The days of heart transplant survivors undergoing invasive biopsies could soon be over after a new MRI technique has proven to be safe and effective, reducing complications and hospital admissions. Scientists at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, hope the new virtual biopsy designed to detect any signs of the heart being rejected will be adopted by clinicians the world over. Approximately 3,500 people worldwide receive heart transplants each year. Most patients experience some form of organ rejection and whilst survival rates are high, a small percentage will die in the first year after surgery. The new MRI technique, described in the journal Circulation, has been proven to be accurate in detecting rejection and works by analysing heart oedema levels which the team demonstrated are closely associated with inflammation of the heart.
Asia
Thailand ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra gets parole
Bangkok (TIP): Thailand’s billionaire ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole on February 18 after six months in detention, his first day of freedom in his homeland 15 years after fleeing in the wake of […]
Indian Americans
Indo-Canadian basketball star Ishan Sharma commits to University of Virginia
TORONTO, ON (TIP): Indo-Canadian basketball prodigy Ishan Sharma is set to move south of the border to play for the University of Virginia next year. The highly touted 6’5 shooting guard, who is a member […]
Science & Technology
Scientists find mysterious cosmic threads in the centre of milky way
An international team of scientists has discovered hundreds of mysterious structures in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. According to The Guardian, these ‘cosmic threads’ point towards the supermassive black hole. Each of these […]
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