Moderate to severe cases of the nighttime breathing problem known as obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23.
The study of 1,475 people found that those with moderate to severe sleep apnea at the beginning of the study were 3 to 4 times more likely to have a stroke than a comparable group of patients without sleep apnea during the n
Children living close to a major road are significantly more likely to have asthma than children who live farther away, according to a study presented today at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23.
The study found that children living within 75 meters (about 82 yards) of a major road had an almost 50 percent greater risk of having had asthma symptoms in the past year than were children who lived more than 300 meters (about 328 yards) away.
Milk consumption, stroke, and heart attack risk: evidence from the Caerphilly cohort of older men, J. Epidemiol Community Health 2005; 59: 502-5
A diet rich in milk does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and may even be protective, concludes research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The research team asked a representative sample of 764 men to weigh and record every item of food and drink they consumed for seven consecutive days. Just under 90
Patients with schizophrenia who are treated with the atypical antipsychotic SEROQUEL (Quetiapine) show significantly superior rates of treatment compliance compared to patients treated with other atypical and typical antipsychotics, according to new data presented today at the American Psychiatry Association (APA) meeting in Atlanta, USA. Additional data presented today also showed improved cognitive functioning for patients with schizophrenia who are treated with SEROQUEL.
The c
Oncologist from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Urges Partnerships to Build R & D Pipeline
Market forces alone are not sufficient to produce new drugs needed for children with cancer, according to a new report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Faced with “a near absence of research in pediatric cancer drug discovery,” the IOM report recommends forming new public-private partnerships among government, industry, researchers, advocacy groups and other parties to lead r
A new device, called a “sonic flashlight,” offers a more efficient method of ultrasound guidance to place catheters in patients that will be used for repeated doses of chemotherapy or other treatments, a preliminary study shows.
Ultrasound can be used to help guide catheters, such as peripherally inserted central catheters, into place, said Wilson Chang, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh and the lead author of the study. The difficulty occurs because the physician or nurse inse
Premenopausal women who were heavier than average at birth or had not been breastfed as infants appear to be at increased risk for developing breast cancer, epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo’s School of Public health and Health Professions have found.
Results of the study, which showed no association between birth weight and breastfeeding in infancy and postmenopausal breast-cancer risk, were reported at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meetin
Seventy-two per cent of migraine sufferers in a clinical trial experienced either ’substantial’ or ’noticeable’ improvement after a period of chiropractic treatment, defying historical skepticism of chiropractics by some medical practitioners.
The randomised clinical trial was undertaken by Dr Peter Tuchin, a chiropractor for the past 20 years, as part of his recently-completed PhD thesis at Macquarie University. “Around 22 per cent [of patients] had substanti
An online asthma management program can help asthma patients get top-rate care and overcome barriers to healthcare access, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 22.
Irvin Mayers, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, created an interactive online asthma management program that allows a Certified Asthma Educator to communicate daily with patients, provide feedback and assist
Being married or in a relationship significantly improves quality of life for prostate cancer patients following treatment, according to a study by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology. Partnered men reported better psychosocial and spiritual well-being, suffered fewer adverse effects from treatment and had less fear and anxiety about their cancer coming back than did their single counterparts, the study found. The research appears in the July 1, 2005, issue
Obesity appears to increase the risk of prostate cancer, particularly aggressive disease, and may make it harder to find, researchers say.
Smaller prostates also increase the risk of aggressive disease, they say.
Both findings are being presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association May 21-26 in San Antonio.
The obesity study examined the association between body mass index – weight to height ratio – and prostate cancer in 787 men underg
Following 60 days of ’bedrest’ simulating the effects of weightlessness on the body, the first volunteers in the WISE (Women International Space Simulation for Exploration) study have been getting back on their feet.
They all speak of having had a wonderfully enriching experience both in scientific and human terms. A press conference attended by those in charge of the study and volunteers is to be held on 2 June.
The volunteers in question are twelve women, dr
Updated Guidelines represent significant developments in terms of content, format and presentation of the latest advances in Chronic Heart Failure
Sophia Antipolis, France, 19 May 2005: Today the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) releases its new Guidelines on Chronic Heart Failure1, published in the latest edition of the European Heart Journal, official journal of the ESC and Europe’s leading cardiology journal.
The Guidelines offer up to date practical recommenda
Elderly persons with active root caries, a type of tooth decay, have an increased risk of having irregular heart beats. This study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
A total of 125 generally healthy individuals over the age of 80, living in urban, community-based populations were examined. Researchers discovered that persons with three or more active root caries had more than twice the odds of cardiac arrhythmias of those without. Researchers indicat
A computer-aided detection (CAD) system is helping radiologists to more quickly and accurately determine the sizes and locations of cancers found on breast MRI—information that could change patients’ treatment, a new study shows.
The study, undertaken at Clinica Girona in Girona, Spain, compared the CAD system to breast imaging software that comes standard with MRI machines, said Joan C. Vilanova, MD, director of the department of magnetic resonance and lead author of the study. T
Patients with suspected meniscal tears or other injuries to their knees may be able to avoid arthroscopic surgery by having a 3-Tesla MRI examination instead, two studies together indicate.
Researchers compared 3-Tesla MRI (a newer version of standard MRI) to arthroscopy and found that 3-Tesla MRI had an accuracy rate of 96% in detecting meniscal tears. The MRI examinations were able to identify 108 of the 112 meniscal tears that were found when arthroscopic surgery was perform
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