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Creatinine increase in elderly means increased renal disease, mortality

Even small increases in serum creatinine levels during hospitalization raise the risk of end stage renal disease and mortality of elderly patients over the long term, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

16 Apr 2008

Computer game helps chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients breathe better

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may gain better control over their breathing and breathe more efficiently by using their breath to play a computer game, according to new research.

16 Apr 2008

Combining liver cancer treatments doubles survival rates

By combining the use of stents and photodynamic therapy, also called SpyGlass, physicians at the University of Virginia have been able to significantly increase survival rates for patients suffering from advanced cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the liver bile duct.

16 Apr 2008

New vector carries big genes linked to inherited blindness

Some clinicians and researchers hope that individuals with inherited diseases (such as cystic fibrosis and recessive Stargardt disease, which causes progressive loss of sight) might one day be cured by providing them with a corrected version of their disease-causing faulty gene, i.e., by gene therapy.

16 Apr 2008

Chemotherapy for breast cancer and problems with memory

Women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer frequently report problems with memory and concentration, but two new studies suggest that chemotherapy is not the cause of these problems, and the stress of the diagnosis may be.

16 Apr 2008

CDC issues measles travel warning for Israel

As Americans travel to Israel for the Jewish holiday of Passover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises all travelers to ensure they are protected from measles before departing, because of a measles outbreak in Israel.

16 Apr 2008

Restricted calorie diets prevent pancreatic inflammation and cancer

Prevention of weight gain with a restricted calorie diet sharply reduced the development of pancreatic lesions that lead to cancer in preclinical research reported today by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.

16 Apr 2008

New guidelines for palliative care for children and adults

Palliative care was once reserved for patients when all curative options had been exhausted and death was imminent, but now it is considered an integral part of the care that should be available to patients with serious respiratory disorders and critical illnesses.

16 Apr 2008

Antipsychotic drugs increase risk of developing pneumonia in elderly

Elderly patients who use antipsychotic drugs have a 60 percent increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to non-users.

16 Apr 2008

Alcon's PATANASE nasal spray approved by FDA for treatment of nasal allergy symptoms

Alcon, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PATANASE(R) (olopatadine hydrochloride) nasal spray for the relief of the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis in patients 12 years of age and older.

16 Apr 2008

Short-term effects of outdoor pollution levels on asthma symptoms and lung function in children

A new study reports that inner-city children with asthma may be particularly vulnerable to air pollution at levels below current air quality standards.

16 Apr 2008

Two new clinical trials show promise for basal cell carcinoma and pancreatic cancer

Clinical researchers at Scottsdale Healthcare and TGen have announced the results of two clinical trials that show promise for patients battling cancer.

16 Apr 2008

Traditional dress protects ethnic girls from emotional problems

New research from Britain suggests that teenage girls from some minority communities who adhere to their family customs have better mental health.

16 Apr 2008

Special asthma equipment a waste of money

Researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration research group have reviewed 54 studies in order to assess just how well specialist asthma equipment worked; the studies involved over 3,000 people.

16 Apr 2008

Claim that contraceptive implants are given to underage aboriginal girls rejected

Queensland Health has rejected accusations that GPs are giving contraceptive implants to young girls without parental consent.

16 Apr 2008

Want a new hospital? Well sell the airport!

Money raised by the Queensland Government's sale of Cairns and Mackay airports and the Port of Brisbane Authority's share of Brisbane Airport will apparently be used to build new hospitals in north Queensland.

16 Apr 2008

Health warning from Britain about vitamin supplements

Health authorities in Britain have issued a warning regarding Vitamin supplements, they say they are probably ineffective and are possibly harmful.

16 Apr 2008

Promising Australian cancer drug on show in the U.S.

A cancer drug in the process of being developed by two Australian companies has shown promising results in preliminary trials on animals.

16 Apr 2008

Mushroom extract used in Chinese medicine stops growth of invasive breast cancer cells

Scientists in the U.S. have discovered that a substance derived from mushrooms and used for centuries in Chinese medicine may stop the growth of breast cancer cells.

16 Apr 2008

Surgery successful in removing Indonesian man's disfiguring bark-like warts

An Indonesian man so badly disfigured by warts that he has been dubbed the Tree Man of Java has had surgery to remove the bark like tissue growing from his hands and feet.

16 Apr 2008