Faster, Safer Lab Test Developed To Diagnose Heart Attacks

Researchers have developed a simple laboratory score which is safer and faster at diagnosing patients who visit the emergency department with heart attack symptoms. The findings, published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), suggest that the score can also identify patients at risk of subsequent heart issues after discharge. “We have developed a simple lab score that is superior to using cardiac troponin alone for the identification of patients at low and high risk for heart attack or death at emergency department presentation,” said co-author Peter Kavsak from the…

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New way to diagnose head, neck cancer in early stages discovered

It is a very common occurrence for head and neck cancers to be diagnosed late. But because of new research conducted in Germany it is now possible to be able to diagnose the oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), which are the most common type of head and neck cancers, at an early stage. The researchers had tested the mechanical properties of OSCC cells, and found them to be ‘softer’ than benign cells. The main authors of the study Josef Kas and Torsten W. Remmerbach said, “Early diagnosis and treatment of OSCCs is…

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Soon, Hand-Held ‘Breathalyser’ to Diagnose Diabetes

Soon, Hand-Held ‘Breathalyser’ to Diagnose Diabetes Oxford researchers have developed a new, portable breath analyser that could someday help doctors diagnose diabetes without painful pinpricks, needles or other unpleasant methods. Many studies examining the hallmarks of diabetes in exhaled breath have shown that elevated levels of acetone are strongly linked to diabetes. Detecting the concentrations of any given substance in breath in a simple way, however, is a major challenge. Breath contains a complex mix of compounds, including water, carbon dioxide and methane, that can throw results off. Mass spectrometry…

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