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RA Individuals From Lower GDP Countries Keep Working Despite Worse Symptoms Than Richer Countries
Individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in lower gross domestic product (GDP) countries (GDP below $11,000) are more likely to continue working despite higher disease activity and functional disability scores compared to their counterparts in higher GDP countries (GDP >$24,000) according to a new multinational study presented today at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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What Is Diphtheria? What Causes Diphtheria?
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection in the upper respiratory tract. Typically it is characterized by sore throat, swollen neck glands, high temperature and breathing difficulties. Through means of successful immunization diphtheria is now very rare in the United States and Europe. However it"s still common in countries where immunization programs are not an integral part of standard public health care. It is a potentially fatal disease with an estimated 5-10% fatality rate. In children under 5 and adults over 40 the fatality rate may sometimes reach 20%.
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Vacci-Test Receives U.S. Approval For FoodChekTM-E.Coli Test
The AOAC Research Institute, the approval body for all U.S. food safety tests, has certified Vacci-Test"s FoodChekTM-E.Coli as a Performance Tested(SM) method for detecting E.coli O157 in raw ground beef. This extremely rapid and accurate new test is seen as a technological breakthrough for meat-processors. This approval clears the way for FoodChekTM-E.Coli to be sold as a certified food safety test in the United States and internationally.
Cardiovascular

High Calcium Level In Arteries May Signal Serious Heart Attack Risk

Researchers may be able to predict future severe cardiac events in patients with known, stable coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary calcium scoring, according to a study published in the online edition of Radiology. Researchers may be able to predict future severe cardiac events in patients with known, stable coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary calcium scoring, according to a study published in the online edition of Radiology. "The amount of calcium in the coronary vessels, as measured by CT, is of high predictive value for subsequent serious or fatal heart attack in these patients, independent of the patient"s age, sex and other coronary risk factors," said the study"s lead author, Marcus Hacker, M.D., resident physician in the Department of Nuclear Medicine, leader of the research unit for nuclear cardiology and assistant medical director at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. CAD is the most common type of heart disease. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, it is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women, killing more than 500,000 Americans each year. CAD is a condition in which plaque, consisting of cholesterol, calcium, fat and other substances, builds up inside the arteries that supply blood to the heart. When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, blood flow to the heart is reduced and may lead to arrhythmia, heart attack or heart failure. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging is a nuclear medicine diagnostic procedure that provides excellent three-dimensional images of the coronary arteries to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of CAD. Currently, calcium scoring-measuring the amount of calcium in the arteries-is used as a screening exam and in cases of suspected CAD, but not in cases of known CAD. Dr. Hacker and colleagues set out to determine if calcium scoring would lend additional prognostic value to SPECT findings in patients with known, stable CAD. For the study, 260 patients with CAD underwent coronary artery calcium scoring in addition to SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging. Over a median period of 5.4 years, the patients were followed up for severe cardiac events, meaning cardiac death or nonfatal heart attacks. Twenty-three of the 260 patients had a fatal or severe heart attack, and 40 additional patients underwent bypass surgery. The results showed that patents with an initial calcium score greater than 400 were at significantly increased risk for severe cardiac events. "We found that coronary calcium seems to play an important role in predicting subsequent heart attack or sudden cardiac death, and adds prognostic value to SPECT findings," said co-author Christopher Uebleis, M.D., member of the research unit for nuclear cardiology at Ludwig Maximilians University. Dr. Hacker pointed out that combining calcium scoring and SPECT can help to identify patients with known CAD who are at highest risk for serious or fatal heart attacks. "In these patients, intensified medical therapy, shorter follow-up intervals and, if necessary, bypass procedures may be required to prevent future severe cardiac events." "Stable Coronary Artery Disease: Prognostic Value of Myocardial Perfusion SPECT in Relation to Coronary Calcium Scoring ?Long Term Follow-up." Collaborating with Drs. Hacker and Uebleis were Alexander Becker, M.D., Ines Griesshammer, Paul Cumming, Ph.D., Christoph Becker, M.D., Michael Schmidt, M.D. and Peter Bartenstein, M.D. Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (radiology.rsnajnls.org) RSNA is an association of more than 43,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to excellence in patient care through education and research. (RSNA.org) For patient-friendly information on CT, CAD and calcium scoring, visit http://www.RadiologyInfo.org. RSNA


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