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Ephedra substitute - Seville orange may have risks

People taking “ephedra-free” weight loss products that contain the herb Citrus aurantium, or Seville orange, may be doing more harm to their body than good, according to a new review published by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers.

27 Aug 2004

Emergence of drug resistant influenza viruses more common than previously thought

Results of a small study from Japan in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that the emergence of influenza viruses which are resistant to a widely used influenza drug may be more common than previously thought.

26 Aug 2004

First study of the emotional turmoil caregivers experience during the transition of their loved one from home to care facilities

A new study shows that caregivers of dementia patients who must make the difficult decision to place their relatives into institutionalized care get no relief from depression and anxiety, and in fact suffer additional emotional trauma following their decision.

26 Aug 2004

1722 cases of malaria reported in the UK

New figures released by the Health Protection Agency have shown that there were 1722 cases of malaria reported in the UK in 2003, a decrease of 11% compared to 2002.

26 Aug 2004

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder high among Chernobyl children

In an extensive study of children exposed to varying levels of fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, Israeli researchers have found that Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) scores are higher among those who were in-utero at the time of the accident -- regardless of their actual level of radiation exposure.

26 Aug 2004

Study of new gene and cell therapy to better understand how genetically-engineered cells can help pace the heart

Guidant Corporation, Columbia University and Stony Brook University will collaborate to study a new gene and cell therapy that may ultimately provide better understanding of how genetically-engineered cells can help pace the heart.

26 Aug 2004

Researchers have identified a possible cause of an inherited form of Parkinson's disease

Columbia University Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers have identified a possible cause of an inherited form of Parkinson's disease, which may be related to more common forms of the disease.

26 Aug 2004

FDA reinforces use of Sustiva in first-line HIV combination therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Sustiva® (efavirenz) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include new long-term virologic and clinical data from BMS Study 006 in its prescribing information.

26 Aug 2004

Botox may help improve movement in children suffering from cerebral palsy

A product that has made headlines for its use in enhancing beauty for the “not-so-young” may help improve movement in children suffering from cerebral palsy according to a University of Auckland PhD student.

26 Aug 2004

Researchers look to make more effective drug treatments for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis isn’t yet making a major comeback in the U.S. but one- third of the world’s population is infected with the disease, and it poses a major danger to health worldwide.

26 Aug 2004

Artificial heart can keep patients awaiting heart transplant alive

The results of the nine-year study of the CardioWest Total Artificial Heart have concluded that the device prevents death in critically ill patients suffering from irreversible failure of both sides of the heart who are candidates for heart transplantation.

26 Aug 2004

Prozac helps treat adolescents with depression

The TADS researchers said that major depressive disorder is common, with one in 20 teens affected at varying levels of severity. Like other forms of depression, major depressive disorder has been associated with increased risk of suicidal behavior and with completed suicide.

26 Aug 2004

Mission to uncover the genetic make-up of Britain

The researchers will take blood from thousands of volunteers all over Britain. The samples will be used to isolate key pieces of DNA that best identify the influences – including Vikings, Saxons, and Celts – shaping regional populations.

26 Aug 2004

Mouse stem cells may help restore hearing loss in humans

The work is important because, in humans, inner ear sensory hair cells are a precious commodity. Humans are born with only about sixteen thousand of these sound detectors in each ear, which can be easily damaged by age, certain illnesses, exposure to loud sounds, and some medications. Once damaged, the cells do not easily grow back. And with the cell loss comes so-called irreversible hearing loss.

26 Aug 2004

Phase 1 clinical trial of new anticancer drug from Human Genome Sciences

Human Genome Sciences has begun dosing patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial of HGS-TR2J, a novel agonistic human monoclonal antibody to TRAIL Receptor 2, in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

25 Aug 2004

High blood pressure increased 30 percent over the last decade in the U.S.

The study found that at least 65 million Americans have hypertension, defined as blood pressure of 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher, using blood-pressure lowering medications, or having been told at least twice by a physician or other health professional that they had high blood pressure (medical history). By that definition, almost a third of U.S. adults have hypertension.

25 Aug 2004

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy reduces artery-clogging plaque

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome appears to reduce artery-clogging plaque, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

New class of compounds play a role in protecting the cardiovascular system

Half a million Americans are diagnosed each year with heart failure, a progressively debilitating condition characterized by the heart's declining ability to pump blood efficiently.

25 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

High-resolution images reveal the molecular rearrangements that rotavirus uses to break into cells

High-resolution images constructed by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School reveal the molecular rearrangements that rotavirus – the most common cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea and vomiting in children worldwide – uses to break into cells.

25 Aug 2004