HIV-positive patients have shorter survival periods while awaiting liver transplants
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A new study on HIV-positive patients eligible for liver transplants found that their survival while waiting for a transplant is significantly shorter than patients who are HIV-negative. Other than infection, which caused many of the deaths, there appear to be no other factors that predict a poor outcome for these patients.
The results of this study appear in the November 2005 issue of Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS). The journal is published on behalf of the societies by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and is available online via Wiley InterScience.
Hope over cheek lung cancer test
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A simple check of cells taken from inside the cheek can help give an early warning of lung cancer, a study says.
The test by Canadian cancer research firm Perceptronix accurately predicted early stage-one lung cancer in two-thirds of cases.
Autism ‘extreme male brain’ clue
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The brain structure of people with autism is an “exaggeration” of the normal male brain, researchers suggest.
It has long been suggested that autistic behaviour is an exaggeration of male habits such as making lists.
Exercise helps elderly cut long-term risk of falls
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Research has shown that starting an exercise program can lower an elderly woman’s risk of falling, and a new study suggests the benefit can be lasting.
Researchers found that among 98 elderly women who took part in a 6-month exercise program, the risk of suffering a fall was still reduced one year after the program ended.
Low blood sugar a risk for active diabetic kids
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Children with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have an overnight drop in blood sugar on days when they get exercise, according to a new study.
In an experiment that monitored diabetic children’s nighttime blood sugar on sedentary and active days, researchers found that the risk of hypoglycemia—abnormally low blood sugar—was greater on exercise days.
Anti-clotting drug cuts heart attack deaths
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Thousands of deaths could be prevented each year by giving aspirin and another drug to prevent blood clots in patients who have suffered a heart attack, researchers said on Friday.
Each year, 10 million people worldwide have a heart attack. Aspirin is a standard emergency treatment but Dr. Zheng-Ming Chen and scientists at the University of Oxford in England found that adding the drug clopidogrel could save lives.
Shortness of Breath without Chest Pain Can Signify High Risk Heart Disease
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While most people know that chest pain can signify the presence of heart disease, it is less well known that shortness of breath can also be a serious cardiac symptom.
Now, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have found that patients with shortness of breath can have a higher risk of dying from cardiac disease than patients without symptoms, and even than patients with typical cardiac pain.
Trichomoniasis: a common STD in young US adults
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More than 2 percent of young adults in the United States have a sexually transmitted disease (STD) called trichomoniasis—including more than 10 percent of young black women, according to a new report.
Trichomoniasis, a parasitic infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, “is more common than we usually think,” Dr. William C. Miller from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Reuters Health. “We need to consider routinely testing young adults.”
FDA Panel Ponders Home HIV Test
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The pros and cons of a simple home-use HIV test were the focus of 10 hours of testimony at an FDA advisory committee meeting yesterday. Now the company that makes the test is talking to the FDA about the next step.
The OraQuick ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, developed by OraSure Technologies Inc, of Bethlehem, Pa., won FDA approval in March 2004—but not for home use.
Largest study to date on risk factors associated with primary biliary cirrhosis
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A case-control study of more than 2000 people has identified a number of factors that may induce primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in genetically susceptible individuals. These include a history of urinary tract infections, hormone replacement therapy, tobacco use, and nail polish use.
The study is published in the November 2005 issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hepatology is available online via Wiley InterScience.
Unknown Bacteria Found in Women With Vaginosis
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Women with bacterial vaginosis appear to play host to about twice as many species of bacteria as previously suspected, reported researchers here.
In addition, 19 of 35 species of bacteria detected in the vaginal fluid of women with bacterial vaginosis appear to be newly identified, reported David N. Fredericks, M.D., and colleagues of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington, both in Seattle.
Smokeless tobacco products are not necessarily a safe alternative to smoking
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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fourth of Americans are smokers. That’s more than 60 million people who are at increased for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths nationwide.
Despite the risks, many people have trouble kicking this addictive habit. As a result, health officials and doctors are trying to find less harmful alternatives to cigarette smoking. But some products, like smokeless tobacco, may not be effective replacements, according to research presented today during the American Association for Cancer Research’s 4th annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Baltimore.
Older Adults Worry About Safety of Prescription Sleep Drugs
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Worries over the safety of prescription sleep drugs may be leading many older adults to self-medicate with such homespun remedies as alcohol or soothing music, according to results of a survey released today.
In all, one in four Americans reported having a sleep problem in the national telephone survey that included 1,003 adults ages 50 or older. The results were statistically adjusted to be nationally representative.
Russia warns of risk of bird flu passing to humans
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The risk of humans becoming infected with the deadly bird flu virus will remain high over coming weeks due to bird migration patterns, Russia’s emergencies ministry said on Thursday.
The ministry said that new outbreaks of the H5N1 virus were possible in November, particularly in southern Russia as wild birds continued to migrate towards milder parts of Europe and the Middle East and into Africa.
Surgery less likely in older bladder cancer patients
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A new population-based study has found that patients 75 years of age or older with invasive bladder cancer are less likely to receive the recommended surgical treatment for the disease.
The findings “suggest in a sense some undertreatment of our older patients,” Dr. Brenda K. Edwards of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, told Reuters Health. However, she noted, the study was unable to gauge the influence of factors such as patient choice, which also could have made surgery less common among older patients.
