The brains of people with epilepsy appear to react to music differently from the brains of those who do not have the disorder, a finding that could lead to new therapies to prevent seizures, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University showed that a simple questionnaire, evaluation and pulse-oximetry monitoring can lead to early detection of sleep apnea in patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure (CHF).
Whenever cardiac insufficiency or serious heart defects worsen, such deterioration is often associated with a loss of muscular mass and muscular strength. Scientists at the Charit
A recent study led by DCRI Fellow Jacob Doll found that approximately two-thirds of the patients who were referred to rehabilitation did not attend an initial session.
Cardiac rehabilitation programmes include a mixture of exercise regimens, health education, and cardiovascular risk reduction and medication adherence support. These programmes, which typically comprise 2 to 3 weekly sessions for a total of 36 sessions, are associated with improvements in lifestyle, functional capacity, and quality of life for older adults. Despite this, rates of referral and adherence have traditionally been low, particularly in older adults.
In this study, Doll and his colleagues used data from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry Acute Coronary Treatment Intervention Outcomes Network Registry and Medicare claims to identify 58,269 patients 65 years or older who had a heart attack between 2007 and 2010. Of these patients, 36,376 (62.4 percent) were referred to cardiac rehabilitation. Only 11,862 patients (32.6 percent) attended at least one rehab session during the year following hospital discharge. Of those who had not been referred, 1,795 (8.2 percent) attended at least one session.
Only about 5 percent of the patients completed all 36 sessions, even though the sessions are usually covered by insurance.
These findings, the study
Patients suffering from chronic cardiopulmonary diseases could soon have a solution to help them accurately monitor their health and warn doctors at the first sign of trouble.
By simply carrying their cellphone, equipped with the health-tracking app, MoveSense, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a patient
Academics at Loughborough University hope to boost early detection rates of cancer in developing countries with their portable labinabriefcase that can operate even at high temperatures.
Believed to be the first kit of its kind dedicated to the portable measurement of cancer biomarkers, the concept is the brainchild of Dr Nuno Reis, a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering.
The number of people dying from cancer in developing countries is on the increase, partly due to steadily ageing populations, but also due to limited access to proper diagnostic tools. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for over 8 million deaths per year, and 70% of the world
Robotically steering flexible needles can reach their intended target in tissue with sub-millimetre level accuracy. This has been demonstrated by the doctoral research of Momen Abayazid, who is affiliated with the research institute MIRA of the University of Twente. A major advantage of steering flexible needles is that one can avoid obstacles or sensitive tissues and can re-orient the path of the needle in real time as you insert the needle.
During many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures a needle is inserted into soft tissue, such as during biopsies, or inserting radioactive seeds in order to combat prostate cancer. In many of these operations the accurate positioning of the needle is of the utmost importance. In general, rigid needles with a relatively large diameter are used in these procedures. However, the drawback of these needles is that they cannot be manoeuvred when inserted into tissue and hence cannot avoid any obstacles. In addition, the tissue and organs deform during needle insertion. As a result, the needle often misses its target.
The University of Twente is has developed a robot-assisted system for steering flexible needles with an asymmetric tip. Such a needle naturally bends when inserted into tissue due to its asymmetric tip. By performing a sequence of insertions and rotations, one can steer the needle in complex three-dimensional paths. The needle is controlled by a robot and is tracked in real time using ultrasound images. This ensures that it is possible to adjust the needle
Surgeons at the University Hospitals Leuven have used a new technique for two recent liver transplants. In both cases the organ was preserved prior transplantation in a device that mimics the environment of that in the human body, making sure the liver stays
In Its 41st year, the Arab Health Congress, organized by Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, will provide a new perspective in the field of 3D printing and how it will revolutionize healthcare. The conference will focus on the surgical applications for 3D printing, 3D printing for drug discovery, bioprinting and vascularization, as well as a look at the legal and ethical debates surrounding this technology.
3D bioprinting has enormous potential to save lives. Companies who are able to 3D print liver tissue for instance are scarce at the moment. The next step in the field of 3D bioprinting is being able to print complete organs such as the pancreas, kidney, liver and vascular networks. This procedure could significantly increase the chances of organ survival.
About 50% of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience freezing of gait (FOG), an inability to move forward while walking. This can affect not only mobility but also balance. In a new study, researchers report that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can reduce FOG and improve other motor skills in PD patients.
In a study conducted by researchers at the Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, 17 PD patients experiencing FOG were treated with either real or sham high-frequency rTMS in five sessions over a one-week period. After a two-week interval, the patients in both groups were switched to the other treatment. Patients were assessed at three times: at the beginning of the study before stimulation began (pre-rTMS at day 1), immediately after the intervention (post-rTMS at day 5), and one week after cessation of the intervention (follow up at day 12). After switching, the three assessments were repeated. All medications were kept constant throughout the study and all interventions were performed at the same time of day. Both the researchers and the patients were not informed whether real or sham treatment was being administered.
‘This study demonstrated that five cumulative sessions a week of 10 Hz high-frequency rTMS was likely to alleviate FOG in patients with PD, and the effect continued for a week. Similar results were found in the motor and the gait function,’ explained lead investigator Yun-Hee Kim, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. ‘This study provides evidence that the cumulative high-frequency rTMS is a good candidate as an add-on therapy for FOG in PD.’
The location in each patient’s scalp for optimal stimulation of the anterior tibialis muscle (the front of lower leg) was mapped by stimulating the muscle and moving a pickup coil over the scalp to find the greatest response. This position was then used for each treatment.
A magnetic stimulator was placed and 20 pulses of 10 Hz rTMS were delivered to the target motor cortex areas of the dominant hemisphere. Each pulse lasted five seconds, with 55-second intervals between pulses, delivering 1,000 pulses in 20 minutes. Sham stimulation was conducted with a coil held at a 90 degree position in order to ensure that the magnetic field did not stimulate the motor cortex.
Patients were evaluated after treatments using the FOG-Q, a self-assessment scale for evaluating FOG symptoms in Parkinson’s syndrome. In addition, participants were instructed to walk to a target (traffic cone) one meter behind them, turn around, and then return, as part of a Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) task during a modified Standing-Start 180 degree Turn Test (SS-180). The TUG task was repeated twice in each direction, and the entire process was video recorded to quantify FOG.
When patients underwent real treatment, the FOG-Q and TUG at post-rTMS significantly improved compared with pre-rTMS and these results continued into the follow up period. However, there were no significant changes in FOG-Q or TUG at post-rTMS and follow-up in patients when experiencing the sham treatment. EurekAlert
April 2024
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