February 2009 Archives

What's the best way to lose weight - load up on proteins and cut carbohydrates? Keep the good carbs and just trim fats? Or build "healthful" fats into your diet?
Scientists now say it doesn't matter as long as you consume fewer calories.
A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine tested four different diets and found that participants lost similar amounts of weight on each of them. . . .

baltimoresun.com - February 26, 2009

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.md.diet26feb26,0,745081.story?track=rss

New research suggests that high levels of calcium in the bloodstream may increase a man's risk of dying from prostate cancer. If verified in future studies, determining levels of calcium in blood could assist doctors and patients in making decisions regarding treatment. . . .

Reuters - February 27, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51Q4BE20090227?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Antidepressants and psychological therapies, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), appear to provide relief from irritable bowel syndrome, at least in the short-term, according to published studies.
Antidepressants appear to help calm irritable bowels independently of any improvement in coexisting depression, the researchers report in the journal Gut. . . .

Reuters - February 27, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51Q45120090227?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Nearly half of the guidelines issued to cardiologists by the country's leading heart organizations are based on low levels of evidence, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. . . .

CNN.com - February 26, 2009

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/26/heart.guidelines/index.html?eref=rss_health

Two existing drugs used in combination appear to offer great promise against the most dangerous form of tuberculosis, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. . . .

Reuters - February 26, 2008

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51P6DB20090226?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

The AIDS virus is quickly adapting across large groups of people to avoid triggering the human immune system, posing another challenge in the search for a potential vaccine, researchers said on Wednesday. . . .

Reuters - February 25, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51O62220090225?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

A new study involving nearly 1.3 million middle-aged British women -- the largest ever to examine alcohol and cancer in women -- found that just one glass of chardonnay, a single beer or any other type of alcoholic drink per day increases the risk of a variety of cancers. . . .

The Washington Post - February 25, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/24/AR2009022402361.html?wprss=rss_health

Pregnant women and new moms with diabetes are nearly twice as likely as other women to become depressed, putting both mother and baby at risk, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. . . .

Reuters - February 24, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2442131420090224?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Health spending will hit $2.5 trillion this year, devouring 17.6 percent of the economy, as the White House and Congress consider major changes to the healthcare system, U.S. government economists said on Tuesday.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as CMS, forecast that the share of the economy devoted to health spending will jump a full percentage point from 2008. That would mark the biggest one-year increase recorded since the government began tracking the data in 1960. . . .

Reuters - February 24, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51N0W120090224?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

More Americans will lose their health insurance as the economy weakens, health care becomes more expensive and fewer employers offer coverage, the U.S. Institute of Medicine said in a report on Tuesday.
The institute, an independent research organization that advises U.S. policymakers, said safety-net services such as charity care and hospital emergency rooms cannot be relied upon to meet the needs of people without insurance. . . .

Reuters - February 24, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51N4JV20090224?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Small fragments of genetic material in the blood may offer an early-warning sign that drugs are causing harm to the liver, U.S. researchers said on Monday. . . .

Reuters - February 23, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51M7KA20090223?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Calcium is vital for bone health, and may be important for reducing colorectal cancer risk, too, according to a U.S. study published on Monday. . . .

Reuters - February 23, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51M7BJ20090223?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Infertile men are nearly three times more likely to develop testicular cancer than those who are fertile, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
The finding suggests a common source for both problems, perhaps errors in the way the body tries to repair damage to genetic material or environmental factors, Dr. Thomas Walsh and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco reported. . . .

Reuters - February 23, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51M70D20090223?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Colon cancer patients who seek out more information about their care are more likely to be prescribed cutting-edge, expensive medications that aren't necessarily the best drugs for them, new research shows. . . .

Reuters - February 23, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51M6T320090223?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

A severe brain injury puts people at high risk of epilepsy for more than a decade after they are first hurt, a finding that suggests there may be a window to prevent the condition, researchers said on Monday.
A Danish team found that the odds of epilepsy more than doubled after mild brain injury or skull fracture and was seven times more likely in patients with serious brain injury. . . .

Reuters - February 23, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51M6H620090223?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

The concept of better late than never does not apply when it comes to reopening blocked heart arteries, researchers reported on Wednesday.
A new international study found that when doctors try to use stents to prop open a closed artery days after an untreated heart attack, patients do no better long-term than patients who simply received drugs and other nonsurgical treatment. . . .

Reuters - February 18, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51H7D020090218?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Younger adults arriving in hospital emergency rooms after a stroke are sometimes misdiagnosed with a range of conditions including vertigo and migraine headaches, researchers said on Wednesday.
Because the typical stroke victim is age 55 or older, an emergency room's staff may not suspect a stroke when a patient under 45 arrives with telltale symptoms, the researchers said. . . .

Reuters - February 18, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51H7JP20090218?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

A new system for predicting the proper dose of the blood thinner warfarin could help doctors do a better job of preventing dangerous blood clots and serious bleeding, researchers reported on Wednesday. . . .

Reuters - February 18, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51H7DF20090218?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Blacks are more likely to develop cancer and die from the disease than any other group, according to a report released today. Black patients also live a shorter time after diagnosis than others.
Death rates have fallen in recent decades for all groups, and the gap between the races has fluctuated over the years. Yet the gap between blacks and whites is just as wide today as it was in 1981, report co-author Ahmedin Jemal says. . .

Reuters - February 17, 2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-17-cancer-deaths-race_N.htm?csp=34

While rates of drug-resistant staph infections appear to be on the rise in society in general, hospitals are making progress at curbing at least one source of infection in some of their sickest patients, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.
Rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, known as MRSA, caused by tubes used to give drugs and fluids to intensive-care patients fell nearly 50 percent between 1997 and 2007, Dr. Deron Burton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. . . .

Reuters - February 17, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51G69D20090217?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Those "brief" summaries in direct-to-consumer drug ads can take up a whole magazine page -- and consumers who slog through that fine print might run the other way, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
Three Dartmouth internists think they have a better idea. In a study posted today by the Annals of Internal Medicine, they compared real DTC ads with ads in which a concise "drug facts box" replaced the summary. . . .

USATODAY.com - February 16, 2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-16-drug-facts_N.htm?csp=34

Many novice nurses. . . are thrown into hospitals with little direct supervision, quickly forced to juggle multiple patients and make critical decisions for the first time in their careers. About 1 in 5 newly licensed nurses quits within a year, according to one national study. . . .

USATODAY.com - February 15, 2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-15-nursing-shortage_N.htm?csp=34

Two genes that help the body get rid of excess sodium may be important causes of high blood pressure, U.S. scientists reported on Sunday.
They found that people with two particular variants of the genes were at higher risk for high blood pressure. . . .

Reuters - February 15, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51E1IG20090215?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Outcomes following commonly performed heart procedures appear to have improved since the mid-1990s, researchers report based on data they analyzed. . . .

Reuters - February 16, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51F2SS20090216?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

The $787 billion economic stimulus bill approved by Congress will, for the first time, provide substantial amounts of money for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness. . . .

The New York Times - February 15, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/health/policy/16health.html

Many people with lower back pain caused by spinal disc degeneration need not resort to surgery for relief, according to a research review.
In fact, researchers say, non-invasive treatments -- including physical therapy and anti-inflammatory painkillers -- should be the first, and often only, measure for most people with the problem. . . .

Reuters - February 13, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51C50X20090213?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Researchers who mapped the DNA of more than 100 different cold viruses said on Thursday they discovered a shortcut in their life cycle, which may explain why they can inflict misery so quickly.
They also believe they may find ways to design drugs to fight the rhinoviruses, which use their single gene to move rapidly from person to person, causing symptoms that range from irritating sniffles to pneumonia.
Instead of designing one drug to cure the common cold, several may be needed because the virus mutates so efficiently, said Dr. Stephen Liggett of the University of Maryland medical school, who led the study published in the journal Science. . . .

Reuters - February 12, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51B65R20090212?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

A new interactive online tool can help older Americans assess their risk for developing colon cancer. The catch is that it only works for whites. . . .

The New York Times - February 12, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/health/12cancer.html

Obese women are more likely to have babies with rare but serious birth defects, including spina bifida and other neural tube defects, and to a lesser degree heart anomalies, cleft palate and hydrocephaly, a new study confirms. . . .

The New York Times - February 12, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/health/13obesity.html

The rate at which people with dementia lose their memory differs significantly according to the type of dementia they have, new research from France suggests. The research also highlights the importance of early health care in elderly people who develop dementia.
After Alzheimer's disease (AD) alone, AD with cerebrovascular disease and vascular dementia are the leading causes of dementia. Vascular dementia is often associated with stroke. High blood pressure and smoking are risk factors. . . .

Reuters - February 11, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51A70Y20090211?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Taking aspirin daily may cut one's chances of developing the polyps that can lead to colorectal cancer, giving people at high risk for the disease a useful preventive tool, researchers said on Tuesday. . . .

Reuters - February 10, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5197EY20090210?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Pfizer, the drug maker, said Monday that it would begin disclosing all sizable payments it makes to doctors, including those who test experimental drugs in people.
The disclosures would begin early next year and are planned to include all payments exceeding $500 in a year to medical personnel who prescribe drugs, the company said. . . .

The New York Times - February 9, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/business/10drug.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Many doctors may lose their ability to prescribe 24 popular narcotics as part of a new effort to reduce the deaths and injuries that result from these medicines' inappropriate use, federal drug officials announced Monday.
A new control program will result in further restrictions on the prescribing, dispensing and distribution of extended-release opioids like OxyContin, fentanyl patches, methadone tablets and some morphine tablets. . . .

The New York Times - February 9, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/health/policy/10fda.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Among women who are at risk of delivering prematurely, treatment with magnesium sulfate reduces the risk of cerebral palsy in the offspring,
"For infants born very premature, there is a high risk of cerebral palsy," study co-author Dr. Caroline Crowther, from the University of Adelaide, Australia, said in a statement. "This new Cochrane review shows there is now evidence to support giving magnesium sulfate therapy to women at risk of very preterm birth to increase their unborn baby's chance of survival, free of cerebral palsy." . . .

Reuters - February 6, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5155CC20090206?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Routine use of costly X-ray, MRI and CT scans on patients with lower back pain may be unnecessary and, in the case of two of the tests, expose people to low-dose radiation, researchers said on Thursday. . . .

Reuters - February 6, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5154T420090206?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

In patients with chronic kidney disease that has not yet advanced, elevated levels of a protein called neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the urine and blood is a strong and independent predictor of disease progression, researchers from Italy report.
Massive amounts of NGAL are released from kidney tubular cells after various injuries to the kidney, Dr. Michele Buemi and colleagues from University of Messina explain in their report published online ahead of print in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. . . .

Reuters - February 6, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5154GR20090206?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

A highly contagious respiratory virus is far more widespread among children than once thought and puts more of them in the hospital than influenza, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
They projected that the respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, affects 2.1 million children under the age of 5 each year. . . .

Reuters - February 4, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5137D620090204?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans. . . .

The New York Times - February 4, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05health.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Studies repeatedly have linked long-term use of postmenopausal hormones to an increased risk of breast cancer, but new research suggests that the risk falls markedly within two years of quitting treatment. . . .

USATODAY.com - February 4, 2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-04-hormones-cancer_N.htm?csp=34

Smoking during pregnancy reduces blood flow to the developing fetus and, in turn, retards growth, new research suggests. . . .

Reuters - February 3, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5125GH20090203?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

People over 60 years old who have had a fracture because of reduced bone density, or osteoporosis, face a higher risk of death over the next 10 years, a study in Australia has found. . . .

Reuters - February 3, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51271H20090203?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Dialysis patients who live at higher altitudes survive severe kidney disease better than patients living at lower elevations, thanks to changes in the body at greater elevations, researchers said on Tuesday. . . .

Reuters - February 3, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51271A20090203?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Doctors should be judicious in their use of X-ray heart imaging techniques and avoid their routine use to screen for cardiac problems, a leading U.S. medical group said on Monday.
The American Heart Association urged doctors to weigh risks and benefits carefully in ordering diagnostic tests such as computed tomography, or CT, angiograms and nuclear stress tests in order to minimize the doses of ionizing radiation.
Such low-dose radiation has the potential to cause cancer. . . .

Reuters - February 2, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5115WX20090202?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Insulin appears to shield the brain from toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday, supporting a theory that Alzheimer's may be a third form of diabetes. . . .

Reuters - February 2, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5115YS20090202?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

In what is being heralded as a "first-ever procedure," surgeons removed a healthy kidney through a donor's vagina, the Johns Hopkins Medical Center has announced.
Although the procedure has been previously done to extract cancerous and nonfunctioning kidneys that threatened a patient's health, the January 29 surgery was the first time it was done for donation purposes, the center said in a news release issued Monday. . . .

CNN.com - February 3, 2009

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/03/kidney.vagina.surgery/index.html?eref=rss_health

The quickest and cheapest screening test for colorectal cancer is far from perfect, and according to a new study there are at least a half-dozen equally simple tests, not widely used in the United States, that are more reliable. . . .

The New York Times - January 30, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/health/research/03colon.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

As glucose levels rise, cognitive function declines in patients who have type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors, according to a report in the current issue of Diabetes Care. . . .

Reuters - February 2, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5115CC20090202?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Spiking and sinking levels of a hormone that prepares a pregnant woman for the strain of childbirth may hold the key to why some women suffer postpartum depression, researchers said on Monday.
In a study of 100 women, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found 12 out of 16 women who had postpartum depression also had high levels of a hormone circulating in the placenta midway through pregnancy.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH, is normally produced in tiny amounts by the hypothalamus near the brain in response to stress. . . .

Reuters - February 2, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5115Q820090202?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Two new studies indicate that the threshold of what doctors consider "normal" levels of bad cholesterol, or LDL, may be too high, leaving thousands of people vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes. . . .

Reuters - February 2, 2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-01-bad-cholesterol_N.htm?csp=34