ECG Reading May Predict Death Rehospitalization Risk

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:00:26 GMT

Hospitalized heart failure patients who have a longer than normal QRS duration a measurement of the electrical conducting time of the heart on an electrocardiogram appear to have a high risk of death or rehospitalization U.S. researchers report.

Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Mens Heart Attack Risk

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 18:00:25 GMT

Vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of heart attack in men says a U.S. study. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Womens Hospital Boston analyzed medical records and blood samples from 454 men aged...

Cell Phone Study Suggests People Are Losing Their Wanderlust

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 16:00:32 GMT

Using cell phone records to track movement a new study suggests that people are creatures of habit spending most of their time going to and remaining at a few key locations such as work and home. The researchers said their novel ap...

Heart Failure Patients Overestimate Their Life Expectancy

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 18:00:35 GMT

For reasons not easily understood many patients with the worst type of heart disease think they will live longer than their doctors tell them they will new research shows. Very carefully cardiologists at Duke University began telling peo...

Rotigotine Skin Patch May Ease Restless Legs Symptoms

Fri, 30 May 2008 20:00:18 GMT

Skin patches that contain the drug rotigotine help relieve restless legs syndrome RLS according to a German study. Dopaminergic drugs which stimulate the bodys dopamine system are currently used as a firstline treatment for RLS...

Dermatologists Release Psoriasis Care Guidelines

Fri, 30 May 2008 18:00:28 GMT

The use of biologics is the focus of new guidelines for the management of mild to severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis released by the American Academy of Dermatology ADA. Biologics given by injection or infusion are systemic me...

Daily Glass of Wine Cut Risk of Fatty Liver Disease

Thu, 29 May 2008 10:00:34 GMT

One glass of wine a day may not only be safe for the liver but may actually reduce the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD according to a new study that challenges conventional wisdom. The populationbased study from resear...

Two Drugs Show Promise Against Severe Constipation

Wed, 28 May 2008 18:00:31 GMT

Two new medications offer hope for the most severe forms of constipation. Almost 15 percent of Americans are constipated at any given time said Dr. Michael Camilleri lead author of one of two reports in the May 29 issue of the New Engl...

Gut Bacteria Fights Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Wed, 28 May 2008 16:00:29 GMT
A molecule produced by intestinal bacteria can eliminate symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease IBD in mice U.S. researchers say. IBD includes Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. It has long been known that the guts of hum...

Scientists Break Into HIV Hideout

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:00:24 GMT
Researchers have confirmed that a certain type of cell provides a hideout for HIV during drug treatment and is a reservoir of HIV in humans. These follicular dendritic cells FDCs are located throughout the body in specialized sites know...

Many With Heart Disease Dont Know Signs of Heart Attack

Tue, 27 May 2008 14:00:24 GMT
Almost half the patients with a history of heart disease are unfamiliar with the symptoms of a heart attack and dont see themselves being at increased risk for one a new study finds. The research flies in the face of the known facts about...

New Calcium Measure Better Predictor of Heart Risks

Tue, 27 May 2008 14:00:24 GMT
Improved prediction of a persons heart attack risk can be achieved using calcium coverage scoring which takes into account not only the amount but also the distribution of calcified plaque buildup in the coronary arteries new research shows.

New Hope for Liver Diseases

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:00:18 GMT
Human liver cells have been generated from embryonic stem cells using a new model hopefully opening the door to help scientists screen for harmful side effects of new drugs before they are used in patients. That was one of several reports ...

CARDIA Studies Open Window on Heart Lung Diseases

Thu, 22 May 2008 14:00:44 GMT
New insights into lung disease and lung function in young adults are provided in two new studies. The researchers analyzed data from the U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes CARDIA Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adul...

Cholesterol Test Spots When HRT Raises Heart Risks

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:00:37 GMT
Standard cholesterol evaluations may help predict which women are at risk for heart problems while taking hormone replacement therapy and which women are not. Simply put those with good cholesterol levels experience no increased risk for...

Mixed Results for AntiClotting Drugs in Heart Attacks

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:00:30 GMT
Emergency treatment with two different anticlotting drugs doesnt help much when someone who suffers a heart attack cant get a quick arteryopening procedure new research shows. On a brighter note a third anticlotting agent does improv...

Two Drugs for Heart Failure Show Mixed Results

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:00:30 GMT
Two new studies have produced mixed results for two different drugs that are often used to treat heart failure. In the first study researchers found limited benefit from a drug called valsartan Diovan which is used to lower systolic blo...

Some Iraq War Vets Suffer Breathing Problems

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:00:27 GMT
U.S. soldiers exposed to a blazing sulfur mine fire near Mosul Iraq in 2003 returned home with a debilitating breathing disorder that affects the small airways of the lung. But doctors were only able to diagnose the condition bronchiolit...

Sorafenib Shows Promise for HeartLung Disease

Tue, 20 May 2008 14:00:28 GMT
The cancer drug sorafenib Nexavar shows promise as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension according to a University of Chicago Medical Center study. During the study nine patients took the drug for 16 weeks at doses lower than those giv...

US Turns Spotlight on Medicines Most Puzzling Cases

Mon, 19 May 2008 18:00:27 GMT
A new research program designed to help patients with mysterious health conditions that cant be diagnosed was announced Monday by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Undiagnosed Diseases Program will study the most puzzling medical...

Advances Aid Treatment Diagnosis of Celiac Disease

Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:26 GMT
New research could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease according to studies presented at the Digestive Disease Week meeting in San Diego. Celiac disease which affects an estimated one in every 100 Americans is an ...

New Technology Speeds GI Disease Diagnosis

Sun, 18 May 2008 16:00:22 GMT
A realtime microscopic technique called confocal laser endomicroscopy CLE could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as cancer reflux disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Thats the conclusion o...

Drug Works Well for ModeratetoSevere Psoriasis

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:00:22 GMT
The drug ustekinumab has been shown to be a very effective initial and longterm treatment for moderatetosevere psoriasis in two studies published in this weeks issue of The Lancet. Ustekinumab works by binding to two interleukins...

New Guidelines Issued for Implanted Heart Devices

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:00:29 GMT
New guidelines for implanted heart devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators emphasize that theyre just one aspect of cardiac care. This is a very specific statement of the importance of optimized medical care Dr. Andrew Epstein pr...

New Laser Approved to Treat Psoriasis

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:00:33 GMT
PhotoMedexs XTRAC Velocity Laser has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat psoriasis and other skin disorders including vitiligo atopic dermatitis and leukoderma the company said Thursday. The new system delive...

Biomarkers Predict Heart Deaths

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:00:29 GMT
A bundle of four offbeat biomarkers accurately predicted the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in a study of older Swedish men researchers report. It is just a preliminary finding in a long process that might one day lead to widesp...

Heart Disease Starts Early in Life

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:00:32 GMT
The path to heart disease begins in childhood and that means preventive measures must be embraced by those at risk long before adulthood researchers report. Two of the biggest threats to heart health that trace back to childhood are prehy...

Excess Drinking Boosts Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:28 GMT
While research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits heavy drinking increases blood pressure stiffens blood vessels and causes more rigid heart muscles in men and enlarged hearts in women all risk factors for cardio...

Drugs Alone Dont Lower Heart Disease Risks for Overweight Americans

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:00:24 GMT
Daily doses of statins and blood pressure medications will not be enough to prevent heart disease among the evergrowing number of Baby Boomers who are overweight or obese a new study suggests. The simple truth experts say is that pounds...

Multiple Sclerosis Affects Childrens Cognitive Skills

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:00:24 GMT
Only about 5 percent of people with multiple sclerosis are diagnosed when theyre children but like adults with MS the disease can affect cognitive function causing memory and attention problems and possibly low IQ scores. And the yo...

DrugCoated Stents Still Spark Debate

Fri, 9 May 2008 18:00:26 GMT
Stents have become a cornerstone of heartdisease treatment tiny tools that have extended the lives of millions of patients by maintaining the flow of blood through their arteries. The wire metal mesh tubes when inserted following artery...

Steno Superbug Genome Shows Extreme Drug Resistance

Fri, 9 May 2008 10:00:34 GMT
FRIDAY May 9 HealthDay News British research into Steno one the most recent superbugs to claim lives reveals that the bacterium has an incredible ability to resist antibiotics and other drugs according to soontobepublished findings. ...

Women Who Quit Smoking Lower Heart Risks Quickly

Tue, 6 May 2008 18:00:20 GMT
New research shows that women who quit smoking have a 21 percent lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease within five years of extinguishing their last cigarette. The risks of dying from other conditions also decline after quitting...

ObesityRelated Inflammation Boosts Heart Risks

Tue, 6 May 2008 14:00:24 GMT
Obesity causes prolonged inflammation of heart tissue that in turn boosts heart failure risk according to a U.S. study of almost 7000 people. The latest findings from the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis MESA are believed to provid...

Younger Women Often Miss Signs of Heart Attack

Fri, 2 May 2008 16:00:24 GMT
Many younger women ignore or simply dont recognize the warning signs of a heart attack often because it doesnt resemble the typical Hollywood heart attack. So say the authors of a study being presented Friday at the American Heart Asso...

Home Monitoring Program Improves Outcomes for Heart Patients

Thu, 1 May 2008 16:01:09 GMT
Remote monitoring can improve the condition of mobile heart failure patients and may reduce hospital readmissions according to a pilot study that included 150 patients admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The patients ave...

Prozac Reduces Disease Activity in MS Patients

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:23 GMT
Prozac may help reduce disease activity in people with the relapsing remitting form of multiple sclerosis MS a new study suggests. Forty patients with the disease were randomly selected to receive either 20 milligrams a day of fluoxetine...

Researchers Develop Quick Way to Create Human Antibodies

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:00:27 GMT
Researchers have devised a rapid and efficient method for generating protein sentinels of the immune system called monoclonal antibodies which mark and neutralize foreign invaders. The development could potentially accelerate the tradit...

Mouse Skin Cells Reprogrammed to Act Like Embryonic Stem Cells

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:01:15 GMT
Functioning cardiac cells have been created from mouse skin cells reprogrammed to have the same unlimited differentiation characteristics of embryonic stem cells say researchers at the University of California Los Angeles. This is the fi...

Amitiza Treats Irritable Bowel With Constipation

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:01:15 GMT
Amitiza lubiprostone has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat irritable bowel syndrome accompanied by constipation IBSC in women 18 and older. Its the first IBSC treatment thats been approved by the FDA. I...

Exercise Cuts Womens Risk of Heart Disease

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:01:57 GMT
Increased levels of exercise can reduce but not eliminate the risk of heart disease in overweight and obese women a U.S. study finds. The researchers analyzed data from 38987 women who took part in the recently completed Womens Health St...

Researchers Tackle HIV From a New Angle

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:00:23 GMT
Most drugs aimed at suppressing HIV target proteins lying on the virus itself but new research suggests that focusing on the human hosts immune cells might work even better. Thats because human cells mutate at much slower rates than does...

Infection Cardiac Woes Send Heart Failure Patients to the Hospital

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
Pneumonia irregular heart beat and obstructed blood flow to the heart are the most common reasons for hospitalization for heart failure in the United States researchers say. A team at the University of California Los Angeles analyzed d...

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Share Some Genetic Risk Factors

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:00:28 GMT
The inflammatory bowel diseases ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease appear to share several genetic variants and risk factors two new British studies suggest. Though similar in many ways the two diseases are distinct and scientists ha...

New Heart Disease Markers Discovered

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:00:54 GMT
High levels of Creactive protein an inflammatory marker that may warn of impending heart disease are tied to variations in genes that control metabolism two new studies show. The studies identify new genes that are of potential importa...

Cutting Phosphate May Protect Kidney Patients From Heart Trouble

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:00:37 GMT
Readily available phosphatebinding drugs could help prevent heart disease in people with chronic kidney disease CKD a new study finds. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis noted that patients with chroni...

Annual Trachoma Treatments May Be Unnecessary

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:00:42 GMT
In communities with moderate levels of the eye disease trachoma one or two rounds of high coverage mass treatment with the antibiotic azithromycin may be sufficient to eliminate the infection researchers say. A team at the London School...

Cimzia Sanctioned to Treat Crohns Disease

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:00:24 GMT
Cimzia certolizumab pegol has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with moderatetosevere Crohns disease who havent responded to conventional therapies. Crohns an inflammatory bowel disease has no k...

Gene Variant Boosts Risk for StressRelated Ischemia

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:00:16 GMT
Researchers have identified a gene variation in heart disease patients who are so vulnerable to the physical effects of mental stress that it causes a major reduction in blood flow to the heart a condition called ischemia. Patients with th...

Heart Disease Risks Hit Boys in Teens

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:00:18 GMT
The first signs that men are at higher risk of heart disease than women appear during the adolescent years according a new study that tracked boys and girls through their teens. This is not what we would have predicted said Dr. Antoinet...

Gene Variant Protects Black Heart Failure Patients

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:00:40 GMT
Researchers have discovered a gene variant carried by about 40 percent of blacks that protects them after heart failure as much as widely used beta blocker drugs do. The finding explains the puzzling results reported in trials of beta block...

New Psoriasis Pill Appears Effective

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:25 GMT
A new drug for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis appears to be safe and effective a Canadian trial shows. The results indicate higher doses of ISA247 which is a calcineurin inhibitor significantly improve symptoms of psoriasis. ...

Health Tip Controlling Crohns Disease

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:00:29 GMT
Crohns disease causes inflammation of the digestive tract resulting in symptoms including abdominal pain and diarrhea. While there is no cure a combination of medication nutritional supplements and surgery can help control symptoms.

Timing of HRT May Influence Heart Risks

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:00:32 GMT
The timing of hormone therapy might determine its effect on a womans heart. Specifically researchers have found that hormone replacement therapy HRT administered early in menopause to women with risk factors for heart disease did not di...

Pill Reduces Relapses in MS Patients

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
The first pill designed to reduce the number of attacks in people with multiple sclerosis appears to be effective in early tests Italian researchers report. The pill was effective in preventing relapses in more than 60 percent of patients ...

New Benefits From Old Heart Measures

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:00:30 GMT
Two new studies describe additional benefits of widely used measures aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease: Cholesterollowering statins also reduce blood pressure and the DASH diet for blood pressure control lowers the incidence of heart disea...

Researchers Identify New Genetic Links to Psoriasis

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:00:34 GMT
Researchers have discovered seven common DNA variations that increase the risk of a person developing psoriasis one of which links the skin condition and psoriatic arthritis to other autoimmune disorders. The findings published April 4 i...

TCell Duplication Delayed Up to 3 Days After Infection

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:00:32 GMT
Immune system Tcells dont begin to multiply until up to three days after infection an unexpected finding that changes current thinking about how the immune system responds to infection. Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La...

Atherosclerosis May Also Harm Vital Organs

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:00:32 GMT
New research indicates that the fatty plaques that harden arteries may also harm vital organs. Atherosclerosis is usually associated with plaque formation in arteries said study author Rita K. Upmacis an associate research professor in...

Birth Size Early Weight Gain Tied to Boost in Heart Risks

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:00:32 GMT
Low birth weight followed by excessive weight gain during childhood and young adulthood may lead to the lowgrade inflammation that can raise the risk of heart disease later a new report says. Researchers noted the findings in a study of 5...

Postmenopausal Womens Sexual Dissatisfaction Not Linked to Heart Troubles

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:45 GMT
Sexual dissatisfaction in postmenopausal women isnt associated with cardiovascular disease say U.S. researchers. Its known that sexual dysfunction in some men is predictive of cardiovascular disease but this association has never been ex...

Gene Mutations for Rare Heart Disease Also Found in Kids

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
The same 10 gene mutations responsible for cardiac hypertrophy thickening of the heart muscle in adults are also associated with many cases of this rare but lifethreatening condition in children says a U.S. study. The mutations even sho...

Raloxifene Safe for Women With Decreased Kidney Function

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 14:00:26 GMT
The osteoporosis drug raloxifene is safe and effective for women with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease CKD a condition that increases osteoporosis risk according to a new study. The use of osteoporosis drugs in women with CKD has...

Kidney Dysfunction Puts Women at Risk of Sudden Death

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
Older women with malfunctioning kidneys are at increased risk for sudden cardiac death says a U.S. study. Researchers analyzed data on 2760 postmenopausal women average age 67 with a history of some heart disease to learn whether less ...

Omega3 Fatty Acids Wont Prevent Crohns Relapse

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
Omega3 free fatty acids dont help prevent relapses in patients with Crohns disease concluded two studies published in the April 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. These studies are quite definitive sai...

Aggressive Cholesterol Blood Pressure Treatment Shows Some Benefit

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
A new study that weighed whether aggressively lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure in people at high risk of heart disease is worth the effort did not produce a definitive answer to the question. The research which involved 499 A...

Parkinsons Disrupts Stem Cell Therapy Transplants

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 14:00:24 GMT
Current therapies using stem cell transplants in the brains of patients with Parkinsons disease may not work longterm because the disease is an ongoing process that continually causes damage new findings suggest. Dopamine cells are some...

Scientists ID New Genetic Markers for Bowel Disease

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
Researchers have identified new genetic markers for Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis in a study they say provides further evidence that people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are more likely to develop the conditions. Up to 30 percent of...

Injectable Antibiotic Protects Against Lyme Disease in Mice

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 18:00:31 GMT
One injection of a longacting version of the antibiotic doxycycline appears to protect mice from developing the tickborne illnesses Lyme disease or anaplasmosis new animal research reveals. The finding not yet replicated in people ...

Gum Disease HPV a Double Whammy

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 16:00:27 GMT
Your risk of developing tongue cancer increases if you have severe gum disease along with human papillomavirus HPV new research suggests. Previous studies have found periodontitis which destroys connective tissue and bone supporting the...

Dads EarlyOnset Obesity Linked to Liver Disease in Kids

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 20:00:26 GMT
People whose fathers had earlyonset obesity are at increased risk for elevated liver enzyme levels and liver disease says a U.S. study. Researchers evaluated 1732 children average age 42 of participants in the Framingham Heart Study a...

Psoriasis Poses Danger for More Serious Complications

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 14:00:33 GMT
The itchy scaly skin disease psoriasis long known to negatively affect a patients overall quality of life is now being linked with more serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer a national task forces report shows. ...

Scientists Uncover How HIV Hides Inside Cells

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 10:00:15 GMT
U.S. researchers say theyve discovered how HIV the virus that causes AIDS hides in human cells to avoid being destroyed by the bodys immune cells. They explained that when a normal virus such as the common cold infects a person t...

Diabetics Face Doubled Risk of Heart Attack

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:00:12 GMT
Diabetics are more than twice as likely to suffer a heart attack stroke and death from cardiovascular disease putting them at the same risk level as nondiabetics who had previously suffered a heart attack Danish researchers report. The ...

Angioplasty Proves Reasonable Alternative to Bypass Surgery

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:00:07 GMT
For patients with blockages in the left main coronary artery percutaneous coronary intervention PCI often referred to as angioplasty may be a viable alternative to bypass surgery. We focused on allcause mortality and found no diff...

Increased Heart Risk Seen for Retired NFL Players

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:00:11 GMT
Retired National Football League players have an increased risk of heart problems say researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. They added that screening for cardiovascular conditions among elitelevel football players should begin in hig...

DrugEluting Stents Safe After Heart Attack

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:00:07 GMT
Drugeluting stents the small tubing placed in diseased coronary arteries to keep them open are more effective than baremetal stents for heart attack patients new research shows. In the largest study yet comparing the longterm effect o...

Key Protein Limits Damage of Heart Attack

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:00:12 GMT
A signaling protein called Gi plays a critical role in protecting the heart during a heart attack say researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. It was already known that Gi increased activity in a failing heart but it wa...

Gene Variants Can Predict Threat of Heart Disease

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:05:30 GMT
A combination of cholesterolassociated gene variants can increase a persons risk for heart attack stroke or sudden cardiac death Massachusetts General Hospital researchers report. It may someday be possible to test for these gene varian...

Foodborne Illnesses From Leafy Greens on Rise in US

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:05:21 GMT
There was a significant increase in the proportion of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States linked to leafy green vegetables from 1973 to 2006 but the rise cant be completely explained by increased consumption of leafy greens researche...

Angina More Common in Women Than Men

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:05:21 GMT
While men suffer more heart attacks than women women have a 20 percent higher prevalence of stable angina according to a new study that conflicts with conventional medical wisdom. Angina is a common and serious heart problem. Its caused ...

Severe Menopause Symptoms Raise Heart Risks

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:05:37 GMT
Women who have the most severe menopausal symptoms may also be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease a new study suggests. Dutch researchers surveyed 5648 women aged 46 to 57 about their menopausal complaints and collected data on ...

Heart Risk Can Be Predicted Without Lab Tests

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:05:48 GMT
When it comes to predicting a persons cardiovascular disease risk cheap simple and noninvasive methods can be as effective as lab tests a new study finds. The U.S. researchers noted these nonlab methods could be especially useful wher...

One in 4 Teen Girls Has a Sexually Transmitted Disease

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:05:32 GMT
More than 3 million teenaged girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease STD a new government study suggests. The most severely affected are AfricanAmerican teens. In fact 48 percent of AfricanAmerican teenaged girls have an ...

WeightLoss Drug Fights Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 09:05:24 GMT
Mice given the weightloss drug rimonabant became resistant to alcohols fatbuilding effects in the liver which suggests the medication may help fight alcoholic fatty liver in humans says a U.S. study. Alcoholism is the leading cause of ...

Researchers ID Gene Behind Rare Form of Epilepsy

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:05:26 GMT
A gene mutation associated with a rare form of epilepsy that also leads to kidney failure has been identified by Australian researchers who said the findings crack open the cell biology of this problem. They developed a new method to con...

Tysabri May Cause Liver Damage Health Officials Say

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:05:25 GMT
The controversial multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri can start causing liver damage within six days of the first dose U.S. health officials said Wednesday. In January the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the use of Tysabri to treat...

Curry Ingredient May Cut Cardiovascular Risks

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:05:25 GMT
Curcumin an ingredient in the curry spice tumeric can reduce heart enlargement and may lower the risk of heart failure Canadian researchers say. The scientists at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre of the Toronto General Hospital tested the e...

Health Tip Canker Sores

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:05:19 GMT
HealthDay News Canker sores are painful ulcers inside the mouth that most often occur on the base of the gums inside the cheeks or lips on the soft palate or on the tongue. They typically do not require treatment and go away on their own. ...

Adult Stem Cells Help Those With Immune Disorders Heart Disease

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:05:34 GMT
Treatment with adult stem cells harvested from blood or bone marrow may benefit some patients with certain kinds of cardiovascular disorders and autoimmune diseases a new U.S. analysis shows. There are two types of stem cells according to...

Heart Disease Deaths OverReported in New York City

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:05:20 GMT
New research suggests that inhospital deaths from heart disease are overreported in New York City. Although it has one of the highest reported heart disease death rates in the United States the rate of heart disease risk factors among re...

Aggressive Therapy for Crohns Disease Produces Better Outcomes

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:05:31 GMT
Treating Crohns disease more aggressively resulted in better outcomes for patients an international team of researchers reports. Using more than one immunosuppressive drug shortly after a person was diagnosed with the disease was more eff...

Stimulating Thymus Reactivates TCell Production

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:05:15 GMT
Its possible to stimulate the thymus gland to produce new immune system Tcells in adults infected with HIV U.S. researchers say. HIV infection destroys Tcells which leads to the collapse of the immune system and severe infection. The t...

Cats Help Shield Owners From Heart Attack

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:05:23 GMT
Whether its a frisky kitten or a tubby tabby a cat at home could cut your heart attack risk by almost a third a new study suggests. The finding from a 10year study of more than 4300 Americans suggests that the stress relief pets prov...

Awareness of Heart Attack Signs Lags in US

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:05:29 GMT
Too many Americans are not aware of all the warning signs of a heart attack and the percentage who know what to do when one is suspected is not as high as it could be a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds.

Free Drugs After Heart Attack Would Save Money Lengthen Lives

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:05:33 GMT
Eliminating the cost of medications for people who have heart attacks would lead to longer lives and lower overall medical costs new research suggests. These are highly effective medications that are relatively inexpensive and the events...

New MS Drug Target Shows Promise

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:05:36 GMT
A hightech molecular fishing expedition has led researchers to two potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The data implicate a pathway more typically associated with wound healing the blood clotting casca...

Health Tip Causes for Jaundice

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:05:29 GMT
HealthDay News Jaundice occurs when excess bilirubin builds up in the liver causing the skin and whites of the eyes to develop a yellowish tint. Bilirubin is produced when hemoglobin from red blood cells is broken down by the body. The...

Marijuana Use Among MS Patients Raises Risk for Cognitive Mood Problems

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:05:23 GMT
Multiple sclerosis patients who smoke marijuana in search of symptom relief are more likely to suffer cognitive shortfalls and mood disorders new Canadian research suggests. A slowing down in the ability to process and remember information...

Triglycerides Linked to Coronary Disease Risk

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:05:25 GMT
A new study showing that high levels of triglycerides were strong predictors of cardiac trouble strengthens the case for including measurement of the blood fats in prevention programs. Triglycerides traditionally have been viewed as second...

Scientists Reprogram Human Skin Cells Into Embryonic Stem Cells

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:05:23 GMT
U.S. scientists say theyve reprogrammed human skin cells into ones with the same blankslate properties as embryonic stem cells a breakthrough that could aid in treating many diseases while sidestepping controversy. Human embryonic stem c...

Disability Stronger Predictor of Longevity Than Disease Is

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:05:23 GMT
Among Americans living to the ripe old age of 100 and counting it is the ability to delay the onset of disability and not the onset of disease that seems to secure a long life. A new study reveals that 32 percent of centenarians s...

High Blood Pressure on Increase Among American Women

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:05:23 GMT
Uncontrolled hypertension rates are on the increase among American women and the prevalence of this major risk factor for heart disease and stroke among American men is still not as low as it should be a new survey shows. Blood pressure ...

New Genetic Technology IDs Virus That Killed Transplant Recipients

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:05:31 GMT
A new geneticsequencing technology has enabled the fastestever identification of a deadly virus one that killed three transplant patients researchers report. The technique could be used to help against many common illnesses that now eva...

Multiple Sclerosis Drug May Be Linked to Melanoma

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:05:30 GMT
Almost immediately after a 46yearold woman with multiple sclerosis received her first dose of the drug Tysabri a mole that had been on her shoulder for years suddenly took on a dangerous new character. It turned out to be a melanoma that...

Death Rates From Cardiovascular Causes Vary Widely Across Europe

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 16:05:27 GMT
There are large variations between and within European countries in the rates of stroke and heart diseaserelated deaths new research shows. For example rates of such deaths in several countries particularly in northern and eastern Eur...

GPS Devices Measure Severity of Peripheral Artery Disease

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 14:05:26 GMT
The same device that keeps you from getting lost while driving in your car might also give doctors a way to determine the severity of peripheral artery disease PAD in patients French researchers suggest. People with PAD have clogged leg ...

Study Challenges New Benchmark for HighVolume Heart Transplant Hospitals

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:05:24 GMT
Challenging a recent U.S. government decision to lower the benchmark for designation as a highvolume heart transplant hospital a new Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions study reports the benchmark should instead increase from 10 transplants to 14 t...

Peripheral Arterial Disease Costlier to Treat Than Heart Trouble

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:05:21 GMT
It costs about 5 percent more to treat people with peripheral arterial disease PAD than those with coronary artery disease CAD a U.S. study finds. Both PAD blocked abdomen and leg arteries and CAD blocked heart arteries are treated...

Too Few US Adults Getting Needed Vaccinations

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:27:01 GMT
Vaccinations arent only for children adults need them too. But too few adults are getting the shots to protect them from a range of dangerous diseases U.S. heath officials said Wednesday. We need to get beyond the mentality that vaccin...

US Deaths Down From Heart Disease Stroke

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:05:20 GMT
American Heart Association goals to reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke by 2010 have been virtually met. But a worrisome lack of progress against such intractable health problems as obesity and diabetes even among children cou...

DrugFree Stent Coating Shows Promise

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:05:24 GMT
A new kind of coated stent holds promise for overcoming the major problems with these tubes that are inserted to keep arteries open after clotclearing angioplasty Italian researchers report. The new stent is not coated with drugs like th...

Smoking Worsens Prognosis for IPF Patients

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:13:43 GMT
Current and former smokers with the lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis IPF have a worse prognosis than nonsmokers says a British study. IPF is untreatable and patients usually die within five years of diagnosis. Previous researc...

New HIV Drug Sanctioned When Others Fail

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:05:24 GMT
The antiHIV medication entravirine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults who have failed treatment with other antiretrovirals. Sold under the trade name Intelence entravirine is a nonnucleoside reverse tra...

Smallest Air Pollution Particles Hurt Heart Most

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:05:16 GMT
The tiniest bits of air pollution from your vehicles exhaust may be the most dangerous to your hearts health suggests a new U.S. study. Particles that are about onethousandth the size of a human hair cause plaque buildup in the arteri...

Molecule May Trigger Psoriasis

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:05:20 GMT
A molecule may play a major role in the development of psoriasis offering a new way to treat this chronic skin disease a study finds. A team at Wyeth Research in Cambridge Mass. found that antibodies that neutralized the IL22 molecule...

Adult Drug Effective in Treating Psoriasis in Children

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:05:45 GMT
The drug etanercept significantly improved psoriasis symptoms in children under 17 with moderate to severe psoriasis researchers are reporting. The study found that 57 percent of the children and teens enrolled in the study had at least a...

DNA Analysis Could Help Customize Treatments for MS

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:05:37 GMT
Genetic differences might explain why some multiple sclerosis MS patients respond to treatment while others dont suggests an international study. Starting with 206 southern European patients with relapsingremitting MS the most common ...

Tysabri Approved for Crohns Disease

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:05:39 GMT
Tysabri natalizumab has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat moderatetosevere Crohns disease in people who havent responded to other therapies. Tysabri made by the Irelandbased drugmaker Elan and Massachus...

MS Drug Tysabri Approved for Crohns Disease

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:05:40 GMT
Tysabri a controversial drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be used for patients with a moderate to severe form of another autoimmune illness Crohns disease the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday. But the dru...

Columbus Carried Syphilis From New World to Europe Study Suggests

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:05:46 GMT
A new analysis of the genetics of syphilis provides support for the theory that the disease hitched a ride with Christopher Columbus from the New World back to the Old World. But in a new wrinkle the research suggests the disease may not h...

Biotechnology Builds a New Heart

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:05:33 GMT
An organbuilding biotechnology that could create transplantable hearts using stem cells from the recipients themselves has passed important laboratory tests researchers report. The technique called whole organ decellularization has been...

Drink a Little Stay Active Save Your Heart

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 09:05:24 GMT
Drinking in moderation and keeping physically active is the formula for keeping heart disease at bay Danish researchers report. In fact people who didnt drink and werent physically active had a 30 percent to 49 percent higher risk of de...

Women With IBS Unable to Switch Off Pain Response

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 09:05:24 GMT
Women with irritable bowel syndrome anticipate and react to pain differently than women without IBS a new study suggests. The University of California Los Angeles researchers found that women with IBS cant effectively switch off a pain ...

Shorter Legs Might Boost Liver Risks

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:05:17 GMT
People with short legs may have an increased risk of liver disease suggests a study that adds to growing evidence of a link between leg length and health. Researchers at the University of Bristol analyzed leg and torso measurements as wel...

Standard Hepatitis B Treatment Bested by Newcomer

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:05:31 GMT
New research suggests that a newer medication approved for treating hepatitis B is more effective than the standard treatment lamivudine. Additionally the Chinese scientists found that a significantly smaller number of people developed re...

Severe Psoriasis Linked to Higher Death Risk

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:05:42 GMT
Severe psoriasis may be associated with an increased risk of death according to a University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study. The report is published in the December issue of the Archives of Dermatology. Psoriasis...

High Blood Pressure Key Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:05:22 GMT
Almost 75 percent of American adults with conditions that increase their risk for cardiovascular disease have high blood pressure. Thats the finding of a University of California Irvine study that looked at data from 4646 adults who took...

Abdominal Fat Tied to High Risk for Coronary Trouble

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:05:25 GMT
Abdominal fat is a strong independent risk factor for heart disease say British researchers who also concluded that checking the waisthip ratio is a better predictor of heart disease risk than waist measurement alone. The study publishe...

Coronary Artery Calcium May Raise Womens Heart Risk

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:05:25 GMT
About 5 percent of women considered at low risk for heart disease still face potential cardiovascular problems because of calcium buildup in their arteries a new study suggests. Previous studies have demonstrated that calcium is predictiv...

Drug Combo With Antibiotic May Slow MS Progression

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:05:20 GMT
Combining an antibiotic with a medication currently used to treat multiple sclerosis may slow progression of the disease according to researchers at the Louisiana State Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Their study included 15 patients...

No Link Between Hepatitis B Shot MS Study

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 17:05:22 GMT
Theres no link between vaccination to protect against hepatitis B and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis MS in childhood a new study finds. A number of previous studies have investigated a possible association between the hepatit...

Drug May Help Reverse Clotting Deficiency

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:05:23 GMT
An experimental drug can boost the number of clotting cells called platelets in patients suffering from a dangerous deficiency of these cells researchers report. The new drug is called eltrombopag and in one study patients with the au...

US Chlamydia Infections Hit AllTime High

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:05:36 GMT
TUESDAY Nov. 13 HealthDay News The number of Americans newly infected with a sexually transmitted disease STD continues to rise federal health officials say with one infection in particular chlamydia hitting an record millionplus new...

Fallout From Failed AIDS Vaccine Could Dampen Research

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:05:15 GMT
An experimental AIDS vaccine used in a recent trial may have placed participants at higher risk of infection with HIV although whether or not that was truly the case remains unclear. What is clear is the concern among experts that...

Blood Pressure Heartbeat Problems Aggravate Alzheimers

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:05:19 GMT
Alzheimers disease may progress faster in patients with high blood pressure or a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation a new study found. The main point of these findings is that vascular factors do affect the rate of pr...

Energy Drinks Could Pose Blood Pressure Risks

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:05:19 GMT
Energy drinks boost blood pressure and heart rate and could pose risks to people with hypertension and heart disease say Wayne State University researchers. They found that drinking two cans of a popular energy drink increased blood pressu...

BloodIncompatible Heart Transplants Safe for Infants

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 14:05:26 GMT
Blood groupincompatible heart transplants can safely be performed in infants age 1 year or younger and could help reduce death rates among infants with heart problems say U.S. researchers. Of 591 cases examined from national data reported...

New Computerized Scans Effective for Spotting Clogged Arteries

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 12:05:13 GMT
The new generation of cardiac scanners is almost as reliable as more invasive procedures when checking for blockages in the heart and surrounding arteries researchers are reporting. The new 64slice CT scans introduced in the United Stat...

CPR Defibrillator Combo Boosts Cardiac Incident Survival

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 12:05:13 GMT
Compared with cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR alone bystander use of an automated external defibrillator AED combined with CPR more than doubles a persons chances of surviving cardiac arrest in a nonhospital setting a new study says. ...

Peripheral Artery Disease Up Sharply Among US Women

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 09:05:08 GMT
More American women are suffering from asymptomatic peripheral artery disease a circulatory condition that can signal a higher risk for heart attack and stroke a new study found. The increase is likely the result of an increase in common...

Preeclampsia Linked to Heart Disease Risk

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:05:12 GMT
Women with cardiovascular risk markers are at heightened risk of developing preeclampsia when pregnant and pregnant women who do develop preeclampsia are at higher risk for developing heart disease later British and Norwegian researchers report.

Health Tip Taming Irritable Bowel

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 09:05:17 GMT
HealthDay News Irritable bowel syndrome affects the way that the intestines move food through the body. Symptoms can be triggered by stress anxiety and sometimes certain foods. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these su...

Marital Stress Linked to Heart Disease

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:05:45 GMT
When married couples lose their cool with one another it may take a toll on their hearts too researchers have found. Whats more the damage thats wrought may depend on how they lose it according to study leader Tim Smith a pr...

Many at Risk for HIV Not Being Tested

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:05:51 GMT
Rates of HIV testing in the United States have remained constant since 2000 with some onethird of all Americans ever having been screened for the virus that causes AIDS. But less than 25 percent of those at high risk of infection such ...

Video Pill Spots Hidden Crohns Disease

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:05:51 GMT
A small capsule that takes pictures of the inside of the small intestine can help doctors detect cases of Crohns disease that have gone undiagnosed for up to 15 years U.S. researches report. Capsule endoscopy is a common method of evaluat...

Health Tip Living With MS

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:05:46 GMT
HealthDay News Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system causing nerve damage that tends to worsen over time. There is no cure for MS. But heres information about treatment options that may he...

Health Tip Understanding Crohns Disease

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:05:46 GMT
HealthDay News Crohns disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulcers to form along the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may range from mild to severe; some severe cases may require surgery. Heres more informatio...

Hepatitis A Vaccine Best Bet to Treat Virus

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:09:52 GMT
Treating the liver disease hepatitis A with the hepatitis A vaccine is as effective as treating it with the more traditional injection of immune globulin a new study found. Based on these results the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and ...

Eye Scan May Help Diagnose Treat MS

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:05:55 GMT
A short and simple eye scan not only appears capable of spotting multiple sclerosis earlier in the course of the disease but might also provide a way to track progression of the illness as well as the effectiveness new drugs in development researc...

US Unveils Database of Genetic Clinical Research

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:05:35 GMT
One of the largest collections of genetic and clinical data available free to researchers worldwide has been launched by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Webbased SHARe SNP Health Association Resource dataset enables eligible ...

Familial MS May Be More Destructive

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:05:39 GMT
Multiple sclerosis that runs in families appears to cause more severe brain damage than the nonfamilial form say University at Buffalo researchers. They used MRI scans to examine the brains of 759 MS patients and found that the 198 patien...

Antibody Helps Repair MS Nerve Damage

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:06:32 GMT
Researchers say theyve made new strides in harnessing the bodys natural ability to reverse nerve damage wrought by multiple sclerosis. According to the U.S. team a single low dose of a human antibody administered to laboratory mice repai...

Erectile Dysfunction A Harbinger of Heart Trouble

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 17:05:59 GMT
Few men may realize it but if theyre having problems achieving or sustaining erections it may signal underlying heart trouble. Erectile dysfunction or impotence affects more than 18 million American men according to a recent study by ...

Lyme Disease Relapse Often a New Infection

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 14:05:30 GMT
Many people who believe theyre suffering a relapse of Lyme disease may actually have been bitten by another tick and have a second completely new infection a new study suggests. It is striking how often reinfection appears to occur l...

Panic Attacks May Hike Heart Disease Risk in Women

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 12:05:44 GMT
Postmenopausal women whove had at least one panic attack may be at greater risk for heart disease stroke and even death new research suggests. The study found that older women with a history of panic attacks were four times more likely t...

Better Lupus Treatments on the Horizon

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:05:32 GMT
Hightech research into better safer ways to treat the autoimmune disease lupus is building up steam a group of scientists report. Striking an upbeat tone researchers from across the United States spoke at a teleconference Tuesday hoste...

Scientists Spot Key to Kidney Transplant Success

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:06:01 GMT
Researchers say a newly discovered immune factor is associated with kidneytransplant rejections and may explain why otherwise wellmatched organs end up being rejected. Our paper showed that if a patient has this MICA antibody that is ve...

Childhood Obesity Epidemic a LongTerm Challenge

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:05:51 GMT
In the 1980s and 90s Americans tried to control their weight by watching their cholesterol by cutting dietary fat and substituting carbohydrates. They paid little mind to total calories and physical activity. And guess what happened to their waistl...

Study Questions Genetic Screening for Treatable Diseases

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:05:11 GMT
Some Israeli couples with fetuses that tested positive for Gaucher disease an inherited condition that can range from mild and treatable to severe chose abortions raising questions about the use of certain types of genetic screenings a new study ...

Dont Ignore Tough or LongTerm Stomach Pain

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:05:39 GMT
While the occasional stomachache isnt a serious health issue persistent or severe stomach pain is another matter that could signal serious trouble says the American College of Gastroenterology ACG. People with the following symptoms ne...

Stopping Tysabri May Worsen MS

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:05:26 GMT
People suffering from multiple sclerosis who stopped taking the controversial drug Tysabri experienced a resurgence of brain lesions associated with their disease researchers report. But experts countered that the study was a small one and...

Jogging in Traffic Cuts Blood Flow to Heart

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:05:35 GMT
Heres a good reason not to take your daily jog during rush hour. Men with stable heart disease who were exposed even briefly to diesel exhaust fumes showed reduced blood flow to their hearts which can increase the risk of variou...

HIV Drug Might Fight Cancer

Sat, 1 Sep 2007 09:06:01 GMT
A drug used as part of a regimen to treat HIV also appears to kill cancer cells researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute report. Based on this new finding the HIV protease inhibitor nelfinavir is being used in a phase I clini...

Growing Number of US Kids Not Getting Needed Vaccinations

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:05:40 GMT
Immunization programs in the United States have been remarkably successful virtually eliminating diseases like measles and polio. But experts are worried that cracks could be appearing in the public health system that would allow outbreaks...

Nasal Anthrax Vaccine Proves Effective in Animal Study

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:05:46 GMT
An experimental nasal anthrax vaccine proved highly effective in tests in mice and guinea pigs a University of Michigan Medical School study shows. After it was placed inside the animals noses the vaccine triggered a strong immune respon...

US Teens Fall Short on Vaccine Coverage

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:05:35 GMT
Most young U.S. children are getting their recommended vaccinations but rates for teens are lagging especially for some newer vaccines U.S. health officials announced Thursday. Last year 77 percent of children 19 months to 35 months ha...

New Heart Pump Shows Promise in Trial

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:05:31 GMT
A new kind of heart pump helped patients with heart failure so severe that their only option was a transplant cardiologists report. The design is completely different from existing assist devices said Dr. Leslie W. Miller chief of card...

Brain Lesions Predict MS Progression

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:11:49 GMT
Certain types of lesions on the brains of multiple sclerosis patients may help predict the severity of disease progression and the accompanying disability researchers are reporting. This is a new way to try to understand what is changing...

Embryonic Human Stem Cells May Help Repair Heart Muscle Lab Study Shows

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:05:17 GMT
Experiments in rats show that human embryonic stem cells can repair damaged heart muscle improve heart function and slow the progression of heart failure. Using stem cells to repair damaged hearts is something that appears promising but s...

Embryonic Stem Cells Repair Human Heart

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:05:33 GMT
Experiments in rats show that human embryonic stem cells can repair damaged heart muscle improve heart function and slow the progression of heart failure. Using stem cells to repair damaged hearts is something that appears promising but s...

Fish Oil Might Help Relieve MS

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:05:35 GMT
Fish oil containing omega3 fatty acids could benefit multiple sclerosis MS patients a U.S. study finds. Omega3 fatty acids contain eicosapentaenoic acid EPA and docosahexaenoic acid DHA which affect blood proteins called matrix me...

Bacteria See the Light

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:05:11 GMT
At least one type of bacteria may be able to sense light and then strengthen itself to survive researchers report. The bacteria Brucella abortus causes serious illness in animals and flulike fevers in humans and it appears to rely...

Green Tea May Brew Up Healthier Skin

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:09:01 GMT
Green tea may hold promise as a new treatment for psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions including dandruff and lupusrelated skin lesions according to a U.S. study Medical College of Georgia researchers found that green tea slo...

Many Parents Share Genetic Test Findings With Kids

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:05:40 GMT
As genetic testing for diseases becomes more commonplace the impact of those findings on family members may be underestimated researchers say. For instance some women who discover they have the BRCA gene mutation which puts them at high...

Scientists Probe Sepsis Deadly Secrets

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:07:53 GMT
Even when they appear clinically similar patients with potentially deadly sepsis may be having different kinds of immune responses say U.S. researchers who conducted the first largescale natural history study of the common condition. Sep...

Social Stress Could Worsen MS

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:05:59 GMT
Chronic social stress may aggravate neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis MS U.S. researchers report. The team at Texas Aamp;M University also said certain interventions may prevent or halt stressrelated inflammation h...

ThreeQuarters of States Near Vaccine Goals for Kindergarteners

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:05:36 GMT
About 75 percent of states say theyve reached the Healthy People 2010 objective of at least 95 percent of all kindergarteners receiving their recommended vaccines U.S. health officials said Thursday. The rest of the states are making prog...

Experimental MS Vaccine Proves Safe in Early Test

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:06:25 GMT
An experimental DNA vaccine to fight multiple sclerosis is safe and may also be effective results of a small Canadian trial suggest. The vaccine called BHT3009 works by preventing the immune system from attacking the myelin sheaths that...

Selzentry Approved for HIV

Mon, 6 Aug 2007 17:06:12 GMT
Pfizers Selzentry maraviroc an oral medication to treat the virus that causes AIDS has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the company said Monday. The drug is designed to block viral entry into diseasefighting whi...

Scientists Probe How HIV Infection Turns Into AIDS

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 09:05:59 GMT
The common scientific wisdom on how HIV infection proceeds to fullblown AIDS might be wrong two U.S. researchers say. They hope that their new insights if proven will lead to exciting new treatment targets down the line. Worki...

Early Interferon Treatment Delays MS

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 19:07:14 GMT
Early treatment with the drug interferon slows the progression of multiple sclerosis MS in people with the first symptoms of the disease and reduces impairment a Swiss study shows. The study of 468 people found that 37 percent of those w...

Second Gene That Increases MS Risk Found

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:06:00 GMT
In the most significant genetic breakthrough in multiple sclerosis research in three decades scientists say they have unearthed a gene that can increase the risk of developing the autoimmune disease by 30 percent. The gene is only the seco...

Body Clock Shift May Cause SicknessLinked Fatigue

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:07:34 GMT
As anyone who has battled the flu knows sick and tired often go handinhand. Now research suggests that illnesslinked biochemistry may interfere with the bodys clock to bring on the lowenergy blahs. Especially for patien...

Combo HIV Drug Therapy May Restore Healthy Immune System

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:08:41 GMT
People with HIV may be able to achieve normal CD4 counts a marker of immune system strength by taking combination antiretroviral drug therapy says a new study. In a study published early online July 19 and in an upcoming edition of ...

New Crohns Disease Drug Shows Promise

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:05:46 GMT
A new drug against Crohns disease may be of real help to people who dont respond well to existing medications two new studies show. Certolizumab pegol which works in a similar fashion to standard medicines isnt on the market yet and h...

Clinicians Clash Over New Lyme Disease Guidelines

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:05:41 GMT
Lyme disease can be a confusing ailment with symptoms differing between patients and sometimes even within the same patient as the infection runs its course. That confusion now has spread to its treatment with physicians locked in a...

Report Details Gains Reversals for US Children

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:05:45 GMT
The number of U.S. children not covered by health insurance increased from 2004 to 2005 as did the number of low birthweight infants the number of unmarried women having children and the rate of children involved in serious crime. On th...

Key Factors Spur Hepatitis C Treatment Success

Fri, 6 Jul 2007 14:09:45 GMT
Successful treatment of hepatitis C may depend on the type of interferon given to patients and the viral strain researchers say. The study also confirmed that other factors such as Caucasian race the absence of cirrhosis and elevated lev...

Study Probes Blacks Increased Vulnerability to MS

Fri, 6 Jul 2007 12:06:11 GMT
FRIDAY July 6 HealthDay News A new study may shed light on why black Americans experience more disability with multiple sclerosis MS than whites. The study which is in the July 3 issue of Neurology looked at 66 blacks and...

Key Protein May Explain Mens Higher Liver Cancer Risk

Thu, 5 Jul 2007 17:05:33 GMT
Men produce more of a protein linked to liver cancer than women do researchers report. The finding might explain why men have a higher rate of liver cancer than women the U.S. team says. The body produces the protein called interleukin6...

Molecule Signals Heart Disease in Early Stages

Mon, 2 Jul 2007 17:06:28 GMT
A molecule that could be a powerful new marker for heart disease and stroke has passed its first realworld test researchers report. In an eightyear study high blood levels of myeloperoxidase MPO were closely associated with the early ...

Moms Dads With MS Equal Transmitters of Disease

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:05:48 GMT
Men and women with multiple sclerosis are equally likely to transmit the genetic risk of the disease to their children claims a new study that contradicts another recent study that said fathers are twice as likely as mothers to pass the risk of MS t...

CDC Panel Recommends Meningitis Vaccine for All Teens

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:06:20 GMT
Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Wednesday that all teens between the ages of 11 and 18 be routinely vaccinated against potentially deadly bacterial meningitis. The recommendation issued by the C...

Researchers ID New Type of Mouse Stem Cell

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:05:56 GMT
Scientists have discovered a new type of rodent embryonic stem cell that is more akin to its human counterparts than current mouse stem cells. The new mouse embryonic stem cells could provide a useful model to further understanding of human...

Babies Shed Light on Friendly Bacteria

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:06:00 GMT
Examining a babys stool may not be every new parents favorite pastime but a look at those early samples is helping scientists discover how microbes grow in the infant gut. In the study researchers from the Stanford University School ...

Genes Raise PostVaccination Fever Risk

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:05:48 GMT
U.S. researchers say theyve spotted eight common genetic variations linked to susceptibility to fever following smallpox vaccination. The findings might help lead to a genetic test that can identify people who are at increased risk for dev...

Expanded HIV Testing Pays Off Studies

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:05:57 GMT
Making HIV screening routine in emergency rooms and at gay pride events expands the number of people getting tested and helps those who are HIVpositive get access to needed health care new research found. About onequarter of the estimate...

LongTerm Use of Psoriasis Drug Called Safe

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:07:59 GMT
Patients who used the psoriasis drug Enbrel for more than a year had no more adverse effects than patients taking a placebo a new study found. And most patients showed an improvement in their psoriasis according to the study. Enbrel had ...

Echocardiography Helps Identify Heart Disease

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:05:40 GMT
New uses of echocardiography to identify and stratify people with heart disease were highlighted Friday during the American Society of Echocardiographys annual meeting. Echocardiography has been around a long time and it is part of the r...

Human Genome Yields Up More Secrets

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:05:38 GMT
In whats being hailed as a milestone in human genetics research an international consortium of scientists announced Wednesday new data that could revolutionize how scientists study health and disease. An exhaustive look at only 1 percent ...

Quality of Health Care Varies Widely Among US States

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:05:27 GMT
When it comes to health care U.S. states are well all over the map. A new study finds large disparities in how different states perform in reference to quality of health care with some states outdoing others by a factor of two or even t...

FDA Steps Up Oversight of Body Parts Companies

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:13:04 GMT
U.S. health officials said Tuesday that theyre stepping up inspections of companies that use cadavers to harvest body parts for tissue transplants. The increased vigilance comes after scandal shook the transplant industry last year when it...

No Proof LongTerm Antibiotics Fight Nervous System Lyme Disease

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 14:11:26 GMT
A few weeks of antibiotics as recommended are highly effective for treating patients with nervous system Lyme disease but theres no evidence prolonged antibiotic treatment offers a benefit according to new expert guidelines from the American Acade...

New Imaging Techniques Hold Promise for Variety of Diseases

Thu, 7 Jun 2007 17:05:02 GMT
New ways of imaging the heart the brain and the pelvis could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of illnesses such as heart disease Alzheimers disease and ovarian cancer. Thats the assessment of a series of studies presented this wee...

Drop in Cardiac Deaths Tied to Better Treatments Lifestyles

Wed, 6 Jun 2007 17:09:47 GMT
The death rate from heart disease in the United States was cut nearly in half from 1980 to 2000 and that drop was largely due to better medical treatments and a reduction in cardiac risk factors a new study found. But that good news was ...

Stem Cell Advances Announced

Wed, 6 Jun 2007 14:08:58 GMT
A pair of stem cell discoveries announced Wednesday may one day surmount both the ethical and technical hurdles confronting such research setting the stage for medical advances researchers say. In the first study scientists at the Harva...

Researchers ID Genes for Some Common Diseases

Wed, 6 Jun 2007 14:08:58 GMT
In the largest study to date of the genetics of diseases researchers say theyve substantially increased the number of genes believed to play a role in the development of common illnesses ranging from bipolar disorder to diabetes. Many o...

Heart Patch Helps Damaged Cardiac Tissue Heal

Mon, 4 Jun 2007 17:06:16 GMT
MONDAY June 4 HealthDay News A patch designed to help damaged cardiac tissue recover from a heart attack has been successful in early animal testing and is moving toward potential human use researchers report. It is a biodegradable...

HighTech Images Can Reveal Stent Status

Tue, 29 May 2007 14:05:51 GMT
Newer multislice computed tomography scanners can yield images that show whether a heart patients stent has become blocked. This technology potentially eliminates the need for inserting a catheter to perform invasive angiography Dutch car...

Health Tip Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Wed, 23 May 2007 09:06:40 GMT
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord often called the central nervous system. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says episodes attacks of MS can trigger the following symptoms ranging fro...

Emergency Room HIV Tests CostEffective Study

Wed, 16 May 2007 23:02:55 GMT
Routine HIV screening in hospital emergency departments is costeffective and actually welcomed by many patients a George Washington University Medical School study finds. More than 4000 patients were offered the screening and almost 25...

Testosterone May Benefit Men With Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 14 May 2007 19:01:37 GMT
Testosterone gel may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis in men with the disease a new study suggests. Only 10 men took part in the research all had milder forms of MS and more studies will be needed before doctors determine wheth...

Implanted Pumps May Help EndStage Heart Failure Cases

Wed, 9 May 2007 19:01:27 GMT
In some endstage heart failure patients awaiting transplant implantable heart pumps can improve heart function enough to enable them to be discharged from hospital without a pump or a new heart a new U.S. study finds. In endstage heart...

LowDose Aspirin Best for Preventing Heart Attack

Tue, 8 May 2007 19:01:44 GMT
A daily aspirin dose of 75 to 81 milligrams is best for the longterm prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke without causing serious side effects a new study found. Higher doses of aspirin which are commonly prescribed dont of...

Rituximab Reduced Disease Activity in MS Patients

Fri, 4 May 2007 19:01:21 GMT
The drug rituximab reduces disease activity in people with the relapsingremitting form of multiple sclerosis MS according to two new studies. Rituximab selectively targets and depletes a subset of immune cells called Bcells by targeti...

Migraines During Pregnancy Linked to Heart Disease Stroke

Tue, 1 May 2007 19:02:57 GMT
Women who experience migraines while theyre pregnant are significantly more likely to suffer a stroke heart attack or other vascular problems a new study suggests. Although many questions remain there are steps women can take to protect...

Fewer Heart Patients Dying After Hospitalization

Tue, 1 May 2007 19:02:57 GMT
As more medical centers have begun adopting new heart disease treatment guidelines the rates of heart failure and death have been dropping new research suggests. More recent guidelines have emphasized the need for more aggressive use of p...

New Drug Fails to Improve Odds for Heart Failure Patients

Tue, 1 May 2007 19:02:57 GMT
A new drug is no more effective at improving the survival rates of people with decompensated heart failure than a widely used medication is a new international study has found. Decompensated heart failure is one form of the general conditi...

MS Now Striking Women Much More Often Than Men

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:01:09 GMT
Although women have typically been much more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis than men that gap has widened significantly in the past 60 years new research shows. We saw a marked increase in the number of women diagnosed co...

Pigeons Provide Clues to PostOp Artery ReClosure

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:51 GMT
Pigeons with a genetic heart disease have provided U.S. scientists with a clue about why some patients heart vessels become reblocked after angioplasty. A Wake Forest University School of Medicine team studied white carneau pigeons whic...

Spotting Kidney Disease Helps Heart Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:47 GMT
Adults who have or are at risk for cardiovascular disease CVD should have blood and urine tests to check for chronic kidney disease a new science advisory released Monday by the American Heart Association says. Screening for kidney ...

Scientists Recreate an Ancient Gene

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:47 GMT
In an effort to better understand evolution U.S. scientists reversed the process and reconstructed a 530millionyearold gene by combining segments of two modern mouse genes that descended from the ancient one. The process of a single ge...

Health Tip Living With Irritable Bowel

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:45 GMT
Irritable bowel syndrome IBS occurs when the intestines squeeze too hard or not hard enough causing food to pass either too quickly or too slowly. IBS typically affects women most often around age 20. Symptoms of IBS include abdomina...

For Lessons on Fighting AIDS Look South

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:39 GMT
When it comes to the AIDS epidemic subSaharan Africa gets the most attention followed by North America Europe and Asia. But an investigation by a veteran medical reporter finds that countries in another region Latin America and the C...

Health Tip Understanding Cirrhosis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:37 GMT
Cirrhosis a result of liver disease is scarring of the bodys largest internal organ. This scar tissue reduces the livers ability to function. According to the American Liver Foundation here are the leading causes of cirrhosis:

Dads More Likely Than Moms to Pass on MS

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:34 GMT
Men with multiple sclerosis are more than twice as likely than women with the illness to pass it on to their children U.S. researchers report. When we looked at a large population of MS patients when there was a parent and a child who ha...

Impotence Can Foreshadow Coronary Artery Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:27 GMT
Impotence is more prevalent among men who have more severe coronary artery disease than among men with low levels of the disease. And because impotence erectile dysfunction manifests itself two to three years sooner than coronary art...

Raloxifene Doesnt Raise Heart Disease Risk

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:21 GMT
An osteoporosis drug now known to help prevent breast cancer does not raise a womans risk of coronary heart disease a new study finds. But the drug raloxifene Evista did increase the risks of blood clots and fatal strokes in women wh...

FDA Approves OnceDaily Combo Drug for HIV

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:20 GMT
The first onceaday combination drug treatment for people with HIV/AIDS gained approval Wednesday from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and will soon be available to patients. The drug called Atripla combines Viread tenofovir Emt...

More States Screening Newborns for Diseases

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:18 GMT
The number of babies receiving 29 essential screening tests has nearly doubled in just a year a new survey finds. The good news from the 2006 March of Dimes Newborn Screening Report Card is that almost twothirds of babies born i...

Stem Cells Transformed Into Immune Cells

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:16 GMT
New research into embryonic stem cells suggests great potential for medical advances but also confirms that big breakthroughs arent waiting just around the corner. Scientists at the University of California Los Angeles reported this week...

Scientists Turn Stem Cells Into DiseaseFighting TCells

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:13 GMT
U.S. researchers have found a way to genetically manipulate human embryonic stem cells so they grow into mature diseasefighting Tcells a discovery they say might help in the development of gene therapy against AIDS. Tcells are one the...

Health Tip Chlamydia Often Has No Symptoms

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:11 GMT
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease. It can be transmitted between sexual partners or from an infected mother to a baby during childbirth the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. ...

Stem Cell Receptors May Fight Autoimmune Diseases

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:09 GMT
New information about the role of bone marrow stem cells could lead to important advances in treating diseases like leukemia lupus and rheumatoid arthritis scientists say. Researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahom...

Tuesday Is HIV Testing Day Across US

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:08 GMT
Tuesday is HIV Testing Day across the United States an opportunity for Americans everywhere to get a free HIV test plus counseling and to Take the Test Take Control. Sponsored by the National Association of People With AIDS NAPWA...

StemCell Therapy Restores Movement in Paralyzed Mice

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:01 GMT
In what experts are describing as a major advance scientists have used embryonic stem cells to form new functional nerve cell connections in formerly paralyzed mice that effectively restored the animals limb movement. While success in hu...

Are Western Lifestyles iTooi Hygienic

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:58 GMT
A study comparing wild and laboratory rodents supports the notion that exposing immune systems to naturally occurring germs helps build a defense against illness. In the study Duke University researchers compared mice and rats living in la...

Scientists ID Genetic Cause of HIV Virulence

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:56 GMT
Researchers say theyve identified the genetic mutation that makes the AIDS virus so deadly. The loss of one function of one gene in HIV1 is responsible for the virus virulence according to a report by an international team of researcher...

Scientists Find Way to Speed Up HIV Vaccine Research

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:45 GMT
Researchers believe theyve found a quick accurate way to gauge the effectiveness of AIDS vaccines about to be tested on several continents. These vaccines are intended not to prevent infection with HIV something most experts believe is b...

Imaging Combo Catches Cardiovascular Trouble

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:44 GMT
New noninvasive technology may give doctors a leg up on diagnosing and treating coronary artery disease. An Israeli study showed that using single photon emission computed tomography SPECT in combination with computed tomography coronary...

FDA Allows Return of MS Drug

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:41 GMT
Setting strict guidelines as a condition the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it will allow the return of the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. Tysabri natalizumab had received FDA approval in November 2004 only to be ...

Many ExNFL Linemen at Risk for Heart Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:41 GMT
Fifty percent of retired National Football League linemen have metabolic syndrome and they are 50 percent more likely to have an enlarged heart than retired nonlinemen two new studies show. That unhealthy combination puts the lineman at ...

High Doses of Statins Carry Dangers Swedish Report Says

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:39 GMT
A Swedish warning on the potential risks of using statins in high doses has triggered strong criticism from some of the top U.S. cardiologists. The timing of the debate is apt: Recently revised recommendations in the United States call for ...

New Drug Therapies Look Promising for Bowel Diseases

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:31 GMT
For bowel disorders such as Crohns disease and irritable bowel syndrome longterm treatments with new compounds look promising researchers report. And for those with moderate to severe Crohns disease which often does not respond to co...

LongTerm Copaxone Use Benefits MS Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:29 GMT
Results from the first study of longterm use of the drug Copaxone glatiramer acetate may bring good news for people with multiple sclerosis researchers say. Patients with relapsing remitting MS who took Copaxone for 10 years had less di...

Health Tip Ticks Carry Lyme Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:23 GMT
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is passed to people and animals through tick bites. Symptoms may include a bullseyeshaped rash fever headache joint or muscle pain and other flulike symptoms and typically appear within a we...

New Insights Could Help Fight Liver Failure

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:19 GMT
An imbalance in the fat content of the liver may cause fatty liver disease to advance to fullblown liver failure Canadian researchers report. The study found evidence in mice that a disproportionate ratio of two phospholipid constituent...

Health Tip About Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:16 GMT
Pelvic inflammatory disease PID is an infection of the uterus fallopian tubes or other reproductive organ in a woman. It often occurs as a complication of a sexually transmitted disease including chlamydia or gonorrhea. If left untreate...

Gene Screens Promise Nutrition Insights

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:14 GMT
Feeling listless? Losing the fight against obesity? Genetic data locked inside a few cheek cells could help explain why and maybe even help you turn things around. Thats the claim of companies marketing special nutrition DNA tests aim...

Stents Boost Walking Ability for Patients With Blocked Leg Arteries

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:12 GMT
A new kind of stent did a better job than the arteryopening procedure called angioplasty in improving the walking ability of people with blocked leg arteries a new European study found. The use of stents small metal tubes inserted int...

Health Tip Living With Psoriasis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:09 GMT
Psoriasis a chronic skin condition that affects some 4.5 million American adults is characterized by red scaly skin patches. Psoriasis can appear on any part of the body including the scalp face hands and feet. Stress can be a major ...

Health Tip Managing Crohns Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:08 GMT
Crohns disease is a chronic condition in which the digestive tract usually the small intestine or colon becomes inflamed. The cause of Crohns disease is unknown but is thought to be influenced by genetics the immune system and environmental...

Cell Therapy Might Boost Babies Immune Response

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:30:05 GMT
Stimulating a specific receptor on the surface of certain immune white blood cells may help boost a newborns immune system and response to vaccines a new study suggests. Newborns have immature immune systems which makes them highly vulne...

Blood Test Spots Heart Failure

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:29:06 GMT
A blood test lowered costs cut the length of emergency room visits and reduced the number of patients who had to be readmitted to the hospital. The test of NTerminal pro Btype Natriuretic Peptide NTproBNP a biomarker associated with ...

AnticoagulantAntidote Pairing Passes 1st Human Safety Test

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:29:03 GMT
A novel medication system for heart patients which first administers an anticlotting drug and then adds an antidote to neutralize the effect has passed an initial safety test in humans researchers announced Monday. The system called ...

DrugCoated Angioplasty Balloons Keep Arteries From Reclosing

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:29:03 GMT
Coating angioplasty balloons with a drug also used to coat stents prevents arteries from closing over again. This raises the possibility that drugeluting stents or stents covered with sustainedrelease drugs might not be needed a new Ge...

Doctors Debate the Merits of DrugCoated Stents

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:29:03 GMT
The question isnt so much whether to use stents on heart patients but which stent to use. New evidence emerging at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association AHA in Chicago suggests that drugeluting stents may not be comple...

New Lyme Disease Guidelines Spark Showdown

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:59 GMT
Battle lines have been drawn over new clinical guidelines on spotting and treating Lyme disease. Depending on whom you talk to the new recommendations from the Infectious Disease Society of America are the best that science has to offer ...

Immune Proteins Give Clues to Cystic Fibrosis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:56 GMT
British scientists have discovered a possible link between certain proteins and cystic fibrosis a genetic disease that attacks the lungs and other organs and significantly shortens life expectancy. The University of Sheffield researchers f...

Science Could Point to MS Treatments

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:55 GMT
New insights into mechanisms controlling the formation of myelin the white matter that coats all nerves could help lead to treatments for multiple sclerosis MS and other myelinrelated diseases and injury. Myelin plays an important ...

New Scanning Tool Could Prevent Unneeded Heart Attack Hospitalizations

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:53 GMT
A new imaging technique may soon help doctors determine which people with chest pain can safely be sent home rather than hospitalized for a suspected heart attack. The technique coronary multidetector computed tomography MDCT successful...

Gene Could Point to Crohns Colitis Treatments

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:51 GMT
A newly discovered gene may help protect carriers against Crohns disease and colitis inflammatory bowel diseases IBDs that affect an estimated one million Americans researchers say. The gene produces a protein thats key to a cellular ...

Research Predicts Outcomes From Fatty Liver Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:50 GMT
Patients with a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD are more likely to develop endstage liver disease and are more likely to die if they have a form of the illness called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis Swedish researchers report...

LongTerm Antibiotics Wont Fight Lyme Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:47 GMT
Longterm antibiotic treatment of people with Lyme disease has not proven to be effective and use of the drugs for more than four weeks may even be dangerous according to new expert guidelines. The updated Lyme disease diagnosis and treat...

Psoriasis Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:38 GMT
Psoriasis sufferers may face an increased risk of having a heart attack a new study suggests. The risk appears to be most pronounced among younger patients with more severe forms of the disease according to a paper appearing in the Oct. 1...

As Parents Nix Vaccine Childhood Whooping Cough Increases

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:38 GMT
More parents are refusing to have their children immunized against common childhood diseases as some states make it easier to evade mandatory requirements. The result is a higher incidence of pertussis whooping cough among their chil...

All Americans Urged to Get Flu Shots

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:33 GMT
U.S. health officials issued a plea Wednesday for the young and old alike to get their annual flu shots but a new government survey suggests the American public might need some convincing. We anticipate having more influenza vaccine avai...

Fatty Liver Disease Endangers 65 Million US Kids

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:30 GMT
As many as 6.5 million American children could have a dangerous condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD new research suggests. NAFLD an accumulation of fat in the liver cells can lead to cirrhosis of the liver en...

Stroke Trials History Shows Bias Toward Good News

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:26 GMT
Negative and even neutral findings from stroke trials are less likely to be published than positive findings according to new research. What makes the new study especially noteworthy is that stroke research in general has a more negative t...

WalMarts GenericDrug Plan Draws Mixed Reactions

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:24 GMT
WalMarts announcement that it will begin selling almost 300 generic prescription drugs for as little as $4 for a 30day supply will undoubtedly benefit many Americans health industry experts say. But other experts contend that the progra...

Silent Killer Helps Treat Lung Condition

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:23 GMT
Carbon monoxide CO the colorless odorless gas often dubbed the silent killer shows promise in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension PAH according to new research. In a study published in the September issue of the Journ...

CDC Recommends Routine HIV Testing

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:23 GMT
Testing for HIV should become a routine part of medical care for Americans 13 to 64 years of age the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Thursday. It should be given much like a cholesterol or bloodpressure test a...

Drug May Prove a New Weapon Against Psoriasis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:22 GMT
A new antiinflammatory drug may help treat people suffering from a certain type of psoriasis a new German study suggests. Reporting in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology researchers from Ruhr University in Bochum...

Vitamin Shows Promise for MS Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:21 GMT
Multiple sclerosis patients may benefit from a form of vitamin B3 a new study finds. Multiple sclerosis MS results in damage to nerve fibers causing fatigue difficulty walking pain and other problems. Most people with MS eventually e...

Weak Immunity May Drive ToughtoTreat Sinusitis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:20 GMT
Weakened immune responses inside the nose may help explain chronic sinusitis that does not respond to treatment according to new research. Chronic sinusitis is persistent inflammation of the moist tissue that lines the nose and sinus cavi...

Expensive DrugCoated Stents Offer Modest Benefit

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:17 GMT
Two new studies fail to answer a burning question for heart patients and cardiologists: Are hightech drugeluting stents worth the added expense? The studies compared the two leading drugcoated stents to more conventional and cheaper ...

Drug Combo Protects Arteries of HIV Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:11 GMT
HIVsuppressing protease inhibitor drugs are extending patients lives but can also speed hardening of the arteries. Now U.S. researchers say a special drug combination may decrease that side effect. Researchers at the University of Kentuc...

Early Symptoms Can Warn of Sudden Cardiac Death

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:11 GMT
Sudden cardiac death often isnt all that sudden and lives can be saved by training people about the symptoms of impending cardiac arrest and what action to take a German study shows. A study of 406 sudden cardiac death patients indica...

Flexible Joints a Curious Clue to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:05 GMT
Chronic fatigue syndrome has been accepted as a medical condition for almost 20 years. Once passed off as a series of sometimes ambiguous complaints about pain in the joints and a general malaise primarily by females the condition was confirmed...

Invisible Brain Changes May Be Key to MS Progression

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:02 GMT
New research suggests that subtle undetected changes in brain tissue affect disease progression for people with multiple sclerosis. We showed that these changes affect brain tissue throughout the brain and that changes are greater for p...

31 States Record Increases in Adult Obesity

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:01 GMT
Adult obesity rates increased in 31 states during the past year leaving an estimated twothirds of Americans vulnerable to fatal diseases such as diabetes stroke and cancer. This despite federal and state government efforts to curb the o...

When It Comes to the Heart Doctor Knows Best

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:01 GMT
For heart patients trying to choose between medication angioplasty or surgery it may be best to follow their doctors advice suggests a Brazilian study. The study included 611 patients with severe coronary artery disease affecting at l...

Potent Anthrax Inhibitor Tested in Animals

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:01 GMT
A new anthrax toxin inhibitor designed to fight antibioticresistant strains performed successfully in laboratory and animal tests a new study says. This new inhibitor was developed by scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ...

Vaccine Breakthroughs

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:28:00 GMT
The science of vaccination tends to be a slow and methodical one with doctors meticulously testing researching and plotting the eradication of dangerous diseases. But the past few years have yielded remarkable advances in the field of imm...

Alternative Test Uncovers Hidden Risks for Kidney Cardiovascular Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:49 GMT
Elevated blood levels of the protein cystatin C accurately predict increased risk for chronic kidney disease cardiovascular disease and death among elderly people who have no known kidney trouble says a U.S. study. These risks are not ...

Doctors More Likely to Disclose Errors That Are Apparent to Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:49 GMT
Doctors are more likely to admit to medical errors that are apparent to patients according to a new U.S. survey. The researchers also found that most doctors believe patients should be told about medical errors but there was a wide rang...

Global AIDS Panel Updates Treatment Strategies

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:48 GMT
Updated treatment guidelines for adult HIV patients that reflect new developments in antiretroviral therapy have been issued by the International AIDS SocietyUSA Panel. The revised recommendations published in the Aug. 16 issue of the ...

Experimental Psoriasis Drug Produces Impressive Results

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:02 GMT
A new monoclonal antibody drug produced dramatic improvements in psoriasis patients. In some cases the improvements lasted up to six months after just one injection researchers report. The studies that we carried out clearly s...

Natural ImmuneSystem Molecule Helps Shield Against HIV

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:01 GMT
U.S. AIDS researchers are getting a better understanding of how an immune system molecule called interleukin7 keeps cells from dying even when theyre under attack from HIV. Clinical trials are already under way in which scientists are bo...

Depression Linked to Early Heart Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:01 GMT
Depression especially its physical signs such as fatigue and loss of appetite may contribute to thickening arteries an early sign of cardiovascular disease researchers report. Previous research has suggested that negative emotions l...

Bush Budget Cut Medicare and Medicaid Growth Rate

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:27:01 GMT
President Bushs proposed $2.9 trillion federal budget unveiled Monday calls for health care spending cuts including a major fiveyear reduction in Medicare expenditures to slow the programs annual growth rate from 6.5 percent to 5.6 percent....

Aplastic Anemia A Rare Disease With a Better Prognosis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:59 GMT
Aplastic anemia a disease of the bone marrow is a rare disorder in the United States. Only three of every 1 million Americans will be diagnosed with the condition this year the National Marrow Donor Program reports. Despite that rarity ...

Psoriasis Often Goes Untreated Survey

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:59 GMT
Many Americans with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis receive no treatment or inadequate treatment a new survey from the National Psoriasis Foundation NPF shows. The poll also revealed a link between severe psoriasis and low income.<...

Familial Factors May Not Impact MS Severity Study

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:56 GMT
In families where more than one person has multiple sclerosis MS people are likely to experience the onset of MS at a similar age but they may not have similar disease severity a U.K. study finds. This is important information to have...

Scientists Develop GeneActivating Technique

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:55 GMT
U.S. scientists have developed a new laboratory technique that uses ribonucleic acid RNA a tiny chemical cousin of DNA to switch on genes. This approach may help in the development of treatments for diseases in which prompting genes into activity...

Lipid Study Eyes Human Tears

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:55 GMT
U.S. scientists are getting a better understanding of human tears. A team from Ohio State University say theyve identified a new class of lipids a type of fat that makes up part of the tear film. These new lipids including a ...

Calculator Helps Users Gauge Heart Attack Risk

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:55 GMT
A new online heart disease risk calculator that can help you understand and gauge your heart attack risk is available from the Mayo Clinic. The risk calculator on MayoClinic.com asks several questions about your lifestyle and health and th...

Health Tip Understanding Raynauds Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:54 GMT
Raynauds disease is a rare disorder in which the blood vessels occasionally narrow and reduce blood supply to areas like the fingers toes and lips. If the condition occurs without any known cause it is known as Raynauds disease. If it occurs as a...

TB Intervention Program Improves Patient Outcomes

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:49 GMT
A tuberculosis intervention program improved cure and treatmentcompletion rates among TB patients in the West African country of Senegal according to a new study. Poor adherence to TB treatment remains a major problem in worldwide effor...

Lialda Approved for Ulcerative Colitis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:45 GMT
Lialda a drug designed to induce remission in people with active ulcerative colitis has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration British maker Shire announced. It marked the first time the agency has approved the drugs act...

Parasite Infection Might Ease Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:45 GMT
Parasitic infections may actually benefit people with multiple sclerosis MS suggests a study by researchers in Argentina. These infections may affect the bodys immune response in a way that changes the course of the disease. P...

Telomere Length May Predict Heart Disease Risk

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:42 GMT
Size does matter: Men with short telomeres strips of DNA at the end of chromosomes may have a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. And those same men may benefit the most from treatment with cholesterollowering drugs kno...

LowIncome Minorities at Risk for Peripheral Artery Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:42 GMT
FRIDAY Jan. 12 HealthDay News Lowincome minorities with blood flow problems are at higher risk of peripheral artery disease PAD and amputations a new study reports. People with PAD have fatty buildups in the arteries which can ha...

Syphilis Resurgent in China

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:42 GMT
Syphilis was all but eliminated in China from 1960 to 1980 but has reappeared and become a rapidly increasing epidemic that requires urgent intervention according to a report in the Jan. 13 issue of The Lancet medical journal. Rese...

Scientists Decipher Genome for Nasty STD

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:41 GMT
Scientists have cracked the genome of the parasite that causes trichomoniasis a sexually transmitted disease that affects 170 million people worldwide each year. This detailed genetic information about Trichomonas vaginalis will lea...

Early Blood Pressure Problems Signal Heart Trouble

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:38 GMT
Young people who have elevated blood pressure are at risk of having an abnormally enlarged heart according to new research. The study published in Circulation included 1944 American Indians average age 26.5. The participants we...

New Test Spots Drug Resistance in HIV Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:38 GMT
Researchers report that theyve developed a test that could give doctors a much clearer idea about which drugs to prescribe for patients infected with HIV. Doctors already use a variety of tests to gauge whether the strains of HIV within a ...

Hopes for an AIDS Cure Remain Alive

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:36 GMT
In the hideandseek game played out between scientists and HIV over the last 25 years the virus has so far been winning. All of the drugs that we have now are specific antiretroviral agents that inhibit some step in the virus life cycle...

Health Tip Symptoms of HIV in Women

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:33 GMT
Human immunodeficiency virus HIV is the sexually transmitted virus that causes AIDS. Symptoms of infection vary even between women and men. Heres a list of common warning signs of HIV in women courtesy of Epigee Womens Healt...

OnOff Switch Controls Immune Defenses Against Viruses

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:30 GMT
A molecular on/off switch that controls immune system response to viruses has been identified by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. They found that when the hepatitis C virus enters the human bod...

Scientists Find Way to Remove Prion Infectivity From Animal Blood

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:27 GMT
A method of removing prion infectivity from scrapieinfected animal blood proved effective in tests on hamsters says a U.S. study. The research published in this weeks issue of The Lancet may help in the development of a way to...

Traditional Heart Risk Factors Outdo Biomarkers

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:25 GMT
The sophisticated biomarkers for cardiac risk that have enthralled researchers in recent years dont add much diagnostic power to such traditional risk factors as blood cholesterol levels smoking blood pressure and obesity a new study finds. ...

Vitamin D May Lower Risk of Multiple Sclerosis in Whites

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:24 GMT
Could getting some extra sunshine help prevent the development of multiple sclerosis? Maybe according to new research that found white people with high circulating levels of vitamin D a vitamin mainly produced by the body after sun exp...

Height Loss in Older Men Tied to Heart Death Risks

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:18 GMT
Men who grow significantly shorter as they age are at increased risk for heart disease and death a new British study says. The 20year study of 4213 men who were 60 to 79 years old when the study ended found that those whod lost 3...

Raising Good Cholesterol Levels Still a Worthy Goal

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:18 GMT
Despite the death of Pfizers new cholesterol drug researchers say they are not abandoning their quest to find ways to prevent heart disease by raising levels of good cholesterol. Reducing LDL or bad cholesterol has been the main fo...

Milk May Be Pleasant Alternative for CT Scans

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:11 GMT
Undergoing a scan of ones intestines isnt a pleasant experience for patients with conditions like Crohns disease especially since it means downing a concoction made with barium. But a new study suggests there may be a more palatable alt...

AIDS Deaths Rising Among Hispanic Americans

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:11 GMT
World AIDS Day 2006 finds U.S. Hispanics carrying much more than their share of the HIV epidemic according to data from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. The Washington D.C.based group notes that even though Hispanics make up ju...

US Blacks Seek Answers to AIDS Epidemic

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:10 GMT
By now most Americans know the drill: Practice safer sex and HIV should leave you and your community alone. Except that its not really working out that way for Americas blacks. Study after study shows that HIV infections continue to esc...

Diabetes Drug Helps Prevent Fatty Liver Complications

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:09 GMT
The diabetes drug Actos may help prevent serious complications from a liver disease that may affect up to 20 percent of Americans. In a study published in the Nov. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine University of Texas ...

StopandStart HIV Treatment Too Risky

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:26:09 GMT
Helping to end a longstanding clinical debate a new study finds that stopping and then restarting HIV drug therapy doesnt work. Not only are patients more likely to die of AIDS when their antiretroviral treatment is interrupted they are...

Many MS Patients Miss Out on Effective Drugs

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:14:04 GMT
Many multiple sclerosis MS patients in the United States are not taking or being prescribed immunomodulatory agents IMAs to treat the disease even though the drugs reduce the frequency of relapse and slow disease progression. There are...

Health Tip Removing a Tick

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:14:04 GMT
Ticks often found in heavily wooded areas can attach themselves to a persons skin or clothing. Ticks can carry Lyme disease and other germs so you should always check your child after outdoor play. If you see a tick on you or...

Multiple Sclerosis Drug Combats Vision Loss

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:54 GMT
A controversial multiple sclerosis drug called Tysabri also reduces vision loss associated with the disease by 47 percent a new study found. Vision loss is probably one of the most disabling things that happens to people with MS said le...

Weightlifting During Dialysis Combats Muscle Wasting Study

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:52 GMT
In patients with endstage renal disease doing highintensity weightlifting exercises during dialysis sessions helps counteract muscle wasting by building muscle mass and strength an Australian study says. The researchers concluded that e...

Scientists Frustrated in Search for Genital Herpes Vaccine

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:51 GMT
Experts say a lack of funds is slowing attempts to find a truly effective vaccine against genital herpes a sexually transmitted disease that can be devastating for the one in five Americans over 12 who carry the virus. Genital infection wi...

Health Tip Treating Psoriasis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:51 GMT
Psoriasis is a chronic condition that causes red scaly itchy patches on the skin. While there is no cure psoriasis can be controlled with these common treatments listed by the National Psoriasis Foundation:

Topical oint...

Monitoring Blood Pressure Is Everyones Business

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:50 GMT
High blood pressure is the most common reversible risk factor for cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death worldwide says an editorial in the journal Hypertension. About 72 million people age 20 and older in the...

Implantable Defibrillators Offer Heart Patients a Better Quality of Life Study

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:50 GMT
Implantable cardioverterdefibrillators ICDs help heart disease patients live longer lead more active lives and enjoy a quality of life comparable to that of average Americans. Thats the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the U...

Plants Produce Protein to Fight Smallpox

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:50 GMT
Using genetically engineered plants as a factory scientists say they have produced a protein that could help them create an effective and safe smallpox vaccine. The findings are preliminary since the protein has only been tested against ...

Study Fails to Confirm Gene Variants as Heart Risk Factors

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:50 GMT
Almost all of the 85 genetic variants previously identified as risk factors for heart disease have flunked a new more definitive test researchers report. We were unable to confirm as risk factors for acute coronary syndromes 85 genetic v...

Restless Legs Syndrome Boosts Heart Risks

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:49 GMT
Restless legs syndrome may be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease especially in elderly people a Canadian study suggests. Restless legs syndrome RLS is a neurological disorder in which people have a st...

Small Steps Lead to Healthier Hearts for Women

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:48 GMT
For years doctors have been fighting the perception that heart disease is a mainly male affliction. But in fact cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States according to the National ...

Nations Focus on Health Risks Posed by Globalization

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:48 GMT
Globalization may be good for many of the worlds economies but it also poses health challenges to the people who live in those countries. Thats the message of a new report issued by the World Health Organization released to coincide wi...

Chlamydia Screening Programs Dont Work Expert

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:47 GMT
Populationwide screening programs for chlamydia the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease may not actually work a Swiss expert contends. Thats especially true for socalled opportunistic programs which routinely test p...

Heart Attacks a WakeUp Call for Hispanics Survey

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:46 GMT
Many Hispanic heart attack survivors consider their heart attack a wakeup call and fear having another heart attack more than dying a new survey finds. The National Hispanic Medical Association NHMA poll of 501 heart attack survivors ...

Hormone Therapy Doesnt Boost Heart Attack Risk in Younger Women Study

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:45 GMT
There appears to be no risk of heart disease for women who start hormone therapy closer to the time of menopause compared to women who start the treatment significantly later in life a new study found. In fact women taking hormone therap...

LongTerm Aspirin Use Cuts Death Risk for Women Study

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:38 GMT
Women who took low to moderate daily doses of aspirin had a reduced death rate especially from heart disease according to decadeslong research. The research based on data from a major trial that has tracked almost 80000 women since 19...

Heart Pumping Variation Found in Racial Groups

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:38 GMT
The hearts of black Americans contract at a slightly weaker rate than other racial groups the first largescale study of its kind has found. The discovery could help to explain why black Americans experience heart failure at higher rates t...

Drugs as Good as Angioplasty for Stable Heart Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:38 GMT
Aggressive drug therapy appears to be just as good as angioplasty for patients with stable heart disease a new study finds. This is really good news for patients said study lead author Dr. William E. Boden a professor of medicine and ...

Next Generation of Stents Responds to Problems

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:36 GMT
A new generation of stents created largely to address problems associated with the current arteryopening devices made their debut during the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans Saturday. These new stents attempt to...

Report Finds Fault With Health Insurance

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:34 GMT
Having health insurance is no guarantee that an illness or injury wont leave you in dire financial straits a new report contends. Our interviews found that health insurance did not fulfill its primary purpose study author Carol Pryor...

Cardiac Risk Greatest While Firefighters Fighting Flames

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:33 GMT
Firefighters are much more likely to die from heart disease when they are actually fighting fires new research finds. The fact that firefighters do have a physical risk is not something new said study author Dr. Stefanos N. Kales an as...

Artery Disease Poses Immediate Risks

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:32 GMT
People with artery blockages suffered a surprisingly high incidence of major problems including death in the course of a single year a large international study found. The finding is a clear sign that patients and their doctors arent be...

More Studies Find Americans Arent Eating Enough Fruits and Veggies

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:31 GMT
Despite aggressive public campaigns urging a more healthful diet Americans still arent eating the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables two new studies found. Since the 1990s the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have stress...

Many Blacks Hispanics Misinformed About Alzheimers

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:27 GMT
Black and Hispanic communities harbor many misconceptions about Alzheimers disease a new survey shows. Conducted by Harris Interactive for the Alzheimers Foundation of America the survey results showed among other things that black an...

Dropping WrittenConsent Law May Boost HIV Testing

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:26 GMT
Eliminating the need for written consent for HIV testing may help increase rates of testing for the AIDScausing virus a new U.S. study finds. Dr. Nicola M. Zetola of department of medicine University of California San Francisco and col...

Heart Disease Lower in Children of Parents Who Live to 85

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:25 GMT
If youre the child of parents who lived to 85 or more your risk for heart disease in middle age is significantly lower than children of parents who died earlier researchers report. According to the findings published in the March 12 iss...

Specialty Heart Hospitals Increase Rate of Surgeries

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:20 GMT
Socalled specialty hospitals which focus on one disease or condition and are often owned by the affiliated physicians are an emerging trend in U.S. health care. And a new study finds that in regions where a cardiaccare specialty hospit...

Heartburn or Heart Attack Know the Symptoms

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:17 GMT
If you arent sure whether you are having heartburn or something more serious like a heart attack you should get checked out say experts at CedarsSinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The most common symptom of coronary heart diseas...

Study Finds Clues to Graves Disease Assault on Eyes

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:16 GMT
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles have found new clues about what causes Graves disease an autoimmune disorder that involves overactivity of the thyroid gland. The findings may provide a new target to treat the dis...

Few Primary Care Docs Offer HIV Test to LAs Hispanics

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:15 GMT
Even though rates of AIDS are increasing among Hispanics in Los Angeles County Calif. few primary care health providers there are offering HIV testing or safe sex counseling to Hispanic patients a new study finds. Researchers conducted a...

Humira Approved for Crohns Disease

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:13 GMT
The Abbott Laboratories drug Humira adalimumab has been approved for adults with moderatetosevere Crohns disease a chronic inflammatory disease of the bowel the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. Crohns affects about 50...

Low Blood Pressure Ups Stroke Risk in Kidney Patients

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:11 GMT
Both low and high blood pressure increase the risk of stroke in people with chronic kidney disease a new U.S. study finds. People with chronic kidney disease suffer a progressive permanent loss of kidney function eventually resulting in...

Most Americans Dont Understand Acetaminophen Dangers

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:10 GMT
Most Americans are not aware of the dangers associated with the popular prescription and overthecounter pain reliever acetaminophen U.S. researchers report. Acetaminophen is found in Tylenol many combination pain and cold medications a...

A Honey of a Source of Antioxidants

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:09 GMT
Whats the health buzz on honey? If youre looking for the best choice consider darkercolored honeydew varieties from bees who collect the sugary secretions that insects leave on plants otherwise known as honeydew. Accordin...

Health Tip What Happens During Coronary Bypass Surgery

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:07 GMT
When arteries become blocked by fat cholesterol and other substances blood flow to the heart is blocked. Coronary bypass surgery sidesteps the blockage from these substances collectively called plaque and restores blood flow to less...

Heart Disease Rates Vary Widely Across US

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:04 GMT
Levels of coronary heart disease heart attack and angina vary widely across U.S. states and territories a new firstofitskind federal study found. Coronary heart disease is a narrowing of arteries that supply blood to the heart. Angina...

DecadesLong Study to Probe a Range of Diseases

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:04 GMT
U.S. researchers are launching a major populationbased study to examine the genetic and environmental factors that may cause many diseases including asthma Alzheimers cancer depression diabetes heart disease and reproductive problems among o...

MRI May Predict Multiple Sclerosis Effect on Brain

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:03 GMT
MRI scans may be able to predict the rate of brain atrophy over the next two years in patients newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis MS Dutch researchers say. A team from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam conducted brain MR...

New Drug Helps Ease Psoriasis

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:13:03 GMT
Many patients with moderate to severe chronic psoriasis showed significant improvement after treatment with Humira adalimumab according to a study presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Washington D.C.

Bowel Disease Nerve Problems Linked

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:01:04 GMT
People with inflammatory bowel disease IBD which includes Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis are at especially high risk for carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve ailments a new study finds. We found that those with inflammatory ...

Novel Stent Relieves Acute Heart Pain

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:01:04 GMT
A different kind of stent brought relief to some people suffering from refractory angina a kind of heartrelated chest pain for which there currently is no effective treatment Israeli researchers report. A conventional stent is a flexible...

Cut Your Salt Use and Cut Your Risk of Heart Disease

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:00:42 GMT
Reducing the amount of salt in your diet can lower your risk of developing heart disease by 25 percent and the risk of dying from heart disease by 20 percent researchers report. Dietary intake of sodium among Americans is excessively high...

DrugCoated Stents as Good as Bypass Surgery

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:00:48 GMT
Drugeluting stents had roughly the same risk and the same outcomes as bypass surgery for patients with coronary artery disease researchers report. What it means is if you find yourself in a situation where a bypass surgery is refused an...

Health Experts Caution Type 2 Diabetes Management Compromised During Holiday Season

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:34:02 GMT
Purchase N.Y. November 14 2006 ndash; People with type 2 diabetes may not anticipate the holidays as joyfully as the rest of us. In a recent survey commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators AADE nearly 1400...

Researchers Project Lifetime Cost and Life Expectancy for Current HIV Care in the United States

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:29:11 GMT
quot;The Lifetime Cost of Current HIV Care in the United Statesquot; a major study appearing in the November 2006 issue of Medical Care projects the cost of treatment for HIVinfected adults using current standards of care. The stu...

Precision Radiation Can Destroy Tumors That Radiation Cannot Reach

Tue, 7 Nov 2006 11:54:05 GMT
Debora Tisdale didnt want to lose her heart in the process of saving her cancerous breast. She feared that during radiation treatment the searing beams intended to attack her breast tumor could also inadvertently strike her healthy h...

Decline in Adult Smoking Rates Stall

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:31:00 GMT
After years of progress in reducing adult smoking rates a recent study issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC indicates that the reduction in U.S. adult smoking rates may have stalled. Between 2004 and 2005 th...

Influenza Vaccines Commonly Recommended for Children with Asthma and other Chronic Medical Conditions but Infrequently Given

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:01:49 GMT
Annual influenza vaccination is strongly recommended for children over six months old who have chronic medical conditions including asthma and diabetes but such children infrequently receive the vaccine and the reasons why have not be...

Now is the Perfect Time to Get That Flu Shot

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:38:49 GMT
Dont worry its not too late. October and November are the perfect time to get that flu shot according to Dr. Daniel A. Hussar Remington professor of pharmacy of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at University of the Sciences in ...

Four Women Tell Their Stories of Breast Cancer Diagnosis at Age 30 or Younger

Tue, 3 Oct 2006 13:01:49 GMT
nbsp;Most womenmdash;especially in their 20s and 30smdash;think lsquo;it wonrsquo;t happen to me.rsquo; But itrsquo;s a disease without discriminationmdash;1 out of every 229 women is in her 30rsquo;s. In the ne...

Diabetes Cases Among Minorities Present Major Challenges for Smaller Cities of New York State

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:45:42 GMT
The rates of diabetesrelated hospitalizations among blacks and the degree of disparity in relation to whites are on par in major upstate cities to what is found in New York City according the University at Albanys Center for the Elimination of Min...

Obesity and Cancer

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:21:54 GMT
Americans are tipping the scales when it comes to being obese and overweight. Research shows that 30 of U.S. adults 20 years of age and olderover 60 million peopleare obese. Research suggests that obesity plays an important role in various disease...

Newly Discovered Behavior in Cancer Cells Signals Dangerous Metastasis

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:43:02 GMT
This picture of how cancer cells shift between two alternating states travelers and nesters represents a new understanding of how cancer metastasizes or spreads to other parts of the body said the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center researche...

Nurses Need to Get Vaccinated for Influenza

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:53:41 GMT
With all the news coverage in the last few years of people scrambling to find a flu shot it is interesting to note that not everyone recommended for annual vaccination and able to access it chooses to do so. Surprisingly one such group that avoids ...

Are Students With Asthma and Allergies Ready to Self Medicate

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:15:20 GMT
Allergy Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics AANMA worked with families medical professionals and state and federal lawmakers to protect student access to lifesaving medications first through federal law and then state legislation and educat...

Turning Heads Portraits of Grace Inspiration and Possibilities

Tue, 5 Sep 2006 15:46:59 GMT
Briefly in 2000 while I was going to treatment for cancer I met a woman who refused to have chemotherapy because she didnt want to look like as she put it a bandanna lady. She is now dead. For the most part we women misconstrue how we look. W...

Experimental RNA Based Drug Kills Prostate Cancer Cells Effectively and Safely

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:45:51 GMT
The drug developed at Duke University Medical Center uses one type of genetic material called targeting RNA to enter cancer cells and another type called silencing RNA to stop the expression of a protein that keeps the cells alive.In ...

Fish Oil Holds Promise for Those with Type II Diabetes

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:11:24 GMT
Findings reported by scientists from Texas AM UniversityKingsville suggest that fish oil improves glucose uptake in muscle cells and that this action is influenced by the concentration of fish oil. These results were released on June 10 at the 66t...

Oral Cancer Black Raspberries Studied as Remedy to Stop or Slow Return

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:57:51 GMT
Unfortunately oral cancer returns in 20 percent of patients within 18 months said Christopher M. Weghorst a researcher at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research I...

Discovery Could Aid Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis Infection

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:18:21 GMT
This work is important because pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa use protein secretion systems to cause disease in their hosts said Joseph Mougous lead author of the study published in the June 9 issue of Science. In the case...

New Guidelines for Preserving Fertility in Cancer Patients

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 10:41:35 GMT
Yale Ob/Gyn professor Pasquale Patrizio together with a national and international group of colleagues have developed general guidelines targeted to oncologists on how to introduce the concept of fertility preservation in both male and female cancer ...

How To Control Your Diabetes For Life

Thu, 1 Jun 2006 11:02:18 GMT
An important new study by the National Institutes of Health NIH shows that tight control of blood glucose can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokesthe number one killer of people with diabetesby more than half. For most people wit...

No Link between Short Term Testosterone Use and Prostate Cancer Study Says

Wed, 24 May 2006 09:50:15 GMT
Testosterone therapy does not cause adverse effects on the prostate in older men with hypogonadism commonly known as low testosterone or low T according to a clinical trial presented today at a national urology meeting in Atlanta. The study which ...

Two Thirds of Family Doctors Believe COPD will be the Leading Cause of Death in 2020

Wed, 24 May 2006 09:08:33 GMT
Survey results from the Time to Live report presented today at the American Thoracic Society International Congress show over two thirds of primary care physicians 66 fear COPD will be the leading cause of death in 2020 despite almost all 98...

Biopsies are Key to Catching Melanoma in Treatable Stage

Tue, 23 May 2006 12:15:55 GMT
Researchers charged with updating the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Melanoma for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network are recommending a far more aggressive approach to catching the deadly skin cancer in its earliest most treata...

Asthma and Allergy Sufferers Face Tough Season

Tue, 23 May 2006 11:09:17 GMT
Sneezing itching and watery eyes are all signs that spring allergens are in the air. This time of year is particularly difficult for people who suffer from asthma and allergies; that is why May is set aside as Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. <...

New Drugs Getting Them to the Cancer Patient Faster

Tue, 16 May 2006 09:44:17 GMT
David Lassiter knows he is running out of options. The new drug Avastin is keeping him alive staving off his colorectal cancer that recurred three years ago. But already the drug is showing signs of diminishing success. When it stops working there ...

Hepatitis Get Tested and Get Treated

Mon, 15 May 2006 10:51:08 GMT
An estimated onethird of the U.S. population becomes infected with hepatitis A during their lifetime 1.4 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B and approximately 4 million Americans have been infected with hepatitis C. The Ame...

Six Inhaled Steroids Are Equally Effective and Safe Against Asthma

Mon, 15 May 2006 10:22:11 GMT
However the convenience of use and cost of the six drugs does differ and studies support the preferential use of certain inhaled steroids in selected groups of patients. The report is the 13th in a series comparing the effectiveness of wid...

Uncontrolled Asthma During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Complications

Thu, 11 May 2006 10:18:17 GMT
Due to a decreased amount of oxygen in the asthmatic mothers blood there is a direct relationship between low birth weight and uncontrolled asthma. Since a fetus requires a constant supply of oxygen for normal growth and development decreased o...

A Good Tan Now Could Mean Cancer Later

Fri, 5 May 2006 14:45:35 GMT
If tanning is bad for you why do we do it? It might be because we think it makes us look better or it could be that we just dont think about the potential harmful effects and for some individuals they may not care to worry. Dr. Scott Fosko chairm...

Harvard Medical School Answers Your Questions on Bird Flu

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 13:36:59 GMT
pandemic inevitable as so many health experts believe? Is there a way to protect yourself and your family from this deadly virus? A new report from Harvard Medical School answers these and other urgent questions. This indepth report goes behind t...

First Ever Treatment Guidelines for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:13:27 GMT
Mayo Clinic Proceedings has published Consensus Guidelines for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain DPNP authored by the American Society of Pain Educators ASPE which for the first time provide healthcare professionals with a de...

Care Free Lounge Wear for Alzheimers Patients

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 12:53:39 GMT
to dress patients with latestage dementia or Alzheimers disease who cannot communicate their comfort or distress is one of the most perplexing problems in longterm care. Taketora a name associated with innovative design and manufacture of m...

Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium Launches Myeloma Genome

Thu, 6 Apr 2006 15:26:23 GMT
The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium MMRC today announced the launch of the Multiple Myeloma Genomic Initiative a multimillion dollar research program designed to rapidly accelerate progress made against multiple myeloma by significantly impr...

Does Sunscreen Prevent Skin Cancer

Thu, 6 Apr 2006 15:20:48 GMT
With recent concerns raised by consumer advocacy groups and scientists about the effectiveness of sunscreen doctors at the John Wayne Cancer Institute JWCI are increasing efforts to educate the public about how to protect themselves against skin c...

My Doctor Ordered a Biopsy Now What

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:17:50 GMT
Ask most people what they think a biopsy is and theyll say its a simple procedure doctors perform to determine whether or not someone has cancer. But if you ask a patient whose doctor has ordered a biopsy what comes next for him or her and the a...

Skin Cancer Screening Tour Launches

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:07:50 GMT
The Skin Cancer Foundation and Doak Dermatologics a division of Bradley Pharmaceuticals Inc. NYSE:BDY today announced the launch of a national initiative to raise awareness of early detection and treatment of skin cancer through a crosscountry ...

Colon Cancer Patients Lives Extended

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:27:12 GMT
Targeted therapies are like smart bombs said Dr. Tanios BekaiiSaab an oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute OSUCCC James. Th...

American Cancer Society Launches Cancer Information Blog

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:13:02 GMT
The American Cancer Society has launched a web log or blog authored by J. Leonard Len Lichtenfeld MD the Societys deputy chief medical officer. Dr. Lens Cancer Blog www.cancer.org/drlen covers breaking cancer news and provides commentary on...

Home Improvement Expert to Help Allergic Asthma Sufferer Reduce Allergens at Home

Tue, 7 Mar 2006 16:20:16 GMT
Asthma is one of the countrys most common and costly illnesses in the U.S. and nearly half of all American households include at least one sufferer. The prevalence of asthma has increased significantly since the 1980s and is currently estimated ...

Are You an Alcoholic Take This Test to Find Out

Mon, 6 Mar 2006 12:48:03 GMT
By the time today is over more than 7000 children under the age of 18 will have had their first drink. Studies indicate that if a child has his or her first drink under the age of 15 their chances of becoming alcoholic later in life increase five ...

Getting Ready for Bird Flu

Fri, 3 Mar 2006 12:57:09 GMT
Nigeria India Germany France ... Avian flu has been spreading rapidly among birds increasing concerns about a possible human pandemic. How could the U.S. be more prepared? Stockpiles of Tamiflu and the development of a trial vaccine are a good st...

New Resource For Information On Genetic Or Rare Diseases

Fri, 3 Mar 2006 12:44:43 GMT
An unexpected diagnosis of a serious illness often comes as a shock to people receiving the news as well as their families and friends. When the disease is rare or genetic information is hard to find and even harder to understand. Patients and thei...

Varenicline Reduces Craving and Withdrawal Symptoms Associated with Quitting Smoking

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 10:48:34 GMT
New data suggest that patients trying to quit smoking with varenicline tartrate Pfizer Incs investigational medicine for cigarette smoking cessation reported a reduced urge to smoke and a reduction in withdrawal symptoms. The patientreported outc...

Organic Lotion Provides Relief for Chemotherapy Patients

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:04:05 GMT
A fragrancefree Organic lotion for sensitive skin has become the product of choice for cancer patient Kristina Jones who was suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy. In January 2005 she was searching for a lotion to soothe the burning itc...

Helping Explain Alzheimers Memory Loss

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:13:17 GMT
Thats because they discovered a physical link between apolipoprotein E APOE the transport molecules known to play a role in development of the disease and glutamate a brain chemical necessary for establishing human memory.In a study pu...

Older Asthmatics Have Increased Cancer Risk

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:11:00 GMT
A study in the February issue of CHEST the peerreviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians ACCP shows that adults with asthma over age 55 have an increased risk of developing cancer compared with adults without asthma. Fu...

Smokers and Former Smokers Should Be Screened for Lung Cancer Even If They Dont Have Symptoms

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 11:12:31 GMT
Smokers and former smokers should be screened for lung cancer even if they dont have symptoms according to a new study led by physicianscientists at NewYorkPresbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The findings based on data from the l...

TB or Not TB

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 10:33:27 GMT
A notorious killer is making a comeback although in some parts of the world it never really left. Im referring to tuberculosis TB causing a genuine health crisis that one hopes will grab some attention away for more fashionable issues such as g...

Noninvasive Tests May Miss Breast Cancer

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 09:43:48 GMT
Four common noninvasive tests for breast cancer are not accurate enough to routinely replace biopsies for women who receive abnormal findings from a mammogram or physical examination according to a study released today by HHS Agency for Healthcare ...

Valentines Day and the Emotional Stress of Herpes

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 09:40:57 GMT
Valentines Day is a holiday charged with emotions. For people with an STD like herpes and their lovedones Valentines Day can be an emotional holiday with a psychological side. Sufferers and their partners can face great stress and embarrassment wh...

Colorectal Cancer the Number Three Cancer Killer Is Largely Preventable

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 09:33:11 GMT
As the nation marks the seventh annual National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March the American Cancer Society is raising awareness that this third most common cause of cancer and cancer death in both men and women in the United States caus...

Asthma Capitals Rankings for 2006

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 09:33:39 GMT
Scranton Penn.; Richmond Va.; and Philadelphia Penn. are among Americas top Asthma Capitals based on twelve factors considered in the annual ranking of 100 major metropolitan areas released today by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America...

Mysterious Liver Disease Occurs in Patients that Drink Little or No Alcohol

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 10:21:09 GMT
Once considered a disease of adults over 40 NASH is becoming a very real problem for overweight and obese children.Researchers at Saint Louis University are launching a new trial to study NASH in adults and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease ...

Dark Chocolate Beneficial Indulgence

Wed, 8 Feb 2006 12:46:56 GMT
If your Valentines Day is like most others you can look forward to a special day filled with romantic dinners gifts and of course chocolate. In fact chocolate a product of cocoa has generated an ongoing debate on whether this desired treat is...

Tobacco Exposure Causes Risk of Bladder Cancer to Soar

Tue, 7 Feb 2006 09:43:30 GMT
Even cigars and chewing tobacco can increase the risk because the carcinogens are excreted in the urine regardless of how they enter the body says Dr. Yair Lotan assistant professor of urology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Bladder cancer ...

HIV AIDS in the 25 Years Since First Case Was Reported

Thu, 2 Feb 2006 09:32:06 GMT
Scientists from 21 HIV research centers in the New York region came together to reflect upon how far we have come since the first HIV cases were diagnosed in 1981 and to outline the future steps we need to take for more effective HIV prevention a...

DNA Key to Predicting Prostate and Renal Cancer

Thu, 2 Feb 2006 09:22:04 GMT
In a study to be published in the February issue of The Journal of Urology researchers from Emory University School of Medicine have determined that inheritance of mitochondrial haplogroup U is associated with increased risk of prostate and rena...

Jerome Bettis on His Way to Super Bowl Asthma Doesnt Hold Him Back

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:00:55 GMT
Jerome The Bus Bettis running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers is seen as a respected leader on and off the field serving as a mentor for his teammates as well as the millions of people with asthma.He has fought through injuries score...

Coffee May Protect Against Disease

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 12:38:20 GMT
Its surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits usually with the proviso to use it in moderation. That happened with chocolate and alcohol and now it is coffees turn reports...

New Drug May Overcome Deadly Mutation that Causes Leukemia

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 11:28:25 GMT
Although the drug Gleevec which is manufactured by Novartis is considered the standard of treatment for CML certain patients develop resistance to the drug. Resistance is usually caused by mutations that alter the shape of an enzyme called Abl ...

Scientists Find Lung Cancer Tumor Suppressor Gene

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 11:22:32 GMT
The gene known as TCF21 is silenced in tumor cells through a chemical change known as DNA methylation a process that is potentially reversible. The findings might therefore lead to new strategies for the treatment and early detection of l...

Experts explore natural IBS relievers

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is a problem that causes abdominal pain or discomfort and changes in bowel patterns. The exact cause isnt known but there are many different treatment options available for the millions of Americans that have the dise...

20th human bird flu victim dies

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Turkish tests confirmed today that a 12yearold girl who died recently was infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu.This is the 20th human bird flu death worldwide and Turkeys fourth bird flu death.Also today Iraqi health officials...

Asthma Work sickness

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Allergic to work? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA estimates that 11 million workers suffer from some form of occupational asthma.Occupational asthma is generally defined as a lung disorder caused by inhaling fumes gas...

Wool allergies Maybe not

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
For some the winter holidays conjure snuggly feelings of cuddling under a cozy wool sweater donning a thick wool hat and making snowballs through fuzzy wool mittens.For others the winter holidays bring about uncomfortable itchy memories du...

Researchers look to reinvigorate immune system

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Like boxers wearied by a 15round bout the immune systems CD8 T cells eventually become exhausted in their battle against persistent viral infection and less effective in fighting the disease.In a study published on Dec. 28 on the journal ...

Going global Infectious diseases spike

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Infectious diseases like AIDS SARS West Nile virus and

Does tenofovir protect against HIV

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Theres a new trend among gay men: Theyre taking the HIV drug tenofovir Viread in order to protect themselves against HIV transmission during unprotected sex. Tenofovir is being sold in packets along with Viagra and Ecstasy in gay dance clu...

FAT chance Researchers find bipolar gene

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Australian scientists say they have identified the first risk gene specifically for bipolar disorder also called manicdepressive disorder. The researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of New South Wales are ...

Depressed Follow up

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Depression has been linked with numerous conditions ranging from suicide to heart disease. It is currently the fourth most common cause of disability but the World Health Organization expects it to become the second most common cause by the year 20...

Broke and down

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Do the wealthy recover from depression more quickly than lowincome people?A team of researchers says yes.According to a recent Harvard study people with depression from lowincome areas are less likely to respond to treatment and mo...

Stopping brain tumors

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Cancer researchers at the VanderbiltIngram Cancer Center in Nashville Tenn. say they have found the key receptor that plays a role in the spread of glioblastoma multiforme a very aggressive kind of brain tumor.People who have glioblastomas...

Early detection Key to cancer survival

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
January is Cervical Cancer Screening Month and women across the country are encouraged to get a checkup.The National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign is sponsoring the event ...

Early detection Key to cervical cancer survival

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
January is Cervical Cancer Screening Month and women across the country are encouraged to get a checkup.The National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign is sponsoring the event ...

Study Alzheimers drug safe effective

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
The U.S. Food and Drug Association approved memantine HCl to treat moderate to severe Alzheimers disease in October 2003. The study in the January issue of the Archives of Neurology finds that the drug is beneficial to patients with Alzheim...

Kidney damage Predictable

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
The National Kidney Foundation estimates that more than 20 million Americans have undetected moderate chronic kidney disease and another 20 million are at risk.The two most common causes of the disease are diabetes and high blood pressure wh...

Therapy may reduce diabetics amputation risk

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Almost 21 million people in the U.S. had diabetes in 2005 or 7 percent of the population according to numbers from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.All of those people are at increased risk for wounds gangrene and eventual ...

Fatty diet triggers diabetes

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
A study published in the Dec. 28 issue of the medical journal Cell reports the discovery of a molecular link between a highfat or Westernstyle diet and the disruption of insulin production explaining how a highfat diet causes Type 2 diab...

Obesity linked to kidney failure

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Obesity is often linked to heart disease hypertension and diabetes.Now researchers are adding kidney failure to of dangers resulting from obesity as new research finds that obese people have up to a seven times greater risk of developing en...

Obesity Alzheimers linked

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
If heart disease and diabetes arent bad enough now comes another reason to watch your weight. According to a new study packing on too many pounds can increase the risk of developing Alzheimers disease.A team led by researchers at the Farbe...

Can government prevent mad cow

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
A diverse group of consumers and scientists and even hamburger giant McDonalds Corporation have filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration FDA urging more stringent safeguards to prevent mad cow disease in the U.S.The lett...

Backup plan for avian flu

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
What if the avian flu virus makes its way to the United States and mutates to infect humans before our government has had a chance to stockpile vaccines and antiviral medications? Or what if the government does stockpile Tamiflu and other medications...

Bird flu Flying

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey USGS have been sampling migratory birds for the H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus for months. Theyve focused on the Pacific flyway a popular migratory route that t...

Drug unlikely to treat kidney cancer

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center investigators report that imatinib mesylate Gleevec the drug used to treat patients with gastrointestinal stromal cancers GISTs is not likely to be effective for patients with highgrade renal cell carcinoma the most...

Inhalants may help lung transplant patients

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
A new study has found that the inhaled form of cyclosporine a wellknown medication used to prevent organ rejection dramatically increases the survival rate among lung transplant recipients compared to the standard ingested form. The results...

Lung cancer claims singer

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Grammy Awardwinning singer Lou Rawls died of lung cancer on Friday.The 72yearold also had brain cancer according to his publicist and was being treated at CedarsSinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.Although he had battled lung canc...

AfricanAmericans arent getting lung cancer surgery

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Even when they have equal access to specialized care AfricanAmericans with potentially curable lung cancer are about half as likely as whites to undergo surgery that could save their lives according to a study by DanaFarber Cancer Institute resear...

Experts explore natural IBS relief

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:11:16 GMT
Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is a problem that causes abdominal pain or discomfort and changes in bowel patterns. The exact cause isnt known but there are many different treatment options available for the millions of Americans that have the dise...

Cervical cancer screening poverty linked

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
AfricanAmerican women living in communities with high poverty rates are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer even after adjusting for other factors known to raise the risk of nonscreening such as older age lower educational attainment...

HIVAIDS campaigns largely ineffective

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Fear of HIV infection is not enough to get everyone to practice safe sex according to a University of Florida UF research teams comprehensive study of AIDS prevention strategies.Successful campaigns must be geared to individual groups such...

STD confession via email

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Do you need to tell someone that you may have given them a sexually transmitted disease but cant do it face to face? If so then this website is for you. Created by a nonprofit group c...

Abuse eating disorder link complex

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Its long been assumed that victims of childhood sexual abuse have a higher risk for eating disorders. But research results have been mixed with only some studies showing a link.A recently published study of collegeage women shows there is a...

Holiday depression SAD

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
The holiday season can be a tough time for some bringing on feelings of loneliness and sadness.But depression is a treatable condition and no one should suffer through it without help health experts say.SAD Seasonal Affective Disor...

Childhood cancer causes problems later in life

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
A University of Minnesota Cancer Center study is the first to show how the prevalence of some physical impairments that childhoodcancer survivors experience as adults relate to the type of cancer they had and the treatment they received. The finding...

Many skip chemo after colon cancer surgery

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Though various studies call for chemotherapy after colon cancer surgery a new report finds that many fail to receive this treatment for unknown reasons.Women AfricanAmericans and the elderly are demographic segments that often do not receiv...

Study Postsurgery chemo for colon cancer

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
More patients with Stage III colon cancer are receiving chemotherapy after surgery with an associated significant increase in fiveyear survival according to a study in the Dec. 7 2005 Journal of the American Medical Association. The stu...

Diabetes expert Aim Lower

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
A Pennington Biomedical Research Center researcher and diabetes expert believes that physicians with diabetic patients should aim for much lower levels of blood glucose than current guidelines suggest. William Cefalu M.D. says the current recommend...

NYC to monitor diabetics

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Diabetes is the fourthleading cause of death in New York City and it can cause kidney failure blindness and infections. In an effort to keep the citys more than 500000 diabetics healthy plus an estimated 250000 who dont know they have the di...

Alzheimers Form of diabetes

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School have discovered that insulin and its receptors drop significantly in the brain during the early stages of Alzheimers disease and that levels decline progressively as the disease becomes ...

Online chats help diabetics

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Although having diabetes can sometimes feel isolating to individuals participation in an Internetbased discussion group offers hope inspiration and encouragement as well as bolsters peoples perceived ability to cope with diabetes according to a ...

Barretts esophagus affects 3M Americans

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
According to estimates in a study published by the American Gastroenterological Association journal Gastroenterology more than 3 million Americans are living with Barretts esophagus a condition that leads to esophageal cancer one of the ...

Asian performing monkeys pose health threat

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Some urban performing monkeys in Indonesia are carrying retroviruses capable of infecting people according to a new study led by University of Washington UW researchers. The results indicate that contact with performing monkeys which is common in...

Screening for bubble boy disease has benefits

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Two University of California Los Angeles studies show that newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency SCID a rare treatable immune system disorder commonly known as bubble boy disease is costeffective and could be performed ac...

The Pill doesnt affect CIN risk

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month and a new study has good news for women at risk of developing the disease.Researchers have found that women with certain types of human papilloma virus HPV can take hormonal contraceptives and have...

Diet may improve chronic lung disease

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Foods rich in healthy fats such as fish and nuts can help the body prevent the onset of chronic lung disease according to a recent study.In a small Japanese study researchers noticed that the implementation of omega3 fats into a subjects...

Fruit Prevents cancer

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
While eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables may help protect against breast cancer some of what happens to the bodys cells has a lot to do with our genes according to a study published in November 2005 by the American Journal of Epidemio...

Scientists work to detect cancer earlier

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
By coating the surfaces of tiny carbon nanotubes with monoclonal antibodies biochemists and engineers at Jefferson Medical College and the University of Delaware have teamed up to detect cancer cells in a tiny drop of water. The work is aimed at dev...

Researchers discover ovarian tumor differences

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
A new study suggests that ovarian tumors classified as serous borderline or low malignant potential LMP are not early precursors in the development of aggressive ovarian cancer but may instead be part of an entirely different class of tumors. Furt...

Cancer linked to protein promiscuity

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
When found at abnormally high concentrations two proteins implicated in many human cancers have the potential to spur indiscriminate biochemical signaling inside cells chemists at Harvard University have found.Their finding may expand scient...

Novel leukemia treatment strategy saves lives

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
A new strategy for treating childhood acute myeloid leukemia AML thats based on the individual patients risk of failure and guided by the results of a highly sensitive technique for identifying leukemic cells yielded oneyear survival rates of al...

Vitamin E for prostate cancer

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended against routine vitamin use to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease.The recommendation was based on a series of clinical trials that found that antioxidant supplements do not re...

PSA test Reliable

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
A number of noninvasive tests are currently being developed to try to diagnose prostate cancer in the early stages and determine which of the cases involve aggressive cancers that require more aggressive treatments.One blood test the Prostate...

Age race diet affect prostate cancer test

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
The reliability of a prostate cancerscreening test may be compromised by lifestyle and demographic factors according to a study published in the Jan. 15 2006 Cancer a peerreviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.The study ...

Pain relief for prostate cancer

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
Researchers have developed a new line of prostate cancer cells that they hope will provide a better model to study the disease.This new cancercell line has already provided some help. One new study in mice identified a promising possible ther...

Study Remicade eases arthritis pain

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
New data including twoyear treatment duration show a significantly higher proportion of patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving Remicade infliximab achieved and sustained a high degree of clinical improvement in arthritis as assessed...

Researchers seek cause of former Presidents disease

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
A crippling condition that can result in sufferers losing their fingers is to be investigated by scientists in one of the most detailed studies into the genetic causes of the disease in history.Dupuytrens disease or contracture a condition t...

Statin melanoma link unclear

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:07:22 GMT
No clear evidence exists that some widely prescribed cholesterollowering drugs can decrease the risk of melanoma a deadly and malignant skin cancer according to a review of recent studies.Robert Dellavalle M.D. of Denver Veterans Affairs ...

Personalized Nurse Program Helps MS Patients

Fri, 2 Dec 2005 10:22:08 GMT
Her mother a nurse suspected that her depression and sight loss coupled with recent onset of numbness in her fingers might mean a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis MS. MS is a chronic unpredictable disease of the central nervous system and s...

Learn the Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Fri, 2 Dec 2005 10:00:46 GMT
This year nearly 175000 Americans will learn they have lung cancer. Smoking is the greatest known risk factor for lung cancer although being exposed to secondhand smoke radon asbestos and other chemicals can also increase your chances of develo...

Definitive gene screen confirms MS suspects

Wed, 28 Sep 2005 09:13:14 GMT
A cluster of genes on chromosome six is the only one that plays a significant role in multiple sclerosis MS according to the most complete genetic study to date in the disorder presented at the 130th annual meeting of the American Neurological As...

Many unaware they are diabetic

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 09:31:47 GMT
After a massive audit by the Health and Social Care Information Centre conducted throughout England with the help of 1700 general practitioners and 47 hospitals official predict nearly a quarter of the populace who have diabetes are unaware they ...

Alzheimers patients cant focus

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:17:31 GMT
Some people close their eyes when they listen to music others wear earplugs when they read in noisy places. Both serve to block out inappropriate sensory stimulation something that happens automatically when we concentrate. A study by Alexander Drz...

Childhood asthma from trafficrelated pollution

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 09:09:21 GMT
Scientists studying air pollution levels in 10 Southern California cities found that the closer children live to a freeway the greater their chance of having been diagnosed with asthma. They report their findings in the November issue of the jour...

Blocking immune system reduces asthma

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 09:04:38 GMT
Research from the Southampton General Hospital in England confirmed previous assumptions that patients with severe asthma had unusually high levels of the immune system chemical tumour necrosis factor alpha TNF alpha. As such scientists are wor...

SARS can infect brain tissue

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:36:46 GMT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS by its very name indicates a disease of the respiratory tract. But SARS can also infiltrate brain tissue causing significant central nervous system problems according to an article in the Oct. 15 issue of ...

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:15:14 GMT
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting American men with more than 230000 cases diagnosed each year. The disease is most common in men 65 and older and among AfricanAmerican males but its important for men over the age of 50 to h...

Sun exposure reduces cancer and disease

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:12:43 GMT
A controversial new study suggests current health care policy is misaligned as admonitions on the dangers of sunlight and UV exposure result in detrimental health outcomes and an economic burden. According to the authors emerging research suggests ...

CAD detects overlooked lung lesions

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:50:46 GMT
Researchers from Harvard Boston MA; the University of Munich Germany; R2 Technology Inc Sunnyvale CA; and the Medical University of South Carolina Charlestown SC took 100 CT chest scans that had been classified as normal by radiologists a...

Lowering BP slows brain abnormalities

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:47:14 GMT
This is the first study to use magnetic resonance imaging MRI to assess the impact of reducing blood pressure on the development of white matter hyperintensitiesWMH abnormalities of white matter deep in the brain that are visible as bright...

Tingling could be early sign of diabetes

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:38:36 GMT
Patients who present with idiopathic neuropathy may in fact be experiencing the first signs of impaired glucose tolerance IGT or prediabetes. In a recent study that compared the association between peripheral neuropathy and prediabetes findings ...

Heavy drinking may increase stroke risk

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:21:28 GMT
In a study published by the journal Circulation researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that men who drank heavily i.e. more than 35 drinks per week were more than 45 percent more likely to develop atrial fibri...

Having Diabetes May Be The Same As Having Heart Disease

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 13:17:38 GMT
Diabetes is on the rise in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of people with diabetes has more than doubled in the last 20 years from 5.8 million to 13.3 million and about five million cases remain undiagnosed. Whats...

Floodwaters Carry Bacteria Threat of West Nile

Tue, 6 Sep 2005 11:55:51 GMT
Intestinal diseases like diarrhea and dysentery along with outbreaks of West Nile virus are likely to occur because of floodwaters affecting New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina according to microbiolog...

Distinguishing the souce of asthma

Fri, 2 Sep 2005 13:49:19 GMT
The investigators compared sputum cellular profiles of the 59 acute asthmatics against those of 45 controls. The control groups included 14 patients with stable asthma and no viral infection 15 subjects without asthma but with a viral infection ...

Brain involved in asthma stress interaction

Fri, 2 Sep 2005 13:44:23 GMT
The mere mention of a stressful word like wheeze can activate two brain regions in asthmatics during an attack and this brain activity may be associated with more severe asthma symptoms according to a study by University of WisconsinMadison rese...

Gulf Coast faces new health risks

Fri, 2 Sep 2005 13:31:52 GMT
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina is readily apparent from the dramatic aerial views of home building and property destruction. While the immediate focus of emergency workers has been on saving lives and unfortunately retrieving the dead...