25 most recent entries:
Long-Term Antibiotics Reduce COPD Exacerbations, Raise Questions (Nov 22 2008 08:19 GMT)
Long-term use of a macrolide antibiotic may reduce the frequency of exacerbations in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by as much as 35 percent, according to a London-based study. ?Our results show a significant effect of low-dose macrolide therapy, reducing exacerbation frequency and severity with moderate to severe COPD,? wrote lead author of the paper, Terence A. R.
Experts Available to Discuss Alzheimer?s Disease (Nov 22 2008 08:17 GMT)
An estimated five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer?s, a disease that affects parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language and is the most common form of dementia among older people. Its causes have not yet been identified and there is no cure. Risk for Alzheimer?s increases with age.
Smoking, Teens and Their Parents: New Research (Nov 22 2008 08:14 GMT)
A new study found that adolescents were at the greatest risk of smoking when their parents began smoking at an early age and the parents? smoking quickly reached high levels and persisted over time. The study, published in the November issue of Health Psychology, draws from the long-running Indiana University Smoking Survey and builds on previous research that suggests smoking behavior is influenced by both genetics and the environment. ?This particular study focuses more on the genetic influence in the specific case of a parent?
Where there?s wildfire smoke, there?s toxicity (Nov 20 2008 21:14 GMT)
The health threat to city dwellers posed by Southern California wildfires like those of November 2008 may have been underestimated by officials. Detailed particulate analysis of the smoke produced by previous California wild fires indicates that the composition posed more serious potential threats to health than is generally realized, according to a new paper analyzing particulate matter (PM) from wildfires in Southern California. The paper, entitled ?Physicochemical and Toxicological Profile of Particulate Matter (PM) in Los Angeles during the October 2007 Southern California Wildfires,? will appear in Environmental Science and Technology.
Very Low Birth Weight is a Risk Factor for One Cause of CKD (Nov 20 2008 21:09 GMT)
Individuals who were underweight at birth are at increased risk of developing a condition called secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Because birth history is often overlooked by kidney specialists who take care of adult patients, this risk factor is likely to be under-recognized. Patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis develop scarring of glomeruli, the filtering units of the kidney. This development can cause a decline in kidney function and leakage of protein into the urine. Low birth weight (less than 5.
New Compounds Aimed at Muscular Dystrophy (Nov 20 2008 01:24 GMT)
Scientists have identified a promising set of new compounds in the fight against muscular dystrophy. Using a drug-discovery technique in which molecules compete against each other for access to the target ? the strand of toxic RNA that causes the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults ? a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center has identified several compounds that, in the laboratory, block the unwanted coupling of two molecules that is at the root of the disease. The work was published online November 7 by the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Scientists are High on Idea that Marijuna Reduces Memory Impairment (Nov 20 2008 01:23 GMT)
The more research they do, the more evidence Ohio State University scientists find that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells. The research suggests that the development of a legal drug that contains certain properties similar to those in marijuana might help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer?s disease. Though the exact cause of Alzheimer?s remains unknown, chronic inflammation in the brain is believed to contribute to memory impairment.
Study Shows How Social Support May Protect Brain During Stroke (Nov 19 2008 02:23 GMT)
New research in mice suggests that high levels of social support may provide some protection against strokes by reducing the amount of damaging inflammation in the brain. Researchers at Ohio State University found that male mice that lived with a female partner before and after a stroke had a much higher survival rate compared to those mice that lived alone. In addition, the paired mice suffered much less brain damage than did the surviving solitary mice.
One More Reason to Quit: Smoking Causes Bladder Cancer (Nov 17 2008 20:58 GMT)
The Great American Smokeout is this Thursday, and the American Urological Association (AUA) gives smokers another good reason to quit: Smoking causes bladder cancer. Only about 33 percent of people know that smoking is a leading risk factor for the disease, according to a new study published in The Journal of Urology®, the official journal of the AUA. The American Cancer Society estimates that smokers are twice as likely to get bladder cancer as nonsmokers. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men and eighth most common in women.
Expectations Drive Patient Preferences for Treatment of Spine Problems (Nov 17 2008 20:56 GMT)
For patients with low back pain caused by a herniated disk, expectations of good results without surgery are the main factor affecting the preference for nonsurgical treatment, reports a study in the November 15 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. However, once patients overcome their reluctance to undergo surgery, they strongly prefer surgical treatment?generally for reasons that are ?
Drug-related preference in cocaine addiction extends to images (Nov 17 2008 20:46 GMT)
When given a choice between viewing pictures of cocaine and a variety of other images, cocaine addicted individuals, as compared to healthy, non-addicted research subjects, show a clear preference for the drug-related images. Findings from this study, which was conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy?s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, will be presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington D.
Benefits of epilepsy surgery predicted pre-op (Nov 14 2008 23:31 GMT)
Whether brain surgery is likely to improve or worsen memory in a patient with epilepsy can be predicted before the operation is performed, according to findings in the journal Neurology. Brain surgery can be very effective for some patients whose seizures do not respond to antiepileptic drugs, ?but it is a procedure that is often associated with risks to memory,? lead author Dr. Sallie Baxendale noted in comments to Reuters Health.
In child care, relationships with caregivers key to children?s stress levels (Nov 14 2008 23:20 GMT)
How children are affected by out-of-home care depends not only on the qualities of their teacher and the classroom, but also on the nature of the children?s relationship with their caregivers. That?s the finding of a new study on the level of the stress hormone cortisol in children in full-day child care. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone in humans, tends to be at its highest levels in the early morning and gradually declines over the course of the day.
UK study shows kids are active but not eating their ?5-a-day? (Nov 14 2008 23:16 GMT)
Most children are still failing to eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day, though their levels of physical activity do meet current Government recommendations, according to the SPEEDY study (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people). The original results for the study are published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The study was performed by a team of researchers from The Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit and The University of East Anglia, coordinated by Esther van Sluijs. During the Summer term 2007, they studied the diet, physical activity and body shape of 2064 Year 5 pupils (aged 9-10 years) in 92 schools across the county of Norfolk.
Plastic surgeons warn of malnutrition in body contouring patients (Nov 14 2008 23:14 GMT)
Identifying malnutrition before surgery in massive weight loss patients seeking body contouring will significantly decrease surgical complications, accelerate wound healing, improve scar quality and boost patient energy levels, according to a study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Optimizing nutrition with the addition of supplements, such as powder drinks and multi-vitamin tablets formulated for massive weight loss patients, is vital to successful body contouring surgery, the study reveals. ?Body contouring procedures for massive weight loss patients are major operations with large incisions in many areas that demand a lot of the body during the healing process,? said ASPS Member Surgeon and study co-author Dennis Hurwitz, MD.
Many mothers share bed with baby, a SIDS risk (Oct 26 2008 20:40 GMT)
Nearly half of mothers participating in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program are following recommendations on sleeping arrangements for their babies. However, almost one third report sharing a bed with their infant, a known risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), new research published in the Journal of Pediatrics shows. Noting that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends having babies sleep in their own crib in the parents? room, Dr. Linda Y.
Newly-discovered mechanism can explain the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (Oct 26 2008 20:28 GMT)
Researchers from Uppsala University have discovered a mechanism that silences several genes in a chromosome domain. The findings, published in today?s on-line issue of Molecular Cell, have implications in understanding the human disorder Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. In mammals the cells contain two copies of each chromosome, one inherited from the mother and one from the father. The genes on the chromosomes can either be active or inactive.
New Therapy May Fight Knee Osteoarthritis Pain (Oct 26 2008 20:23 GMT)
A clinical trial of a novel drug known as tanezumab has shown that treatment once every eight weeks significantly reduces pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease affecting middle-age and older people. It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage?the slippery material at the end of long bones?and causes changes in the structures around the joint.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Can Affect Your Pearly Whites (Oct 26 2008 20:22 GMT)
People with rheumatoid arthritis may be at increased risk for periodontal disease, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Though joints are the principal body parts affected by RA, inflammation can develop in other organs as well. An estimated 1.3 million Americans have RA, and the disease typically affects women twice as often as men.
Assessing Treatments for Lupus Nephritis in Children (Oct 26 2008 20:19 GMT)
The first study comparing two therapies, mycophenolate mofetil and intravenous cyclophosphamide, for the treatment of lupus nephritis in adolescents, shows that both appear safe and effective according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (also called SLE or lupus), which is a chronic inflammatory disease that can also affect the skin, joints, lungs, nervous system, and other organs of the body. The most commons symptoms are urinary frequency, weight gain, high blood pressure, and swelling around the eyes, legs, ankles, or fingers. Some studies have shown that pediatric lupus is more severe and causes more kidney damage than adult-onset lupus. This recently led researchers to compare the safety and effectiveness of two immunosuppressants, which are medications that can decrease the immune response.
Arthritis Therapy Keeps Children in School (Oct 26 2008 20:15 GMT)
Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may miss fewer days of school when treated with abatacept, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. There are several different types of juvenile arthritis. The most common form is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA. There are several different types of JIA. All cause joint inflammation and begin before the age of 16 years, but otherwise are often associated with distinct symptoms and complications and may require different approaches to treatment.
Safety Data on Treatments for Juvenile Arthritis Released (Oct 26 2008 20:08 GMT)
Etanercept and methotrexate are shown to be safe and effective for long-term, continuous treatment of juvenile arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. There are many terms used to describe a child with chronic arthritis. These include juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. There are several types of JIA, all involving chronic (long-term) joint inflammation. This inflammation begins before patients reach the age of 16, may involve one or many joints, and can cause other symptoms such as fevers, rash and/or eye inflammation.
Improving Outcomes for Gout Patients (Oct 26 2008 20:07 GMT)
Patients who have not had successful treatment for their gout may find new hope in pegloticase, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Gout is a painful and potentially disabling form of arthritis that has been recognized since ancient times. Initial symptoms usually consist of intense episodes of painful swelling in single joints, most often in the feet (especially the big toe). Treatments are available to control most cases of gout, but diagnosing this disorder can be difficult and treatment plans often have to be tailored for each person. Researchers recently studied 212 patients with gout who were either treated intravenously with pegloticase (Puricase®) or placebo in duplicate six-month, double-blind, randomized studies.
Ancient Chinese Exercise Relieves Knee Pain (Oct 26 2008 20:05 GMT)
Tai chi is effective in the treatment of pain and physical impairment in people with severe knee osteoarthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Osteoarthritis, or OA as it is commonly called, is the most common joint disease affecting middle-age and older people. It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage?the slippery material at the end of long bones?and causes changes in the structures around the joint.
Risk of Kidney Failure Higher Among African Americans with Lupus Nephritis (Oct 26 2008 20:03 GMT)
Racial and ethnic disparities in systemic lupus erythematosus, and one of its worst complications, kidney failure, continue to grow in the U.S. The number of new cases of kidney failure due to lupus occurring among African Americans has now surpassed that in Caucasians, with a high proportion occurring among African American women, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney cased by systemic lupus erythematosus (also called SLE or lupus) ? a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and/or other organs of the body.
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