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Physiotherapy no better than advice for back pain

Routine physiotherapy for mild to moderate low back pain is no more effective than a single advice session with a physiotherapist, finds a study in this week's BMJ.

23 Sep 2004

Folic acid can dramatically reduce the incidence of spina bifida and other birth defects

A study, published today in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, shows that the proportion of babies born with neural tube defects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador dropped by 78% after the Canadian Government directed that folic acid must be added to flour, cornmeal and pasta. The study supports the continuation of this food fortification strategy.

23 Sep 2004

Soy-rich foods could reduce the spread of breast cancer

Dr Pamela Magee, from the School of Biomedical Sciences, has been investigating the effects of a group of dietary compounds, found almost exclusively in soy foods, in the prevention of cancer spread

23 Sep 2004

Chronic kidney disease increases a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, or death

The retrospective cohort study evaluated the histories of more than 1.1 million adults who were patients of Kaiser Permanente between 1996 and 2000. The average age of the group studied was 52 years; 55% of the group was female.

23 Sep 2004

Promising early results in a study of a medication to treat kleptomania

Kleptomania, the guilt-ridden, impulsive stealing of inexpensive and unneeded items, often goes untreated as many who suffer from the disorder hesitate to seek help out of fear of being turned in for their illegal activities.

23 Sep 2004

Majority of parents concerned about the amount of sex and violence children are exposed to on TV

A majority of parents say they are "very" concerned about the amount of sex (60%) and violence (53%) their children are exposed to on TV

23 Sep 2004

Significance of central corneal thickness on the management of glaucoma

In a new study, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center demonstrated the significance of central corneal thickness (CCT) on the clinical management of patients with glaucoma and those suspected to have glaucoma.

23 Sep 2004

Study on the long-term health effects associated with silicone breast implants

It is estimated that between 1.5 million and 2 million women in this country have had breast implants since they first appeared on the market in 1962.

23 Sep 2004

Girls twice as likely to smoke as boys

The number of teenagers smoking remains worryingly high, with girls twice as likely as boys to take it up, according to ESRC-sponsored research tracking the habits of a large group of youngsters over the past six years.

23 Sep 2004

Study into asbestos-related disease shows need for community involvement

Conducted by researchers from the Centre for the Study of Health and Society at the University of Melbourne, the study was spurred by observation that the voices and perspectives of those most affected by asbestos disease are rarely heard in the formulation of responses to Australia’s on-going asbestos disease epidemic.

22 Sep 2004

Mediterranean diet lowers risk of all-causes of death

Individuals 70 to 90 years old who adhered to a Mediterranean-type diet and several healthy lifestyle habits had a more than 50 percent lower death rate than those who did not, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Sep 2004

Walking helps elderly men stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Elderly men who are sedentary or walk less than a quarter of a mile per day are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease compared to men who walk more than two miles per day, according to a study of over 2,200 Japanese-American men in Hawaii.

21 Sep 2004

Half of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma fail to receive the recommended dose and schedule of chemotherapy

Approximately half of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) fail to receive the recommended dose and schedule of chemotherapy, reducing their chances for remission or cure.

20 Sep 2004

Link between elevated blood sugar levels in diabetics and increased risk of life-threatening forms of cardiovascular disease

A Johns Hopkins study suggests that people with type I and type II diabetes would be well advised to monitor their blood sugar levels more than the usual twice daily to make sure that levels are not elevated over 150 milligrams per deciliter for sustained periods.

20 Sep 2004

Link between mother’s stress levels during pregnancy and the effect on the brain of her unborn baby

An intriguing link between a mother’s stress levels during pregnancy and the effect on the brain of her unborn baby is revealed in a new study of children born in Bristol, England.

20 Sep 2004

Discovery of dopamine terminal injury in brains of people with HIV dementia

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a key mechanism in the brains of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dementia.

20 Sep 2004

Tarceva plus Gemcitabine improves survival compared to Gemcitabine alone

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Genentech, Inc., and Roche announced today that results from a randomized Phase III clinical study of the investigational drug Tarceva (erlotinib HCl), in combination with gemcitabine chemotherapy met its primary endpoint of improving survival.

20 Sep 2004