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Insurance status, not race, linked to complications in patients with acute appendicitis

In what is being described as an "unexpected finding," new research suggests no correlation between a patient's race and complications with acute appendicitis.

12 Sep 2007

Drug spending caps cause some seniors to quit taking key medicines

Many seniors quit taking drugs for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure when they exceed their drug plan's yearly spending limits, according to a RAND Corporation study.

12 Sep 2007

Soft drinks alone do not affect children's weight

Soft drink consumption has increased in both the USA and the UK over the years and this has often been blamed for a rise in childhood body mass index (BMI).

12 Sep 2007

Rochester receives $1.2 million to battle rare childhood disease

"For an orphan disease like Batten, which has such a clear-cut course of deterioration and no present cure, this grant is transformative both for these families and for us, as clinicians and researchers."

12 Sep 2007

Immigrants and health care: sources of vulnerability

Expanding opportunities for immigrants to obtain legal residency and citizenship may be the best option to offer them better access to health care, according to an article published today by the RAND Corporation in the journal Health Affairs.

12 Sep 2007

Prescription labels focus on logos not instructions

The labels on most prescription drug containers highlight the pharmacy's name or logo rather than instructions on how to take the medication, reports a new study in the September 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

12 Sep 2007

Personal chaos in HIV patients' lives may be a barrier to regular medical care

Unstable and unpredictable lifestyles are significant factors in determining access to health care among low-income HIV-positive people, a new UCLA study has found.

12 Sep 2007

Parental surveys boost diagnosis abilities of pediatricians

A simple questionnaire developed at the University of Oregon and requiring no more than 15 minutes of a parent's time before or after a doctor's appointment is credited with a 224-percent increase in referrals of year-old and 2-year-old children with mild developmental delays in a yearlong study.

12 Sep 2007

National effort to preserve, restore fertility in women with cancer

The Oregon National Primate Research Center and the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine have been named to a national team of institutions hoping to preserve or restore fertility in women battling cancer.

12 Sep 2007

Novel angiogenic drugs could revolutionize treatment of peripheral arterial disease

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the market entry of novel angiogenic agents, including a future blockbuster drug from Genzyme, could revolutionize symptomatic treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

12 Sep 2007

HIV infection is on the rise among young men who have sex with men in New York City

HIV infection is on the rise among young men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City, according to preliminary data from the Health Department.

12 Sep 2007

Analysis of aspartame

A report published in the September issue of Critical Reviews in Toxicology (Volume 37, Issue 8, pp. 629-727) systematically evaluates virtually all available scientific information about aspartame and concludes that the low calorie sweetener is safe.

12 Sep 2007

New insight into breast cancer development in high-risk women

Physicians who treat women with the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 often remove their patients' ovaries to eliminate the source of estrogen they believe fuels cancer growth.

12 Sep 2007

Ultraconserved non-coding RNAs may be important in human cancer

Research here shows that an obscure form of RNA, part of the protein-making machinery in all cells, might play an important role in human cancer.

12 Sep 2007

New instrumentation to help fight obesity and diabetes

World-first equipment, made exclusively for UQ scientists, will determine how to produce food which is better for us, but still tastes good.

12 Sep 2007

Long-term use of rosiglitazone (Avandia) increases heart attack risk by more than 40 percent

An analysis of four studies involving more than 14,000 patients found that long-term use of the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) increased the risk of heart attack by 42 percent and doubled the risk of heart failure, according to a new report from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

12 Sep 2007

Higher education associated with lower cancer death rate

Having at least some education beyond high school is associated with a decreased risk of dying from cancer among black and white men and women, according to a study published online September 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

12 Sep 2007

Glycemic control medication appears to have favorable effect regarding risk of cardiovascular events

A meta-analysis of previous research suggests that use of pioglitazone, a glycemic control medication for patients with type 2 diabetes, significantly reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, but increases the risk for serious heart failure, according to an article in the September 12 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

12 Sep 2007

GlaxoSmithKline responds to Journal of the American Medical Association articles

GlaxoSmithKline believes that conclusions drawn from the most recent meta-analyses published by Drs. Nissen et. al. and Furberg et. al. in the Journal of the American Medical Association do not confirm a difference in the safety profile of Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone).

12 Sep 2007

Generic prostate drug finasteride helps find high-risk cancers early

Men now have another good reason to consider taking finasteride, a well-known generic drug that shrinks an enlarged prostate and reduces the risk of getting prostate cancer by 25 percent.

12 Sep 2007