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Regular Exercise And A Healthy Diet Build Stronger Bones
June is National Osteoporosis Month and health experts from NHS Somerset are urging people to look after their bones by living well and eating well.
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Brazil's Scientific Research On The Rise, Thomson Reuters Study Finds
Thomson Reuters today announced the results of a study documenting Brazil"s steady rise during the last two decades in both the volume and impact of its scientific work. According to Science Watch, these findings underscore Brazil"s standing among the emergent "BRIC" nations. BRIC -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China -- are the countries possessing the res and economic potential to capture a significant share of the world"s future economic growth.
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Canadians Watch U.S. Reform Effort Closely
American health care reform has become a "hot topic north of the border," the Washington Times reports. "If Mr. Obama succeeds, the U.S. could draw even more Canadian doctors and nurses to the U.S., exacerbating a shortage of medical professionals, said Dr. Brian Day, a Canadian health care critic and former head of the Canadian Medical Association. If Mr. Obama fails, perhaps Canada could open its system to "medical tourism" from the U.S., Dr. Day said." Under the Canadian system, everyone is insured and has "access to basic health care without ever seeing a doctor or hospital bill." But 70% of Canadians also have "some form of supplemental health insurance," in part because of long wait times for tests and treatments under the government plan. For Canadian citizens who become ill in the U.S., it is often cheaper to "ride on a private Lear jet back to Canada" than to be treated in a U.S. hospital.
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Next-Generation Mechanical Heart Pump Implanted In Heart Patients

Three patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center were among the first in the United States to be implanted with a next-generation artificial heart pump called the DuraHeart™ Left-Ventricular Assist System. The surgeries took place earlier this year. NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia is one of only three centers in the U.S. currently enrolling patients in a clinical trial studying the device. The DuraHeart is designed to sustain patients with severe left-ventricular heart failure while they wait for a heart transplant. Without intervention, they are at risk of death. The surgeries were led by Dr. Yoshifumi Naka, director of cardiac transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and associate professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He elected to implant the device without stopping the heart and putting the patient on a heart-lung machine. This "off pump" approach reduces risk for bleeding and stroke associated with putting a patient on bypass. "In this clinical trial, we hope to show that this device can help patients retain a healthy and meaningful quality of life while awaiting a heart transplant," says Dr. Naka, one of three national co-principal investigators of the DuraHeart trial. "Eventually, the DuraHeart may also prove to be a long-term solution, even for those ineligible for transplantation." There are fewer than 2,500 hearts transplanted each year in the United States, while 500,000 to 800,000 patients have advanced heart failure; many do not qualify for transplantation due to other health issues. The average wait for a transplant is nine months due to a shortage of donor organs. In patients with advanced heart failure, their heart isn"t strong enough to pump sufficient blood for normal activities, leaving them greatly fatigued and frequently bedridden with difficulty breathing; heart failure is the number one reason for hospitalization. Mechanical heart pumps like the DuraHeart are designed to help the heart pump blood from the left ventricle to the aorta, increasing flow throughout the body. Previous research has shown the approach can help alleviate symptoms and improve survival. The first left-ventricular assist device, or LVAD, became available in the mid-1980s. Since then, the technology has improved, becoming more compact and with fewer moving parts -- including through clinical research at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia leading to the FDA approval of Thoratec"s HeartMate® and HeartMate® II. The DuraHeart is considered a third-generation device, with unique features -- including a paddlewheel-like component called an impeller that is suspended by an electromagnet -- eliminating any bearings or contact points and allowing it to work at slower speeds, potentially reducing device wear and risk for blood cell breakage. The DuraHeart Trial will ultimately enroll 140 patients in up to 40 centers nationwide. The trial is designed for end-stage heart failure patients that have been placed on a heart transplant list in the U.S. The trial is sponsored by Terumo Heart Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., maker of the DuraHeart System and a wholly owned subsidiary of Terumo Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. Belinda Mager New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center


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