DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – North Texas researchers are on the brink of revolutionizing the way we fight the flu.

Every year, scientists try to guess which strain of the flu will cause the most people to get sick. They use that particular flu bug to make a flu vaccine. But what if you could get one shot that would tackle every single type of flu?

Dena Rushing from Little Elm has not had the flu in years. “Overall, we’re a very healthy family, and very active,” she said. But it is not because she gets the flu shot. She used to get it, but said that she would always get sick. “I can’t remember a year I didn’t, and then I stopped taking it and I stopped getting the flu.”

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Tailored anti-platelet therapy, made possible through a novel point-of-care genetic test, optimizes treatment for patients who carry a common genetic variant, researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) have found.

09 Nov 2011

A UOHI clinical trial known as RAPID GENE studied 200 patients undergoing coronary stent implantation for acute coronary syndrome or stable angina. Use of a simple, saliva swab test performed by nurses at the bedside on half of the patients allowed doctors to almost instantly identify those with the genetic variant, known as CYP2C19*2, which puts them at risk of reacting poorly to standard anti-platelet drug therapy, and administer an alternative drug.

The study demonstrated that tailored drug treatment therapy made possible by the genetic testing successfully protected all of the patients with the at-risk genetic variant from subsequent adverse events, while 30 per cent of patients treated with standard therapy did not receive adequate protection.

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The following article is validation to why every paramedic should continually talk to unresponsive patients.

Study using EEG opens new opportunities for communicating, researchers say

The Canadian Press Posted: Nov 9, 2011 8:16 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 10, 2011 5:27 PM ET

Dr. Damian Cruse checks volunteer Irene Sperandio at the University of Western Ontario London, Ont. University of Western Ontario/Canadian Press

Researchers have discovered they can detect conscious awareness in some patients thought to be in a permanent vegetative state using an inexpensive EEG device that measures electrical activity in the brain.

The use of an electroencephalography, or EEG, machine, which can easily be transported to a patient’s bedside, follows an earlier breakthrough employing a functional MRI scanner to determine whether some people in a vegetative state were in fact consciously aware but unable to physically respond to stimuli.

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A few weeks ago I had the privilege to be part of the funeral precession for Constable Garrett Styles.  When I started writing this article, I struggled with a way to word that first sentence that would adequately capture what the experience meant for me…and “privileged” seemed like the closest description, but even it falls short.  For those who don’t know, Constable Styles was a York Region Police officer killed in the line of duty last month.

On July 5th, more than 6000 police, firefighters and paramedics lined the streets, marched and attended the funeral service to show their support for the Styles family, friends and the York Region Police force.  Surrounded by a sea of uniforms from across the country (and even some from the US), I was overwhelmed by the sense of honour, duty and support that exists amongst the emergency services.

I did not know Constable Styles personally, but even as a new member of the profession, I felt connected to him, and to the loss felt by his family, friends and coworkers.  Everyone in the emergency services does their job knowing there is an element of risk to what we do.  The infinite number of unknowns when facing a new situation dictate that sometimes, no matter how careful you are, there will always be unavoidable dangers on the job.  We minimize those risks as best we can, but ultimately accept that to protect and help those in need, it may cost us our health or our lives.

There’s an incredible sense of camaraderie that arises from that decision, a sense that we’re all connected, and that in a heartbeat, we would do anything to protect and support each other.  Standing there with my hand over my heart, I realized what has come to be the most important lesson from this experience; we’re all part of something bigger then ourselves.

Mike

Image Courtesy of York Region Police

York Region MedVents and St John Ambulance hosted a Multiple Casualty Incident exercise this month in conjunction with the York Region Police Venturers and Fire Venturers. MedVents is a section of Boy Scouts Canada which focuses on first aid training up to the First Responder Level. The event took place on 11 June 2011 at Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area in Stouffville. Scenarios challenged first aid, leadership and teamwork skills.

The event took place on 11 June 2011 at York Region Police Community Safety Village (Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, Stouffville). The grounds are normally used to teach children about fire, traffic and personal safety. They turned out to provide an excellent revenue for realistic training. The small town was filled with specially-equipped buildings to enhance the scenario effects.

Police alarms rang through the village to mark the start of the scenarios. Dispatchers were isolated in a St. John’s Ambulance response vehicle, where they controlled resources. First responders arrived on scene and quickly decided to divide into Triage and Site Control, to ensure control and assessment of casualties as well as allied resources.

One response proved a success in training with a burning building. Police Venturers established a cordon and St. John’s Ambulance Rescuers and MedVents triaged and moved casualties to safety as Fire Venturers assembled and prepared to enter the building.

St. John’s Ambulance volunteers provided extensive and realistic injuries and make-up to the casualties. Skin tone, fake blood, protruding bones and broken teeth are among the many examples of the work completed. Props were used to represent environmental threats, such as plastic bottle pieces to represent glass.

In representing a real life disaster there were no breaks between scenarios. Resources drew thin and priorities set. Participants demonstrated leadership and teamwork in the absence of order or instruction. They learned lessons that could never be taught in a classroom. Scenarios challenged their limits of creativity and teamwork, such as extracting a worker from on top of an electrical transformer and finding safety for multiple casualties that were struck by a train.

The challenge and learning success of the event can be attributed to the realistic scenarios provided which could not have occurred without all of the supporting volunteers. Further support was provided by: York Region Police; York Region EMS; St John Ambulance; and the Salvation Army.