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Doctors want 'cured' HIV victim to have more tests

Doctors in the UK are urging a man to come forward for more tests after he apparently shook off the HIV virus.

13 Nov 2005

Bird flu in two Kuwait birds a far weaker strain

According to health officials in Kuwait two birds infected with avian flu have been destroyed, but it seems the strain of the virus present in the birds is weaker than the one which has killed more than 60 people in Asia.

13 Nov 2005

Newly discovered hormone obestatin could help fight obesity

They hope that the hormone, obestatin, which belongs to the same family ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite, may be a key to the fight against obesity.

13 Nov 2005

New screening test can predict Down syndrome in first trimester

According to new research, an early blood test has proven to be an accurate predictor for Down syndrome.

13 Nov 2005

BMA calls for urgent meeting with Patricia Hewitt on plans to extend prescribing powers

Mr James Johnson, Chairman of the British Medical Association, has called for an urgent meeting with Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Health, to discuss the government's proposals to extend prescribing powers to nurses and pharmacists.

10 Nov 2005

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may prevent the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with Barrett's oesophagus

Barrett’s oesophagus is a metaplastic disorder that develops in about 10% of people with chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Every year about 0.5%-1% of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus develop oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

10 Nov 2005

Use of traction to help treat low back pain has no benefit

"Traction was introduced before it was properly evaluated in high-quality randomized trials, and as an intervention is already part of usual practice,” said lead author Judy M.A. Clarke, M.D. “It is hard to convince health care providers not to use it."

10 Nov 2005

Anabolic steroids help people with HIV put on weight and muscle mass

People with HIV who are treated with anabolic steroids to prevent AIDS wasting may realize modest gains in weight and muscle mass, a new review shows.

10 Nov 2005

Hopkins study finds no "cognitive decline" after use of heart-lung machine during bypass surgery

The use of a cardiopulmonary heart pump during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery does not significantly damage such high-level mental tasks as thinking, reasoning and remembering, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers recently published in Neurology.

10 Nov 2005

Mental illness exacts "enormous toll" for U.S. businesses

A study led by a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine psychiatrist highlights the toll anxiety and depressive disorders exact on workplace performance and profits and points to employer-guaranteed specialized psychiatric care as both cost effective and humane.

10 Nov 2005

Nine percent of children allergic to almonds, pecans, cashews and other tree nuts outgrow their allergy over time

Their study, reported in the November issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, also found that clinicians can use blood levels of tree nut antibody (TN-IgE) as an accurate guideline in estimating the likelihood that a child has outgrown the allergy.

10 Nov 2005

Flu expert calls for mandatory vaccination of health care workers

Johns Hopkins' senior hospital epidemiologist and flu expert is calling for mandatory vaccination of all health care workers as the best means of protecting patients and hospital staff from widespread outbreaks of the viral illness.

10 Nov 2005

Vitamin D sufficiency may be more important than high calcium intake for maintaining calcium metabolism

Calcium intake levels of more than 800 mg/day may be unnecessary for maintaining calcium metabolism if vitamin D status is adequate, according to a study in the November 9 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

10 Nov 2005

Vacations bring good health and happiness for women

Women who take vacations frequently are less likely to become tense, depressed or tired and are more satisfied with their marriages, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wis.

10 Nov 2005

Fc gamma receptor gene variants associated with rheumatoid arthritis

People with a specific combination of variants of two genes, encoding two different receptors for the antibody Fc gamma, are three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than individuals with different variant combinations.

10 Nov 2005

Scientists identify molecular link between body fat and blood lipids

Scientists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands have discovered that a factor released from body fat, which they call Fasting-Induced Adipose Factor or FIAF, has a major impact on blood levels of HDL and triglycerides in mice.

10 Nov 2005

Sleep apnea sufferers have double the risk of stroke and death

Apparently as many as 4 percent of Americans suffer from extreme daytime fatigue because their sleep apnea forces them to repeatedly wake up if only for a second.

10 Nov 2005

Lancet warns Herceptin breast cancer drug 'over hyped'

The Lancet medical journal which is both influential and well respected, has cast some doubt on the claims that Herceptin was "a cure" for breast cancer and has attacked the hype surrounding the treatment by the Government and the media.

10 Nov 2005

Cannabis drug provides relief from rheumatoid arthritis

According to new research, a cannabis-based drug works as a painkiller and may also slow disease progression, in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

10 Nov 2005

British mother demands the right to know about teenage abortion

A British mother is presently fighting government guidelines issued last year to reduce teenage pregnancy, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases.

10 Nov 2005