| CT Scans To Determine Heart Disease In The Emergency Room
In the future, patients who arrive at a hospital Emergency Department complaining of chest pain may be diagnosed with a sophisticated CT scan. If the diagnosis is negative, the patient can go home�"and the total time at the hospital will be much shorter than it is today.
That is the theory behind a study being presented at the RSNA (Abstract ID: 5009389; Monday, November 26, 3:10 p.m.) by Rajan Agarwal, M.D., a resident in Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
"The cost of chest pain triage (where patients in the Emergency Department are prioritized based on their symptoms) and management has been estimated to be as high as $8 billion annually, with most patients ultimately not having to remain in the hospital. Therefore," Dr. Agarwal states, "there is a tremendous opportunity to reduce health care costs if we can demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of this procedure with low-risk patients who go to the Emergency Department."
Further, this reduced length of stay improves resource utilization by decreasing costs, improving inpatient bed shortages and reducing crowding in the Emergency Department.
The CNN Wire: Tuesday, Nov. 20
Saudi pipeline fire death toll at 40 CNN) -- A gas pipeline fire in eastern Saudi Arabia killed 40 workers and injured nine others, the state oil conglomerate, Saudi Aramco, said Tuesday. Five of those killed in the Sunday incident were Saudi nationals employed by the company, while 35 were contractor employees, all but one from outside Saudi Arabia. The list of the non-Saudi workers killed included 18 Pakistanis, seven Bangladeshis, seven Indians, one South African and one Nepali, the company said. The pipeline was about 18 miles (30 km) from the Hawiyah Gas Plant, and Saudi Aramco said the fire happened "where maintenance work for new tie-ins was being conducted" by a contractor for the company on the Haradh-Uthmaniyah gas pipeline. (Posted 10:46 p.m.) Donda West's plastic surgeon walks off 'Larry King Live' LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr.
Public never warned about dangerous device
A young mother in Los Angeles was desperate. A rare form of cancer was ravaging her 5-month-old son. Their doctor said chemotherapy offered the best hope for survival, a 1-in-4 chance. Natalia Campos watched as her baby, Antonio, struggled in pain through the first few treatments. Then she learned of an alternative-therapy clinic that promised a cure, without pain, using a machine called a PAP-IMI. Twice a day at the Bio-Energy Services clinic, Campos held Antonio while the 260-pound machine pulsed powerful electromagnetic waves into the tumor bulging from his neck. The treatments failed, and Antonio died — the victim not only of his cancer, but of what one health official later called a "major national health fraud." The man behind that fraud is Panos Pappas, a math professor from Athens, Greece, who invented the PAP-IMI.
Poutine's turning 50 - time for some respect, please
If you thought poutine, Quebec's favourite fast food concoction, was made of french fries topped with gravy and salty cheese curds, you're wrong. According to the political scientist who wrote a book on Quebec's signature dish, the real recipe is a generous portion of shame fried gently in an inferiority complex and topped with a hint of denigration from the ROC (Rest of Canada) - and a touch of guilty pleasure. "Love it or hate it, poutine has become a strong symbol of Quebec," said Charles-Alexandre Théorêt, author of Maudite poutine! .
MAIN CALENDAR
FESTIVALS Festival of Trees Holiday Luncheon Noon. Wednesday, Museum of Arts and Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Road. Enjoy a luncheon amid designer decorations and holiday cheer. www.masmacon.com. 477-3232. $50, advance registration required. Festival of Trees Preview Gala 7 p.m. Thursday, Museum of Arts and Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Road. Designer decorations, live and silent auctions, open bar, cocktail buffet by Natalia's, live music by Bone n' Holmes, and the Winter Wonderland and Sugar Plum Shops. www.masmacon.com. 477-3232. $80, advance registration required. Festival of Trees Display Nov. 16-26. Museum of Arts and Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Road. See holiday trees decorated by local designers. www.masmacon.com. 477-3232.
Shock tactics
Hundreds of children no other school wants — from the autistic to the merely troubled — attend a centre in America where electric shocks are administered for even the smallest misdemeanour. Forced to wear 10lb backpacks with electrodes attached to their skin, they never know when their teachers will deliver this ‘behaviour-modification’ therapy. Why hasn’t the school been closed down? .
News Categories
Many Yemenis are making use of various unconventional therapies in order to restore well-being. However most of them, especially people living in rural areas, depend on traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of different diseases, according to a new Sana'a University study. The study, entitled Alternative Medicine in Yemen, was conducted by researchers in the Faculty of Medicine and Health science on 2,000 people in seven Yemeni governorates to evaluate the knowledge, trends, and uses of alternative medicine in Yemen. Herbal medicine, also called homeopathic medicine or phytomedicine, uses plant seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. Conventional medicine is medicine as practiced by holders of medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy degrees and by their allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, psychologists, and nurses.
The Placenta Really Does Act Like A Parasite
The placenta uses a cloaking device similar to that used by parasites to avoid detection by the mother's immune system. MRC funded scientists looking to develop a diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia, a major and potentially fatal cause of fetal and maternal illness, made the amazing discovery which could have far reaching implications.
The team, based at the University of Reading, believe their findings will revolutionise our understanding of the placenta and research into recurrent miscarriages and pre-eclampsia. It is also hoped this method of avoiding immune rejection could be mimicked and used in other areas such as arthritis or even stem cell therapy.
At the turn of 21st century Professor Lowry and his team discovered that the small protein neurokinin B (NKB), which is secreted by the placenta, is raised significantly in mothers when pre-eclampsia develops.
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