Health News articles from July 2007

Health News archives from July 2007

Shoulder replacement: better than it sounds: shoulder surgery is less risky than hip or knee replacements.
July 1, 2007... Total surgical replacement of arthritic shoulders is no more dangerous than the far more common hip and knee replacements, although previously it was believed to be riskier, according to a new study in a recent online version of the journal...

New annual osteoporosis med slashes risk of spine, hip fractures.(IN THE NEWS ...)
July 1, 2007... A single, 15-minute infusion of zoledronic acid (Reclast) given once a year can cut risk of spinal fractures by 70 percent and hip fractures by 41 percent, according to a new three-year study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Reclast is...

Rise in systolic blood pressure associated with risk of stroke.(IN THE NEWS ...)
July 1, 2007... Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have verified that a mere 10 mm hg rise in systolic blood pressure (the first, or higher, number of a blood pressure reading) raised the relative risk of fatal stroke 1.19 for men,...

Excessive vitamin use may up serious prostate cancer risk.(IN THE NEWS ...)
July 1, 2007... Although 35 percent of adults take a multivitamin, there is little scientific data to support any health-giving properties. Instead, a new study of 295,344 healthy men who were followed for five years has found that using multivitamins...

FDA rejects newest COX-2 blocker.(IN THE NEWS ...)
July 1, 2007... The FDA rejected Merck & Co.'s request to market a COX-2 blocker etoricoxib (Arcoxia) for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The FDA's advisory panel had almost unanimously recommended against the drug two weeks earlier, with a vote of 20 to...

Coronary artery disease: medical therapy is sometimes best: invasive treatment is not always necessary; angioplasty may not offer any added advantage.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
July 1, 2007... In the controversy over drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents, a simple fact is often overlooked: invasive treatment isn't always necessary. If you have stable coronary artery disease, medical therapy may be just as likely as angioplasty...

Zetia + statin greatly decreases LDL cholesterol.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol the liver makes, and ezetimibe (Zetia) prevents the intestine from absorbing cholesterol, used together these drugs lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol much more than either drug alone. In a U.K. study...

Alcohol use not a cause of atrial fibrillation.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... A large clinical trial has determined that alcohol consumption of any kind in any amount does not cause atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular heart rhythm that increases the risk of stroke. Researchers documented wine, beer and spirits...

Migraine-cardiovascular disease risk.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... A significant association between migraine and heart attack was reported recently in a study in Archives of Internal Medicine. Among the 20,000 healthy male participants in the Physicians' health Study, researchers in Boston found 1,449 men...

Three early-warning Alzheimer's tests: timelier detection can lead to longer and improved quality of life.(MIND & MEMORY)
July 1, 2007... Researchers on three fronts have discovered new approaches that could lead to an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which now affects more than five million Americans--about 1.5 percent of the entire population. Two new studies...

Exercise-Parkinson's link.(MIND & MEMORY NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Moderate to vigorous exercise may reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a paper presented at a May 2007 meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public health tracked the...

Depression-diabetes link.(MIND & MEMORY NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Chronic depression may cause Type 2 diabetes in older adults, according to an article published in the April 23, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The study looked at more than 4,600 men and women over the age of 65 for a period of...

Does your doctor really know best? Surgeon bias often influences the decision to have breast reconstruction after mastectomy.(CANCER)
July 1, 2007... For women diagnosed with breast cancer, whom they choose as their general surgeon will significantly affect whether they undergo reconstruction post-mastectomy. Despite 1998 federal legislation mandating insurance coverage for reconstruction,...

Statin use may reduce risk of advanced prostate cancer.(CANCER NEWBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... When researchers analyzed the relationship between statin use with total and advanced prostate cancer risk, they discovered a reduced risk of metastatic or fatal cancer among current statin users, according to a recent study in the Journal of...

CUT meat intake and reduce kidney cancer risk.(CANCER NEWBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... To reduce your risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most common type of kidney cancer in Americans, decrease your intake of all meat, red meat, poultry and processed meat preserved by salting, smoking or adding nitrates. Scientists analyzed...

Angiogenesis inhibitor may stop cancer growth.(CANCER NEWBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... Itraconazole, a drug widely prescribed for toenail fungus, may prove promising in the treatment of cancer and other diseases by interfering with the growth of new blood vessels. To identify drugs (called angiogenesis inhibitors) capable of...

Exercise, even if you're older, is key to managing arthritis symptoms: Australian study shows that women over 70 can reduce the incidence of pain by being active.(NUTRITION & FITNESS)
July 1, 2007... In what is being called a landmark study, researchers at the university of Queensland, Australia, have found that exercise can reduce pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) in older women. The study, which appeared in an April 2007 issue of...

Eat fruits and vegetables to reduce head & neck cancer risk.(NUTRITION & FITNESS NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A research team at the National Cancer Institute found that eating six servings a day of fruits and vegetables reduced the chances of neck and head cancer by almost 30 percent compared to eating one and a half...

Less salt may prevent CVD.(NUTRITION & FITNESS NEWSBRIEFS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A recent issue of the British Medical Journal says that those who reduce their sodium (salt) intake by 25-35 percent could significantly reduce their risk of future cardiovascular (CV) disease. The records of more than 3,000 people in two...

Asthma triggers & treatments: now, excess weight and obesity are also implicated in contributing to asthma attacks.(INTERNAL MEDICINE)
July 1, 2007... Asthma is a chronic condition that occurs when airways become inflamed and respond to irritating substances or allergens by narrowing. When this happens, less air reaches your lungs. If someone in your family has the condition, you are at...

Tai Chi may shield you from shingles.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... Researchers at the university of California at Los Angeles found that the slow movement and meditation associated with the 2,000-year-old Chinese martial art tai chi can boost the immune system of older adults, effectively fighting off the...

Vitamin D benefits elders' mobility.(INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... A new study suggests that vitamin D may help us walk, get up from a chair, maintain balance and grip objects as we age. Researchers assessed the physical performance of 976 people age 65 and older from two towns in the Chianti region of Italy...

Hit RA early & hard with combo therapy.(BONES & JOINTS NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... Aggressive, early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with combinations of drugs may be the best bet for reducing pain and inflammation and preventing joint damage, according to two-year follow-up data from the best study, reported in the...

TNF drugs may best NSAIDS for spinal arthritis.(BONES & JOINTS NEWSBRIEFS)
July 1, 2007... People with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), also called spinal arthritis, whose conditions improve on the biologic drugs known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) inhibitors--etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade) and adalimumab...

Q & A.
July 1, 2007... Q: I've had atrial fibrillation without associated heart disease for 40 years. I'm unable to take Coumadin, so for many years I've taken one 325 mg aspirin daily for its anticoagulation effect. How do you compare aspirin's benefits with...