Insidermedicine In 60 - March 21, 2012

From San Diego - A new test may be able to predict heart attack, according to a report published in Science Translational Medicine. Researchers discovered that that circulating endothelial cells (CEC) are abnormally large in heart attack patients. Using a novel blood test, researchers found that measuring CEC counts could help predict who is at risk for an imminent heart attack. From the UK - Difference in blood pressure between arms raises risk of death, according to a report published in the Lancet. Studying 230 hypertension patients for 10 years, researchers found that those who had a difference of 10 or 15mmHg in systolic blood pressure between arms were at increased risk of vascular disease and death. From North Carolina - Opiod drugs to relieve pain in cancer patients may raise risk of tumour growth, according to a report published in Anesthesiology. Studying over 2,000 breast cancer patients, researchers found that women with one copy of a small genetic mutation that made them less sensitive to opiod drugs were 2x more likely to alive 10 years after treatment, while women with two copies were 4x more likely.