Blondes and redheads not only are more susceptible to skin cancer, but the source of their skin and hair pigmentation, melanin, actually magnifies the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays, according to a study published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Melanin filters out UV radiation, but the melanin in hair follicles, particularly in light hair, actually increases the sun damaging effects of UV rays and causes cell death in the hair
A University of Michigan influenza expert is beginning a three-year direct comparison of the effectiveness of flu shots versus nasal spray flu vaccine.
Flu shots have been around since World War II, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long recommended shots as a way to prevent influenza in the elderly. The approval of a new nasal spray vaccine begs the question whether those looking to stave off the flu should stick with the tried and true injection or s
Duke University Medical Center researchers have shown that they can stimulate the body to produce its own naturally occurring growth factors to promote blood vessel growth into tissue damaged by peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD). They said their finding could offer a new approach to treating the disease, which rivals coronary artery disease in its prevalence and health impact.
The researchers injected into rabbits with a version of PAOD a gene-carrying molecule, c
Using reconstituted blood – packed red cells and fresh-frozen plasma that are mixed in the operating room just before use – for heart bypass surgery in infants works better than using fresh whole blood, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Children’s Medical Center Dallas have found.
Babies who received the reconstituted blood during surgery to repair congenital heart defects on average had shorter stays in the intensive care unit and spent less time
Three University of Chicago geriatricians are calling for creative and wide-reaching solutions to the problem of sub-optimal end-of-life care for patients with dementia. An estimated 500,000 people die every year in the United States suffering from Alzheimer’s or related diseases and many of them receive inadequate pain control, are subjected to ineffective and invasive therapies such as tube feedings, and do not receive the benefits of hospice care.
“The nature of the illn
A new antidepressant medication is an effective treatment for diminishing hot flashes in men who are receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer, Mayo Clinic researchers report in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
The five-week study followed 18 men who completed the therapy, illustrating that their hot flashes decreased from 6.2 per day to 2.5 per day. Hot flash scores, the frequency multiplied by the severity, decreased in the same period from 10.6 per day to 3 per d
A novel treatment using a common anesthetic drug has shown success in reducing the severe pain caused by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), according to a study published in the September 2004 issue of Pain Medicine. CRPS, a disorder that can be associated with chronic pain resistant to conventional therapies, affects between 1.5 and 7 million people in the United States. CRPS is sometimes also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).
“This pain disorder can be very dif
Standards of volume that limit angioplasty procedures to more experienced hospitals and physicians will not require most patients to travel longer distances for care, according to a new study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center and Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. The findings should allay concerns about the effects of such standards on access to care for heart patients living in rural or remote areas, the researchers said.
Angioplasty opens coronary arteries c
With fewer than 1 in 3 Americans with hypertension successfully controlling his or her blood pressure, medication, diet and exercise might not be enough. Now, a promising new non-drug treatment offers an additional approach.
High blood pressure was significantly decreased using a new interactive breathing device, RESPeRATE®, according to a study published in this month’s edition of the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.
The multi-center randomized controlled study of
A study from the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, found that 10 or more years of mobile phone use increase the risk of acoustic neuroma and that the risk increase was confined to the side of the head where the phone was usually held. No indications of an increased risk for less than 10 years of mobile phone use were found.
At the time when the study was conducted only analogue (NMT) mobile phones had been in use for more than 10 years,
Imprint Pharmaceuticals (www.imprintpharma.com) is pleased to announce that its DepotOne needle technology has received its CE Mark and is now cleared for use in Europe. This CE Approval means that the DepotOne needle can be incorporated into clinical studies and existing products with minimal additional regulatory work.
DepotOne is a ‘small’ needle which can replace large needles. It has the penetration characteristics of a small needle with the flow of a large needle. The needle d
A unique new non-invasive technique for high resolution optical imaging of the eye is receiving global acclaim. The technique, pioneered by the University of Kent, is funded by the Toronto-based company, Ophthalmic Technology Inc (OTI). The University’s Applied Optics Group is currently working with university hospitals in New York (USA), Osaka (Japan), Asahikawa (Japan), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Milan (Italy) to carry out preliminary clinical trials. By combining two high-resolution imaging t
Certain blood pressure drugs may slow the deterioration of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the October 12 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors, the drugs are used to treat high blood pressure. Only ACE inhibitors that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier were shown to have the effect on Alzheimer’s. The blood-brain barrier is a natural protective
A recent analysis of tamoxifen studies completed since 1980 revealed an increased risk of stroke in women who were randomized to tamoxifen versus placebo or other therapies. Details of the analysis and the researchers’ conclusions are reported in the October 12 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
More than 250,000 U.S. women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in th
Respiratory therapists are at an increased risk of developing asthma and asthma-related symptoms due to their involvement in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with respiratory conditions. A new study in the October issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), showed that respiratory therapists have an elevated prevalence of asthma diagnosis after they enter into the profession and, when compared to physiotherapists, are more than twice as l
Using modified magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, researchers at Johns Hopkins have been able to detect the early benefits of a cholesterol-lowering medication much sooner than before.
The researchers applied MRI to measure the success of simvastatin (Zocor), a widely used form of so-called statin therapy, in reducing plaque formation in patients with hardened and clogged arteries, or atherosclerosis. Reductions in plaque levels were detected within six months after thera
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