While there are clear guidelines about the best way to treat cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the first large scale global study on cardiac care has revealed that there is a gap between what is recommended and what is practiced worldwide.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)(1), analyzes information collected by the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry, th
Sulfonylurea drugs, used in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus to lower blood sugar levels, have been suspected since the 1970s of increasing cardiovascular mortality as well.
In this careful study, some 5800 patients treated with pills for their diabetes were monitored for an average of about 5 years. Patients who were prescribed a sulfonylurea drug (chlorpropamide, tolbutamide or glyburide) experienced higher mortality rates than those who received metformin. Mortality f
Older adults who exercised at least three times a week were much less likely to develop dementia than those who were less active, according to a new study. The study did not demonstrate directly that exercise reduces risk of dementia, but it joins a growing body of observational research pointing to an association between exercise and cognitive decline, say scientists at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human
Results available in physician’s office
A simple urine test that can be interpreted in a doctor’s office can help detect nearly all recurrences of bladder cancers with a higher accuracy rate than conventional laboratory analysis of urine tests. The BladderChek test, used in conjunction with a diagnostic scope, detected 99 percent of recurring bladder cancers, according to a study in the Jan. 18 issue of JAMA.
“This is good news for patients. If you have been treated for b
To prevent possible pandemic, new methods of prevention needed
In 1918, nearly 40 million people died in a flu pandemic. Three such pandemics have occurred during the last 100 years.
When a new strain of flu infects people, the infection can spread around the world quickly. This is what could potentially happen with some new human flu viruses that come from bird flu viruses.
“Recently, some strains of bird flu viruses have infected people in Asia,” said Rob
When medics are treating trauma patients, every second counts. Yet bruises, burns, and other physical conditions often make it difficult to locate veins and administer lifesaving drugs or solutions.
A team of Georgia Tech researchers, including research engineer Francois Guillot in the School of Mechanical Engineering, is developing an inexpensive, handheld device that uses Doppler ultrasound technology to find veins quickly.
In response, a team of Georgia Institute of T
Numbers high among older women, women who have had several babies and women who have major depression
It’s a topic that is discussed so infrequently – for reasons that are easy to understand – that it may seem it isn’t much of a problem. But new research shows that fecal incontinence is prevalent among U.S. women, especially those in older age groups, those who have had numerous babies, women whose deliveries were assisted by forceps or vacuum devices, and those who ha
Tired of resigning yourself to wearing uncomfortable footwear or hunting for hours in search of the right shoes, but think a made-to-order pair will be prohibitively expensive? Think again. A European project has come up with a solution.
Around 300 people across Europe are currently wearing footwear that better fits their feet thanks to trials carried out by the ERGOSHOE project last year. Many more are likely to do the same as the European Commission-funded initiative brings it
Dental decay is one of the most common preventable health problems in children living in socially deprived areas of the UK. Children living in low-socioeconomic neighbourhoods tend to start brushing their teeth at a later age and use fluoride containing toothpaste less often and, therefore, experience higher levels of dental decay overall. As a result, rates of tooth decay in five-year-olds have not improved in the last 10 years.
A study conducted by scientists from the Oral Health Resear
Rutgers researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables.
The scientists tested turmeric, also known as curcumin, along with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance particularly abundant in a group of vegetables that includes watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi and turnips.
Regular exercise is associated with a delay in the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a Group Health Cooperative/University of Washington study that will appear in the January 17 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The study–the most definitive investigation of exercise and dementia to date–also found that the more frail a person is, the more he or she may benefit from exercise.
“Even those elderly people who did modest amounts of gentle exercise, suc
RSV, other stealth bugs often the culprit for what’s bugging you
The flu hasn’t even hit hard yet this year, but it seems like everyone’s getting sick. What’s the deal?
Simply put, there are a lot more infectious invaders besides the flu to worry about. They don’t get the big headlines, but they still knock people down for days or weeks and cause thousands of deaths each winter.
Metapneumovirus. Rhinoviruses. Coronaviruses. Parainfl
There’s one more reason not to smoke during pregnancy. A mother’s cigarette smoking increases the risk that her newborn may have extra, webbed or missing fingers or toes, according to a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Although the overall risk of these abnormalities in fingers and toes is relatively low, just half a pack of cigarettes per day increases the risk to the baby by 29 percent, compared to non-smokers. Because limbs develop very early in
Researchers at Erasmus Medical Center have demonstrated systemic spread of avian influenza virus in cats infected by respiratory, digestive, and cat-to-cat contact. The paper by Rimmelzwaan et al., “Influenza A virus (H5N1) infection in cats causes systemic disease with potential novel routes of virus spread within and between hosts,” appears in the January issue of The American Journal of Pathology and is accompanied by a commentary.
Avian influenza (H5N1) is of great concern because
In their latest finding on the brain’s role in controlling appetite and weight, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have shown that reducing levels of fatty acids in the hypothalamus causes rats to overeat and become obese. Their results suggest that restoring fatty-acid levels in the brain may be a promising way to treat obesity. The study, published in the January 15th on-line edition of Nature Neuroscience, was led by Dr. Luciano Rossetti, director of the Diabetes Resea
Healthy individuals who are at risk of Alzheimer’s disease show reduced activity in the hippocampal region of the brain when performing tasks related to forming new memories. In a study published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, individuals carrying the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele, which has previously been associated with high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), showed altered brain activity compared to APOE epsilon3 homozygotes. According to the authors of the s
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