Asthma Research Shows Lung Function Set Early
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Preschoolers with asthma symptoms have their level of lung function set by the age of six and don’t change much for at least 10 years, researchers here say.
The finding, derived from a long-term follow-up of 826 children in a population-based birth cohort here, eases fears that asthmatic children face years of deteriorating lung function, according to Wayne Morgan, M.D., of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.
More blacks refuse lung cancer surgery than whites
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African-Americans are three times as likely as whites to refuse surgical treatment for lung cancer, a new study shows.
Surgery is the only effective treatment for certain types of early stage lung cancer, and can often cure the disease, Dr. Bruno DiGiovine of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and colleagues note in their report in the journal CHEST.
Roche in talks with WHO to supply flu drug fund
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Drug maker Roche Holding AG is in talks with the World Health Organisation about creating a stockpile of flu drug Tamiflu for poorer countries to be funded by contributions from developed nations.
Governments around the world are stockpiling Tamiflu on fears of a pandemic sparked by bird flu. However, there are concerns that richer nations will take the bulk and leave worst-hit Asian nations scrambling for supplies.
Obesity ups risk of complication after heart surgery
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Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of an irregular heart beat called atrial fibrillation (AF) following cardiac surgery, according to a report published online Monday.
This is the first study to find a strong and independent link between excess body weight and the development of AF, a common and potentially fatal heart rhythm abnormality, study investigators say.
Plavix inferior to standard drug in stroke study
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A blood clot preventer sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb Corp. and Sanofi-Aventis was inferior to the most commonly used blood thinner for the prevention of stroke in patients with irregular heart rhythm, according to a study presented on Monday.
The study, which was co-sponsored by the drugmakers, was halted early by independent safety monitors who saw an unacceptably high incidence of stroke and other heart risks in the Plavix (clopidogrel) group compared to those taking the standard oral anticoagulant, warfarin.
China to build special prisons for AIDS convicts
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China’s booming southern province of Guangdong is to build at least two prisons exclusively for HIV/AIDS-infected convicts to try to halt the disease’s spread, state media reported on Monday.
There were currently 20 AIDS sufferers and 518 HIV carriers serving jail terms in Guangdong, the China Daily said, adding that many provincial officials had urged the government to build the hospitals as soon as possible.
The Medicare Prescription Drug Law: Is Part D Right for You?
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The changes to Medicare prescription coverage can be confusing to those who are already dealing with the rising costs of prescription drugs. The “Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003,” will officially go into effect January 1, 2006. This gives precious little time to those that will be most affected by these changes.
Adam Welch, assistant professor of pharmacy at Wilkes University, says that the major part of the new law is the addition of a Part D component to Medicare. Part D is a voluntary prescription drug coverage that is run by private insurance companies that have to follow government regulations.
MRI Provides Better Diagnosis & Treatment for Uterine Fibroids
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Research of 100 women suffering from uterine fibroids showed that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) improves the patient selection for who should receive non-surgical uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) to kill their tumors. Uterine fibroids are very common benign (non-cancerous) growths that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus in up to 40 percent of women age 35 and older. Research also showed interventional radiologists can use MRIs to determine if a tumor can be embolized, detect alternate causes for the symptoms, identify pathology that could prevent a women from having UFE and avoid ineffective treatments.
Women typically undergo an ultrasound at their gynecologist’s office as part of the evaluation process to determine the presence of uterine fibroids. It is a rudimentary imaging tool for fibroids that often does not show other underlying diseases or all the existing fibroids. For this reason, MRI is the standard imaging tool used by interventional radiologists.
Bird flu claims rising toll among people
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Indonesia said on Monday a 20-year-old woman had died of bird flu while several countries reported new suspected human cases of the deadly virus.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed more than 60 people in Asia and is endemic in most poultry flocks in the region.
Exercise Test May Predict Death in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
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Exercise capacity, as measured in terms of VO2max, is a powerful predictor of death in patients with coronary artery disease, not just patients with heart failure. That is the finding of Mayo Clinic research presented today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005 in Dallas.
VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can take in during exercise. In a VO2max study, a patient walks on a treadmill for about 5 to 15 minutes and breathes through a valve; the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the expired air are measured. Results are given in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).
Stem Cell Therapy Improves Heart Function After MI
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Patients with impaired ventricular function following a myocardial infarction may be able to pump new life into damaged heart muscle with an infusion of their own bone marrow-derived progenitor cells.
In a placebo-controlled trial, patients who received an infusion of the recycled cells improved their global left ventricular function by 5.5%, versus a 3% improvement in patients who received placebo infusions (P=0.014), according to Andreas M. Zeiher, M.D., of J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
New respiratory synctial virus treatment for at-risk infants under study
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A new, enhanced-potency onoclonal antibody designed to keep the sniffles from turning into a devasting illness in at-risk babies is under study at the Medical College of Georgia Children’s Medical Center.
The international study compares MEDI-493, a monoclonal antibody already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat respiratory synctial virus, or RSV, to the more potent MEDI-524, says Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, chief of the MCG Section of Neonatology and a principal investigator.
Lighter Patients with Liver Cancer Fare Better
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Jot down liver cancer on the list of conditions exacerbated by excess poundage.
That’s the conclusion of Japanese researchers, who found that people who are obese and have hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma have significantly shorter survival than lean patients with liver cancer.
Meditation may slow down brain aging
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The regular practice of meditation appears to produce structural changes in areas of the brain associated with attention and sensory processing.
An imaging study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers showed that particular areas of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, were thicker in participants who were experienced practitioners of a type of meditation commonly practiced in the U.S. and other Western countries. The article appears in the Nov. 15 issue of NeuroReport, and the research also is being presented Nov. 14 at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington, DC.
Race may play a role in whether a patient accepts surgical treatment for lung cancer
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A study in the November issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), found that blacks with lung cancer declined surgery at a higher rate than whites, leading researchers to believe that blacks may be misinformed about the effects of lung cancer surgery.
“Surgery for early stage non-small cell lung cancer is standard treatment and is likely curative. Yet, fewer blacks than whites undergo surgery for the disease, leading to a higher mortality rate among blacks with lung cancer,” said Bruno DiGiovine MD, FCCP, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI. “Identifying and addressing the underlying reason for this discrepancy in surgical rates may, ultimately, lead to greater rates of surgical acceptance and decreased mortality rates among blacks with lung cancer.”
