A new study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital provides much-needed insight into the molecular mechanisms that cause arrythmia, or irregular heartbeat, and how it triggers sudden cardiac death, one of the nation’s leading killers. Their findings, published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could pave the way for the development of new, genetically-targeted therapies to treat and prevent fatal arrythmias.

Viruses are masters of deception, duping their host’s cells into helping them grow and spread. A new study has found that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can mimic a common regulatory protein to hijack normal cell growth machinery, disrupting a cell’s primary anti-cancer mechanism.

The first national study of Asians living in the United States shows that for some individuals, strong ties to their ethnicity can guard against the negative effects of racism. For others, strong ties to ethnicity can actually make the negative effects of discrimination worse. And the mental health effects of such discrimination may shift over a lifetime as Asian-Americans continue to examine their ethnic ties, say researchers.

The American Refugee Committee (ARC) is delivering relief supplies to the survivors of the tragedy in Myanmar. In partnership with World Vision, ARC will provide life-saving medical supplies and food, including items such as water purification tablets, medicines, and mosquito nets to thousands of survivors. ARC will also send a relief team to the region next week, pending visas.

Study findings presented at the May 2008 Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research Joint Meeting indicate that childhood and adolescent obesity negatively impacts vascular endothelial function, which relates to cardiac health.Obesity has been increasing rapidly in the U.S. during the past 20 years and obesity in adults has been linked to cardiovascular disease.

The middle school years is the time when time kids spend begin to spend less time in physical activity, a growing concern as youth obesity rates rise. A new study of middle school girls shows that after-school programs, in addition to school physical education classes, may be one answer to reducing obesity in teens.

Many strong acting pain medications have bothersome side effects. These can include nausea and vomiting with short-term use, and constipation with longer, chronic use. Such symptoms can lead patients to discontinue treatment, adding additional complications to pain management for physicians.

Many foot-surgery patients experience intense pain for several days following removal of a bunion, one of the most common foot surgeries. The investigational pain medication tapentadol provided significant relief for patients who had this surgery, compared to those treated with placebo. Treatment with tapentadol also resulted in patients reporting fewer gastrointestinal side effects compared to those treated with an older, prescription pain reliever, researchers announced.