Carvedilol may improve heart failure and help prevent sudden death
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Research shows that Carvedilol, a cardiovascular drug, could be useful in reducing cardiac death in high risk patients with prior myocardial infarction and/or heart failure and also in reducing the incidence and/or preventing the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in a number of clinical situations.
A review of this research is published in the journal Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology.
Feeling stressed? reach for the sugar!
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Researchers are now saying that reaching for a sugary snack in times of stress may not be such a bad idea after all.
A team of researchers from the University of Cincinnati have found that rats who consumed sweet things had lower levels of the stress-related hormone glucocorticoid.
Decaffeinated coffee may cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol
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Decaffeinated—not caffeinated—coffee may cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol by increasing a specific type of blood fat linked to the metabolic syndrome, hints a new study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005.
The Coffee and Lipoprotein Metabolism (CALM) study included 187 people, randomized to three groups: one that drank three to six cups of caffeinated coffee a day; another that drank three to six cups of decaffeinated coffee a day; and a third, the control group, that drank no coffee.
Good neighbor relations helps prevent teen sex
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Having the right kind of neighbors can help prevent teens from having sex at an early age, according to new research.
A study in Chicago found that some teens were more likely to delay having sex if they lived in neighborhoods where the adults kept a close eye on area children.
Six gene variants predict heart muscle damage after cardiac surgery
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Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that patients with six specific variants of genes involved in the body’s immune response are significantly more likely to suffer damage of heart tissue after cardiac surgery.
These findings are important because current analytical methods cannot reliably predict who will be likely to suffer from myocardial infarction (MI), or heart tissue death after cardiac surgery. It is estimated that between 7 and 15 percent of patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery will suffer from a subsequent MI, the researchers said.
Actos lowers heart attack recurrence in diabetics
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The diabetes drug pioglitazone (Actos; Takeda) significantly reduces the risk of heart attack in type 2 diabetics who have already had a heart attack, according to the results of a new study presented here Wednesday.
At the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005, Dr. Erland Erdmann of the University of Koln, Germany, announced the findings of the PROactive study of the effects of pioglitazone on recurrent heart attack. The study involved 2,445 type 2 diabetics who had experienced a heart attack at least 6 months prior to enrollment.
Lifestyle change adds to weight-loss drug’s effect
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Obese patients who took the diet drug Meridia and received intensive weight-loss counseling lost twice as much weight as patients who only took the drug, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Nearly a third of Americans are considered overweight and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regards a diet pill as effective if it helps a 200-pound (90-kg) person lose at least 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in a year. Although most obese people need to lose far more than 10 pounds (4.5 kg), doctors contend even a moderate loss has health benefits.
Phenoxodiol Delays Tumor Progression in Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer
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A new study presented today at the International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Philadelphia shows that phenoxodiol significantly delays tumor progression in men suffering from late-stage hormone refractory prostate cancer. The meeting is sponsored by the American Association of Cancer Researchers (AACR), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).
The anti-tumor effect in this Phase Ib/IIa trial was dose-dependent. The trial was designed to end after 24 weeks of treatment, but had to be extended to the current 90 weeks because of the unexpected extended survival in some patients. Patients have been able to remain on phenoxodiol for this extended time without any evidence of toxicity.
Older people need more vitamin D, U.S. group says
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Older Americans need more vitamin D to help strengthen bones than what current guidelines recommend, a U.S. medical group said on Thursday.
Men and women age 50 and older should take about 800 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D each day - more than the 400 to 600 daily units the Institute of Medicine recommends, the American Medical Women’s Association said.
How Tiny Specks May Provide Powerful Tools Against Cancer
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They’re but a tiny speck, existing in a variety of forms: particles, tubes, shells, even a soccerball-like shape. They also share a common prefix: ‘nano,’ connoting their size, a billionth of a meter or roughly 25-millionth of an inch.
Today, cancer researchers are exploring the potential of such nanostructures to exquisitely target cancer cells without harming surrounding tissue, and to image the formation of tumors long before they have a chance to become life-threatening.
Label Change for Flomax Following Report of Cataract Surgery Complications
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Who knew that the most commonly prescribed prostate drug may complicate cataract surgery in male patients? David F. Chang, MD and John R. Campbell, MD suspected this after conducting a recently published study that examined the incidence of Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS) in their cataract surgery practices.
“Flomax does not affect vision or eye health,” said Dr. Chang. “But it blocks the dilator muscle in the iris, and during cataract surgery, the pupil needs to be dilated.”
Bird Flu and the Global Threat of Emerging Respiratory Diseases
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How serious is the threat posed by bird flu to human health? How might the virus change to spread more easily between humans? Are influenza epidemics cyclical, and can one predict when the next one will strike? What related diseases do we need to be on the look out for? And what measures are being taken to develop effective vaccines and drugs?
In a free, public lecture on Saturday, December 3, 2005 at 5:30pm in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Grace Auditorium, Dr. Kanta Subbarao will address these and many other intriguing questions about the H5N1 influenza strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
Diabetes linked with risk of sudden cardiac death
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Diabetes is a “strong” risk factor for sudden cardiac death, with the risk increasing with the severity of the disease, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.
“The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in industrialized countries is rapidly increasing, and diabetes is suspected to carry a particularly high risk for sudden cardiac death,” Dr. Xavier Jouven, of Universite Paris-5, France, and colleagues write.
Tricor disappoints in diabetes trial
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Researchers say the results of a large trial of a drug to lower triglycerides failed in its primary goal of significantly reducing heart attacks and coronary deaths among patients with type II diabetes.
But there was some good news in that patients taking Tricor, one of Abbott’s best-selling medicines, fared better than those taking placebos on a number of secondary measures, including a reduction in the need for procedures to clear clogged arteries and for laser treatments of eye disease.
It’s true! study confirms that Glucosamine and Chondroitin relieve arthritis pain
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The millions of Osteoarthritis sufferers in the world will welcome the good news that a new study has confirmed that the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin provide pain relief.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) says that the clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that the combined use of the two dietary supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin, provided significant pain relief for sufferers of the joint disease that afflicts tens of millions of Americans.
