Health News articles from February 2007

Health News archives from February 2007

"Sudden cardiac death" is not always so sudden: heed certain warning symptoms and save your life.(DOCTOR PERSPECTIVES ON THE MEDICAL HEADLINES)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Every year thousands of people die from a fatal heart rhythm disturbance that appears to strike without warning. Although quick action with an automated external defibrillator helps revive some victims, most succumb to sudden cardiac death...

Surgery alternative for emphysema.(IN THE NEWS ...)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... When medication, pulmonary rehabilitation and supplemental oxygen are no longer sufficient for patients with emphysema, lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is sometimes performed to remove diseased lung tissue. A study presented at the...

Combined therapy improves pancreatic survival.(IN THE NEWS ...)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Pancreatic cancer, considered one of the more difficult carcinomas to treat, is rarely cured by surgery alone. To determine if a combination of chemotherapy with concurrent radiation after surgery can extend survival, 46 patients, 70 percent of...

Fish oil preparations effective in mild alzheimer cases.(IN THE NEWS ...)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Several studies have shown that eating fish can protect against AD, but whether fish oil supplements also would do the job was not known until recently. The findings were published in a recent issue of the Archives of Neurology. In the study,...

Flu shots and diabetes.(IN THE NEWS ...)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... People who have diabetes are at high risk for complications from flu, but their vaccination rates against influenza remain low. One reason may be conflicting evidence about the vaccine's benefits for people with diabetes. But a recent study...

Breakthrough news for millions with arthritis & related diseases: new treatments for the family of arthritis diseases may prevent progression or even cause remission.(BONES & JOINTS)(Conference news)
February 1, 2007... More than 8,700 top rheumatologists convened recently in Washington, D.C. for the 2006 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in which they discussed cutting-edge advances in diagnosing and treating all types of arthritis....

"Light" stem cell transplants may benefit those with severe scleroderma.(BONES & JOINTS NEWS BRIEFS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Preliminary research suggests that less-toxic stem cell transplants may benefit people with scleroderma, a devastating autoimmune disease that can cause skin blood vessels and internal organs to thicken and harden. The findings were presented...

Blood test can predict severe ankylosing spondylitis.(BONES & JOINTS NEWS BRIEFS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Measuring blood levels of a protein called matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3) may help predict which people with ankylosing spondylitis will develop severe joint damage, particularly among people with pre-existing damage visible on X-ray,...

Confronting age-related macular degeneration: new drugs and treatments can retard progression of vision loss, though there is yet no definitive cure.(INTERNAL MEDICINE--OPHTHALMOLOGY)(Disease/Disorder overview)
February 1, 2007... As we grow older, eyesight isn't what it used to be. Fortunately, eyeglasses or contact lenses can fix most garden-variety vision problems. But for many Americans, the solution isn't that simple. An estimated 1.75 million Americans age 40 and...

Caution: don't mix aspirin and ibuprofen.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... CAUTION: DON'T MIX ASPIRIN AND IBUPROFEN. According to the FDA, ibuprofen may interfere with the anti-platelet effect of low dose aspirin (81 mg per day). To prevent this, the FDA recommends that people who take immediate release aspirin...

Help for urinary stones.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... People who took calcium-channel blockers or alpha blockers had a 65 percent greater likelihood of passing a urinary stone than people who did not take these medicines, which are usually taken to lower blood pressure or treat enlarged prostate....

Statins a possible cure for hepatitis C.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWS BRIEFS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... STATINS A POSSIBLE CURE FOR HEPATITIS C. Japanese researchers have found that statins, routinely used to lower high cholesterol, can keep the hepatitis C virus (HCV) from replicating, possibly paving the way for a new therapy for the virus,...

Stress and aging.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... STRESS AND AGING. Stress and illness--not your birth date--may play more of a role in how quickly you age, according to research presented at a recent convention of the American Psychological Association. Indeed, if you can learn to cope with...

Battling Alzheimer's disease, step by small step: transforming growth factor (tgf-beta) and low brain oxygen levels provide more clues to AD.(MIND & MEMORY)(tumor growth factor)(Alzheimer's disease)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Researchers are investigating some of the biologic problems that contribute to Alzheimer's disease in the continuing quest for effective medication against the disease. Two recent studies are below. TGF-BETA. In one study, published in a...

Myelin defects linked to neuropsychiatric disorders.(MIND & MEMORY NEWS BRIEFS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Myelin is the sheet of fat that surrounds the axon of a neuron, a cell that conducts electrical impulses and sends them to the brain. In a report recently published in Biological Psychiatry, the effects of cholinergic treatments used to enhance...

Fish, the ultimate brain food.(MIND & MEMORY NEWS BRIEFS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... Researchers have found that high levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the blood might significantly lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). DHA is a fatty acid found in fish. Everyone has a certain amount of DHA in the brain and in the...

Curry appears to clear amyloid plaque.(MIND & MEMORY NEWS BRIEFS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2007... A chemical found in curry might help the immune system clear itself of amyloid plaque associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A recent issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease reported on early laboratory findings extolling the benefits of...

New strategies for preventing cancer: recent meeting unveils some "do-it-yourself" tactics to help thwart the cancer monster.(CANCER)(Conference notes)
February 1, 2007... Recent research is unraveling the promising role that diet, exercise, weight control and lifestyle choices play in keeping us healthy. At the Annual international Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held by the American...

Aggressive screening for prostate cancer recommended.(CANCER NEWS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... How fast a man's blood Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) rises (PSA velocity) may be a better predictor of how life-threatening his tumor is, rather than just a single measurement of PSA levels. Currently, PSA levels between four and 10 suggest a...

HPV test, not pap smear, more effective for older women.(CANCER NEWS BRIEFS)(human papilloma virus)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... For women over age 40, the best way to detect a potential cervical cancer is with the HC2 high-Risk HPV DNA test for the human papilloma virus, not the traditional PAP smear. According to the November '06 issue of Cancer Research, "certain...

Radiation therapy ups survival in some types of lung cancer.(CANCER NEWS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Radiation following surgery for lung cancer has gone in and out of medical fashion. Prior to 1997, 54 to 60 percent of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) received postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). This percent decreased...

New drug combo for COPD.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE NEWS BRIEFS)(obstructive pulmonary disease)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... A two-drug combination of salmeterol and fluticasone propionate has been found to reduce deaths in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by a significant 17.5 percent, a study presented at the American College of Chest...

Q & A.(long term effects of cortisone injections)(arteriovenous malformation, a risk factor for stroke)(folic acid is great for the memory)
February 1, 2007... Q I have rheumatoid arthritis in my knee and have been receiving cortisone injections for several years. I'm concerned that there might be a limit on how many injections I can safely have in a year. Also, how many years can I take these...