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Drug-eluting stent (DES) technology is the current state of the art in propping open, and keeping open, coronary and peripheral vessels. But DES doesnt equal the Holy Grail in treating restenosis. That goal most likely will be achieved with a stent device that, after placement, disappears from the vasculature, leaving in place no material that is foreign to the body.
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One of the approaches being pursued in hopes of alleviating the imbalance between organ donors and recipients in need of a transplant is the engineering of artificial organs, but artificial tissue also could be used to repair damaged organs so that a transplant might be avoided altogether.
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CardioMag Imaging (CMI; Schenectady, New York) has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with Shenzhen Zhiheng Advanced Electrical Technology Co. (Shenzhen, China). The exclusive agreement calls for deliveries of specified numbers of CMIs magnetocardiography (MCG) units per year, beginning immediately.
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CardioDynamics (San Diego), the primary developer of Impedance Cardiography (ICG) technology, a powerful predictor of short-term outcomes for heart failure patients, reported that its third-generation product platform, the BioZ Dx, has received 510(k) market clearance from the FDA.
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Emergency personnel care for innumerable victims of domestic violence. None of these victims are more vulnerable than the infants who have been abused by their caretakers. Although signs of abuse sometimes can be very apparent, this months article reminds emergency clinicians that we must be alert to more subtle signs of abuse that can be indicators of substantial injury to infants. Though the presenting complaints and histories may be inaccurate or frankly deceptive, the physical and diagnostic findings of infants with shaken baby syndrome will assist in identifying these victims of domestic abuse.
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This study was designed to compare overall toxicity and quality of life between the 2 regimens: vinorelbine and gemcitabine (VG) vs carboplatin and paclitaxel (CP).
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The chemotherapy regimen Hyper-CVAD is increasingly used for patients with hematological malignancies. In this report from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, clinical outcomes for 288 adults who received first-line treatment with this regimen for acute lymphocytic leukemia were presented. Overall complete response rate was 92%, induction mortality was 5% and the 5-year CR duration was 38%. These results warrant additional consideration of this regimen for initial therapy by comparing it with more commonly used regimens in a large, cooperative group trial.
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Effective initial treatment for early stage Hodgkins disease can include radiation or chemotherapy, or both. In a randomized study conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering, patients with stage I, II, or IIIA disease (non-bulky) were randomized to receive radiation plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. There were no differences observed in remission rate or duration or overall survival.
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Weekly docetaxel was compared with the traditional every 3-week schedule in patients with advanced lung cancer after failure with a platinum-based regimen. There was no significant difference in efficacy in terms of time to progression or overall survival, but neutropenia was significantly more common for those receiving the drug at 3-week intervals. In contrast, asthenia was more common in the weekly treated patients. This may be due to the more sustained exposure to corticosteroid premedication.
