by Crystal MacKay, University of Western Ontario Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been working to better understand and characterize the varied symptoms of the disease. One of the most concerning symptoms is the development of large blood clots that can cause blockages in the arteries that lead to the brain and causing...
Potential COVID-19 drug azithromycin may increase risk for cardiac events
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO Debates over whether hydroxychloroquine should be taken to help lessen the duration and impact of COVID-19 have revolved around the drug’s reputation for causing cardiac events such as abnormal heart rhythms or beats and cardiac arrest. Because of this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revoked emergency use authorization...
Pollution exposure linked to stroke risk in people with common heart rhythm disorder
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH IMAGE: UPMC CARDIOLOGIST AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2020 – People with one of the most common heart disorders who are exposed to greater levels of pollution have a 1.2-fold higher risk of stroke than their peers who live with less pollution, according to...
Oral radiography can reveal chronic coronary artery disease
NIVERSITY OF HELSINKI The calcification of the carotid artery is a sign of advanced arteriosclerosis, which may be associated with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) and can lead to death. Such calcification can be seen in regular oral panoramic radiography. Prior research has already shown that carotid artery calcification is detectable by panoramic radiography. Now,...
An effective way to increase capacity for mental health
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HEALTH SCIENCES/UW MEDICINE As anxiety and depression rise in the country, primary care clinics, especially in rural areas, are facing increased patient needs. One way to address this is to bolster healthcare providers’ ability to diagnose and treat patients with common mental health disorders. Researchers at UW Medicine found that primary-care physicians...
Metastasis prevention is a new weapon in the war on cancer
by University of Salford Professor Michael Lisanti and Professor Federica Sotgia have made a discovery that could turn cancer into a treatable disease and remove the fear from a cancer diagnosis. Despite years of research and billions of pounds of investment, there are no MHRA/FDA-approved drugs for the prevention of metastasis. As a consequence, cancer metastasis...
Smoking linked to bleeding in the brain in large, long-term study of twins
by American Heart Association An investigation of the Finnish Twin Cohort reaffirmed a link between smoking and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a type of bleeding stroke that occurs under the membrane that covers the brain and is frequently fatal. The new study by researchers in Finland is published today in Stroke. In a 2010 study of nearly 80,000...
Study discovers connection between contact sports, CTE and troubling sleep behaviors
by Boston University School of Medicine Repetitive head impacts are associated with development of the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Some individuals diagnosed with CTE after death were reported to suffer from sleep dysfunction, but the type of disorder and its cause has never been formally explored. A team led by researchers at the VA...
Minimally invasive ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release improves long-term outcomes
AMERICAN ROENTGEN RAY SOCIETY VIDEO: LEAD RESEARCHER SARAH I. KAMEL DISCUSSES HER AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ROENTGENOLOGY (AJR) ARTICLE ON HOW ULTRASOUND-GUIDED CARPAL TUNNEL RELEASE QUICKLY IMPROVES HAND FUNCTION AND REDUCES HAND DISCOMFORT, MAKING THE PROCEDURE. Leesburg, VA, September 16, 2020–According to ARRS’ American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release (UGCTR) quickly improves hand function and...
People with PTSD are facing hugely increased risk of dementia
As society ages, we have more and more people living with dementia. It is an incurable disease and we are sort of accepting it as a sad part of life. Your lifestyle, genes and some other factors influence the risk of dementia. And the goal for you is to reduce that risk. Now scientists at...