New system for the analysis of facial movement in three dimensions
...an two years and, thus, healthy facial musculature does not exist. In these cases new techniques are applied. These involve the implanting into the face of a muscle from another part of the body. Normally the leg recto interno or the wide dorsal muscle is used as these have considerable contractile power ...Laughter helps blood vessels function better
...the diaphragm muscles as you chuckle or guffaw, or does it come from a chemical release triggered by laughter, such as endorphins?" he asks. Dr. Miller says a compound called nitric oxide is known to play a role in the dilation of the endothelium. "Perhaps mental stress leads to a breakdown in nitric oxid...Stroke warning signs often occur hours or days before attack
...troke, typically lasts less than five minutes, and does not injure the brain. The study examined 2,416 people who had experienced an ischemic stroke. In 549 patients, TIAs were experienced prior to the ischemic stroke and in most cases occurred within the preceding seven days: 17 percent occurring on the ...Tobacco industry pays scientists to challenge secondhand smoke's link to infant death risk
...ntions the financial support of Philip Morris, but does not acknowledge that the article was initiated, re...ed and influenced by the tobacco company. Not only does the limited acknowledgement mask the extent of the tobacco company's influence on the conclusion, bu...Beta-blockers may help broader group of patients with heart problems
...out to the rest of the body. When the mitral valve does not close well, blood can flow from the ventricle back into the atrium-a condition called mitral regurgitation. That means blood flow to the rest of the body decreases, and the heart may have to work extra hard to compensate. Doctors can see how well...Study says rare allergic reactions to drug-eluting stents may raise risk for heart attack
...e of that possibility -- and when hypersensitivity does occur it needs to be treated in a timely manner and the increased risk of MI should be recognized," Dr. Alameddine states. In addition to Dr. Alameddine, the research team included Aniket Kulkarn MD; Viola Vaccarino MD, PhD; and Peter C. Block, MD o...Common schizophrenia symptoms often overlooked by physicians, according to expert panel
...e taking antipsychotics, 77% said their medication does not adequately help their ability to focus and concentrate. Among those taking antipsychotics, most (74%) also feel their current medication falls short in controlling depression while 49% of all respondents said their doctors place "a great deal" ...St. John's wort amplifies effect of blood thinner Plavix
... finding could also help determine why clopidogrel does not work in some people, and aid the search for new drugs to help them. The researchers caution that much more clinical study will be needed to confirm the effect. For now, they say, the early finding reinforces how important it is for patients to t...Studies underscore genetic involvement in nicotine addiction & aggressive hostility
...ker." The authors similarly determined that Chrna4 does not directly regulate alcohol intake because remov...ne whose protein partners with the Chrna4 protein, does not affect the relationship between Chrna4 and alcohol consumption. Therefore, Chrna4 may be associ...Heart surgeons publish death rates
...ate improvements in systems of care, as long as it does not lead to systematic denial of surgery to higher risk patients who may benefit from an operation, they conclude. An accompanying editorial argues that named surgeons' outcomes may not be appropriate for all operations....Sunflower seed oil can protect low birth weight babies from infection
...cts such as sunflower seed oil." (Quote by e-mail; does not appear in published paper)...MRI proves useful in assessment of suspected breast cancer patients
...ble to more accurately answer the vital questions: does the patient have breast cancer and how extensive is the disease?" said Dr. Wiener....Mayo Clinic develops first genomic-based test to predict stroke from ruptured brain aneurysm
...uddenly and completely unexpectedly -- and when it does at least half of patients die or suffer long-term disability. That's why our results suggesting that we may have found such a marker are so exciting: there is an urgent public health need for it." Significance of the Mayo Clinic Research The Mayo ...Mayo Clinic study sets threshold for valve repair surgery
...er (ventricle). In mitral regurgitation this valve does not close properly, which causes some blood to backwash into the heart from the left ventricle instead of being pumped out to the rest of the body. The left atrium typically enlarges due to this pressure, and as a result of this compensation the pati...Other highlights in the March 2 JNCI
...opausal women, increases with duration of use, and does not diminish through 5 years of follow-up after the treatment ends. Anthony J. Swerdlow, D.Sc., of the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, England, and colleagues conducted a casecontrol study in Britain of 813 patients who had endometrial cancer...'Artery clearing' system does not provide benefit for patients undergoing PCI
... to open a blocked artery following a heart attack does not appear to be clinically beneficial, according to a study in the March 2 issue of JAMA. Dislodgement of atheromatous (an abnormal fatty deposit in an artery) and thrombotic (blood clot) material ("debris") during percutaneous coronary intervention...Columbia study shows widely used artery clearing device does not help patients during heart attack
...debris from blocked arteries during a heart attack does not improve patient outcomes. The procedure, called distal microcirculatory protection, is commonly and successfully used during angioplasty in vein grafts and stenting in carotid arteries. The study, published in the March 2 issue of the Journal o...Patient knows best when it comes to ulcerative colitis, U-M study finds
...gins. "However, this study suggests that endoscopy does not provide physicians with enough new information about the activity of the patient's disease to make it necessary for patients to have to undergo the discomfort of an endoscopy." Several disease activity measurement scales have been developed some...Inpatient smoking cessation counseling is associated with early differences in mortality
...survival, but how soon after myocardial infarction does smoking cessation begin to have positive effects? A study published in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine indicates in-hospital cessation counseling following heart attacks is associated with better short-term survival. Counseling ...Elective caesarean section does not protect women from postnatal depression, according to a study published on bmj.com today. Furthermore, neither emergency caesarean section nor assisted vaginal delivery (use of forceps or vacuum extraction) is associated with an increased risk of...