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New multilingual chronic obstructive pulmonary disease website

The European Respiratory Society has launched a new multilingual website specifically targeted at patients with chronic bronchitis, emphysema or other “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease” (COPD), group of conditions in which the patient has an expiratory airflow obstruction that causes air to become trapped in the lung and limit the ability to exhale.

5 Sep 2004

Researchers unravel genetic makeup of ticks to tackle disease

Ticks as small as a freckle can transmit a number of illnesses for which there is no vaccine and, in some cases, no cure. These creatures even could become bioterrorism weapons.

4 Sep 2004

First step in using gene therapy to treat glaucoma

Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated they can permanently transfer a functioning gene to targeted tissues within the eye.

2 Sep 2004

Doctors have a horrible track record in their profession of recognizing physicians with difficult personalities and dealing with them effectively

Some doctors yell and scream. Some throw surgical instruments. They berate nurses, other health care workers and even patients with snide remarks and insults.

2 Sep 2004

International research sheds light on Escherichia coli

An unprecedented picture of how bacteria latch on to human cells has been published by UK, French and US scientists. They have produced a finely detailed model of one of the tools used by some of the nastiest varieties of the stomach bug, Escherichia coli, to stick to and gain entry to host cells.

1 Sep 2004

Are Latin America and the Caribbean ready to meet the health challenges of the coming senior boom?

Advances in medicine and public health have dramatically increased life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.But is the region ready to meet the challenges of the coming "senior boom"?

31 Aug 2004

Study suggests that patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension may benefit from Thelin therapy

Encysive Pharmaceuticals today announced the presentation of data from a clinical study of Thelin(TM) (sitaxsentan) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), at the European Society of Cardiology Annual Congress in Munich.

31 Aug 2004

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may have suffered from Tourette's Syndrome

A documentary to be screened in October by Britain's Channel 4 television network, suggests that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may have suffered from Tourette's Syndrome.

31 Aug 2004

Young adults ate and smoked more in the 1990s

Young adults, apparently believing they are immune from risk, had large increases in smoking and obesity and had continued poor eating habits during the 1990s, according to surveys of more than 120,000 people.

31 Aug 2004

Medicare approves University of Kentucky lung transplants

University of Kentucky Hospital Transplant Center recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for payment by Medicare for lung transplants. With this approval, all solid lung transplants performed at UK are now Medicare approved.

30 Aug 2004

Surgery for angina in the elderly provides long-term mortality

Elderly people who undergo surgery or angioplasty to treat chest pain fare just as well long-term as those treated with medication, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Aug 2004

Common enzyme acts as a natural brake to prevent potentially deadly runaway inflammation

An enzyme found in nearly all animal and human cells acts as a natural brake to prevent potentially deadly runaway inflammation, UCSF scientists have discovered.

30 Aug 2004

U.S. FDA study shows Canadian drugs to be more expensive

If you think all drugs from Canada are cheaper than U.S. drugs, think again. In the United States, generic drugs - roughly half of all prescriptions - are often cheaper than both Canadian brand-name drugs and Canadian generic drugs, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration.

29 Aug 2004

Solid evidence that best treatment for multiple sclerosis is pregnancy

For years, doctors have suggested the best treatment for multiple sclerosis is pregnancy. Now, an Oregon study is delivering solid evidence to support the theory.

27 Aug 2004

Doctors urge Government to 'wake up' to new sleep apnoea bill

“Heavy snoring and sleep apnoea used to be seen as a laughing matter – but this new bill underlines the fact that the condition is no joke.

26 Aug 2004

Scientists have discovered a protein that could be the key to finding a cure for asthma

Scientists at the University's Department of Pharmacology and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research have discovered a protein produced in human lung cells that could be the key to finding a cure for asthma.

25 Aug 2004

Children who take steroid drugs for nephrotic syndrome do not suffer bone loss

Childhood nephrotic syndrome, which affects 3 out of 100,000 children, is the most common chronic kidney disease in children. Although it does not impair kidney function, it weakens the body's ability to remove water and salt from the blood, and causes swelling in the belly, legs, and around the eyes.

25 Aug 2004

Diabetes and heart disease may stem from fat you can't see

Becoming fat brings conspicuous changes to the shape of the human body, but pioneering research in the Department of Medicine at Flinders University, Australia is working on the theory that the obvious "spare tyre" may not be the major culprit in fat-related diseases.

24 Aug 2004

Sugar Association disputes sucrose ties to obesity

In a letter published in the August 21 issue of the journal The Lancet, Dr. Charles Baker, Vice President Scientific Affairs for the Sugar Association, outlined his rebuttal to a viewpoint published in The Lancet in March, 2004 that obesity is linked to increased sweetener consumption.

23 Aug 2004

Study finds no link between dental amalgam fillings containing mercury and disease

A new study into whether dental amalgam fillings containing mercury are hazardous to health has found little evidence of an association between amalgam and disease.

23 Aug 2004