tolerated and perhaps cheaper alternative to current treatments.’
Investigators from Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India, conducted a single-centre, prospective, open-label, randomised trial with cirrhosis patients who showed risk factors for hepatic encephalopathy, but had yet to experience an obvious episode. When comparing treatment with probiotics versus placebo, the researchers found that the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy was lower in patients treated with probiotics.
Probiotic supplementation was not associated with any side effects and none of the patients required discontinuation of therapy. These results suggest that probiotics are similar in effectiveness to the current standard of care, lactulose, in the prevention of hepatic encephalopathy, yet they appear to be much better tolerated. The effectiveness of lactulose, a non-absorbable disaccharide, is limited by side effects (diarrhoea, bloating and gas) and a narrow therapeutic window.
‘By virtue of its size, study duration and design, as well as the thorough nature of the baseline and follow-up assessments, this study represents an important contribution to the hepatic encephalopathy literature,’ added Dr. Victor, a practicing hepatologist in the Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center at Houston Methodist Hospital, TX. AGA Institute
The development of graphene
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed two inexpensive adapters that enable a smartphone to capture high-quality images of the front and back of the eye. The adapters make it easy for anyone with minimal training to take a picture of the eye and share it securely with other health practitioners or store it in the patient
Oncologists at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center are to meld magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology with a traditional ultrasound prostate exam to create a three-dimensional map of the prostate that allows physicians to view growths that were previously undetectable.
An ultrasound machine provides an imperfect view of the prostate, resulting in an under-diagnosis of cancer, said J. Kellogg Parsons, MD, MHS, the UC San Diego Health System urologic oncologist who, along with Christopher Kane, MD, chair of the Department of Urology and Karim Kader, MD, PhD, urologic oncologist, is pioneering the new technology at Moores Cancer Center.
MRI technology was used to identify and locate a probable tumour during a targeted prostate biopsy for a patient who had previously had multiple negative biopsies but had persistently high PSA levels. Resulting biospy confirmed presence of high-grade cancer.
The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) announces the immediate releasePDF of Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters: CHEST Consensus Statement today in the Online First section of the journal CHEST while the global health-care community cares for patients with the Ebola virus. The consensus statement aims to guide ethical decision-making, coordination of care, resource conservation, and research in crises. The statement was developed by over 100 clinicians and experts representing a broad variety and scope of clinical fields from more than nine countries. It offers the latest evidence-informed suggestions on how to best prepare and manage the critically ill and injured during large-scale disasters and pandemics.
An inexpensive, portable, microchip-based test for diagnosing type-1 diabetes could improve patient care worldwide and help researchers better understand the disease, according to the device
As many as 35 percent of patients who undergo surgery to remove soft tissue sarcomas experience wound-healing complications due to radiation they receive before surgery.
Now a study suggests that a simple test called transcutaneous oximetry may be able to predict which of these patients are most likely to experience wound-healing complications, potentially enabling surgeons to take extra precautions.
Lukas Nystrom, MD, of Loyola University Medical Center, presented his findings during the 2014 annual meeting of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. Dr. Nystrom received the society
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