Health News articles from February 2008

Health News archives from February 2008

COPD: advances in treatment & survival: this underacknowledged lung disease affects length and quality of life.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Recognition for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is long overdue. The disease, which encompasses emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is now the third leading cause of death in the United States and,...

RA combo therapy slashes heart risk.(IN THE NEWS ...)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a TNF-inhibitor plus an older drug called methotrexate (MTX) may slash the increased risk of heart attack in people with this autoimmune disease according to new research...

Exercise nearly as effective as drugs for depression.(IN THE NEWS ...)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Among people diagnosed with major depression who are receptive and able to participate, exercise may be as effective as medications in relieving the symptoms of the condition. In a study reported in a 2007 issue of...

Statin found to improve chronic heart failure.(IN THE NEWS ...)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] High doses of rosuvastatin (Crestor) can ameliorate some of the negative consequences of heart failure, according to a study presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Heart Association. The drug works by...

As use of COX-2 drugs declined, GI woes increased.(IN THE NEWS ...)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The number of serious gastrointestinal (GI) complications is on the rise since popular pain pills known as Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors fell from grace in 2004. COX-2 inhibitors were originally created to be...

Think about your knees when you're shopping for your feet: some shoes may benefit the foot at the expense of the knee.(BONES & JOINTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The shoes you purchase to keep your feet in tip-top form may be wreaking havoc on your knees if you have knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to new study results presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Surgery trumps steroids for carpal tunnel relief.(BONES & JOINTS NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Patients may find long-lasting relief from carpal tunnel syndrome from surgery rather than steroid injections. Researchers from Madrid Spain presented these findings at the annual meeting of the American College of...

Botox relieves shoulder pain.(BONES & JOINTS NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... The same botox shots that erase fine lines and wrinkles may also soothe shoulder pain according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Boston. In the study, 21 people with shoulder...

3 drugs cause the most ER visits: warfarin, insulin, and digoxin cause the highest percentage of problems. Solution? Improved doctor-patient teamwork.(INTERNAL MEDICINE)
February 1, 2008... Among drugs potentially dangerous for those over the age of 65, adverse reactions to warfarin, insulin, and digoxin account for approximately one-third of all emergency room (ER) visits. The findings were published in the December 4, 2007 issue...

Metabolic syndrome raises risk of kidney stones.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found that patients suffering from metabolic syndrome--a combination of conditions that includes obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol--are more...

New strain of virus spreads.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... Adenovirus 14 is a new and slightly different variation of a cold virus that has caused deaths in various parts of the United States, according to a recent edition of the government's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The Centers for...

Advanced radiation therapy targets cancers, but spares normal tissue: shape and strength of beams can be tailored to the individual patient.(CANCER)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For over 20 years, the development of computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies has helped clinicians view tumors three dimensionally and compute the shape and size of the...

Beware timing of repeat colonoscopies.(CANCER NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Endoscopists often advise follow-up colonoscopies at shorter intervals than recommended by the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. While a colonoscopy is the best single-test indicator of...

No impact on sexual function from IMRT.(CANCER NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... To assess the effect of advances in radiation technology on sexual function, Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia, PA) researchers randomized 155 men with intermediate to high-risk prostate cancer to two different forms of radiation....

Small thyroid cancers not so "insignificant.".(CANCER NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... A new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Thyroid Association contradicts current practice, which does not normally treat small papillary thyroid cancers one millimeter (mm) to one centimeter (cm) in size because they are...

The secret to healthy aging: use it or lose it! Engage in physical activity even if you are not at your optimum weight.(NUTRITION & FITNESS)
February 1, 2008... A regular program of exercise may be as important for maintaining daily functions as it is for losing weight, according to a study in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Relatively vigorous activity such...

Ultrasound plus dextrose injection eases tendonitis.(NUTRITION & FITNESS NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... Researchers in British Columbia used ultrasound-guided injections of dextrose to successfully treat Achilles tendonitis- according to a study published in the October 2007 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology The dextrose solution...

Fitness outweighs body fat as predictor of longevity.(NUTRITION & FITNESS NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Among adults over the age of 60, fitness appears to be a more accurate indicator of longevity than their amount of body fat according to a study published in the Dec. 5, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers...

Lyme disease: intravenous meds are effective short-term against cognitive impairment: however, more study is needed to find a treatment that will sustain the response.(MIND & MEMORY)
February 1, 2008... In patients with well-documented Lyme disease, intravenous (IV) antibiotics appear to help with cognition after three months, according to a study published in the Oct. 5 issue of Neurology. However, the benefit does not continue up to six...

As brain ages, cognition declines.(MIND & MEMORY NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Normal aging causes some degree of cognitive decline even in healthy people-according to a study in the Dec. 6 issue of Neuron. The functional areas of the brain are linked by a network of channels that help the brain coordinate and share...

Moderate exercise helps prevent dementia.(MIND & MEMORY NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... Regular moderate exercise helps prevent vascular dementia in older people-according to a study in the Dec, 19 issue of Neurology Vascular dementia is caused by blockages in the brain's blood supply and it severely impacts memory and cognitive...

Noninvasive CT scans able to pinpoint severe coronary artery disease.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
February 1, 2008... The ability of 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) to rule out coronary artery disease (CAD) in low-to-moderate, risk patients has been proven. Now it appears that this powerful noninvasive technology may be as good as coronary...

Q&A.
February 1, 2008... Q Why does my doctor tell me not to take ibuprofen (as a painkiller) until four or five hours after I take a daily aspirin? Doesn't ibulxofen also help prevent heart attacks? A Ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs...