Children With A Genetic Variation Who Are Prescribed Antipsychotics At Increased Risk Of Metabolic Side Effects
Researchers have found a genetic variation predisposing children to six-times greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome when taking second-generation anti-psychotic medications. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study showed a close association with two conditions in particular: high blood pressure and elevated fasting blood sugar levels, which is a precursor to diabetes. The research is published in the medical research journal Translational Psychiatry.
Post-Liver Transplantation Survival Outcomes - Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Helps Predict
According to a study in the February edition of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a specific predictor of 90-day survival after liver transplantation. The findings reveal that the CPET measurement, the anaerobic threshold or fitness level, is an important predictor of mortality in patients following transplantation. в ЁCPET is a non-invasive approach of measuring patients' cardiorespiratory fitness and has already been utilized to predict morbidity and mortality after other major surgeries.
Heartbeat Vibrations Power Pacemakers
Though pacemakers require only small amounts of energy (about 1 millionth of a Watt), their batteries have to be replaced periodically, which means multiple surgeries for patients. Researchers have searched for ways to prolong battery life - trying to generate energy to power a pacemaker using blood sugar, or the motion of the hands and legs - but these methods either interfere with metabolism or require a more drastic surgery, such as passing a wire from the limbs to the chest area. Aerospace engineers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mainly to heartbeats.