Anti-cholesterol drugs can cut sepsis risk: study
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Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins can reduce the risk of severe infection in patients suffering from heart disease or stroke, scientists said on Wednesday.
Statins lower cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme that controls how much of this fat is produced in the body.
Chinese herbs no aid to SARS patients
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Adding Chinese herbs to mainstream medical treatment of SARS did not save any lives but may have eased their misery a little, Chinese researchers reported on Tuesday.
A look at 12 separate trials of 654 patients with SARS who were treated with both Chinese medicines and Western therapy found no suggestion that either single herbs or combinations improved survival.
Anxious dads should prepare for caesarean -study
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The reactions of fathers at a caesarean birth can affect the levels of fear, anxiety and pain their wives or partners experience, researchers said on Wednesday.
If men are more aware of what to expect before the operation, it could improve the experience for both the mother and father, the researchers suggest.
Radiation therapy cures lung cancer
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According to the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, each year ten million people are diagnosed with lung cancer, and half of all patients die within a year of diagnosis.
Lung cancer is globally by far the biggest cancer killer. The majority of cases are linked in some way to smoking.
US FDA warns Bayer on hemophilia therapy promotion
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A number of Bayer AG promotions for its hemophilia treatment Kogenate FS ae misleading because they fail to include ample information about risks and directions for use, U.S. regulators said in a letter released on Tuesday.
The Food and Drug Administration objected to letters to patients and doctors about a free trial program for Kogenate FS.
Boy with rare swallowing disorder has robotic surgery at UIC
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Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago performed robotic-assisted surgery on a 12-year-old Chicago boy with a rare swallowing disorder called achalasia. The disorder, in which the sphincter muscle between the esophagus and stomach does not properly relax, affects only about 100 children in the United States each year and is often misdiagnosed.
Nathaniel O’Donnell would often complain about pain in his chest when he ate, according his mother, Weslene O’Donnell, a Chicago police officer. His parents and pediatrician attributed the 150-pound boy’s complaints to heartburn.
UK breast cancer patients wrongly given all-clear
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Twenty-two women were wrongly given the all clear at two Greater Manchester hospitals when they actually had breast cancer, a report on Tuesday revealed.
An investigation has now been launched into the misdiagnoses and the radiologist at the centre of the scandal has been suspended.
Heart Injury Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Increases Long-Term Risk of Death
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Of patients who were hospitalized and treated for moderate to severe carbon monoxide poisoning, those who sustained heart muscle injury due to their exposure had an increased risk of death during a mid-point follow-up period of 7.6 years compared to those without injury to the heart, according to an article in the January 25 issue of JAMA.
Despite a decline in the annual death rate from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, CO remains the most common type of accidental poisoning in the United Sates, contributing to 40,000 emergency department visits each year, according to background information. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from 1968 through 1998 CO poisoning contributed to an average of 1,091 unintentional deaths and 2,385 suicidal deaths in the U.S. annually. Symptoms of CO poisoning include weakness, nausea, dizziness, lethargy, confusion and headache. In addition to neurological effects, heart damage has also often been reported in CO poisoning cases.
Impotence may provide a warning sign of coronary heart disease
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Erectile dysfunction may provide a warning sign of significant coronary heart disease researchers from the University of Chicago report in the January 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Although recent studies suggest an association between erectile dysfunction and atherosclerotic vascular disease, this is the first study to link ED with abnormal results on cardiac stress testing, including evidence for severe coronary artery blockages and markers of a poor cardiovascular prognosis.
Consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Unlikely to Reduce Cancer Risk
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A review of numerous studies finds no strong evidence indicating a significantly reduced risk of cancer associated with the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, according to an article in the January 25 issue of JAMA.
Epidemiological studies have suggested that groups of people who consume diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish and vegetables, may experience a lower prevalence of some types of cancer, according to background information in the article. Many small trials have attempted to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cancer treatment by adding omega-3 fatty acid to the diet either as omega-3 fatty acid–rich foods or as dietary supplements. Because of the results of some studies, a number of omega-3 fatty acid–containing dietary supplements have appeared on the market claiming to protect against the development of a variety of conditions including cancer, even though studies have reported mixed results.
OTC weight loss drug offers benefits
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The first diet drug aimed at helping the growing number of fat Americans lose weight moved one step closer to U.S. approval of over-the-counter availability on Monday after a U.S. Food and Drug advisory panel endorsed the idea.
Called Alli, GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s low-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical (orlistat) is generally safe and effective for adults when used for six months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s advisers said.
Vibrating shoes aid stroke and diabetic patients
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Vibrating insoles can improve balance in patients with stroke or diabetic neuropathy, a common nerve problem that affects sensation in the feet and elsewhere, Boston researchers report.
The vibration, adjusted to a sub-sensory level, appears to “tickle” neurons, making them more sensitive to stimuli that are present during standing, Dr. James J. Collins of Boston University, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health.
Experimental vaginal gel inhibits HIV and HSV
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Vaginal application of the PRO 2000 gel exerts activity against HIV and herpes simplex virus (HSV), investigators report in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
However, PRO 2000 and the many other microbicides being investigated to protect against HIV transmission face multiple challenges before they can made widely available, authors of a second Journal article note.
PRO 2000 gel (Indevus Pharmaceuticals) is a synthetic compound that prevents HIV entry into cells by interacting with the proteins on the surface of the virus. While this agent has demonstrated the ability to inhibit HIV and HSV in cell cultures and in animal models, it was not known if it would be active after application in the human vagina.
Erectile Dysfunction Common, Linked with Severity of Heart Disease
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Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects approximately one in five American men, appears to be associated with cardiovascular and other chronic diseases and may predict severity and a poor prognosis among those with heart disease, according to three studies in the January 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
New medications for ED, introduced in 1998, prompted a 50 percent increase in physician visits related to the condition from 1996 to 2000, according to background information in one of the articles. Most previous estimates of the impact of ED have either excluded some men based on age, ethnicity or profession or were compiled before these medications became available. This led the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Impotence to call for national epidemiological data to provide information about prevalence and risk factors for ED, the authors write.
Aspirin therapy may be safe for some survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage
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A study from the Stroke Service at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found that some patients who have survived an intracerebral hemorrhage - a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain - may be safely treated with aspirin to prevent future heart attacks or strokes caused by blood clots.
The study, appearing in the January 24 issue of the journal Neurology, addresses a fairly common clinical dilemma.
