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Newer, Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedure For Treatment Of Sciatica Does Not Result In Better Outcomes
A comparison of surgical treatments for sciatica finds that the minimally invasive procedure known as tubular diskectomy does not provide a significant difference in improvement of functional disability compared to the more common surgery, conventional microdiskectomy, according to a study in the July 8 issue of JAMA.

How Resveratrol In Red Wine Works As An Effective Therapy For Life-Threatening Inflammation
Scientists from Scotland and Singapore have unraveled a mystery that has perplexed scientists since red wine was first discovered to have health benefits: how does resveratrol control inflammation? New research published in the August 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, not only explains resveratrol"s one-two punch on inflammation, but also show how it - or a derivative - can be used to treat potentially deadly inflammatory disease, such as appendicitis, peritonitis, and systemic sepsis.
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New Culprit Behind Obesity's Ill Metabolic Consequences
Obesity very often leads to insulin resistance, and now researchers reporting in the July 8 issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, have uncovered another factor behind that ill consequence. The newly discovered culprit - a protein known as pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF for short) - is secreted by fat cells. They also report evidence to suggest that specifically blocking that protein"s action may reverse some of the health complications that come with obesity.
Mental Health

St. Jude Medical Applauds MADIT-CRT Trial

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ) commends the efforts of investigators in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (MADIT-CRT). The early results of the trial indicate that early intervention with CRT-D therapy can slow a patient"s progression from early stage heart failure (NYHA Class I-II) to late stage heart failure (NYHA Class III-IV). The trial, led by Arthur J. Moss, M.D., principal investigator and Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, demonstrated cardiac resynchronization therapy is associated with a significant 29 percent reduction (p=0.003) in death or heart failure interventions when compared to traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy in high risk, asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class I and II patients. About 5 million Americans suffer from heart failure, with 550,000 new cases diagnosed every year, according to the American Heart Association. Currently, patients are typically only given a CRT-D after they have reached NYHA class III or IV heart failure, a much more serious condition. Expanded indications for CRT-D devices based on the MADIT-CRT data would improve the health of many patients in earlier stages of heart failure (NYHA class I and II) by allowing them to receive a CRT-D device. "The MADIT-CRT trial has shown that if intervention is conducted early enough, the outcome for the patient will be better over time," said Mark Carlson, M.D., chief medical officer of the Cardiac Rhythm Management Division of St. Jude Medical. "The next step for our industry is to ensure physicians and patients are aware of the clinically proven effectiveness of this treatment and that they benefit from the currently available cardiac resynchronization therapies." Cardiac resynchronization therapy is used to treat the symptoms and complications associated with certain types of heart failure (HF). CRT is administered using a pacemaker, called a CRT-P, or an ICD with pacing capabilities, called a CRT-D. A CRT-D has the added ability to defibrillate the heart if a patient is at risk for life-threatening arrhythmias. CRT stimulates both of the heart"s lower chambers so that they are "synchronized" and more efficient in pumping blood to the body. The stimulation takes place via a pulse generator (the ICD or pacemaker) and pacing leads, which are placed next to the heart"s tissue and deliver electrical impulses to the heart. St. Jude Medical


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