A new treatment approach has been developed to restore normal heart rhythms in patients with atrial fibrillation, a condition affecting over 2 million adults. Ibutilide fumarate injection prior to an electrical shock to the heart was successful in converting abnormal rhythms to normal in all study patients.
A new analytical technique has revealed large variations in Ginkgo biloba herbal products, which may be a problem for consumers. The study found that some products contain significantly more ginkgolides and bilobalide, the most pharmacologically active compounds, than others.
The sensor uses sound waves to analyze the sugar content of the melon, with promising results showing a correlation between signal frequency and actual sugar content. The device is fast, user-friendly, durable, and reasonably priced, making it a viable solution for growers worldwide.
A team of Penn State researchers successfully used microwave sintering to produce machine components with improved mechanical properties in just 10-30 minutes, compared to traditional sintering methods which take long periods of time and large amounts of energy.
Breast cancer cells migrate toward hormone source, with researchers identifying a novel prolactin-mediated mechanism driving metastasis. The discovery provides new insights into disease progression and suggests potential directions for developing drugs to block breast cancer growth.
The World Health Organization reports that six infectious diseases - AIDS, malaria, TB, measles, diarrhoeal diseases, and acute respiratory infections - are responsible for over 11 million deaths in 1998. The WHO is calling on governments to take action against these diseases before it's too late.
The USGS report synthesizes current information to document the changing nation's biological resources, identifying key factors affecting biological resources nationwide. Land use, water use, and nonindigenous species are the primary factors having broad-scale effects.
A recent study found that tomato plants artificially stimulated with chemical jasmonic acid attract parasitic wasps, which kill twice as many caterpillars on treated plants. This natural defense mechanism can be used to develop environmentally friendly agricultural pest control methods.