University of Oxford – Patients who monitor their own treatment with warfarin or other blood-thinning drugs reduce their risk of developing blood clots by half, an Oxford University study has found.

Taking charge of their own treatment can empower patients, improve the quality of treatment and be more convenient. The researchers say their findings confirm that self-monitoring of warfarin is safe for suitable patients of all ages.

The results are published in the medical journal The Lancet.

‘Warfarin is used for a number of conditions to prevent the blood clotting,’ explains Dr Carl Heneghan, who led the work at the Department of Primary Health Care at Oxford University. ‘These conditions include atrial fibrillation, treatment of deep-vein thrombosis and patients with artificial heart valves.’

In the UK, it is thought that around 1 million people are eligible for blood-thinning drugs, or anticoagulants, with demand set to rise further due to the ageing population.

But the use of anticoagulants needs regular monitoring to make sure the dose remains within the right range.
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By Yasmin Anwar/UC Berkeley
Photo by: Reonis
November 23, 2011

UC Berkeley researchers have found that during the dream phase of sleep, also known as REM sleep, our stress chemistry shuts down and the brain processes emotional experiences and takes the edge off difficult memories.

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Only a few decades ago, sudden cardiac arrest was a death sentence. Today, a victim of sudden cardiac arrest is saved roughly once every six hours in Sweden, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reviewing all cases of sudden cardiac arrest over a 30-year period.

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American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Tuesday, November 01, 2011

DARIEN, IL – Poor sleep quality in both early and late pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of delivering preterm.

A study published in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows a significant risk for preterm birth in women reporting sleep disruptions during their first and third trimesters. The connection remained even after medical risk factors and income levels were taken into account.

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An international team of researchers from Leeds, London and Berlin has discovered more about the function of muscle stem cells, thanks to next-generation DNA sequencing techniques.

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