https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from The Methodist Hospital System (Medical Xpress)—Doctors in the U.S. and Japan have devised a way to treat atrial fibrillation by adding a little alcohol to minimally invasive therapies that target a cluster of misbehaving nerves known to trigger arrhythmia. In the most recent Journal of the American College of Cardiology (online before print), the researchers say the new therapy may dull or stop the transmission of electrical impulses that cause atrial fibrillation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-03-alcohol-ease-nerves-atrial-fibrillation.html Cardiology Tue, 04 Mar 2014 09:19:49 EST news313147151 More than two decades ago, Ryan Vincent had open brain surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor, resulting in a lengthy hospital stay and weeks of recovery at home. Recently, neurosurgeons at Houston Methodist Hospital removed a different lesion from Vincent's brain through a tube inserted into a hole smaller than a dime and he went home the next day. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-11-brain-tumor-hole-smaller-dime.html Surgery Mon, 04 Nov 2013 16:50:21 EST news302806212 (Medical Xpress)—Drugs that help millions of people cope with acid reflux may also cause cardiovascular disease, report scientists from Houston Methodist Hospital and two other institutions in an upcoming issue of Circulation. It is the first time researchers have shown how proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, might cause cardiovascular problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-07-acid-reflux-drug-heart-disease.html Cardiology Thu, 11 Jul 2013 11:23:23 EDT news292760592 Many adult congenital heart patients have undergone multiple heart surgeries by the time they reach their 20s. Each time surgeons operate on the heart, the risk of complications increases. A new valve recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, now gives these patients a new way to manage their disease without having to undergo open heart surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-heart-valve-implanted-people-adult.html Cardiology Tue, 25 Jun 2013 06:48:44 EDT news291361713 (Phys.org) —A crucial step toward skin cancer may be changes in the genes that control cell shape, report a team of scientists from The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Harvard Medical School in an upcoming issue of Nature Cell Biology. https://phys.org/news/2013-06-cell-metastasis.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:00:01 EDT news291285821 Two biomarkers widely being investigated as predictors of heart and vascular disease appear to indicate risk for "silent" strokes and other causes of mild brain damage that present no symptoms, report researchers from The Methodist Hospital and several other institutions in an upcoming issue of Stroke (now online). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-biomarkers-silent.html Cardiology Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:11:46 EDT news289721494 A microgravity experiment designed at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute will be funded by The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to fly aboard the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2013-05-microgravity-funding-international-space-station.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 14 May 2013 10:03:49 EDT news287744622 Researchers using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) discovered that thinned non-contracting heart muscle caused by a heart attack can potentially improve in function and be reversed after cardiac bypass surgery. This was found to be true in a small number of patients who had limited scarring of the heart, as detected by MRI https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mri-heart-muscle.html Cardiology Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:16:04 EST news281805352 (Medical Xpress)—The inflammation of fat tissue is part of a spiraling series of events that leads to the development of type 2 diabetes in some obese people. But researchers have not understood what triggers the inflammation, or why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-obesity-fat-cells-theyre-infected.html Medical research Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:05:13 EST news281729103 The energetic and radiant hue of emerald green has been declared the spring color of 2013. While green shirts, pants and jackets will be seen everywhere this season, so should green food on your plate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-green.html Health Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:50:01 EST news281695200 (Phys.org) —The removal of a genetic roadblock could improve the efficiency of converting adult cells into stem cells by 10 to 30 times, report scientists from The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and two other institutions in the latest issue of Cell. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-reprogramming-adult-cells-stem-gene.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:19:57 EST news281607589 By loading fragile RNA into silicon nanoparticles, researchers from The Methodist Hospital and two other institutions found a new drug delivery system can reduce the size of ovarian tumors by as much as 83 percent—and stop tumor growth in chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer tissue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-nanoteched-rna-drug-ovarian-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:30:01 EST news280052808 (Phys.org)—By cloaking nanoparticles in the membranes of white blood cells, scientists at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute may have found a way to prevent the body from recognizing and destroying them before they deliver their drug payloads. The group describes its "LeukoLike Vectors", or LLVs, in the January issue of Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2013-01-nanoparticles-cells.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:56:04 EST news278873737 (Medical Xpress)—The holidays are a time to consume—food, gifts, and spirits. Here are a few alcohol-related story ideas from The Methodist Hospital. Because alcohol's effects on human physiology are complex, advice about is often contradictory. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-toasting-health-alcohol-consumption.html Health Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:30:03 EST news275213041 (Medical Xpress)—On the morning January 13th, 2013, 25,000 people will meet at the George R Brown convention center for the biggest one day sporting event in Houston.  Many of you will be running 26.2 miles for the first time.  "As more people attempt this wonderous feat, the risk for injury to someone in the field goes up," says Dr. Scott Rand, with the Methodist Center for Orthopedic Surgery. The volunteer medical staff does a great job of doing everything possible to ensure your safety, but you can go a long way towards helping yourself and making your run as safe, comfortable and enjoyable as possible if you follow a few simple tips.  https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-safe-marathon.html Health Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:03:44 EST news275213014 (Phys.org)—A new device about the size of a business card could allow health care providers to test for insulin and other blood proteins, cholesterol, and even signs of viral or bacterial infection all at the same time—with one drop of blood. Preliminary tests of the V-chip, created by scientists at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and MD Anderson Cancer Center, were published last night by Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2012-12-pocket-blood.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:01:50 EST news275212899 (Medical Xpress)—The debilitating symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, appear to be increased by a lack of inflammation-reducing T cells, report scientists from the Methodist Neurological Institute in an upcoming print issue of The EMBO Molecular Medicine Journal.The researchers found that expression of the gene FoxP3—which helps control the production of anti-inflammatory T cells—was an indicator of disease progression in 80 percent of the patients they studied. Low FoxP3 levels were likely in patients whose ALS would develop rapidly, and vice versa. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-gene-rapid-als-percent.html Genetics Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:14:23 EST news274349583 (Medical Xpress)—The most widely used models for predicting heart failure rely on a complex combination of lifestyle, demographic, and cardiovascular risk factor information. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-simpler-heart-failure.html Cardiology Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:30:01 EST news271585183 (Medical Xpress)—A new tool developed by scientists at The Methodist Hospital separates tumor-causing cancer cells from more benign cells by subjecting the cells to a microscopic game of Plinko—except only the squishiest cells make it through. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-tumor-causing-cells-squishier.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 05 Nov 2012 08:24:38 EST news271326263 (Medical Xpress)—Research shows that managing and treating vascular disease risk factors are not only beneficial to preventing heart disease and stroke, but also common forms of dementia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-outlining-factors-dementia.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:09:30 EDT news269593759 (Medical Xpress)—A new technique that allows scientists to grow lung cancer cells in three dimensions could accelerate discoveries for a type of cancer that has benefited little from scientific research over the last several decades. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-d-lung-cancer-mimics-real.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:25:41 EDT news269159120 (Medical Xpress)—With a little exercise and dieting, overweight people with type 2 diabetes can still train their fat cells to produce a hormone believed to spur HDL cholesterol production, report medical researchers from The Methodist Hospital and eight other institutions in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Lipid Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-fat-cells-coax-liver-good.html Medical research Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:41:29 EDT news269026792 (Medical Xpress)—Ongoing research at the Methodist Cancer Center could reveal whether metastatic breast cancer patients with BRCA gene mutations are particularly responsive to a drug regimen that includes Veliparib, an investigational drug believed to hamper cancer cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-brca1-brca2-mutation-treatment-option.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:45:20 EDT news267345911 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced its approval of Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, or DME, an eye condition in people with diabetes that causes blurred vision, severe vision loss and sometimes blindness. A retinal specialist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, was one of the lead investigators in the research that led to today’s FDA approval. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-fda-drug-diabetic-macular-edema.html Medications Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:12:06 EDT news264067919 (Phys.org) -- As the field of nanomedicine matures, an emerging point of contention has been what shape nanoparticles should be to deliver their drug or DNA payloads most effectively. https://phys.org/news/2012-06-zeroing-cancer-fighting-nanoparticles.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:07:39 EDT news258192003