Magnetic field 'aids coma victim'

Josh Villa was not expected to recover

A US patient left in a coma-like state after a road accident recovered the ability to speak after repeated exposure to a magnetic field.

Josh Villa had not been expected to recover from massive head injuries.

When "transcranial magnetic stimulation" was aimed at his brain, he could speak simple words, and respond to commands, New Scientist reports.

The Chicago-based scientists now plan further research to see if therapy works in other patients.

I believe that electromagnetic treatments such as deep brain stimulation, direct current transcranial stimulation, and TMS may all have therapeutic promise Dr John Whyte Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute Philadelphia

It is hard for doctors to predict the extent to which brain-damaged patients will recover after falling into a coma, or a "persistent vegetative state".

Josh Villa was 26 when he was thrown through the windscreen of his car, and, almost a year later, he was able to open his eyes, but was unresponsive to any kind of external stimulus.

Dr Theresa Pape, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, enrolled him in a six-week study in which an electromagnetic coil was held over the front of his head.

The idea is to stimulate activity in brain cells, in this case, the cells of the "dorsolateral cortex", a part of the brain which sends stimulating messages to other parts of the brain.

After approximately 15 sessions, he would turn his head and look at the person talking to him.

Then he started obeying simple commands, such as following the movement of a thumb and finger when asked, and could produce single words, such as "help" or "erm".

After 30 sessions there was no further improvement, and he was sent home to be cared for by his mother.

She says that the treatment has made it far easier to look after him.

Dr Pape is now hoping to begin a similar treatment programme in a second patient in a coma-like state.

Natural recovery

However, another scientist warned that it is possible the magnetic stimulation was not entirely responsible.

Dr John Whyte, from the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Philadelphia, said that even eight months after a brain injury, spontaneous improvement of this type was "not uncommon".

He added: "I believe that electromagnetic treatments such as deep brain stimulation, direct current transcranial stimulation, and TMS may all have therapeutic promise.

"However, proving their efficacy is very challenging because of the confounding and highly variable effects of natural recovery.

"So single cases provide very weak evidence except when treatment occurs very late (so spontaneous recovery should be minimal) and the patient is studied for a considerable interval both before and after the treatment."

TMS has produced promising results when used to treat stroke patients, and those with spinal cord injuries.

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Why 'Stayin' Alive' could literally save your life: Disco song has perfect rhythm to jump-start a heart, says doctor

By Daily Mail Reporter

'Stayin' Alive' might be more true to its name than the Bee Gees ever could have guessed: At 103 beats per minute, the old disco song has almost the perfect rhythm to help jump-start a stopped heart.

And in a small but intriguing study from the University of Illinois medical school, doctors and students maintained close to the ideal number of chest compressions doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation while listening to the catchy, sung-in-falsetto tune from the 1977 movie 'Saturday Night Fever.'

The American Heart Association recommends 100 chest compressions per minute, far more than most people realize, study author Dr. David Matlock said.

Stayin' Alive! People doing CPR are more likely to get the beat right when listening to the tune on their ipods.

And while CPR can triple heart attack survival rates when properly performed, many people hesitate to do it because they're not sure about keeping the proper rhythm, Matlock said.

He found that 'Stayin' Alive,' which has a way of getting stuck in your head anyway, can help with that.

His study involved 15 students and doctors and had two parts. First they did CPR on mannequins while listening to the song on iPods. They were asked to time chest compressions with the song's beat.

Five weeks later, they did the same drill without the music but were told to think of the song while doing compressions.

The average number of compressions the first time was 109 per minute; the second time it was 113.

That's more than recommended, but Matlock said that when it comes to trying to revive a stopped heart, a few extra compressions per minute is better than too few.

'It drove them and motivated them to keep up the rate, which is the most important thing,' he said.

The study showed the song helped people who already know how to do CPR, and the results were promising enough to warrant larger, more definitive studies with real patients or untrained people, Matlock said.

The disco tune worked wonders in classes where students were having trouble keeping the right beat while practicing CPR on mannequins, said a doctor

He plans to present his findings at an American College of Emergency Physicians meeting in Chicago this month.

The American Heart Association has been using the song as a training tip for CPR instructors for about two years.

They learned of it from a physician 'who sort of hit upon this as a training tool,' said association spokesman Dr. Vinay Nadkarni of the University of Pennsylvania.

He said he was not aware of any previous studies that tested the song.

But Nadkarni said he has seen 'Stayin' Alive' work wonders in classes where students were having trouble keeping the right beat while practicing on mannequins.

When he turned on the song, 'all of a sudden, within just a few seconds, they get it right on the dot.'

'I don't know how the Bee Gees knew this,' Nadkarni said. 'They probably didn't. But they just hit upon this natural rhythm that was very catchy, very popular, that helps us do the right thing.'

Dr. Matthew Gilbert, a 28-year-old medical resident, was among participants in the University of Illinois study this past spring.

Since then, he said, he has revived real patients by keeping the song in his head while doing CPR.

Gilbert said he was surprised the song worked as well as it did.

'I was a little worried because I've been told that I have a complete lack of rhythm,' he said. Also, Gilbert said he's not really a disco fan.

He does happen to like a certain Queen song with a similar beat.

'I heard a rumor that 'Another One Bites the Dust' works also, but it didn't seem quite as appropriate,' Gilbert said.

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Diabetes aspirin use questioned

Aspirin makes it harder for blood clots to form Aspirin should not routinely be used to prevent heart attacks in people with diabetes, Scottish research suggests. The British Medical Journal reported that in 1,300 adults with no symptoms of heart disease the drug, which can cause stomach bleeds, had no benefit. The findings contradict many guidelines which advocate people with diabetes use aspirin to counter the underlying high risk of heart attack and stroke. But there are key high-risk groups who still need the drug, experts said. Patients with concerns are advised to consult their GP before changing medication. In people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, or have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, aspirin has been shown to reduce the risk of future "events" by around 25%. Patients shouldn't panic or stop taking aspirin Professor Steve Field, Royal College of GPs However, in recent years doctors have begun to focus on people who have not yet developed so-called cardiovascular disease, but are at high-risk of having it in the future - such as people with diabetes. There are around two million people over 40 with diabetes in the UK. Around 80% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease including strokes and heart attacks. A daily dose of aspirin is recommended by several UK guidelines as a "preventive" treatment in these groups. No benefit But in the latest study in adults over 40 years with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and no symptoms of cardiovascular disease, there was no difference over seven years in heart attacks or strokes between those given aspirin and those given a dummy pill. Study leader Professor Jill Belch, from the University of Dundee, said aspirin was one of the most common causes of hospital admission for gastrointestinal bleeding. "We have got a bit ahead of ourselves with aspirin. "We need to think again about using it for primary prevention." However she stressed the drug was beneficial in people who had already had a heart attack or stroke. Professor Peter Sever, an expert in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics at Imperial College London, said the study was "extremely important". "It confirms many concerns we have that aspirin is very widely used in the general population without an evidence base to support its overall benefits. "Thousands of people buy aspirin over the counter - I'm forever saying to patients you shouldn't be taking this. "I have had a couple of patients admitted to hospital with major gastrointestinal bleeding when there was no evidence it was doing any good." The number of people diagnosed with diabetes and as having a high risk of cardiovascular disease is set to increase, with government plans in England to introduce a national screening programme for the over-40s next year. Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said it would be worth revisiting the guidelines. "But patients shouldn't panic or stop taking aspirin," he said. Judy O'Sullivan, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study adds weight to the evidence that aspirin should not be prescribed to prevent disease of the heart and circulation to people with diabetes, and other high risk groups, who do not already have symptoms of the disease." Original here