PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Heart surgery wait times down in Alberta and BC

2011-04-06
(Press-News.org) New data from the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine shows that wait times for a number of heart surgeries have gone down close to 50 per cent in Alberta and British Columbia.

The objective of the study was to investigate wait times for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, after the patient has undergone diagnosis through a process called catheterization. PCI's are commonly referred to as balloon angioplasty and CABG's refer to open heart or bypass surgery.

The work was led by Danielle Southern , Dr. William Ghali, Dr. Merril Knudtson and their team. It was published in the April edition of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

"We are investing in cardiac care and it's positive to show strategic investments have been made and wait times have gone down," says Ghali, Director of the Calgary Institute for Population and Public Health (CIPPH) and member of the Libin Cardiovasular Institute of Alberta at the U of C.

The study speculates that the significant changes are a result of a balance between supply and demand. The supply would be attributed to the supply of more funding, more catheterization laboratories available, and more PCI's being performed.

"Over the duration of this study, evidence has been mounting confirming the value of urgent access to PCI for patients with the more acute forms of coronary artery disease. This realization has provided the greatest motivation for mobilizing additional resources," says Knudtson, one of the study's authors, and a member of the Libin Cardiovasular Institute of Alberta at the U of C.

The demand for cardiac procedures may have decreased slightly due to the decreased burden of cardiovascular disease relating to improved medical therapies and reduced numbers of ACS hospitalizations. Better post-procedure outcomes, like medications and innovations, are also leading to fewer repeat procedures.

The study was based on data collected from Alberta and B.C. only, due to the provinces' detailed database of patients undergoing cardiac procedures.

The study was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.

In Alberta, between April 1995 and March 2008, the median wait times for bypass surgery went down from 31 days to 13 – over 50 %

In B.C., between April 2000 and March 2008, the median wait times for bypass surgery went down from 17 days to 11.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Protein found to be the link missing between HPV infection and cervical cancer development

2011-04-06
Orlando, Fla. -- Most women are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer - yet few develop the cancer. Now researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center, believe they have found the missing link explaining why: activation of the beta-catenin oncogene. At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, the researchers say that a new mouse model they developed demonstrates that switching the oncogene on in the cervix of HPV infected mice promoted ...

Black Bed Sheet Books in conjunction with author Bart Brevik are proud to announce the official release of Brevik's chilling new horror suspense novel, OUTER DARKNESS, effective today.

2011-04-06
OUTER DARKNESS is an award-winning supernatural suspense thriller that takes place in the Westlake Village area of Southern California in the weeks leading up to Halloween. The events that take place in this quiet, upscale suburban town would shock it's residents to the core, if they knew the unseemly details of what was going on just behind their backs. It is a chilling tale of unseen supernatural warfare, compounded by the very real and undeserved physical threat inflicted upon an everyday family by a vicious satanic crime cult. Jim DiMario and his family accidentally ...

Extreme weight gain raises risk for recurrence among breast cancer survivors

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, Fla. — Breast cancer survivors who experience extreme weight gain have an increased risk of death after breast cancer diagnosis. Moderate weight gain did not affect breast cancer outcomes. These study results were presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6. The investigation, which looked at the association of post-diagnosis weight gain and breast cancer outcomes, was conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. Data for the study came from the After Breast Cancer (ABC) Pooling Project, which includes 18,336 ...

Soy isoflavones not a risk for breast cancer survivors

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, Fla. — Soy food consumption did not increase the risk of cancer recurrence or death among survivors of breast cancer, according to the results of a study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6. Researchers investigated the association between soy food intake and breast cancer outcomes among survivors, using data from a multi-institution collaborative study, the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project. "There has been widespread concern about the safety of soy food for women with breast cancer," said lead researcher Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., ...

Very Important Relationships, Inc. Unveils Its New Multiple Integrated Systems Technology ("MIST")

2011-04-06
Very Important Relationships, Inc. (VIR), an on-line marketing solutions company and premier provider of customer loyalty, employee benefits, and fundraising programs, today announced the launched of its new Multiple Integrated Systems Technology platform ("MIST"). MIST architecture allows the integration of multiple websites/services, different secured online systems and social communities ("multiple web based platforms"), all under one roof; thus creating a seamless experience for the end user. "MIST allows VIR's client's to integrate custom features from multiple ...

Fox Chase researchers show vitamin A derivative can inhibit early forms of breast cancer

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, FL (April 5, 2011) – A nutrient found in carrots and sweet potatoes may prove key to fighting breast cancer at early stages, according to a new study by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Sandra Fernandez, PhD, an assistant research professor at Fox Chase, will present the findings at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 on Tuesday, April 5. Retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, could be a promising cancer therapy because it affects cell growth, proliferation, and survival. Although it is being tested in a number of clinical trials, so far its success ...

Fox Chase scientists report interplay between cancer and aging in mice

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, FL (April 5, 2011) – Cancer risk increases with age, and scientists have long perceived a possible evolutionary tradeoff between longer lifespan and greater risk of cancer. Now, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center find direct evidence for that tradeoff in new data showing that expression of a key tumor suppressor protein induces premature aging in mice. Greg H. Enders, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Epigenetics and Progenitor Cell Program at Fox Chase, will present the results at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 on Tuesday, April 5. "I didn't anticipate ...

Genomic signature in post-menopausal women may explain why pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, FL (April 5, 2011) – Women who have children, particularly early in life, have a lower lifetime risk of breast cancer compared with women who do not. Now, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have identified a gene expression pattern in breast tissue that differs between post-menopausal women who had children and post-menopausal women who did not. The results will help scientists understand why pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk and may help them develop chemopreventive strategies that can provide similar protection for women who did not have children. Pregnancy ...

BALAM Dance Theatre Launches Spring 2011 Season with "BALAM Dance Theatre: From Bali to the Bronx"

2011-04-06
BALAM Dance Theatre: From Bali to the Bronx commences BALAM Dance Theatre's (BALAM) spring 2011 season with a FREE performance on Thursday, April 28, 12:30-1:45 p.m., at Lehman College's Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard, Bronx, New York. BALAM is a New York City-based company that offers a new vision of contemporary dance by fusing ballet, modern and diverse cultural dance styles with Balinese theatre. BALAM Dance Theatre: From Bali to the Bronx celebrates the arrival of spring and the company's recent successful tour of Bali, Indonesia by creating a new ...

Fox Chase researchers develop a screen for identifying new anticancer drug targets

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, FL (April 5, 2011) –Tumor suppressor genes normally control the growth of cells, but cancer can spring up when these genes are silenced by certain chemical reactions that modify chromosomes. Among the most common culprits responsible for inactivating these genes are histone deacetylases, a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from DNA-scaffolding proteins, and DNA methyltransferases, a family of enzymes that add methyl groups to DNA. Drugs that counteract these enzymes, and thus reactivate tumor suppressor genes, are promising cancer therapies. For example, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

University of Oklahoma researcher awarded funding to bridge gap between molecular data and tissue architecture

Nationally-recognized pathologist Paul N. Staats, MD, named Chair of Pathology at University of Maryland School of Medicine

The world’s snow leopards are very similar genetically. That doesn’t bode well for their future

Researchers find key to stopping deadly infection

Leafcutter ants have blind spots, just like truck drivers

Tayac receives funding for community engagement project

Parker receives funding for Elementary Education Program Professional Development School (PDS)

Physicists uncork a message in a bottle from another star

Sanders receives funding for project aimed at enabling prostheses for children with lower extremity amputation

Engineers develop solid lubricant to replace toxic materials in farming

Repurposing gemstone polishing waste to create smart cement

Patient-physician messaging by race, ethnicity, insurance type, and preferred language

Unrecognized motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

Smarter battery tech knows whether your EV will make it home

Overactive microRNAs block fat cell development in progeria

Crosswalk confusion: MA drivers flummoxed by pedestrian hybrid beacons, find UMass Amherst researchers

Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Intracardiac echocardiography recognized as ‘transformative’ imaging modality in new SCAI position statement

Study finds ‘man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

To get representative health data, researchers hand out fitbits

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

[Press-News.org] Heart surgery wait times down in Alberta and BC