Medical News

RSS

Rheumatoid arthritis is on the upswing among women

After four decades on the decline, rheumatoid arthritis is on the upswing among women in the United States. That's the finding presented by Mayo Clinic investigators at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals in San Francisco.

27 Oct 2008

New research will explore how children with Down syndrome learn

Researchers in the U.S. say there is little information or research on how children with Down syndrome learn, especially when it comes to reading and language.

27 Oct 2008

The sooner the better when it comes to HIV/AIDS treatment

New research into HIV/AIDS therapy has found that starting treatment with drugs for the AIDS virus may be better sooner than later as victims are more than 70% less likely to die when they started taking cocktails of HIV drugs earlier than currently recommended.

27 Oct 2008

Universal test for genetic diseases in unborn children in the pipeline

A team of British scientists have developed a ground-breaking new test to screen for genetic diseases in unborn children.

27 Oct 2008

Warnings in NSW of whooping cough outbreak

An outbreak of whooping cough in New South Wales is causing some concern - the NSW Health Department says infection rates have soared from 2,000 cases last year, to 3,800 cases this year, and the increase is more so in some areas.

27 Oct 2008

Purple tomatoes the latest in the arsenal against cancer

British scientists have developed purple tomatoes which they believe may possibly help fight cancer.

27 Oct 2008

Transsexual genes identified

Australian scientists believe they have identified a significant link between a gene involved in testosterone and male-to-female transsexualism.

27 Oct 2008

Cigarette drink to beat smoking bans

A drink is being launched in Britain which apparently delivers the same fix as a cigarette.

27 Oct 2008

New gout drug offers hope for those who have exhausted treatment options

Researchers in the U.S. say a new drug effectively treats serious cases of gout - the drug called pegloticase mimics a blood-clearing enzyme missing in humans and helps remove the build up in uric acid, which causes the painful, needle-like crystals to collect around fingers, toes and other joints.

27 Oct 2008

New drugs the next casualty of the credit crunch

Scientists at an international conference have been warned that the next casualty of the credit crunch could be new drugs.

27 Oct 2008

Feeling itchy? it may be stress!

German and Canadian researchers are suggesting that stress may make people itch - they say stress possibly activates immune cells in the skin and inflames it.

27 Oct 2008

Groundbreaking study to examine how children with Down syndrome learn

Researchers at the University of Denver (DU) Morgridge College of Education are conducting a groundbreaking study that will compare two early literacy intervention approaches to educating young children with Down syndrome. The Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Educational Fund is funding the study, which hopes to improve teaching methods for children with the condition.

26 Oct 2008

Rapid HIV testing in the emergency department boosts diagnoses, screening

One in every 50 people screened for a suspected sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Hospital was found to be infected with HIV using a rapid blood sample screening test.

26 Oct 2008

Exercise-induced fatigue in muscular dystrophies, study points to potential new therapies

A University of Iowa study suggests that the prolonged fatigue after mild exercise that occurs in people with many forms of muscular dystrophy is distinct from the inherent muscle weakness caused by the disease.

26 Oct 2008

Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza offers important flu protection to newborns

Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may shelter unprotected children from the flu, a virus that can be life-threatening to infants, according to researchers at Duke Children's Hospital.

26 Oct 2008

First-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Rheumatologists, dermatologists, and patient advocates have come together to publish the first-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, a disease that mainly affects people who have psoriasis but also some people without it.

26 Oct 2008

Gardasil safety questioned, CDC urged to back up statement with data

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publicly release the study design, data and names of principal investigators involved in a statement this week maintaining that Gardasil vaccine is safe with no serious side effects.

26 Oct 2008

Targanta Therapeutics presents preclinical data on Oritavancin against Clostridium difficile infection

Targanta Therapeutics Corporation has released the in vivo data from a preclinical study comparing the activity of its antibiotic drug candidate, oritavancin, to vancomycin in a hamster model of Clostridium difficile infection.

26 Oct 2008

Kamada completes final analysis of phase III trial with intravenous Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT), for hereditary AAT deficiency

Kamada has announced that it has completed the final analysis of its US Phase III trial with intravenous Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT), for hereditary AAT deficiency.

26 Oct 2008

Human rhinovirus found to manipulate genes

Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds. But in reality, it's not the virus itself but HRV's ability to manipulate your genes that is the true cause of some of the most annoying cold symptoms.

26 Oct 2008