Search for: "organ failure" - 242 articles found

News • Mechanopathology

'Dengue-on-a-chip' to study infection mechanisms

Due to the effects of climate change, dengue is spreading worldwide. Now, researchers have developed a 'dengue-on-a-chip' model that helps study the virus more effectively.

Article • Imaging modalities for quantifying myocardial blood flow

Nuclear cardiology – a nuclear perspective on matters of the heart

Nuclear cardiology is a specialised field in nuclear medicine that evaluates the heart function to help diagnosing conditions such as coronary artery disease and to assess treatment efficacy, whilst minimising invasive procedures like biopsies. More recently, clinicians have increasingly opted for nuclear imaging over endomyocardial biopsy to diagnose cardiac amyloidosis, allowing for earlier…

News • Millimeter-wave sensor technology

Non-contact breathing monitoring for X-ray and CT imaging

To improve breathing monitoring during radiotherapy, researchers have developed a millimeter-wave sensor capable of non-invasively visualizing respiratory movement during X-ray and CT examinations.

News • Structural research

Researchers use “hallmarks of cancer” to understand tumour growth

“What is a tumour?” Researchers explore tumour architecture as a valuable source of information to understand tumour dynamics and predict its sensitivity to anticancer drugs.

News • Pyroptosis propagation

Sepsis, or death by lethal message

Dying cells prick their neighbors with a lethal message. This may worsen sepsis, Vijay Rathinam and colleagues report. Their findings could lead to a new understanding of this dangerous illness.

News • Advances in precision medicine

MASLD: Research reveals two types of fatty liver disease

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease has 2 types – a liver-specific type and a systemic type that affects other organs and tissues. This discovery could lead to better diagnosis and treatments.

Article • Experts explore the future of CSP, CRT, ICD

Implantable cardiac devices: which techniques are ready for prime time?

Opposing views on new implantable cardiac devices were aired in a Great Debate session at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual 2024 congress in London. Experts discussed emerging techniques and technologies and debated whether they are actually ready for clinical application. At the core of the session was the issue of whether conduction system pacing (CSP) should replace cardiac…

News • Predicting bloodstream infections

AI to tackle antimicrobial resistance, sepsis, in the ICU

UK scientists are harnessing the power of AI to assess the antimicrobial resistance of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and identify sepsis-causing bloodstream infections.

News • Research on "double strike" mechanism

Induction of defective cell division could improve blood cancer therapy

Tumor cells are notorious for their rapid and uncontrolled division, and many cancer therapies aim to disrupt this. New findings suggest potential applications of apoptosis in blood cancer treatment.

News • Insights into bile production

Liver discovery could lead to better CVD treatments

A new discovery about how the liver flushes cholesterol from the body could lead to more effective treatments for cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death worldwide.

News • Hibernation

Genetic Discovery in Syrian Hamsters Unlocks Secret to Surviving Extreme Cold

A study led by Assistant Professor Masamitsu Sone and Professor Yoshifumi Yamaguchi from Hokkaido University, Japan, has uncovered a crucial gene that enables hibernating Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) to prevent cold-induced cell death. The research was published in the journal Cell Death and Disease.

Article • Emergency Department

Taking extra care of pregnant women with severe hypertension

Emergency care specialists must be aware of critically-important factors when treating pregnant women with severe hypertension. At the EUSEM conference in Barcelona, Dr Timo Suonsyrjä, Chief Physician for the Emergency Department at Helsinki University Hospital in Finland, highlighted the key approaches and warning signs.

News • Hypothermic oxygenated perfusion

‘Heart-in-a-box’ to improve organ transport

Not just a Nirvana song, but also an effective way to keep a donor heart fresh for transplantation: New research shows the benefits of “heart-in-a-box” storage.

News • Concerns about hurried adoption

Survey: Is medical AI taking over too quickly?

The pace of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in personalised medicine is unsettling for great parts of the public. A new survey reflects the worried state of mind in the UK.

News • Finding fibrosis

Hyperpolarized MRI improves early detection of kidney diseases

Using an advanced scanner, researchers have developed a technology that can detect the earliest changes in the kidney when scar tissue begins to form.

News • Contrast agent-free imaging of complex structures

Ultrafast ultrasound breaks new ground in imaging kidney vessels

A Korean research team has advanced the imaging of kidney diseases using ultrafast ultrasound that captures 1,000 images in just one second.

News • "Gene scissors" vs. sickle cell disease

FDA approves first CRISPR/Cas therapy

It's an important milestone for gene editing technology: a novel treatment for sickle cell disease utilizing CRISPR-Cas9, has now received FDA approval – a first for this type of therapy.

News • Preparing for the next pandemic

New rapid electronic diagnostic test for infectious diseases

A new molecular test for bacteria and viruses, including Sars-CoV-2, has been developed at the University of Surrey, as they warn that the world needs to be prepared for the next pandemic.

News • Only 2 out of 4 methods for EMS found to be useful

Sepsis screening: inadequate tools lead to underdiagnosis

Two out of the four screening tools used by emergency medical services are inadequate for recognising sepsis, according to new research presented at the EUSEM Congress.

News • Tissue identification

Mass spectrometry pen put to good use in thyroid surgery

In thyroid removal surgery, reliable discrimination between different tissues is crucial. US surgeons have evaluated how a new handheld device using mass spectrometry can assist them.

News • Bioreactor approach

Can an artificial kidney free patients from dialysis?

A new approach to treating kidney failure could one day free people from needing dialysis or having to take harsh drugs to suppress their immune system after a transplant.

Article • RFA, MWA, CRYO and IRE under scrutiny

Thoracic interventions: new tools in the arsenal

Experts presented state-of-the-art and emerging techniques to treat chest tumours and discussed common issues in the management of pneumothorax at RSNA 2022. Current ablation methods in the thorax include radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA), cryoablation (CRYO), irreversible electroporation (IRE) and pulsed electric field.

News • Deep learning in imaging

Earlier detection of diabetes through chest x-rays and AI

A new AI model finds that x-ray images collected during routine medical care can provide warning signs for diabetes, even in patients who don’t meet the guidelines for elevated risk.

News • 3D placenta model

"iPlacenta" could transform healthcare in pregnancy

A placenta on a chip developed at the University of Dundee has the potential to transform research into life-threatening conditions in pregnancy.

News • Implantable device for severe heart failure

Soft robotic heart: €10 million grant for research

The consortium Holland Hybrid Heart will receive €10 million to develop a soft robotic heart suitable for transplantation.

News • Extracorporeal photopheresis

Study on ECP in heart transplant patients presents promising results

Results from a large European study reinforce the use of Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in heart transplant patients as a treatment for heart transplant rejection and prevention of rejection.

News • At-home medical imaging

Study explores diagnostic potential of "ultrasound selfies"

One day, the ultrasound equipment that health care professionals use for diagnostic imaging may no longer be confined to the clinic, instead operated by patients in the comfort of their homes.

News • Sars-CoV-2 infection sequelae

From over 200 to 12 symptoms: Study sharpens definition of "Long Covid"

A study led by the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER Initiative and supported by NYU Langone Health provides an expanded working definition of long Covid.

News • Understanding the role of sex hormones

Multiple sclerosis: Why are women affected more often?

Multiple sclerosis affects three women for every one man. French scientists are studying the role of the sex hormones in order to better understand this discrepancy.

News • Longitudinal ageing study

Hearing loss: Many seniors won't tell their doctor

A new study has found that nearly 40% of patients over 50 who recognised they had hearing loss did not inform a doctor or nurse, despite the reduced quality of life and associated health risks.

News • Cardiology study

Does the ‘obesity paradox’ exist? New research debunks myth

New research has debunked the idea of an “obesity paradox”, whereby overweight or obese patients with heart failure are less likely to end up in hospital or die than people of normal weight.

News • OrQA

Transplant organ quality assessment via AI: a promising approach

A pioneering new method to assess the quality of organs for donation has the potential to revolutionise the transplant system, saving lives and tens of millions of pounds.

Sponsored • Promising combination: AFP, AFP-L3, DCP and GALAD score

Enhanced early detection of liver cancer

Worldwide, about one million people are suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In Germany alone, there are 9,000 new patients each year, most of them men between 50 and 60 years. When liver cancer is detected early, the prognosis is excellent, says Professor Dr. Ali Canbay, Director of the Medical Clinic at the University Hospital/Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum. While, unfortunately,…

Video • Organ restoration

First successful regeneration of diseased kidney

In a world first, scientists from Singapore and Germany have shown that regenerative therapy to restore impaired kidney function may soon be a possibility.

Article • Appeal to healthcare providers and medical device vendors

ECRI reports top 10 health technology hazards for 2023

ECRI’s annual top ten technology hazard list alerts hospitals and healthcare providers of situations, products, and procedures they need to diligently monitor and/or take steps to improve. This non-profit technology Pennsylvania research firm has worked for over 50 years to make healthcare safer. The list reflects the organization’s collective judgment about the health technology risks that…

Article • Image augmentation, interpretation and evaluation

AI in multimodality hybrid imaging: a diamond in the rough

AI-based models for multimodality hybrid imaging have the potential to be a potent clinical tool but are currently held back by a lack of transparency and maturity, says Dr Irène Buvat, from the Laboratory of translational Imaging in Oncology, Institute Curie in Paris, France.

News • Heart disease diagnosis

New MRI technique to enhance metabolic imaging

Swiss researchers developed a new MRI method to visualise metabolic processes in the body. Their objective is to improve the future diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Article • Targeted Real-time Early Warning System for hospitals

Early detection of sepsis with the help of AI

Sepsis, a life-threatening, systemic, toxic bodily reaction to infection, is often difficult to detect in its early stages. Its symptoms, including fever, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, and confusion, are associated with many medical conditions of hospitalized patients. But if not treated rapidly, a patient may die. The Targeted Real-time Early Warning System (TREWS) for sepsis detection…

News • Cardiology research

Are hearts from Covid-19 positive donors safe for transplantation?

Donor hearts from people who were Covid-19-positive appear to be as safe for transplantation as those from people without Covid-19, according to a new short-term analysis.

Article • LTX overview

Lung transplant surgery: last hope for patients with advanced lung diseases

Despite treatment, chronic lung diseases such as COPD or cystic fibrosis can become so severe that a lung transplant is necessary. Dr Urte Sommerwerck explains which patients might be considered for transplantation and why follow-up is as important as the surgery itself.

Sponsored • Earlier disease prediction and identification

The potential of AI in routine blood testing

It’s widely known that more than 70% of today’s medical decisions involve the results of laboratory tests, but the insights clinicians derive from these tests today may only be scratching the surface of their potential.

News • AI vs. NSCLC

Streamlining lung cancer radiotherapy with Deep Learning

UK researchers developed and validated a deep learning algorithm that can identify and outline a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor on a CT scan within seconds.

News • Cardiomyopathy research

Genetic defects can cause heart failure

Cardiomyopathy is not a uniform disease. Rather, individual genetic defects lead to heart failure in different ways, an international consortium reports.

News • Risk factor identification

AI to speed up sepsis detection

Patients are 20% less likely to die of sepsis because a new AI system developed at Johns Hopkins University catches symptoms hours earlier than traditional methods, an extensive hospital study shows.

Sponsored • Covid-19 management

Rapid and robust PCR testing for infectious diseases at Innklinikum Altötting and Mühldorf

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the fast and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases in clinical settings. Harald Maier discusses the implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics in the central clinical diagnostics laboratory at Innklinikum Altötting and Mühldorf, highlighting how the use of PCR testing has benefitted the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.

News • Faulty gene is catalyst

New liver and kidney disease identified

Scientists have identified a new disease in a ground-breaking discovery that could help patients with unexplained liver and kidney problems.

News • Breakthrough with the help of computer-based protein design

Immune diseases: Advancing the development of novel drugs

Latest developments in computational protein design enable the simulation of sequence and structural changes in proteins for creating novel agents in human medicine.

Video • No more staples

‘Bio-glue’ could mean end to surgical sutures

Biomaterial engineers have developed the first-ever hydrophobic fluid, which instantly displaces body fluids surrounding an injury allowing for near-instantaneous gelling, sealing, and healing of injured tissue.

Article • The right tool for the task

Vascular insights with MRI and ultrasound

Advances in image post-processing and contrast-enhanced techniques have widened the scope of possibilities for MRI and ultrasound vascular imaging, experts showed in a dedicated course at the ECR Overture.

News • Blood filtering against inflammation

Hemoadsorption brings no benefit in endocarditis surgery

Reducing inflammatory mediators in the blood before surgical treatment of cardiac bacterial infection does not improve clinically relevant outcome, a new study shows.

Article • CAD pros and cons

CT or MRI – which is better for imaging stable cardiac chest pain?

When it comes to imaging stable cardiac chest pain, which modality should be used as the first-line test to investigate coronary artery disease: CT or MRI? Radiologists discussed the strengths and limitations of the two approaches in a lively Pros and Cons session at ECR Overture.

News • ATP and lactates in the blood

A sensor to monitor disease severity

Scientists have developed a prototype sensor that could help rapidly measure adenosine triphosphate and lactate levels in blood samples, aiding in the rapid assessment of disease severity.

News • New bone implants

Superhero substance used to combat infection

A new kind of bone implant reduces the chance of infection, and therefore significantly decreases implant failure rates.

Sponsored • Liquid handling

Revolutionising Molecular Diagnostics With PurePrep TTR

With micro-organisms and viruses constantly developing, mutating, and evolving, diagnostics must adapt just as rapidly. Advanced laboratory technology and instruments are undeniably a prerequisite for best practice in life sciences and biotechnology.

News • Neuropeptide research

Fluorescent biosensor to shed light on narcolepsy

Researchers in Zurich have developed a fluorescent orexin biosensor to observe on of the brain's signaling molecules "live" to gain insights into constant daytime sleepiness (narcolepsy).

News • Heart failure and organ fibrosis

RNA therapeutics: potential far beyond Covid-19

RNA has already been making an impact in the context of the vaccine program, but the potential of RNA-based compounds is far from being fully tapped, as RNA allows for entirely new therapeutic approaches.

News • Cutting risk of death

Machine learning rapidly detects sepsis

Researchers used artificial intelligence to identify sets of genes that predict whether a patient will acquire severe sepsis.

News • Personalised aftercare

Immunosuppression after transplant: as much as necessary, as little as possible

After a liver transplant, patients have to take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives. These so-called immunosuppressants prevent the organ from being rejected. However, the drugs increase the risk of cancer and serious infections. They can also significantly impair kidney function and even lead to dialysis. In order to be able to give those affected as much immunosuppression as…

Sponsored • Tools for the lab

Speeding up diagnostics to detect antibiotic resistance

Infectious disease diagnostics are notoriously slow. The gold standard for laboratory diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infection involves growing the pathogen from a clinical specimen – an overnight event, or even longer. The healthcare focus is on improving the use of antibiotics for better patient outcomes and reducing the environmental pressures that drive antibiotic resistance. To impact…

News • Blood poisoning

Sepsis: 5-country survey shows lack of public awareness

On World Sepsis Day, in vitro diagnostics company bioMérieux and the UK Sepsis Trust reveal the results of a survey conducted in Europe regarding knowledge and attitudes towards sepsis. The findings demonstrate the need to accelerate awareness and education of the general population about this life-threatening condition.

Article • Molecular targeting for better results

Emerging novel tracers for cardiovascular imaging

Molecular imaging, guided by novel tracers, is emerging as an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool in cardiovascular medicine. Delegates at ICNC-CT, the online International Conference on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT, also heard that cardiology can learn from fields such as oncology and neurology that have already made important advances in this area. Professor Frank Bengel, who is…

News • Infection research

Understanding lung damage in Covid-19 patients

Covid-19 disease severity is determined by the individual patient’s immune response. The precise mechanisms taking place inside the lungs and blood during the early phase of the disease, however, remain unclear. Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and Freie Universität Berlin have now studied the cellular mechanisms…

Article • Oncology

Pancreatic cancer - current challenges and future direction

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the world, and one of the most difficult to treat. In 2020, an estimated 495,000 individuals worldwide were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and an estimated 466,000 died, according to statistics from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Most patients with advanced disease die within a year of…

News • Customer Reference

And still it scans! 15 years of experience with Hamamatsu Photonics NanoZoomer

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Peter Riegman from Erasmus University. Dr. Riegman is a Molecular Biologist and head of the Erasmus MC Tissue Bank. As an early adopter of digital pathology, Dr. Riegman purchased his first Hamamatsu Photonics whole slide scanner in 2005. It was a NanoZoomer HT, one of Hamamatsu’s very first production units, and it is still in daily use at…

Article • Drug repurposing

Social impact bonds leverage private investment

Identifying new uses for approved therapeutic drugs continues to drive academics and clinicians to provide safe, affordable and rapid development of new treatment options for patients with common or rare diseases.

News • Heartbeat in a dish

"Cardioids" hold great promise for heart disease research

Self-organizing heart organoids – developed at the Austrian Academy of Sciences – are also effective injury- and in vitro congenital disease models. These “cardioids” may revolutionize research into cardiovascular disorders and malformations of the heart. The results are published in the journal Cell.

News • Coronavirus complications

Post-acute Covid: study explores risk of developing long term conditions

One in 7 (14%) adults with coronavirus infection developed at least one new condition that required medical care during the post-acute phase of illness, which is 5% higher than adults with no coronavirus infection in 2020, finds a US study published by The BMJ. The post-acute phase in this study started 21 days (or 3 weeks) after initial infection.

News • Lasting impact

COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of death

A major study from the Washington University School of Medicine details numerous long-term effects of COVID-19, pointing to massive health burden.

News • Coronavirus research

'Covid-19 atlas' uncovers differing immune responses in asymptomatic versus severe cases

The largest study of its kind in the UK has identified differences in the immune response to Covid-19 between people with no symptoms, compared to those suffering a more serious reaction to the virus. The research by Newcastle University and collaborators within the Human Cell Atlas initiative found raised levels of specific immune cells in asymptomatic people. They also showed people with more…

Video • Bioprinting breakthrough

3D printed mini pancreas to help fight diabetes

First you see it as a transparent shape on a computer screen – a small electronic replica of the human pancreas. Then just 30 seconds later the tissue is printed out on a bioprinter, blood vessels and all, from a sample of human stem cells. This amazing feat is possible thanks to new technology created at EPFL’s Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices (LAPD) and further developed by…

News • Spread of drug-resistance

WHO reports global shortage of innovative antibiotics

The world is still failing to develop desperately needed antibacterial treatments, despite growing awareness of the urgent threat of antibiotic resistance, according to a new report by the World Health Organization. WHO reveals that none of the 43 antibiotics that are currently in clinical development sufficiently address the problem of drug resistance in the world’s most dangerous bacteria.…

News • From foe to friend?

Some Alzheimer’s plaques may be protective, not destructive

One of the characteristic hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the buildup of amyloid-beta plaques in the brain. Most therapies designed to treat AD target these plaques, but they’ve largely failed in clinical trials. New research by scientists at the Salk Institute upends conventional views of the origin of one prevalent type of plaque, indicating a reason why treatments have been…

News • Seeing the whole picture

Covid-19 mapping reveals organ distribution and tissue damage

The first known study to measure SARS-CoV-2 viral load in a variety of organs and tissues may aid our understanding of how Covid-19 develops following infection.

News • Venous cannula system

New circulation implant to bridge the waiting time for donor heart

With the first-in-man implantation of the Berlin Heart Venous Cannula at the LMU University Hospital Munich, Germany, Berlin Heart offers patients with a failing Fontan circulation a unique chance to survive the waiting time for a donor heart. These patients are in a life-threatening condition: their health has deteriorated so much that they desperately need a new heart, but because of their poor…

News • Alarm system 'ELISE'

A digital 'co-pilot' for paediatric intensive care

Working in intensive care units poses special challenges for healthcare workers. They have to safely and reliably detect whether the condition of their seriously ill patients is deteriorating in a life-threatening way, and they have to do so under great time pressure because every minute counts. The stress level increases even more when the patients are children and adolescents. In paediatric…

Article • Covid-19, cybersecurity, AI

Top 10 technology hazards for hospitals (according to experts)

Coronavirus-associated concerns dominate the Top 10 list of important technology hazard risks for hospitals, in an annual report published by ECRI, a nonprofit technology Pennsylvania research firm. The list is derived from ECRI’s team of technology experts who monitor hospital and healthcare organizations, and published to inform healthcare facilities about important safety issues involving…

News • Insulin inhibitory receptor

New promising target for diabetes treatment

Researchers from Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, the Technical University of Munich and the German Center for Diabetes have discovered a novel and druggable insulin inhibitory receptor, named inceptor. The blocking of inceptor function leads to an increased sensitisation of the insulin signaling pathway in pancreatic beta cells. This might allow protection and regeneration of beta cells for diabetes…

News • Influence of gut bacteria

How our gut microbiome affects Covid-19 severity

The variety and volume of bacteria in the gut, known as the microbiome, may influence the severity of Covid-19 as well as the magnitude of the immune system response to the infection, suggests research published online in the journal Gut. Imbalances in the make-up of the microbiome may also be implicated in persisting inflammatory symptoms, dubbed ‘long Covid’, the findings suggest. Covid-19…

Sponsored • Ready to face the pandemic

Sonosite PX launches in a moment of crisis

This July, Fujifilm Sonosite launched Sonosite PX, its newest ultrasound system, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Diku Mandavia, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Fujifilm Sonosite, sat down with sonographer and Sonosite’s Director of Marketing Development Jodi Miller to discuss how Sonosite’s newest ultrasound system can help frontline health care workers combat the pandemic and why…

News • Cardiac complications

Immunotherapy drugs can lead to higher risk of heart problems

A study of over a thousand cancer patients treated with immunotherapy drugs has found these patients are at greater risk of heart problems, including death from heart attack or stroke. The patients had either lung cancer or malignant melanoma (a type of skin cancer), for which immune checkpoint inhibitors such as a programmed cell death-1 (PD1) inhibitors or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated…

News • Solving a mystery

How the TB bacterium develops rapid resistance to antibiotics

For a slow-growing microbe that multiplies infrequently, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB) has long puzzled researchers as to how it develops resistance to antibiotics so quickly, in a matter of weeks to months.

Article • Profiling the coronavirus

Experts unlock Covid-19 secrets

Experts have identified two distinct immunological and cellular profiles in the lungs of Covid-19 patients which they believe could help define treatment pathways. From some of the earliest Covid-19 autopsies conducted in Europe, Swiss-based researchers have performed integrative digital pathology and transcriptomic analyses of lung tissues of 16 coronavirus patients who died from respiratory…

News • Block of erythrocytes formation

SARS-CoV-2 might attack red marrow

Specialists from the Department of Fundamental Medicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with Russian and Japanese colleagues have probed into mechanisms of COVID-19 inside-the-body distribution linked to erythrocytes damaging.

Video • List by top clinicians and researchers

Top 10 medical innovations for 2021

An up-and-coming gene therapy for blood disorders. A new class of medications for cystic fibrosis. Increased access to telemedicine. These are some of the innovations that will enhance healing and change healthcare in the coming year, according to a distinguished panel of clinicians and researchers from Cleveland Clinic. In conjunction with the 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, Cleveland Clinic…

Article • Blood poisoning

Exploring the importance and challenges of early sepsis diagnosis

On the occasion of this year's World Sepsis Day, we spoke with Elena Sukhacheva, Ph.D., director of medical and scientific affairs at Beckman Coulter, about the status quo and outlook on sepsis diagnostics. With the severity of sepsis symptoms, it’s easy to comprehend why it is invaluable to diagnose this disease properly and in a timely manner. Dr Sukhacheva takes an in-depth look at…

News • Gender parity

Why heart failure research needs more female authors

While about a quarter of physicians and researchers working in advanced heart failure (HF) and transplant cardiology are women, representation of women leading HF research remains limited, according to new research led by Penn Medicine. The authors say the findings point to a need to support great gender diversity among researchers to drive diversity among clinical trial participants and even…

News • Research shows

Children are silent spreaders of COVID-19 virus

In the most comprehensive study of COVID-19 pediatric patients to date, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Mass General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) researchers provide critical data showing that children play a larger role in the community spread of COVID-19 than previously thought. In a study of 192 children ages 0-22, 49 children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and an additional 18…

Article • Sterilising with VHP, EO or HPGP

Sterilisation study puts cleansing methods to the test

A new study from the USA highlights how low temperature sterilisation can jeopardise effective cleansing of medical tools and lead to transmission of dangerous bacteria to patients. Steam sterilisation was shown to be the most effective and robust sterilisation technology. However, the researchers, working at the University of North Carolina, also showed that vaporised hydrogen peroxide (VHP)…

News • Preeclampsia

Novel biomarker discovery could help mother and baby

The discovery of two novel biomarkers, called FKBPL and CD44, has the potential to change the way preeclampsia is managed according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Preeclampsia can cause high blood pressure and organ failure in mothers and lead to preterm births and even stillbirth.

News • Implications for lockdown policies

Cruise ship study hints at many ‘silent’ COVID-19 infections

The prevalence of ‘silent’ symptomless COVID-19 infection may be much higher than thought, reveals a study charting the enforced isolation of cruise ship passengers during the current pandemic, and published online in the journal Thorax. More than eight out of 10 of passengers and crew who tested positive for the infection had no symptoms. This has implications for the easing of lockdown…

News • Nephritis as a marker

Kidney an early warning sign for severe COVID-19 cases

A course of action to early detect and treat severe courses of COVID-19 infections has been developed by an expert-team of the University Medical Center Goettingen (UMG). A simple urine test is intended to help medical professionals to recognize warning signs of future decompensation of COVID-19 infections earlier. With the help of a few parameters, the treatment of imminent complications can…

News • COVID-19 and ARDS

Computer model of the lung enables protective ventilation

A computational lung model can be used to reduce damage caused by mechanical ventilation – and could increase survival rates for patients significantly.

News • Coronavirus treatment

Promising trial drug blocks early stages of COVID-19

An international team led by University of British Columbia (UBC) researcher Dr. Josef Penninger has found a trial drug that effectively blocks the cellular door SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect its hosts. The findings, published in Cell, hold promise as a treatment capable of stopping early infection of the novel coronavirus that, as of April 2, has affected more than 981,000 people and claimed the…

News • Study offers new insights

Sepsis treatment: Destroying DNA to save the genome

Sepsis—the body's own immune response gone against it—is a major health problem worldwide. It is basically a "hyper" immune response by the body to infection or injury, and is characterized by hyperinflammation, immune system paralysis, cell death, liver and kidney failure, blood clots, and even hemorrhage. An estimated 30 million people suffer from sepsis every year, of which 20%…

News • Automated helper

Robot uses AI and imaging to draw blood

Engineers at Rutgers University have created a tabletop device that combines a robot, artificial intelligence and near-infrared and ultrasound imaging to draw blood or insert catheters to deliver fluids and drugs. Their most recent research results, published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, suggest that autonomous systems like the image-guided robotic device could outperform people on…

News • Pilot clinical trial

China to test targeted therapy for COVID-19

A University of British Columbia (UBC) researcher is part of an international team working with a biotechnology company on a pilot clinical trial of a potential new treatment for patients with severe coronavirus infections in China. Dr. Josef Penninger, director of UBC’s Life Sciences Institute and Canada 150 Chair in Functional Genetics, is working closely with Vienna-based Apeiron Biologics…

News • Donor organ assessment

New quality feature to predict kidney transplant failure

New research indicates that subtle structural features of donated kidneys from living donors may predict the risk of kidney transplant failure in recipients. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of JASN, may help clinicians as they evaluate the quality of organs at the time of transplantation. The quality of donated kidneys obtained from living donors is often inferred from their age,…

News • Research award shortlist

Soft cardio-robot and 'Google Maps' of the heart face Big Beat Challenge

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) announced its shortlist of four research projects competing for a single £30 million award. The charity says it is one of many radical new approaches needed to address a frightening mismatch in research funding compared with the burden of heart and circulatory diseases. With the World Health Organization forecasting an increase in cardiovascular deaths…

News • New nutrition study

Childhood obesity: a surprisingly complex topic

The World Health Organization has estimated more than 340 million children and adolescents ages 5-19 are overweight or obese, and the epidemic has been linked to more deaths worldwide than those caused by being underweight. The Centers for Disease Control recently reported an estimated 1 in 5 children in the United States, ages 12-18, are living with prediabetes — increasing their risk of…

Article • WB-MRI vs. prostate cancer

Whole-body MRI improves disease evaluation

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) is championed as offering significant benefits, such as improving disease evaluation for prostate cancer patients. During an intense session in genito-urinary cancer at ECR 2019, three key speakers focused on the advantages over conventional imaging modalities as well as discussing new PET (Positron Emission Tomography) tracers.

News • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

3D model of human liver tissue for better NAFLD diagnosis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the most common chronic liver disorder in developed countries. Histological analysis of liver tissue is the only widely accepted test for diagnosing and distinguishing different stages of NAFLD. However, this technique provides only two-dimensional images of the liver tissue in low resolution and overlooks potentially important 3D structural…

Article • Cardiology

AI identifies genes linked to heart failure

The Queen Mary University of London team applied an artificial intelligence (AI) technique to analyse the heart MRI images of 17,000 healthy UK Biobank volunteers. They found that genetic factors accounted for 22-39 per cent of variation in the size and function of the heart’s left ventricle, the organ’s main pumping chamber. Enlargement and reduced pumping function of the left ventricle can…

News • Multi-component procedure

SULEEI: extending the functional lives of biological heart valve prostheses

For decades now, the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP has been developing processes and systems for cleaning, sterilization, and surface modification. The newly in-house developed process, called SULEEI, makes it possible to sterilize (S) and preserve decellularized pericardial tissue by means of photo-initiated ultraviolet (U) crosslinking…

Article • Cardiac regeneration potential

Cell combination heals damaged hearts

Researchers have discovered a unique combination of cells grown from stem cells that could prove pivotal in helping a heart regenerate after a patient has suffered a myocardial infarction. The University of Cambridge research team found that transplanting an area of damaged tissue with a combination of heart muscle cells and supportive cells, similar to those that cover the outside of the heart,…

News • Spotting scar muscles of the heart

New MRI technique saves kidneys from gadolinium damage

Traditional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans use the metal gadolinium, which resonates areas of the heart muscles that are not functioning efficiently. However, gadolinium affects the Kidney function. A new 3D MRI computing technique developed by scientists at the University of Warwick calculates strain in heart muscles showing which muscles are not functioning enough without damaging other…

News • IT Solutions

Siemens Healthineers shows the power of data in the lab at AACC 2019

At the 71st AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, Siemens Healthineers features in Booth #1039 its innovative IT solutions to combat the laboratory’s staffing challenges, limited budgets, and the increasing complexity in sample management and testing. “We will be demonstrating the power of our broad IT offerings and how the data they deliver, and artificial intelligence, can…

News • Obesity and Type 1 diabetes

Robotic pancreas transplant offers hope

For patients with Type 1 diabetes who don’t respond well to insulin or have other serious medical complications caused by their disease, pancreas transplantation offers hope for a cure. But obese candidates who need a pancreas transplant often are denied the procedure because of poor outcomes, including high rates of incision infections, which are linked to an increased risk for failure and…

Sponsored • Progressing with a strong partner

Xenios and Fresenius Medical Care take the next step to multi-organ support

In October 2016, Xenios became a part of Fresenius Medical Care (FME), the world’s leading provider of products and services for people with chronic kidney failure. The integration of the expertise from FME and Xenios and thus the combination of the companies’ competences strongly enhances treatment options in critical care within the intensive care unit (ICU) of hospitals across the world.…

News • Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy

New treatments for rare disease ATTR-CM approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vyndaqel (tafamidis meglumine) and Vyndamax (tafamidis) capsules for the treatment of the heart disease (cardiomyopathy) caused by transthyretin mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) in adults. These are the first FDA-approved treatments for ATTR-CM. Vyndaqel and Vyndamax have the same active moiety, tafamidis, but they are not substitutable on a…

News • Biotechnology

First ever 3D printed heart from a patient’s own cells

In a major medical breakthrough, Tel Aviv University researchers have "printed" the world's first 3D vascularised engineered heart using a patient's own cells and biological materials. Until now, scientists in regenerative medicine — a field positioned at the crossroads of biology and technology — have been successful in printing only simple tissues without blood vessels. "This…

News • Death toll

Air pollution causes 800,000 extra deaths a year in Europe

Air pollution could be causing double the number of excess deaths a year in Europe than has been estimated previously, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal [1] today.

News • Biosensor

New rapid test for sepsis could save thousands of lives

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde have developed an innovative, low cost test for earlier diagnosis of sepsis which could save thousands of lives. The simple system for sensitive real-time measurement of the life threatening condition is much quicker than existing hospital tests, which can take up to 72 hours to process. Using a microelectrode, a biosensor device is used to detect if…

News • Hope for diabetics

Insulin-producing cells grown in lab

UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes. Replacing these cells, which are lost in patients with T1 diabetes, has long been a dream of regenerative medicine, but until now scientists had not been able to figure out how to produce cells in a…

News • Tiny threat

Nanoparticles may promote cancer metastasis

Nanoparticles can be found in processed food (e.g. food additives), consumer products (e.g. sunscreen) and even in medicine. While these tiny particles could have large untapped potential and novel new applications, they may have unintended and harmful side effects, according to a recent study by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Specifically, NUS researchers found that…

Article • Chronic peripheral inflammation and schizophrenia

The network approach to mental illness research

As European health services are pressured to provide the best possible care for best possible value, some medical fields are now very much the poor relation; this is particularly true for mental health. Mental illnesses represent a great health burden and cause huge financial and societal pressure in terms of direct and indirect costs from repeated hospitalisation and treatment failures, while…

Sponsored • Intensive care

Deep learning software helps to locate the carina

The ability to accurately check the position of the endotracheal tube for patients in intensive care units is crucial to their wellbeing and safe treatment. A pivotal element of this lies in identifying the position of the carina, a ridge of cartilage in the trachea that occurs between the division of the two main bronchi. Yet highlighting its location often proves problematic on portable chest…

Article • Data handling

Blockchain: “Hype will fade but the technology will remain”

A new dimension in data handling is not only emerging, but is already a reality in our lives. However, political discourse about this often lags behind real events. We spoke with two experts who have an overview of clouds, decentralised data flows and the evaluation of personal data with IT help in various areas. Engineer Professor Alexandra Dmitrienko is a Secure Software Systems expert at the…

News • World Sepsis Day 2018

Beckman Coulter sponsored 2nd World Sepsis Congress

Beckman Coulter was a gold sponsor of the 2nd World Sepsis Congress, a free-of-charge online conference, hosted by the Global Sepsis Alliance, that took place on Sept. 5 and 6, 2018. Over the course of 17 sessions, more than 100 speakers from approximately 30 countries discussed the wide-ranging implications of sepsis and how to raise public awareness of this often-fatal condition.

Sponsored • Lab equipment

It takes a team

Clinical laboratories need to meet greater testing demands, improve efficiency, and deliver reliable, high-quality results, while at the same time, facing an increasing shortage of skilled employees and growing budget constraints. Both patient and physician satisfaction are frequently tied to the time it takes to receive lab test results. In a recent survey commissioned by Siemens Healthineers,…

News • Hematopoietic Stem Cells

What keeps our blood in balance

Blood is the juice of life, as while circulating through the body it delivers vital substances such as oxygen and nutrients to cells and tissues. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and blood loss in general impoverish the system. A special kind of cells in the bone marrow, called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is able to replenish the impoverished system by giving rise not only to red blood cells, but…

News • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The most dangerous lung disease you've never heard of

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is one of the most challenging and frustrating diseases that pulmonologists face. And despite affecting 1 out of 200 adults over the age of 65 in the United States, general awareness of IPF is low. “There’s a tremendous disconnect between the human impact of this disease and its recognition by the public. Few people have ever heard of it,” says Marc…

News • Bone health

Osteoporosis defined: causes, symptoms and treatments

Weak, easily broken bones are an epidemic in the United States. They’re often tied to osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to degenerate over time. This makes them less flexible, more brittle, and easier to break. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, more than 44 million Americans aged 50 and older either have or face the threat of developing osteoporosis due to low bone…

Sponsored • Exhibition

Progress in medicine presented at Bulmedica/Buldental 2018

New products and technologies in medical practice expect the specialists of the leading international exhibition Bulmedica/Buldental from 16 to 18 May at Inter Expo Center. This year, the medical profile of the exhibition will focus on the progress in imaging, physiotherapy, aesthetic medicine. Once again Bulmedica/Buldental will be a platform to keep an eye on the tendencies, a meeting point of…

News • Clinical guide app

Sepsis app continues through sponsoring

Beckman Coulter announced its exclusive sponsorship of the ESCAVO Sepsis Clinical Guide (Sepsis app), a point-of-care medical reference mobile application for healthcare professionals who manage septic patients in acute-care settings. Beckman Coulter’s sponsorship of the Sepsis app ensures that the tool will remain free for all users and that content will continue to be maintained and updated…

News • Right in the stomach

Helicobacter creates immune system blind spot

While gastritis and gastric ulcer disease used to be put down to stress and dietary factors, it was discovered in the 1980s that the actual culprit is infection with a bacterium, H. pylori. This pathogen is now classed as a type I carcinogen by the WHO, as it is the major risk factor for development of gastric carcinoma. Attempts to develop a vaccine against H. pylori have been unsuccessful and…

News • Organ transplantation

Many discarded donor kidneys in fact still suitable

When researchers examined information on pairs of kidneys from the same donor in which 1 kidney was used but the other was discarded, the kidneys that were used tended to perform well even though they were similar in quality to their partner kidneys that were not used. The findings from a study provide further evidence that many of the donated kidneys that are discarded are in fact suitable for…

News • Tissue engineering

Growing cells in three dimensions

Tissue engineering, broadly described as the combination of cells, engineering methods and biochemical factors to create living biological tissue, is a fast-growing field that has the potential to significantly accelerate the advancement of medicine. In IDTechEx’s new report, Tissue Engineering 2018 – 2028: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts, the market for engineered living tissues is…

News • De-fragmenting efforts

Coordinated emergency care improves heart attack survival

Coordinating the response to heart attacks among emergency responders and hospitals reduces the time to treatment and saves lives - even on a large, regional scale, according to a study led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute with support from the American Heart Association. In the largest demonstration of the coordinated approach - 132 hospitals and 946 EMS agencies in 12 U.S. regions -…

News • Innovative technology

3-D-printed prosthetic implants could improve hearing loss treatment

Researchers using CT scans and 3-D printing have created accurate, custom-designed prosthetic replacements for damaged parts of the middle ear, according to a study being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The technique has the potential to improve a surgical procedure that often fails because of incorrectly sized prosthetic implants, researchers…

News • Diabetes research

Novel transcriptomic signature of type 2 diabetic islets identified

Type 2 diabetes, which affects >0.5 billion people worldwide, results from the inability of beta cells in the pancreatic islets to provide the body with enough insulin to maintain blood glucose levels within the range for a healthy life. A collaborative study led by Prof. Michele Solimena at the Technische Universität in Dresden as well as the Helmholtz Zentrum München, Dr. Anke M Schulte at…

Article • The interdisciplinary challenge

Evaluating ICU care for cancer patients

Progressive treatments offer new chances for cancer patients, but also could result in as yet unknown complications. The number of cancer patients transferred to the ICU for cancer-specific and internal medicine related reasons is on the increase. Caring for them on the ICU is a complex challenge, with interdisciplinary cooperation playing an essential part. Certain criteria need to be met for…

News • Split transplantation

One Liver. Two Saved Lives

A new study found that increased utilization of split liver transplantation could decrease the number of children who die awaiting liver transplantation without decreasing liver transplantation access for adult patients. “Among children listed for liver transplant in the United States, more than one in 10 infants and one in 20 older children die while waiting for a liver,” says Emily Perito,…

Article • DNA modification

CRISPR/Cas9 and Sherlock: Savers, healers or threats to life?

Modifying a DNA sequence to alter a cell to cure a disorder, prevent a genetic disease being passed on to next generations, or to use genetic modification as a way to diagnose a virus: yes, these tasks are possible. The recently discovered CRISPR technique can do it all.

Article • ESC Congress 2017

Entering the future of cardiology

With 4,500 accepted abstracts, 600 sessions and 30,000 expected attendees, ESC Congress 2017 is undoubtedly the world’s largest cardiovascular event. On healthcare-in-europe.com, Dr Stephan Achenbach, Congress Program Committee Chairperson, gives an overview of issues and events unfolding in Barcelona from August 26-30.

Article • Gadolinium-based contrast agents

Clinicians define optimal approach for MRI contrast to maximize benefit

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are an essential component of MRI exams, but are challenged by findings of residual depositions of gadolinium in the body, even though the clinical relevance remains unknown. Three clinicians described how changes to MRI protocols and dose levels for contrast media can optimise the balance between benefit and risk for patients and radiologists.

Article • A very special juice

The patient blood management concept

'Blood is a very special juice’ – something even Goethe’s Mephistopheles knew. Medics have also known this for centuries, so it’s nothing new that the ‘juice’ and its properties receive a lot of attention in medicine. However, what is new is that dealing with the use of blood through patient blood management (PBM) is coming to the fore.

News • Computer-based analysis

AI is getting closer to predicting our lifespans

A computer's ability to predict a patient's lifespan simply by looking at images of their organs is a step closer to becoming a reality, thanks to new research led by the University of Adelaide. The research has implications for the early diagnosis of serious illness, and medical intervention.

News • Rare disorder

New treatment for kidney failure patients

A novel treatment offers kidney failure and kidney transplant patients with a rare disorder new hope. The treatment allows targeted elimination of plasma cell clones producing abnormal proteins that deposits in the kidneys and leads to kidney failure, according to new research.

News • Biotechnology

Engineered muscle for the treatment of heart failure

MBM ScienceBridge GmbH successfully negotiated a license agreement between Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Stiftung Öffentlichen Rechts, Universitätsmedizin (UMG) and the biotech company Repairon GmbH about commercial production and use of engineered human myocardium for heart failure repair. The production methods are based on the scientific work from the group of Prof. Dr.…

Article • Emergency

Rapid sepsis recognition saves lives

The UK’s first dedicated emergency department sepsis team has been set up in one of the country’s leading hospitals. Leicester Hospital’s created the team to recognise and manage sepsis. The key aim is to strengthen the response, in a timely manner, to sepsis cases admitted to the emergency department or to identify rapidly any patients who deteriorate within the unit.

Article • Diversity is the enemy

x-Health: Demands for real interoperability

Britta Böckmann, Professor for Health Informatics at the Technical University of Dortmund summarises the lack of feeling for terms such as eHealth, mHealth and telehealth with the description xHealth.

News • Whole genome sequencing

Genetic testing cannot determine antimicrobial susceptibility

Experts at the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST), who define the optimal drug concentrations to inhibit the growth of pathogens, have found that genetic methods cannot yet be used to test for susceptibility in a number of important bacterial species.

Overcoming multidrug-resistant cancer with smart nanoparticles

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the mechanism by which many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, resulting in minimal cell death and the expansion of drug-resistant tumors. To address the problem of resistance, researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed nanoparticles that…

Article • 7 tesla MRI

A new technique for dilated cardiomyopathy

UK researchers are working on a more precise imaging technique for dilated cardiomyopathy that may lead to more effective treatments. A study from the University of Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), part of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the university, has demonstrated how the next generation of MRI scanners can work to measure heart conditions in dilated…

News • Bacteria

New discovery could change ICU care

No one knows for sure how they got there. But the discovery that bacteria that normally live in the gut can be detected in the lungs of critically ill people and animals could mean a lot for intensive care patients.

News • Endothelial progenitor cells

Growing blood vessels could boost regenerative medicine

In addition the technique to grow the blood vessels in a 3D scaffold cuts down on the risk of transplant rejection because it uses cells from the patient. It was developed by researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, working with colleagues at Bristol Heart Institute.

Article • Preview

Prediction and Prevention theme for cardiovascular conference

Topics of big data, the genetic basis of coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death in the young are among key subjects for British cardiologists at their 2016 annual conference. With a central theme of “Prediction and Prevention”, the 2016 British Cardiovascular Society annual conference takes place in Manchester from June 6-8 and features innovative and interactive presentations,…

Article • Structure & function

Morphological medicine and pathology will boom

Professor Klaus Kayser, former Head of the Institute of Pathology at Heidelberg University Hospital’s Thorax Clinic, may be retired but he continues to be a leading figure in his discipline, a visionary, famous for this critical and ‘out of the box’ thinking. During the run-up to the European Congress on Digital Pathology (ECDP), we asked the expert about telemedicine and standards and,…

Article • Resistance

Last resort antibiotic under treat

Data presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases diseases has highlighted how a recently-discovered mechanism could mean one of the last-resort antibiotics is under threat. Evidence put before ECCMID suggested the genetic mechanism allowing bacteria to develop and transfer resistance to colistin has been present in several countries around the world –…

News • MERS

First reported autopsy of patient with MERS provides critical insights

Since 2012, at least 1,500 individuals have developed Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), resulting in more than 500 fatalities. Only now are results being reported of the first autopsy of a MERS patient, which was performed in 2014. Not only do these findings, published in The American Journal of Pathology, provide unprecedented, clinically-relevant insights about how MERS progresses, they…

News • Fighting cancer

Stopping tumour cells killing surrounding tissue

Tumours kill off surrounding cells to make room to grow, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. Although the study was carried out using fruit flies, its findings suggest that drugs to prevent, rather than encourage, cell death might be effective at fighting cancer – contrary to how many of the current chemotherapy drugs work.

Antimicrobial resistance in Europe

Astellas Pharma EMEA today announced that it will host the Antimicrobial Resistance in Europe: Innovating Today to Protect our Health Tomorrow debate at the Bibliothèque Solvay, Brussels, on 3rd December, 2015. The event will convene leading scientists and economists from across Europe to discuss how policy-level innovation can address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the single greatest…

News • Integration

Cookbook for large scale coordinated care

Royal Philips and its ACT-program consortium partners today announced the debut of a ‘cookbook’ outlining key enablers necessary to scale connected care and telehealth programs. The cookbook is the result from a two-and-a-half year scientific evaluation of data from different connected health programs in five European regions. It provides new insights that apply across the EU on why certain…

News • Child heart transplants

3D image may provide better size match

A new 3D computer modeling system may significantly improve a surgeon's ability to select the best sized donor heart for children receiving heart transplants, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

News • bacterial communities

What’s lurking in your lungs?

With every breath you take, microbes have a chance of making it into your lungs. But what happens when they get there? And why do dangerous lung infections like pneumonia happen in some people, but not others? Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School have started to answer these questions by studying the microbiome of the lungs – the community of microscopic organisms that are…

News • Therapy

Approach to reverse kidney damage

Adults who are worried or terrified sometimes curl up into a fetal position. Likewise, adult cells that are injured, including genetic injury leading to cancer, initiate a process that was present during embryonic development.

News • AACC News

New tests to diagnose and monitor diabetes

Researchers have successfully tested two new potential methods for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes in its standard and gestational forms. These findings, presented at the 2015 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta, may lead to easier, timelier, and more affordable ways of identifying and treating this chronic disease.

News • Gene defects

Cancer brake failure leads to brain cancer

Tumor suppressor genes protect against cancer. Until now, scientists have had to perform complex experiments to detect whether or not a mutation or loss of this gene type does, in fact, cause cancer. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now used a new gene technology method called CRISPR/Cas9 technology for this detection.

News • Heart failure

Researchers identify 'missing culprit'

Working with lab animals and human heart cells, scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions have identified what they describe as "the long-sought culprit" in the mystery behind a cell-signaling breakdown that triggers heart failure.

News • Surgical program

Hospitals participating in ACS NSQIP significantly improve

The majority of hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (ACS NSQIP®) improve surgical outcomes over time, and improvement continues with each year that hospitals participate in the program.

News • Organ Transplantation

First successful organ donation from newborn carried out in UK

The very first successful organ donation from a newborn to be carried out in the UK is reported in the Fetal & Neonatal Edition of Archives of Disease in Childhood. The donor was a girl born at term after an emergency caesarean section in the neonatal unit of Hammersmith Hospital, London. The donation involved the kidneys, which were transplanted into a patient with renal failure, and liver…

Interview • Diagnostics

Iron deficiency and anaemia

Iron deficiency and resulting anaemia cause fatal comorbidities worldwide. Despite this, they are generally underestimated. Professor Lothar Thomas, specialist in laboratory medicine at Central Laboratory of the University Hospital of Frankfurt/Main, is calling for more information about the new laboratory parameters for diagnosis and monitoring of iron deficiency and iron substitution therapy.

Firm imposes press embargo

Another patient in the final stages of heart failure has received an artificial heart at Nantes UniversityHospital Centre, according to Carmat, the manufacturer of the device. Report: John Brosky

News • Ebola

CDC Charges Johns Hopkins to Lead Development of Ebola Training Module

Johns Hopkins Medicine has been tasked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lead a group and to design an interactive Web-based learning program that guides health care workers, nurses and physicians through government-approved protocols to aid clinicians as they provide care to patients who may be at risk of contracting the Ebola virus.

IBM Watson Ushers in a New Era of Data-Driven Discoveries

IBM announced significant advances in Watson's cognitive computing capabilities that are enabling researchers to accelerate the pace of scientific breakthroughs by discovering previously unknown connections in Big Data.

News • Research

Seeking radiological routes to cure cardiac diseases

Radiotherapy is being proposed to treat heart diseases, specifically for hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF).

To pulse or not to pulse

Whether mechanical, temporary cardiac assist systems should pulsate in the same way as a biological heart is a discussion topic, which raises the pulse rates amongst all those involved within the industry and in hospitals.

News • Organ Transplantion

Three artificial hearts to be implanted

French authorities have given the green light for continuing the clinical trial for the first fully implantable mechanical heart after a four-month review of the device and the causes of death of the first patient to receive the prosthesis

World first for liver transplant team

A transplant team at a Birmingham hospital has achieved a world first after resuscitating a liver that would have previously been considered unviable.

Oocyte modification

USA - Oocyte modification to eliminate inherited mitochondrial defects in a human embryo was the subject of a globally scrutinised Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing held in February.

Pumping synchronously with the heart

Synchronised Cardiac Assist i-cor, which the company reports to be the first system that links mechanical circulatory support to the heartbeat.

Smart Fusion of modalities enhances clinical output

Adding high quality, dynamic ultrasound for hybrid imaging enables clinicians to improve detection of a range of lesions or to intervene better for improved clinical outcomes. ‘We can no longer be fascinated with pictures; what we need is proof of the clinical benefit from tools and techniques,’ said Professor Jose Zamorano MD, Director of Cardiology at Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in…

HES: class of drugs threatened with withdrawal of approval

Infusion solutions on the basis of HES (hydroxyethyl starch) are blood volume substitutes. They replace missing blood volume in patients with high blood loss, they stabilize the blood circulation and restore oxygen and nutrient supply to organs.

Chronic disease

There is a global shortage of doctors that is getting worse every year. With the demographic shift in many countries from a predominantly young to an increasing aging population, a steep increase in chronic disease is occurring.

Scientists Grow A Simple, Human Liver In A Petri Dish

Japanese scientists have cracked open a freaky new chapter in the sci-fi-meets-stem-cells era. A group in Yokohama reported it has grown a primitive liver in a petri dish using a person's skin cells.

Simpler risk scoring

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) supports physicians in vital treatment decisions.

Controlling antimicrobial resistance

There is no other way: We need a comprehensive approach, with everyone living up to their responsibility to combat this serious health threat in their respective areas. The most basic instinct of every living organism is survival. What selects one organism or species over another, in fact, is its capacity to withstand any kind of adverse condition that comes its way – what scientist Herbert…

Article • Paediatrics

In-line filters significantly lower severe complications

The use of in-line filters for infusion therapy significantly lowers the rate of severe complications in children aged between 0-18 years being treated in intensive care units, according to a new study from the Paediatrics Clinic at Hannover Medical School (MHH). The study also confirmed that the number of cases of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, SIRS, dropped substantially through the…

Total artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices today

Artificial hearts, originally designed to bridge the time on the waiting list for a heart transplant, in recent years have increasingly become an independent treatment option for patients with chronic heart failure (HF).

Total artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices today

Artificial hearts, originally designed to bridge the time on the waiting list for a heart transplant, in recent years have increasingly become an independent treatment option for patients with chronic heart failure (HF). Interview: Bettina Döbereiner

The potent cardiac depressant in our own homes

Scientists state concern for both human and environmental health from a very commonly used antibacterial/antifungal agent. Brenda Marsh reports

MRI brings a new beat to rhythmology

More anatomy details, real-time visualisation of catheter movement, and reduced exposure – MRI has promising potential in rhythmology, explain Professor Matthias Gutberlet and PD Dr Christopher Piorkowski, at the Heart Centre, University Hospital Leipzig, Germany.

Sepsis

Along with a call for earlier identification and intervention in sepsis cases, intensive care consultant Dr Ron Daniels also stressed that timely intervention is cost-effective for health systems as it leads to fewer sepsis patients needing treatment in intensive care units (ICU).

Breathing space

If the hopes of inventors are to be believed, in around 20 years’ time there will be ‘real artificial lungs -- for now the endpoint of a history that began 84 years ago with the invention of the iron lung. Until then, non-invasive and invasive mechanical respiration will continue to dominate the hospital, complemented by extracorporeal procedures for blood oxygenation and decarbonisation,…

Success in preserving organs for transplant

A Birmingham hospital is pioneering a new procedure which aims to maintain and improve the quality of organs for transplantation in recipients on the waiting list.

Sepsis – a Global Medical Emergency

The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. “Tens of millions of people die from sepsis each year, making it the likely leading cause of death worldwide. Sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care,” said Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the…

Better safe than sorry

Five recommendations to prevent central venous catheter-related infections. Catheter-related bloodstream infections are the third frequent infection in the intensive care unit (ICU) after pneumonia and peritonitis worldwide. The incidence of CVC infections lies between 1-4 for 1,000 catheterdays. This means for the USA, as an example, that more than five million patients annually need a central…

MedAustron is becoming a reality in Wiener Neustadt

Currently there is a truly enormous hole in the ground in the city of Wiener Neustadt, Austria, but by summer 2012 MedAustron, one of the most modern centres for ion therapy and research in Europe, is to be built here.

Live liver donation safer than previously thought

People who donate a portion of their livers for transplant to a relative or friend whose liver is failing can generally expect to live long, healthy lives and recover safely from the donation surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers have found.

ERC Advanced Grant for Professor Detlef Schuppan

The European Research Council (ERC) has earmarked about €2.5 mio. to fund the research being conducted by gastroenterologist and biochemist Professor Dr. Dr. Detlef Schuppan at Mainz University Medical Center. Professor Schuppan is a specialist in liver diseases ranging from fibrosis to cirrhosis (the terminal stage of fibrosis) to hepatic cancer.

One in six people will have a stroke, but most strokes can be prevented

The theme of this year's World Stroke Day on 29 October is "One in Six", referring to the facts that one in six people will have a stroke at some point in their lifetime, and that a stroke will be the cause of someone's death every six seconds. These, says the World Stroke Organization (WSO), are everyday people leading everyday lives, but around 85% of them will have risk factors…

Papworth Hospital: A constant continuing success

Recent events have again underlined the reason why Papworth Hospital in ambridgeshire, England, maintains a enowned international reputation for cardiac and thoracic procedures. As Britains largest specialist cardiothoracic hospitals, over 2,000 major heart operations were performed there in 2010. In the year ending 1 April 2011, 824 patients had coronary bypass operations, including urgent,…

Diabesity surgery

Morbid obesity is a chronic, lifelong, multifactorial, constitutional disease with negative medical, psychological, physical, social and economic side-effects. Obesity-related secondary diseases are Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or sleep apnoea. Report: Holger Zorn

New EU medical device legislation

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is calling for a single, co-ordinated European system to oversee the evaluation and approval of medical devices. The call is being made in a paper published online in the European Heart Journal reporting on a conference held by the ESC in January 2011 looking to increase the input of medical experts in developing medical device policy.

Heart replica ready for human tests

A little over three decades after the world's first human heart transplant (HT), Carmat’s life-size artificial heart, a mix of animal tissue, titanium and missile technology that perfectly replicate a human heart, might save the lives of thousands.

Human organ donations

You often need the vision of a hypermetropic eagle to find Malta on the world map – even its name fills more space than the representation of the island itself. And yet, in the Eurobarometer 2010 survey, among the recent European Union Member States, the Maltese showed an unusually high level of consent (72%) to organ donation and 77% are willing to donate their own organs, making us a beacon…

Blood glucose monitoring in the ICU

Although there is still disagreement as to ‘how’, when it comes to the question of whether the glucose level affects the prognosis for intensive care patients, the answer is a definite ‘yes’. ‘

The potentiated value of MR-PET imaging

Even more precise diagnoses, even better process controls -- the future of MR-PET technology has dawned. The first commercial, full-body hybrid scanners are either waiting in the wings or already installed. But what does the introduction of the MR-PET really mean for clinical practice? Professor Heinz-Peter Schlemmer MD, Head of the Radiology Department at the German Cancer Research Centre in…

Possible shortage of up to two million health care workers by 2020

Health as a job creator: Health professions make up one of the largest segments in the overall European labor market, accounting for ten percent of the total workforce. The EU Commission calculates dramatic shortages in health care provision in the next decade unless countermeasures are taken now. Experts at the European Health Forum Gastein discussed how health jobs can be made more attractive.

Standardised algorithms and protocols for diabetic in-patients

Dr Susan S Braithwaite, a visiting clinical professor in endocrinology at the Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, specialises in the management of hyperglycaemia among hospitalised patients. Hyperglycaemia, the presence of an abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood, is a common occurrence in adults who are hospital in-patients, especially among diabetic…

Getting to the heart of things

Not only is heart failure one of the single biggest causes of morbidity and mortality in man, but the incidence of the condition is steadily increasing. Rising to this challenge, innovative medical diagnostic techniques with ever greater performance are constantly being introduced so that early, unambiguous detection of the underlying condition is now possible, enabling the prompt initiation of…

Global Use and Availability of Treatment Involving Transplantation of Blood Stem Cells

An examination of the world-wide use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), which involves transplantation of blood stem cells derived from the bone marrow or blood, finds that there are significant differences in transplant rates between countries and continental regions by indication and donor type, and that HSCT is most frequently used in countries with higher gross national…

MR-Elastography

Physicians, over many centuries, have depended on the sense of touch as their hands on method to detect diseases in many body areas. This technique is called palpation. However, though it was known that abnormalities in the stiffness or mechanical environment in tissue may have a profound impact on how many diseases progress, conventional imaging modalities could not display tissue stiffness in…

Epigenomics

The UK’s Babraham Institute, which conducts biomedical research, has established a ‘high throughput’ epigenomics sequencing facility to improve understanding of healthier ageing.

The 2009 Bernhard Dräger Award

Dr Vasilios Papaioannou, of the Democritus University of Thrace in Alexandroupoli, Greece, received the €15,000 Bernhard Dräger Award for Advanced Treatment of Acute Respiratory Failure during the opening of The European Society for Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) annual conference in Vienna.

The biology of cancers

Cancer research is progressing rapidly. For a large part, biology contributes to its most significant advances, which aim to renew the whole model of cancer care.

World Stroke Day 2009: Learning the risks for stroke - and taking action

Stroke accounts for almost 6 million deaths each year and ranks second only to heart disease as the world's leading cause of death. The theme of this year's World Stroke Day on 29th October is "What can I do?". As the World Stroke Organization says, everyone can do something: learn to recognise symptoms and take action, learn to recognise the risk factors and take action.

Philips forecasts advances for healthcare in 2020

Previewing technologies that may be in use in about a decade, Philips Healthcare recently introduced us to researchers who discussed their many current and ongoing projects.

Revolutionary approach to heart failure

British girl Hannah Clark who was given an extra heart as a toddler has become the world's first heart transplant patient to make a full recovery after having her donor organ removed and function restored to her original heart. The case highlights that in some cases of cardiomyopathy, it is possible for the patient's own heart to make a full recovery if it is given adequate support to do so.

Nosocomial infections

According to ECD statistics for Europe, three million cases of nosocomial infections occur annually, and 50,000 are fatal. Evelina Tacconelli MD PhD (below) is Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy. Her scientific focus is on epidemiology, clinical and therapeutic aspects of nosocomial infections and infection control policies aimed to…

Lifebridge B2T

Worldwide interest in portable systems for cardiopulmonary support has grown significantly. While some systems are at the brink of market introduction, German company Lifebridge Medizintechnik AG reports that it is 'at the top of this medical technology market', for its smallest, lightest (18kg) system, Lifebridge B2T ('Bridge to Therapy') has been in clinical use since the beginning of 2008.…

itm Rhenium-PTA/PTCA®

'An effective, safe treatment for prophylaxis of restenosis in periphery and cardiology' — new generation of Endovascular Brachytherapy gains full CE-certification. Constricted blood vessels (stenosis and restenosis) can now sustainably be treated and kept open through the local treatment with beta radiation.

Radiofrequency Ablation: Minimally invasive and flexible

Tumour ablation - and Radiofrequency (RF) ablation in particular - is getting more and more important in oncology. The therapy option offers benefits in terms of costs, ease of set-up and flexibility so that experts see the need to expand the applications of it.

Better care saves hospitals money

Researchers from the Center to Advance Palliative Care and from the National Palliative Care Research Center, New York, found out that US-hospitals can save more than $300 per day and patient receiving palliative care while even enhancing the quality of care. Palliative care programs provide a way for hospitals to meet the needs of these patients while staying financially viable.

euHeart

Royal Philips Electronics is to lead `euHeart´, the new European Union (EU) funded research project that aims to improve CVD diagnosis, therapy planning and treatment.

Heart failure

The ageing population and growing risk factors have made a significant impact on driving up the number of registered heart failure (HF) cases. Existing pharmacological strategies are improving the survival rates of acute and early-stage HF patients, ironically providing a growing body of patients with progression of the disease to HF.

New modell to predict risks of heart failure

Hospital admission might probably determine the severity of heart failure. By analysing data from 260 hospitals across the United States researchers created a model to reduce in-hospital mortality and more quickly identify triage methods and treatment decisions.

Even experts sometimes need good advice

Acting as a medical expert witness can have serious consequences for third persons. Although expert witnesses are doing their best, many problems arise from their medico-legal work. Now the GMC published guidelines for expert witnesses that are welcomed by physicians and organizations.

The contribution of the anaesthesiologist

Since its early beginnings in Europe, during the polio epidemics of the 1950s, intensive care medicine has grown to become a specialty in its own right and the intensive care unit (ICU) occupies an increasingly important position in every hospital. Intensive care doctors are responsible for the management of very sick patients often with multiple and complex disease processes, and ICUs are now…

Computerised model of the heart to develop new therapies

During a workshop organized by the European Science Foundation (ESF), researchers discussed further steps in developing computerised “in-silico” models of the heart that simulate the real heart and enable possible drugs and therapies to be tested without risk to people.

Gadolinium-containing contrast materials

Medical imaging is a first order boom area.

Use that toothbrush!

Since the 1950s, the American Heart Association (AHA) has urged a large number of people to take antibiotics before dental work or other procedures that could flood the bloodstream with bacteria. This antibiotic intake was thought to prevent infective endocarditis.

Ready for action: The 17.5 kg heart-lung machine

The Lifebridge B2T (bridge-to-transport) is the first, fully portable emergency life support system for patients suffering cardiogenic shock, or those showing signs of imminent cardiogenic shock.

Progenitor cell transfer for cardiac repair after

Progenitor cell transfer to repair the damaged heart has emerged as an innovative and promising recent development in cardiovascular medicine.

Fat compromises surgical and intensive care patients

Nutrition-induced obesity is a physical and budgetary problem. For example, in Germany alone, an estimated €20 billion has been spent on obesity related health problems.

Current issues in contrast media administration - gadolinium compounds et alii*

Already in 1993, the world market for contrast media was thought to be worth $ 3 billion. In 2001, an astonishing 12.2 million contrast medium-supported CT studies were carried out in Europe alone. Currently, the overall sales of contrast media are estimated to rise to $ 915 million in Europe in 2008.

A simple blood test may reduce mortality in heart failure patients

Researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles found out that the blood level of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a neurohormone released by the heart when it is stressed or damaged, provided a direct relationship with in-hospital mortality. So a simple blood test can predict in-hospital mortality risk for heart failure patients.

Is there a link between stroke and Fabry disease?

A joint project of more than 30 European stroke units just started to examine a potential connection between Fabry disease and stroke in young patients. The results of the worldwide SIFAP (Stroke in Young Fabry Patients) study might give an explanation for some of the 25% of strokes with unknown origin in patients aged 18-55 years.

Mechanical heart pumps could beat transplants

Almost one in three people over 55 will develop congestive heart failure, research has revealed. The Rotterdam Study, a prospective population-based study of cardiovascular and other diseases in the elderly, monitored 7,983 inhabitants of Ommoord, a Rotterdam suburb (source: Eur Heart J 2004: 25, 1614-19).

An end to out-sourcing?

As MRSA affects about 300,000 patients and costs UK £1 billion annually, the country's public services union demands the return of in-house cleaners. Report: Peter Howieson

Water purity for dialysis patients

UK - Dialysis patients are exposed to 50 times more mains water than well people. The new 33-bed renal dialysis ward at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, uses at least 1,000 litres of water per hour from the mains water supply. To ensure constant flow - and water purity for patients - the ward has installed a water treatment system

The extracorporeal lung

German medical technology firm Novalung GmbH (est. 2002) produces extracorporeal artificial lungs.

Liver transplants

Until now, a liver transplant was the only treatment for patients with liver failure. Now primitive cells might become an alternative therapy.

Steroid sparing

According to leading transplant specialists, within five years almost all renal transplants will be steroid free.

Water jet dissection

Five years ago, surgeons at the Lukas Hospital in Neuss, Germany, used water jet dissection for visceral surgery for the first time. Dr Bernhard Lammers, head of the hospital's General and Visceral Surgery Department, describes subsequent experiences with this procedure and possible future developments

Aging and death

A medical failure or biological necessity?

Stem Cells

By Professor Gustav Steinhoff MD, director of the Department for Cardiac Surgery, and Christof Stamm MD, co-ordinator of clinical studies, at Rostock University, Germany

Women in Radiology

Member of the Board of the ECR Professor Malgorzata Szczerbo-Trojanowska, is Chairman of the Department of Radiology and Head of the Department of Interventional Radiology, at the University Medical School, in Lublin, Poland. The professor has carried out research in Italy, the UK, Sweden and Germany and is a member of many Polish radiological organisations, as well as the Cardiovascular and…

OPINION

Across Europe there are different answers to the question of who should manage intensive care. In Germany the issue is linked to a discussion on which medical field could claim surgical intensive care for itself.

Life-long learning

The case for structured training, board certification and revalidation*

Small silent VADs

Ventricular assist devices (VAD) have been used since the 1980s, primarily to provide support after cardiac surgery for several days during recovery, or more often to keep patients alive until later heart transplantation (HTx).

Cardiac Assist Devices

Cardiac assist devices (CAD) are blood pumps that support the circulatory functions of severely ill cardiac patients.