A new study suggests that echocardiography be included as part of screenings to help identify student athletes with heart problems that could lead to sudden death.
The Cincinnati Children

Jonathan Friedberg, M.D.A University of Rochester Medical Center study challenges treatment guidelines for early stage follicular lymphoma, concluding that six different therapies can bring a remission, particularly if the patient is carefully examined and staged at diagnosis.
The research underlines the fact that when cancer strikes, modern patients and their oncologists across the United States are taking many diverse treatment paths when there is scant data to support one method over another. This study suggests that the old standard approach

It sounds futuristic, but today Carnegie Mellon University researchers are developing edible electronic devices that can be implanted in the body to improve patient care.
‘We are creating electronically active medical devices that can be implanted in the body,’ said Christopher Bettinger, an assistant professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at CMU. ‘The idea is for a patient to consume a pill that encapsulates the device.’

Bettinger, along with Jay Whitacre, a professor of materials science and engineering, is creating edible power sources for medical devices that can be taken orally using materials found in the daily diet.
‘Our design involves flexible polymer electrodes and a sodium ion electrochemical cell, which allows us to fold the mechanism into an edible pill that encapsulates the device,’ Bettinger said.
CMU researchers report that the edible device could be programmed and deployed in the gastrointestinal tract or the small intestine depending upon packaging. Once the battery packaging is in place, Bettinger’s team would activate the battery.

Bettinger reports that the battery could power biosensors to measure biomarkers or monitor gastric problems. The battery also could be used to stimulate damaged tissue or help in targeted drug delivery for certain types of cancer.
‘There’s so much out there we can do with this novel approach to medical devices,’ said Bettinger, a recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research for his innovative work on advanced materials for next-generation implanted medical devices.
Bettinger has worked for more than a decade at the interface of materials science and biomedical engineering. Some of his innovative technologies include new synthetic materials that mimic the natural properties of soft tissue and biodegradable electronics that could usher in a new era of electronically active implants. Carnegie Mellon University

The relationship between a physician practice’s adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and quality improvements in patient care remains unclear. However, a new study published by Weill Cornell Medical College and the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) of the New York City Health Department shows evidence that EHR implementation can improve patient care in small physician practices in New York City when combined with sustained high-intensity technical assistance.
To evaluate the effects EHRs have on patient care within small physician practices, the research team used an independent data source using multi-payer medical claims in New York state (New York Quality Alliance), linking the data to small practices enrolled in the Primary Care Information Project. This New York City Health Department initiative provided subsidised EHR software with clinical decision support and onsite technical assistance to 3,300 physicians at 600 primary care practices in under-served neighbourhoods serving disadvantaged populations to improve quality of care. This is the United States’ largest community-based EHR implementation program, and the PCIP continues to provide technical assistance and education to more than 7,200 providers through its regional extension centre, NYC REACH.
The research study found EHR implementation alone was not enough to improve patient care overall or known ‘EHR sensitive’ quality improvement measures, such as cancer screenings and diabetes care. In fact, the researchers reported it took physician practices a minimum of nine months of EHR exposure, combined with eight or more technical assistance visits, to demonstrate any significant statistical improvements in certain key quality measures, including breast cancer screening, retinal exam and urine testing for diabetes patients, chlamydia screening for women and colorectal cancer screening. Physician offices with minimal or no technical support did not show any significant improvements, even when these practices had been using EHRs for up to two years.
‘EHRs were once thought to be a cure-all for helping improve patient care, but there are implementation issues and the technology has a steep learning curve,’ says lead author Dr. Andrew M. Ryan, assistant professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College. ‘Our study shows EHRs can in fact be a tool for quality improvement, but not in isolation. Technical assistance must be at the heart of the EHR implementation process. Under resourced, small physician practices, especially those taking care of under-served populations; need help to effectively use EHR technology to improve patient quality of care.’
‘These study findings are consistent with observations from our field staff that small physician practices serving the disadvantaged areas of New York City need considerably more technical support to use EHRs to improve quality,’ says Sarah Shih, executive director of Health Care Quality Information and Program Evaluation at PCIP. ‘High-intensity technical support has helped improve the quality of care provided by small physician practices in some key quality measures after nine months. In addition, PCIP has made major strides in using EHRs to improve population health among other key quality indicators not measured by claims data. We have also observed improved quality trends for smoking cessation counseling, blood pressure control, cholesterol screening and treatment.’
Researchers say it will be important to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of various levels of technical support provided by regional extension centers in improving health outcomes.
EHRs supply physicians with clinical decision support, tools to reduce medical errors, e-prescribing, test result displays, patient health registry information, population data management and improved communication with patients and other providers. The rate of EHR adoption for outpatient care is rising. Physician use of basic EHR systems has increased from 22 percent in 2009 to 35 percent in 2011. But small practices, which constitute the majority of practices in the U.S., have the lowest rate of EHR adoption. Some evidence suggests small practices, especially those in under-served communities like New York City, are less likely to use EHRs.
‘EHRs hold a lot of hope and promise and the technology is taking health care a step in the right direction. Our study supports proof of concept that EHRs can improve outcomes, but widespread implementation of the technology and strong technical assistance is needed,’ says Dr. Ryan. ‘Our hope is the extension of EHRs with proper technical support will have a direct impact on population health.’ Weill Cornell Medical College

What we don’t appreciate is the vital role that our own natural biomolecules play in the healing process, including their contribution to the growth of new cells and the development of new blood vessels that provide nutrients to those cells.
Now, UCLA researchers led by Heather Maynard, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute, are working to take advantage of our body’s ability to heal itself by developing new bio-mimicking therapeutics that could be used to treat skin wounds.

Among the key players involved in natural wound-healing is a signalling molecule known as basic fibroblast growth factor, or bFGF, which is secreted by our cells to trigger processes that are involved in healing, as well as embryonic development, tissue regeneration, bone regeneration, the development and maintenance of the nervous system, and stem cell renewal.

bFGF has been widely investigated as a tool doctors could potentially use to promote or accelerate these processes, but its instability outside the body has been a significant hurdle to its widespread use, Maynard said.

Now, Maynard and her team have discovered how to stabilise bFGF based on the principle of mimicry. Relying on the growth factor’s ability to bind heparin