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Exercise reduces depression

Jumping on that treadmill or bike is not only good for one's health, but also can help significantly reduce depression, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

25 Jan 2005

Eating tuna or other broiled or baked fish lowers risk of stroke in the elderly

The consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish is associated with a lower risk of stroke in the elderly, while eating fried fish or fish sandwiches is linked to a higher risk, according to an article in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jan 2005

Dietary fat quality may be more important than fat quantity in reducing risk of cardiovascular deaths in middle-aged men

The type of dietary fats consumed by middle-aged men, especially polyunsaturated fats and linoleic acids, may be more important than total fat intake in reducing the risk of cardiovascular deaths, according to a study in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jan 2005

Vioxx withdrawal raises many questions concerning drug policy

Daniel H. Solomon, M.D., M.P.H., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and Jerry Avorn, M.D., of Harvard University School of Medicine, write in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine that the withdrawal of rofecoxib (Vioxx) from the market in September 2004 by its manufacturer, Merck & Co., “raises many questions concerning drug policy, scientific evidence, and treatment alternatives.

24 Jan 2005

More studies on risks and benefits of COX-2 inhibitors

A group of studies published in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine add to the growing body of medical literature about the cardiovascular risks that may be associated with the class of pain-relieving drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors.

24 Jan 2005

Breakthrough in identifying causes and treatment for degenerative neurological diseases

A new, high resolution x-ray scanning technique that can look inside a single brain tissue cell, is a major step forward in identifying the role of iron and other metals in degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

24 Jan 2005

Phenoxodiol increases the effectiveness of Docetaxel by at least 100 times

The investigational anti- cancer drug, phenoxodiol, considerably enhances the ability of the drug, docetaxel (Taxotere(R), Sanofi-Aventis), to kill human ovarian cancer cells in the laboratory. The findings are reported in the current issue of Oncology Research.

24 Jan 2005

New blood tests to soon replace painful bone marrow biopsies for leukemia and lymphoma patients

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced today that The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has granted the company exclusive use of five proprietary blood testing methods, which, once available in the form of laboratory diagnostic tests, may eliminate the need for painful and expensive bone marrow and other tissue extractions.

24 Jan 2005

Nasogastric tube after abdominal surgery slows recovery

Routine use of a nasogastric tube after abdominal surgery, once thought to speed the return of normal intestinal functions, actually slows recovery, according to a new review of research.

24 Jan 2005

Use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries may actually increase the risk of death

The common use of anti-inflammatory steroids for traumatic head injuries like those from car crashes may actually increase the risk of death, according to a new review of studies about the treatment.

24 Jan 2005

Available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated

Currently available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated with a non-human molecule that compromises their potential therapeutic use in human subjects, according to research by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.

24 Jan 2005

Activate dendritic cells turn on biological clock

A molecule specially modified by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine can reset the biological clock for cancer vaccines, potentially making them more potent.

24 Jan 2005

Priming embryonic stem cells to fulfill their promise

Bioengineering researchers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a process to help turn embryonic stem cells into the types of specialized cells being sought as possible treatments for dozens of human diseases and health conditions.

24 Jan 2005

High blood pressure risk in African-Americans linked to genetics

National health records have shown that African-Americans are more prone to high blood pressure than Caucasians, but pinning down the roots of that difference has proven elusive. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have narrowed down the search for genes that contribute to this difference in disease risk.

24 Jan 2005

Chinese medicines may be helpful in treating side effects of chemotherapy and symptoms of flu

New research reviews hint that traditional Chinese medicines may be helpful in treating side effects of chemotherapy and symptoms of flu. For now, however, the findings remain more tantalizing than conclusive.

24 Jan 2005

Severity of liver disease not a reliable indicator of quality of life

A new study on the determination of how livers are allocated for transplants examined the relationship between liver disease severity and quality of life, and found that the commonly used model for liver allocation is not a reliable indicator of general quality of life.

24 Jan 2005