Medical News

RSS

Initiative by world-recognized specialists in heart disease and diabetes to reduce residual vascular risk

Residual Risk Reduction Initiative (R3i) Calls for Action to Reduce the Lipid-Related Residual Vascular Risk Unaddressed by Current Standards of Care in Millions of Patients With Heart Disease and Diabetes.

10 Nov 2008

Xamiol gel provides relief for scalp psoriasis

A new, once-daily treatment gel is available on prescription today for the itching, flaking and soreness caused by the common condition scalp psoriasis.

10 Nov 2008

Chaotic vasculature hinders tumor growth

Dense networks of blood vessels thought to spur cancer's growth could actually hinder rather than promote tumor progression, according to a new study at the University of California, San Diego.

10 Nov 2008

Experts discuss organ trafficking

With the number of patients in need of organ transplants on the rise, an increasing number of patients are turning to unconventional sources for organs.

10 Nov 2008

T-cell-based strategy for HIV-1 vaccines still viable option

The question of whether or not to continue to pursue the development of T-cell-based HIV-1 vaccines has been a source of controversy following last year's widely publicized failure of the field's most promising candidate, a vaccine developed by Merck known as V520.

10 Nov 2008

Xolair (Omalizumab) shows promise in treating allergic asthma inadequately controlled by inhaled corticosteroid

Data presented today at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) show that Xolair (Omalizumab) for Subcutaneous Use significantly reduced asthma attacks in children aged six through 11 with moderate or severe persistent allergic asthma inadequately controlled with inhaled corticosteroids.

10 Nov 2008

Heart attack prevention within three months after hospitalization significantly averted future attacks

Despite substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients, prevention of recurrent heart attacks continues to be a major clinical challenge.

10 Nov 2008

Health complications for obese kidney donors

Individuals who are obese face certain risks when donating their kidneys, but their kidney function remains strong one year later, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

10 Nov 2008

Obstructive sleep apnea and sudden cardiac death

After studying the sleep characteristics of nearly 11,000 adults in an overnight sleep laboratory, Mayo Clinic researchers suggest that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) - and, in particular, the low nighttime oxygen saturation of the blood it causes - may be a risk factor for sudden cardiac death (SCD).

10 Nov 2008

Social factors increase risk of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension

Several factors, such as older age and high weight gain, are known risk factors for pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders.

10 Nov 2008

Simple brain mechanisms explain arbitrary human visual decisions

Mark Twain, a skeptic of the idea of free will, argues in his essay "What Is Man?" that humans do not command their minds or the opinions they form.

10 Nov 2008

High levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein found to be new risk factor for cardiovascular disease

A team of international researchers - including scientists from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University - have discovered that having high levels of particular protein puts patients at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

10 Nov 2008

Five key proteins form new, early-warning blood test before heart attack strikes

A team of Johns Hopkins biochemists has identified a mixed bag of five key proteins out of thousands secreted into blood draining from the heart's blood vessels that may together or in certain quantities form the basis of a far more accurate early warning test than currently in use of impending heart attack in people with severely reduced blood flow, or ischemia.

10 Nov 2008

New automotive safety systems to predict and prevent traffic accidents

A new automotive safety systems built by European researchers will alert drivers to potential hazards by using information from the car, other road users and the roadside infrastructure to predict and prevent traffic accidents.

10 Nov 2008

Rising triglyceride levels may be behind rising rates of obesity

A new 30-year analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database conducted by the National Lipid Association (NLA) indicates that while Americans are doing a better job of managing LDL or "bad" cholesterol, the percentage of adults with high triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart disease, has doubled, leaving many people at risk for potentially life-threatening events such as heart attack or stroke.

10 Nov 2008

Headphones for MP3 players interfere with heart defibrillators, pacemakers

Headphones for MP3 players placed within an inch of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) may interfere with these devices, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

10 Nov 2008

Psychiatric illness linked to stillbirth and newborn deaths

Women with a history of serious mental illness are much more likely to have babies that are stillborn or die within the first month of life, new research reveals.

From The University of Manchester 10 Nov 2008

Transition from CFC to HFA asthma inhalers

In less than 3 months, life-saving albuterol inhalers used by nearly 40 million patients with respiratory disorders will no longer be sold.

10 Nov 2008

Low-dose aspirin does not appear to reduce risk of CV events in patients with diabetes

Low-dose aspirin as primary prevention did not appear to significantly reduce the risk of a combined end point of coronary, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study in JAMA.

10 Nov 2008

Low levels of potassium in diet linked to high blood pressure

As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as important as high levels of sodium - especially among African Americans, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

10 Nov 2008