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Professionals are divided over best care for hip fracture patients, latest audit results show

The latest report from the Falls and Fragility Fracture Programme (FFFAP) National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) shows that just over half of patients are receiving pain relieving anaesthetic (known as a 'nerve block') as part of their care for hip fracture. The National Hip Fracture Database Anaesthesia Sprint Audit of Practice (ASAP) results, published today (31 March 2014), show that 56% of hip fracture patients receive a peri-operative nerve block for pain relief and 44% of patients do not.



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Chemotherapy may be assisted by natural plant compounds

Researchers at Plant & Food Research have identified plant compounds present in carrots and parsley that may one day support more effective delivery of chemotherapy treatments.Scientists at Plant & Food Research, working together with researchers at The University of Auckland and the National Cancer Institute of The Netherlands, have discovered specific plant compounds able to inhibit transport mechanisms in the body that select what compounds are absorbed into the body,and eventually into cells. These same transport mechanisms are known to interfere with cancer chemotherapy treatment.



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Cells measure surface area to know when to divide

One of the scientists who revealed how plants "do maths" can now reveal how cells take measurements of size. Size is important to cells as it determines when they divide.In a paper published in eLife, Professor Martin Howard from the John Innes Centre and colleagues from the US, Germany and Singapore discovered that cells measure their surface area using a particular protein, cdr2p. The finding challenges a previous model suggesting that another protein called pom1p senses a cell's length.



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First small left ventricular assist device implant for young patient

"Today, we're going to make history," said 18-year-old Eric Ramos on the day UT Southwestern Medical Center doctors operated on his ailing heart. Eric, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is one of only three patients in the United States with the condition to receive a battery-operated left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to keep his weakening heart pumping blood through his body. He is the first patient in the country to be given a specific, smaller LVAD, which means doctors would not need to manipulate his diaphragm, which could compromise his already limited pulmonary function.



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Researchers explore function of cancer-causing gene

Developmental biologists at the University of Georgia are discovering new roles for a specific gene known as Max's Giant Associated protein, or MGA. A little studied protein, MGA appears to control a number of developmental processes, and also may be connected to cancer development.The researchers detail their findings in a paper published recently in the journal Developmental Cell.



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Key player identified in motor neuron death in Lou Gehrig's disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is marked by a cascade of cellular and inflammatory events that weakens and kills vital motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The process is complex, involving cells that ordinarily protect the neurons from harm. Now, a new study by scientists in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital points to a potential culprit in this good-cell-gone-bad scenario, a key step toward the ultimate goal of developing a treatment.



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