Pneumomediastinum (PM) is a rare pathological entity that is divided into two categories: secondary, with a well-known aetiology, and…

As a medical student in Edinburgh, I was inspired by the opportunities in Edinburgh to combine clinical and basic science research in respiratory medicine.

I have always been incredibly interested in science and in trying to understand how things work. My first degree was in natural sciences at Cambridge, UK, where I specialised in neurobiology, and this exposed me to the beauty and rigor of basic science.

Vaccination is currently the most powerful tool for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.1 In large randomised controlled trials, the approved vaccines have shown good efficacy and safety.2 However, there is increasing concern about the safety of the adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines of AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) and Janssen (Ad26.COV2.S).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that an estimated 10.0 million people (range: 8.9–11.0 million) became ill with tuberculosis (TB) in 2019. There were an estimated 1.2 million TB deaths (range: 1.1–1.3 million) among people who were HIV-negative in 2019 and an additional 208,000 deaths (range: 177,000–242,000) among people who were HIV-positive.

EXPOSURE to air pollution and road traffic noise could increase the risk of developing heart failure. While previous research has shown a correlation between cardiovascular disease and air pollution, this new study has revealed that noise pollution may also increase incidence.

RESEARCHERS at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA have demonstrated that high levels of circulating fatty acid synthase (cFAS) in the blood could be used to detect a severe type of peripheral artery disease caused by narrowing arteries in the legs, which could increase the risk of developing a heart attack or a stroke. Current healthcare professionals use blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar to evaluate cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, there are no accurate blood tests to precisely detect the risk of artery narrowing or blockage.

AN INNOVATIVE sensor has been developed by researchers from both the University of Notre Dame, France and the University of Florida, USA that could diagnose a heart attack in less than 30 minutes. Currently, it could take hours for healthcare professionals to diagnose a heart attack. The use of an echocardiogram can indicate signs of heart disease, however, in order to detect heart attacks, these professionals need an additional blood sample analysis.

ACCORDING to the researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden there is no significant mortality difference in patients with pacemaker implantations following a transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared to those without pacemaker implantations. The aortic valve regulates blood flow to the main artery in the body, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a popular treatment option for patients with severe aortic valve narrowing. The procedure entails the insertion of a catheter from the groin through to the main heart artery, which in turn acts a replacement for the malfunctioning valve and assists in modulating the blood flow. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement technique is a substitute for open-heart surgery.