http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org)—Stanford scientists have developed a fluorescence imaging technique that allows them to view the pulsing blood vessels of living animals with unprecedented clarity. Compared with conventional imaging techniques, the increase in sharpness is akin to wiping fog off your glasses. http://phys.org/news273640561.html Nanotechnology Sun, 02 Dec 2012 03:30:01 EST news273640561 Each year, more than 100,000 patients in the U.S. undergo implantation of a new implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for heart rhythm abnormalities. This number constitutes a 20-fold increase over the last 15 years. Current medical guidelines advocate discussion of end of life care of these medical devices, including deactivation, but many patients may not understand their options. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine say that discussions should also address post-mortem donation of ICDs for product improvement or reuse overseas as pacemakers, to help reduce global health disparities. http://phys.org/news221223826.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:04:19 EST news221223826 Heart transplant recipients and their physicians are likely more concerned with the function of the donated organ than with the donor's DNA sequences that tag along in the new, healthy tissue. However, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that an increase in the amount of the donor's DNA in the recipient's blood is one of the earliest detectable signs of organ rejection. http://phys.org/news220547467.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:11:22 EST news220547467 Congenital heart diseases affect approximately one in 100 patients, making them the most common type of birth defect and the number-one cause of pediatric deaths. http://phys.org/news217512762.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:12:56 EST news217512762 Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and collaborators from other institutions have identified a natural substance in dairy fat that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The compound, trans-palmitoleic acid, is a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It is not produced by the body and so only comes from the diet. http://phys.org/news212088644.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:00:03 EST news212088644 Experts in cardiovascular medicine at The University of Nottingham have won a package of benefits worth £40,000 to develop a simple test which will improve the monitoring and care of heart attack and stroke patients. http://phys.org/news209990415.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:40:22 EST news209990415 A new way of combining ultrasound images taken from different positions can result in sharper, better quality 3D images of the heart to help doctors make a diagnosis. http://phys.org/news200756339.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:50:01 EST news200756339 A study led by UCLA tested a new performance intervention to help improve adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure patients in an outpatient setting. http://phys.org/news199371314.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:00:16 EST news199371314 (AP) -- Federal health officials are barring new patients from enrolling in a safety study of GlaxoSmithKline's controversial diabetes pill Avandia, a week after a panel of experts ruled that the drug increases heart risks. http://phys.org/news198938010.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:33:47 EST news198938010 New UC Davis research has found that patients scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in California were just as ill in 2003 — when public reporting of performance data for this particular surgery began — as in 2006, evidence that "report cards" did not cause doctors or hospitals to turn away sicker patients. http://phys.org/news191061014.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:40:01 EST news191061014 Routine testing of the hearts of young American athletes using electrocardiograms to screen for sudden death is "reasonable in cost and effective at saving lives," according to a new study by cardiologists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. http://phys.org/news186695009.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:30:01 EST news186695009 Even for those without a heart condition, it's a peculiar feeling when your heart "races" in response to stress. That pacing change happens in part because of how the enzyme calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) is called into action by the body's 'fight or flight' stress response, University of Iowa researchers have found. http://phys.org/news155841231.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:15:38 EST news155841231 (PhysOrg.com) -- Statins, used widely to treat elevated cholesterol, have been shown to prevent progression of coronary narrowing and to have other beneficial effects on the heart, such as reducing inflammation, that are independent of cholesterol. http://phys.org/news154630899.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:02:11 EST news154630899 Doctors may be implanting too many artery-opening stents and could improve patient outcomes — and ultimately save lives — if they did more in-depth measurements of blood flow in the vessels to the heart. That's the finding of a study, to be published Jan. 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine, that evaluated the benefits of a new diagnostic tool to measure blood flow and determine whether stenting was the best option. http://phys.org/news151176330.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:25:30 EST news151176330