(November 28, 2008 - Insidermedicine) From North Carolina - According to research in the Journal of the American Medical Association, using ventricular assist devices to treat heart failure does not significantly increase survival. In a study of over 1,400 elderly patients who received LVADs following cardiac surgery, the one-year survival rate was 30%. Only 55% of those who received the devices as primary therapy survived initial hospitalization, and 55% of those were readmitted within 6 months

From California - According to research in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, after premature labor is stopped, remaining on tocolysis does not prolong pregnancy. In a study of 68 women who were between 24 and 34 weeks' gestation, researchers found that continued treatment with nifedipine did not significantly improve the chances of reaching 37 weeks of gestation, and did not reduce the recurrence of preterm labor, when compared to placebo.

And finally, from Geneva - According to research in The Lancet, a mathematical model suggests that the estimated number of AIDS deaths between 2008 and 2050 could be reduced by half. According to the model, a policy of universal HIV testing and immediate treatment for those positive with the virus could, in theory, lower rates of transmission because those on therapy are less infectious. The researchers suggest that annual incidence and mortality could fall to less than one case per 1,000 people within 10 years.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.