The risk is even higher -- about 3.5 times -- for men and women with dementia, which means doctors should only prescribe such medicine to these patients as a last resort, the researchers said. . . .
Reuters - August 29, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSLS53912720080828?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Men and women in their 80s and 90s sleep less and have poorer quality sleep than young individuals, but they are also less likely to report feeling unrested or overly sleepy the next day, investigators report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. . . .
Reuters - August 28, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPAT87689320080828?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease rise as people recover from brain injuries - a surprising finding that may help explain why injuries boost the risk of developing the disease, U.S. and Italian researchers said on Thursday. . . .
Reuters - August 28, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPAT87667620080828?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Excessive drinking has long been a problem in these often-impoverished populations, as reflected in what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the first national report tracking such alcohol-related deaths. . . .
Reuters - August 28, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2832388520080828?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Some of the treadmill walkers achieved major improvement despite coming into the study needing a wheelchair or walker to get around, and brain scans revealed positive brain changes following six months of such exercise, the researchers said. . . .
Reuters - August 28, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2829098620080828?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Stanford University, concerned about the influence drug companies may have on medical education, is expected to announce Tuesday that it will severely restrict industry financing of doctors' continuing education at its medical school. . . .
The New York Times - August 25, 2008
Researchers working on mice have regrown the tiny hairs in the inner ear that are crucial to hearing, and said on Wednesday their findings might lead to ways to restore hearing loss in humans. . . .
Reuters - August 27, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2749261120080827?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Researchers have transformed ordinary cells into insulin-producing cells in a living mouse, improving symptoms of diabetes in a major step towards regenerative medicine. . . .
Reuters - August 27, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2744471020080827?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The rate of throat cancer, or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, has risen steadily among white Americans over the past 3 decades, according to a new report. . . .
Reuters - August 26, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPAT67671720080826?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The findings contradict results from a 2001 clinical trial of critically ill surgical patients that found tight glucose control reduced hospital deaths by one third. . . .
Reuters - August 26, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2638081720080827?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The study, in the current edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, finds that pregnant women who develop a serious complication called pre-eclampsia -- which can lead to strokes in the mother and death for the baby -- have four times the risk that women without the condition have of developing "end-stage" kidney failure years later. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 24, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-24-pre-eclampsia-risks_N.htm?csp=34
Participation in government health insurance programs -- particularly those aimed at children -- increased from 2006 to 2007, leading to a decrease in the number of Americans lacking insurance, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday.
Overall, 45.7 million people, or 15.3 percent of U.S. residents, did not have health insurance in 2007, the bureau said in releasing reports on poverty, income and insurance. That represents a decrease from the 2006 level of 47 million, or 15.8 percent. . . .
CNN.com - August 26, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/08/26/census.uninsured/index.html?eref=rss_health
Infections may play a bigger role in premature birth than doctors have thought, says a new study that found almost one in seven women in preterm labor harbored bacteria or fungi in their amniotic fluid. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 25, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-25-premature-infections_N.htm?csp=34
DEET, the widely used mosquito repellent, does not block the insects' sense of smell but simply stinks to them, U.S. researchers reported on Monday...
Reuters.com - 8/19/2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1849399820080819?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
About a million artery-clearing angioplasties are performed in the United States each year, and the usual route is to thread a tube to the heart through an artery in the groin. Now a major study shows going through the wrist instead can significantly lower the risk of bleeding -- without the discomfort of lying flat for hours while the incision site seals up...
USAToday.com - 8/19/2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-19-angioplasty-wrist_N.htm?csp=34
Precisely targeted radiation therapy can eradicate tumors that have spread to other parts of the body, offering more months or years of life to patients who have no other options, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday...
MSNBC.co, - 8-19-2008
Allergies act up when people are anxious and under stress, and those allergic reactions are worse the second day, according to a new study reported Thursday by an Ohio State University researcher known for her work on stress and health. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 14, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-14-allergies-stress_N.htm?csp=34
The typical Medicare beneficiary can expect to see about a $3 increase in their monthly premiums for prescription drug coverage in 2009, federal officials said Thursday. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 14, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-14-medicare-premiums_N.htm?csp=34
A single injection of modified cells could halt the advance of rheumatoid arthritis, say UK scientists. . . .
BBC News - August 14, 2008
People with chronic chest pain who are not in big danger of a heart attack now may have even less reason to rush into an artery-opening angioplasty: There's more evidence drugs should be tried first and often are just as effective. . . .
CNN.com - August 13, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/08/13/drugs.stents.ap/index.html?eref=rss_health
A report on three heart transplants involving babies is focusing attention on a touchy issue in the organ donation field: When and how can someone be declared dead? . . .
The New York Times - August 13, 2008
A woman who has never shown symptoms of infection with the AIDS virus may hold the secret to defeating the virus, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - August 12, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1252379220080813?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Countries around the world may be preparing for a possible H5N1 bird flu pandemic, but another strain called H9N2 also poses a threat to humanity, researchers reported on Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - August 12, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1252379220080813?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
A significant number of U.S. veterans back from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan begin abusing alcohol after returning, perhaps to cope with traumatic memories of combat, military researchers said on Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - August 12, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1252304620080812?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Even women with serious stage III breast cancer have only a 13 percent risk of the cancer returning if they survived the first five years cancer free, researchers said . . .
Reuters - August 12, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1248209720080812?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people -- about half -- have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.
The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed. . . .
chicagotribune.com - August 12, 2008
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-ap-med-healthyobesity,0,6275895.story
An imaging method known as a PET scan may enable doctors to determine whether a person has "plaques" in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, according to a Finnish study published on Monday. . . .
Reuters - August 11, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1138227320080811?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Adults with a vitamin D deficiency are more likely to die than adults who have high levels, another indication of the nutrient's vital role in guarding against ailments from heart disease to cancer, U.S. researchers said on Monday. . . .
Reuters - August 11, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1137793120080811?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The survey, of nearly 900 U.S. primary care doctors, found that many do not follow practice guidelines on managing patients who are at elevated risk of heart and blood vessel disease. . . .
Reuters - August 8, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL86343220080808?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
This early step, using a new technique, could help speed up efforts to find treatments for some of the most confounding ailments, the scientists said.The new work was reported online Thursday in the journal Cell, and the researchers said they plan to make the cell lines readily available to other scientists. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 8, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/genetics/2008-08-08-stem-cell-disease_N.htm?csp=34
Doctors in Scotland tested a drug that stimulates ovulation and artificial insemination against doing nothing in couples who had no obvious reasons for their inability to conceive.Among the three groups, researchers found little difference in the numbers of couples who had babies. The study was published Friday in the British Medical Journal. . . .
The New York Times - August 8, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-MED-Fertility-Methods.html
What is the best way to set up an AIDS testing clinic? Which are the best drugs to give to people infected with HIV? The World Health Organization released a one-stop guidebook on Tuesday to help low- and middle-income countries seeking to battle the pandemic. . . .
Reuters - August 6, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0536984620080806?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Scientists have developed a procedure which may help end the need for transplant patients to rely on powerful anti-rejection drugs.
The complex procedure involves mixing the patient's infection-fighting white blood cells with cells from the donor. . . .
BBC News - August 6, 2008
The average time that hospital emergency rooms patients wait to see a doctor has grown from about 38 minutes to almost an hour over the past decade, according to new federal statistics released Wednesday. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 6, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-06-er_N.htm?csp=34
While the world awaits findings from new AIDS prevention trials, millions of people are becoming infected because governments are overlooking studies showing that behavior modification works, AIDS experts said Tuesday. . . .
The New York Times - August 6, 2008
Wider use of antidepressants and other prescription medications has reduced the role of psychotherapy, once the defining characteristic of psychiatric care, according to an analysis published today.
The percentage of patients who received psychotherapy fell to 28.9% in 2004-05 from 44.4% in 1996-97, the report in Archives of General Psychiatry said. . . .
Los Angeles Times - August 5, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-shrink5-2008aug05,0,5200465.story?track=rss
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which made the recommendation, reported finding evidence that the benefits of treatment based on routine screening of this age group "are small to none." However, treatment often causes "moderate-to-substantial harms," including erectile dysfunction and bladder control and bowel problems, the task force said. . . .
USATODAY.com - August 5, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-05-prostate-screening_N.htm?csp=34
In a study reported in the journal Pediatrics, overweight infants were at increased risk for developmental delays and possibly breathing problems, such as asthma. Moreover, in most cases, parents were unaware of their child's weight problem. . . .
Reuters - August 5, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL56377020080805?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
An injection of a high dose of vitamin C may be able to hold back the advance of cancers, US scientists claim. . . .
BBC News - August 4, 2008
Women given an estrogen patch in addition to their other drugs had fewer delusions and hallucinations than those who got a placebo, they said. . . .
Reuters - August 4, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0449638120080804?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The United States has significantly underreported the number of new H.I.V. infections occurring nationally each year, with a study released here on Saturday showing that the annual infection rate is 40 percent higher than previously estimated.
The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 56,300 people became newly infected with H.I.V. in 2006, compared with the 40,000 figure the agency has cited as the recent annual incidence of the disease. . . .
The New York Times - August 3, 2008
Patients with incurable cancer are often not clearly informed of what they stand to gain from palliative chemotherapy, according to the study results published in BMJ Online First. As a result, British investigators say, patients may lack sufficient knowledge make a decision based on informed consent. . . .
Reuters - August 1, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL15576720080801?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The results of a survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that only about 50 percent of newborns receive a dose of hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge.
Reuters - August 1, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL16314920080801?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
German doctors have succeeded in transplanting two complete arms onto a 54-year old man in what their hospital said was the world's first operation of this kind. . . .
Reuters - August 1, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL129506820080801?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego reported that they had found two drugs that did wonders for the athletic endurance of couch potato mice. One drug, known as Aicar, increased the mice's endurance on a treadmill by 44 percent after just four weeks of treatment.
A second drug, GW1516, supercharged the mice to a 75 percent increase in endurance but had to be combined with exercise to have any effect. . . .
The New York Times - August 1, 2008
