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Old cardiac drug performs new tricks

An animal study has shown that the anti-angina drug ranolazine could significantly reduce the number of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.

8 Aug 2012

‘Green’ disinfectant shows promise against hospital-acquired infections

Research shows that the polyhexamethylene-guanidine hydrochloride-based disinfectant Akwaton effectively destroys Bacillus subtilis spores even at low concentrations.

8 Aug 2012

Steroid induced Cushing’s warning

People who develop Cushing’s syndrome as a result of taking systemic glucocorticoids are at very high risk of cardiovascular disease, warn researchers.

8 Aug 2012

Prostate cancer cells can be killed by theranostic imaging without harming healthy cells

Experimenting with human prostate cancer cells and mice, cancer imaging experts at Johns Hopkins say they have developed a method for finding and killing malignant cells while sparing healthy ones.

8 Aug 2012

About half of adults with type 2 diabetes experience acute and chronic pain

Almost half of adults with type 2 diabetes report acute and chronic pain, and close to one quarter report neuropathy, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance and physical or emotional disability, according to a study of more than 13,000 adults conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA. The researchers also found significant rates of shortness of breath, nausea and constipation.

8 Aug 2012

Greening vacant lots may reduce violent crime

Greening vacant lots may make neighborhood residents feel safer and may be associated with reductions in certain gun crimes, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

8 Aug 2012

Plain packaging of cigarettes may help draw attention of adolescent smokers to health warnings

New research published online in the scientific journal Addiction shows that plain packaging (requiring cigarettes to be packaged in standard packages without attractive designs and imagery) may help to draw the attention of some adolescent smokers to the health warnings on the package. If so, this may in turn deter young smokers from continuing to smoke.

8 Aug 2012

Drug research “innovation crisis” is a myth

The widely touted “innovation crisis” in pharmaceutical research is a myth, argue experts in an article published on bmj.com today.

8 Aug 2012

Healthy diets may increase children’s IQ

Children fed healthy diets in early age may have a slightly higher IQ, while those on heavier junk food diets may have a slightly reduced IQ, according to new research from the University of Adelaide.

8 Aug 2012

Leptin polymorphism combinations influence BMI in Chinese

The presence of genetic variants in both the leptin gene and the gene for its receptor may predispose Chinese individuals to obesity, report researchers.

7 Aug 2012

Migrant access to GPs lacking

Migrants newly arriving in the UK need better access to GPs and primary care services, say experts from the Health Protection Agency.

7 Aug 2012

Study signals biomarker hope for monitoring COPD

The biomarkers desmosines and C-reactive protein could be used to assess disease severity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, show the results of a Swedish study.

7 Aug 2012

Children with negative TB skin test at high risk for mortality

Children with clinical signs of tuberculosis but with a negative tuberculin skin test result should not have treatment delayed, suggest study findings showing that false-negatives are common and associated with high mortality.

7 Aug 2012

Early maladaptive schemas play role in bipolar disorder functionality

Results from a Danish study suggest that seven early maladaptive schemas play a significant role in functional impairment among patients with bipolar disorder.

7 Aug 2012

Taking the heat out of tonsillectomy

Cooling of the spaces in which the tonsils are lodged during tonsillectomy, reduces post-operative pain and accelerates healing, report researchers.

7 Aug 2012

Cryotherapy effective for treating frozen shoulder

In patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder, the addition of whole-body cryotherapy to physical therapy and joint mobilization appears to be more effective than the latter two alone, research shows.

7 Aug 2012

Gut microbiota drive metabolic changes in pregnancy

Changes in gut microbiota during pregnancy result in unfavorable metabolic changes that are actually beneficial to a pregnant woman and her developing baby, shows research published in Cell.

7 Aug 2012

Back pain sufferers show quick response to chiropractic therapy

Patients with low back pain undergoing chiropractic treatment who respond to treatment are likely to improve very quickly, study findings show.

7 Aug 2012

Frailty may explain early dialysis initiation and mortality link

A high prevalence of frailty among patients starting dialysis may help to explain why early dialysis initiation in chronic kidney disease is associated with a reported increase in mortality, say US researchers.

7 Aug 2012

Patient-centered model of healthcare could improve ethics of medicine

The patient-centered medical home model of healthcare includes principles of medical ethics and professionalism that could reinvigorate the patient‑physician relationship and enhance the ethical practice of medicine, suggest members of the American College of Physicians.

7 Aug 2012