Health News articles from January 2006

Health News archives from January 2006

FDA oks two new uses for biologic arthritis drug adalimumab.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two new uses for the arthritis drug Humira (adalimumab). Part of a class of drugs known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors, adalimumab is now approved to treat psoriatic...

Waist-to-hip ratio indicates heart attack risk.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... The ratio of the waist line to hip circumference is a more accurate predictor of heart attack risk than the current standard of body mass index (BMI), according to a recent issue of The Lancet. Researchers compared waist-to-hip ratio to BMI...

Exercise after 50 can add three years to life expectancy.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Walking briskly 30 minutes a day, even for those who begin exercising later in life, can increase life expectancy by three years. Researchers used 40 years of records from the famous Framingham Heart Study to monitor the exercise patterns of...

Inflammation unveiled: five new studies pave the way: researchers are zeroing in on the complex role inflammation plays in many diseases and disorders.(anti inflammatory drugs to treat spinal arthritis)(hereditary joint syndrome, identified)(studies on autoimmune diseases )(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... ONGOING NSAIDS DOSES MAY STOP PACE OF SPINAL ARTHRITIS (AS) Taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen every four to six hours according to directions instead of as needed may be a more effective strategy for the half...

Supplement may ease pain of knee osteoarthritis.(BONES & JOINTS NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... MSM--methylsulfonylmethane--may provide modest pain relief from knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a pilot study presented at a recent meeting of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians in Phoenix, AZ. MSM is a sulfur compound...

Device reduces risk of falling in women with kyphosis.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Older women with osteoporosis-caused curvature of the spine (kyphosis) may be able to lessen their back pain, improve their balance, and thereby reduce their risk of falling by wearing a specially designed weighted back support while...

OJ lowers arthritis risk.(orange juice)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... Increasing the daily dietary intake of beta-cryptoxanthin, an antioxidant especially abundant in brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as oranges and bell peppers, may help ward off the onset of inflammatory disease according to a study...

A new antidote for depression: when antidepressants and over-the-counter supplements don't work, this implantable device might.(usage of vagus nerve stimulator)
January 1, 2006... For some people, the usually prescribed antidepressants and OTC supplements don't work. Such individuals have what is called treatment-resistant depression. If you feel you are one of these people, there may be another option for treating your...

Depression may hasten heart failure.(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... Psychological depression may be both an antecedent to, and a risk factor for, heart failure and mortality in patients with existing heart failure, according to a recent study published in the American Heart Journal. Depression increases a key...

Depression worsens from one generation to the next.(analysis of psychopathology)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Nearly 60 percent of children whose parents and grandparents suffered from depression will have a psychiatric disorder before they reach their early teens, it was revealed in a recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. These...

Aspirin: still a miracle drug after all these years: this tried-and-true heart medication outperforms many newer ones.
January 1, 2006... Despite billions of dollars spent in developing new medications for heart disease and the factors that influence it, aspirin remains a pharmaceutical workhorse. Cheap, readily available and widely tolerated, it possesses a variety of beneficial...

Blood thinner cuts risk of bleeding in half.(usage of fondaparinux in preventing internal bleeding)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... A new blood thinner given in the emergency room could save your life, and do it more safely. Patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome are usually given an injection of enoxaparin to prevent a potentially fatal blood clot from blocking...

Aggressive treatment of ACF saves lives.(acute coronary failure)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... When patients present with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome--a cluster of findings including heart pain that indicates a heart attack may be imminent--doctors can intervene to remove the blockage or provide treatment with several...

Use of B6 and/or folic acid fails to lower cardiovascular events.(vitamin B6)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... A clinical trial reported at the 2005 European Society of Cardiology meeting found that the combination of folic acid and vitamin B6 given to lower homocysteine levels may increase the risk of recurrent heart attack and stroke. The Norwegian...

Fighting cancer at the grocery store: research shows broccoli sprouts, cabbage, garlic, among other vegetables, contain anti-cancer properties.
January 1, 2006... Five new studies show that adding certain vegetables and herbs to your diet may prevent or slow the growth of cancer. The new findings, presented at a recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, extend beyond the older...

Exercise reduces long-term risk of falls.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that three different kinds of exercise can prevent falls in older women up to a year after the exercise program ends. One group of women participated in a...

Eating fish may slow decline in mental skills.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... A study of people in Chicago 65 years and older shows that eating fish two or more times per week may be associated with a slower decline in cognitive (mental) skills. Previous studies have shown that consuming fish and omega-3 fatty acids were...

Increased radiation inhibits recurrence of prostate cancer: ultimate survival rate of conventional and increased radiation groups remained about even, at least in the short run.(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... With more than 232,000 men diagnosed each year, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, killing more than 30,000 annually. About 26,000 patients are treated with external beam radiation at conventional doses. But the treatment is...

Stress could lower breast cancer risk.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... High levels of estrogen are a leading risk factor for the development of breast cancer. Now a new study has demonstrated that chronic daily stress may actually impair the synthesis of estrogen, mitigating the hormone's effect in causing breast...

Pancreatic cancer found earlier with 3-D MRI.(three dimensional magnetic resonance imaging)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... The fourth most deadly cancer, pancreatic cancer, frequently eludes detection because symptoms are nonspecific and easily misconstrued. The disease is almost universally fatal, with nearly all of the 40,000 diagnosed each year dying. That could...

The "new" collagen: potential medical uses may abound: this protein soon may be altered to create products for oral surgery, treating burns, and stem cell production.
January 1, 2006... Collagen, one of the most common proteins in the human body, may lead to useful medical applications such as infection-fighting bandages and new ways to promote the integration of tissues transplanted into the body. Collagen from animals such...

Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery easier on patients.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries performed. Most candidates for gallbladder removal are overweight, and aged 35 to 55, and more women than men need the operation, according to the American College of Surgeons website. ...

Struggling to hear can impact word memory.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2006... Many researchers have observed that our ability to remember new information declines with age. A new study examines the degree to which the effort to hear a word drains mental resources needed to remember the word. The research team...

Questions & answers.
January 1, 2006... Q: What are the common cancers in men, and is the pattern different from that of women? A The common cancers in men are: prostate (33 percent), lung (13 percent), and colorectal (11 percent). These are followed by bladder cancer (6...