Health & Medicine Week articles from June 2001

Health & Medicine Week archives from June 2001

Researcher Recommends Antidepressant Drug for Treating Cigarette Smokers.(bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin) recommended)
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Charles W. Henderson, senior medical writer - An addiction researcher recommends a specific antidepressant drug for treating cigarette smokers hooked on nicotine. Elbert Glover, professor of behavioral...

Major New Cholesterol Guidelines Issued.(from the United States National Cholesterol Education Program)
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- The U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) issued major new clinical practice guidelines on the prevention and management of high cholesterol in adults on May 15, 2001. The guidelines are the...

Study Finds Protective Effects Of Alcohol Marginal And Only In Over 55s.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- The protective effects of alcohol are marginal, and mostly in men over 55 and women over 65, shows a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene...

Clinical and Social Issues Stemming From Human Genome Project Outlined.
June 4, 2001... 2001 SUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Charles W. Henderson, senior medical writer - Most of the expense of the Human Genome Project will come later: for some, a lifetime of buying prescription medicines from pharmaceutical companies. That's...

Ethnobotanist Warns Of Mixing Herbs With Traditional Medications.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- If you take herbs for medical purposes, tell your doctor. If you are a physician or nurse treating a patient, ask what herbs the patient might be taking and consider the consequences related to possible...

Smoking Increases Risk For Women With Family History Of Cancer.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- Smoking cigarettes significantly increases the risk of breast cancer for women with three or more relatives who have had breast or ovarian cancer, according to a new Mayo Clinic study published in the journal...

Nutrient Restriction During Puberty May Cause Diabetes In Later Life.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Puberty is apparently a critical time for pancreatic cell maturation and diets that restrict calories or nutrients during this time may later affect the ability of the...

Nuts Cut Coronary Heart Disease Risk.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- In the most comprehensive review yet of the available epidemiological and clinical evidence, Pennsylvania State University researchers have concluded that eating tree nuts or peanuts can have a strong protective...

Saying Medicare Rules Restrict Good Care For Dying Patients, Physicians Propose Revised Payment System.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- A recent report by researchers at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health, and RAND found that many health care providers believe that Medicare regulations block them from providing goo d...

Aggressive Treatment May Be Warranted in Some Infants.(with jaundice)
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- In a small fraction of newborns with jaundice, aggressive medical treatment may be necessary to avoid long-term neurological injury, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

Rx For Contact Lenses: Mobility + Lubricity = Comfort And Safety.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- Freedom to move around is a great thing. Just ask a group of researchers who have created a model they hope will lead to better contact lenses. In their eyes, greater lens mobility is needed to improve the...

Medical System Pays Little Attention to Behavior Change Counseling, Study Finds.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- Despite solid evidence that fairly simple and inexpensive changes in behavior can help Americans get healthier, the translation of that research into practice by the medical system remains haphazard, according...

One-Third Of Non-Cancerous Growths May Cause Serious Disorders.(pituitary gland tumors)
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- One out of five adults worldwide may have a non-cancerous tumor of their pituitary gland, and at least one third of these pituitary tumors may be clinically active and causing significant health problems,...

Vitamin E And Little-Known Antioxidant Vitamin Found In Oranges Promote Healthy Lungs.(beta-cryptoxanthin)
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4- (NewsRx Network) -- New research by epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo, New York, suggests that vitamin E and a little-known vitamin called beta-cryptoxanthin found primarily in oranges are associated with healthy lung...

Excessive Medicare Paperwork Taking Away from Cancer Patient Care.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Charles W. Henderson, senior medical writer - Medicare paperwork is keeping doctors from treating their cancer patients. The results of a recently completed American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)...

Study Compares New Generation Anti-Depressants For Common Side Effect.(of sexual dysfunction)
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- In the first study to examine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction across the new generation antidepressants, researchers reported at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in early May 2001 that...

Bathers Still Risk Infection From Seawater In Resorts Meeting European Union Standard.
June 4, 2001... 2001 JUN 4 - (NewsRx Network) -- Even in resorts where seawater quality meets the European Union standard, bathers run a risk of infection, suggests research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The bacterial levels in...

'RealAge' Model Provides Motivation for Healthier Living.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - If someone offered you $50, you probably know what you would do with it. But what would you do if someone offered you a couple of years? This was the offer made by...

Study Results Prompt Questions About Understandable Content On Health Websites.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Julie Henderson, senior editor - On average, women accessing the iVillage.com site are educated to the level of one year of college. Indeed, 81% of women visiting the website have a college degree. Yet,...

Action Plan And Education Reduces Emergency Room Visits.(asthma )
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Researchers in Canada recommend a three-pronged approach to keeping asthma patients from making unscheduled visits to the emergency room or outpatient clinic: * provide asthma patients with an action plan...

Combination Of Interventions Are Most Effective For Treating Teenagers With ADHD.(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Ritalin and other stimulants have become the standard treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in elementary-age children because of their ability to curb disruptive and defiant behavior...

More Women Than Previously Assumed Need Leave During Pregnancy.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Despite the common perception that pregnant career women stay on the job until they go into labor, a study in the June 2001 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology reports that a sizable minority of pregnant women in...

Cell Phone Use In Motor Vehicles "Distinctly More Risky" Than Other Distractions.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- In 1997, Drs. Donald Redelmeier and Robert Tibshirani published what has become the most widely cited scientific study on the link between cellular telephones and motor vehicle collisions. Although the...

Simple Test Predicts Length Of Hospitalization.(during an asthma attack)
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Measuring the change in a patient's ability to blow three times in quick succession into a peak flow meter during an acute asthma attack predicts the length of time they will stay in hospital, respiratory...

Moxifloxacin Short-Course Comparable To Longer Course Of Levofloxacin.(treating patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis )
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- A new study indicates that a short five-day oral course of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic moxifloxacin HC1 is as safe and effective as a seven-day course of levofloxacin in treating patients with acute...

Use Of Herbal Supplements Increases 350% In Three Years.(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- The use of herbal supplements and remedies like St. John's Wort and gingko biloba more than tripled between 1996 and 1999, according to a study released at the International Scientific Conference on...

Treating Acne With Antibiotics Leads To Antibiotic Resistance.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- The use of antibiotics to treat severe acne can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance in the bacteria that cause the skin condition, say researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm,...

Partner's Presence Associated With Lower Blood Pressure.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Blood pressure often decreases when you are with a spouse or significant other, dropping below levels associated with talking to friends or even being alone, according to a new study. "An intriguing...

Simple Device Collects Data From Patients At Home.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Julie Henderson, senior editor - Evidence-based medicine, or EBM, has enjoyed buzzword status for the last few years, yet the principles behind it date back to the 19th century. One definition of EBM...

Study Shows 17 Conditions Affect Millions.(gastrointestinal diseases)(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- A study conducted by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) shows that gastrointestinal diseases present a monumental burden of more than 283 million cases with a cost of U.S.$42 billion each year....

Add 'Infotherapy' To Your List Of Medical Terms.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- NewsRx Network, Atlanta, Georgia, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, now has coined a new medical word: "infotherapy." The new word is the combination of two...

Tea Fights Cavities, Reduces Plaque.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- A group of researchers from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry believe that black tea and its components benefit oral health by interfering with the harmful plaque bacteria in the mouth that cause...

Childhood Behavioral Problems Associated With Low Birthweight.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Low birthweight may be associated with the behavioral problems of attention, thought, and social difficulties in childhood that are unrelated to the cultural environment, say researchers in The Netherlands. ...

Late Immunization Puts Low-Birth-Weight Babies At Risk.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants are likely to get routine childhood immunizations months later than normal-birth-weight (NBW) children, new research shows. The study was the first of its kind to look...

Disability-Causing Artery Disease Of The Legs Often Overlooked.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- A condition affecting the arteries of the legs, called lower extremity peripheral artery disease, leads to significant disability among the elderly and is underdiagnosed by doctors, suggest the results of a...

Bupropion Could Help Those With Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- The antidepressant drug bupropion (Zyban) could substantially curb heavy smoking among smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), University of California, Los Angeles, researchers suggest. ...

Knowledge Gap Impedes Treatment And Prevention In Mexican Americans.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network)-- Mexican Americans are less likely to recognize the risk factors of stroke, to call 911 for stroke, or know that effective stroke therapy exists - significant barriers to both stroke treatment and prevention,...

In U.K., Longer Stay In Intensive Care Can Reduce Post-Discharge Deaths By 39%.
June 11, 2001... 2001 JUN 11 - (NewsRx Network) -- Death after discharge from intensive care in British hospitals may be reduced by 39% if at-risk patients were to stay in intensive care for another 48 hours, according to a study in the May 24, 2001, issue of...

Elimination Of Household Allergens And Pets Could Reduce Asthma Nearly 45% Among Older Children, Adolescents.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18-(NewsRx Network) -- More than two million children and adolescents in the United States between the ages of six and 16 with asthma might not have the disease if risk factors were removed from the home, according to a new Children's...

Urologists And Their Patients Need To Be Aware Of Pros And Cons.(of alternative medicines)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) have been embraced in the U.S. by patients for all sorts of conditions and diseases, including those in the purview of urology. In a plenary session at the...

Study Finds Personal Choices Can Yield Long Life.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Living to a happy ripe old age may be a matter of personal choice, say Harvard researchers in the June 2001 American Journal of P.sychiatry. The researchers reported results of an unprecedented study that...

Technique Keeps Diabetic Children Out Of Emergency Room.(minidose glucagon rescue)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Teaching parents a fresh approach to an old medical problem is helping kids with diabetes stay out of the emergency room. Developed by doctors at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the approach,...

Urologist Sorts Fact from Fiction.(urinary tract infections )
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 -- (NewsRx Network) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer -- There may be good reasons for wearing clean cotton underwear and not wearing pantyhose, but urinary tract infections are not among them. Distinctions between...

Higher Fungal Allergen Levels In Homes Of Children With Asthma.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Homes of children treated for asthma contained higher fungal allergen levels than homes of other allergy clinic patients in a study published in the May 2001 Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. "Using...

Researchers Question Placebo Effect.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- One of the most strongly held beliefs in medicine - that placebos or other sham treatments greatly help many patients - has been called into question by Danish researchers who found little or no "placebo...

Annual Report Shows Overall Decline in U.S. Cancer Incidence and Death Rates.(Statistical Data Included)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 -- (NewsRx Network) -- The rates for new cancer cases and deaths for all cancers combined continued to decline in the United States, according to a report that includes new data for the period between 1992 to 1998. The report...

ED Can Be An Indicator Of Disease.(erectile dysfunction )
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer - There's more to erectile dysfunction than sexual issues. "Erectile dysfunction (ED) can be a harbinger of systemic diseases," pointed out Culley C. Carson, III,...

Study Offers Hope For GERD Patients Who Can't Live Without Chocolate.(gastroesophageal reflux disease)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- For the 14 million Americans who suffer with chronic heartburn, a piece of chocolate may start as a joy to the tongue, but can end with a raging fire in the stomach. But there may be new hope for those...

Economic, Environmental Factors Cause Stomach Problems Later In Life.(crowded living conditions increase transmission of Helicobacter pylori, a risk factor for stomach ulcers and gastritis)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Children from low-income families are at a risk of developing stomach ulcers and, possibly, cancer later in life. Economic and environmental factors contribute to this problem, according to a Baylor...

U.S. Government Approves Six State Plans To Insure Women With Breast Or Cervical Cancer.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Tommy 0. Thompson has approved six new states' applications for a new federal program that allows them to offer Medicaid benefits to uninsured women who are...

Risk Factors Predict Patient Survival And Ability To Function.(after a hip fracture)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Risk factors, including age and residency in a nursing home, can help predict how well a patient will be able to function after breaking a hip, while other risk factors can help predict whether patients will...

ACE Inhibitor Effective In Slowing Kidney Disease Progression In African Americans.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- For patients with kidney disease due to high blood pressure, treatment with a angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor offers greater benefit in s]owing the progression of the disease than using a calcium...

Rumors Of Declining Sperm Count Focus Attention On Male Reproductive Health.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- Reports of declining sperm counts worldwide can be attributed to geography, not physiology, according to one researcher. "The issue of declining sperm counts is a hot issue that has been discussed widely...

Physiologists Claim 'SeDS' Is Second Greatest Threat To US. Public Health.(Sedentary Death Syndrome)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- The following was issued by Frank Booth, PhD, FACSM: Chronic diseases have increased dramatically because of physical inactivity. In the United States, obesity has doubled since 1980, type 2 diabetes has...

It's Not 'All In Your Mind:' Urologists Discuss the Effects of Age and Hormonal Status.
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- It's not breaking news that hormones play a major role in human sexual function. But studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association revealed just how complicated the whole...

Future Infertility Not An Absolute For Pediatric Patients.(with reproductive disorders)
June 18, 2001... 2001 JUN 18 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer - Infertility should not be assumed for all male pediatric patients with urologic problems, suggested a panel of speakers at the 2001 annual meeting of American...

Family Understanding Encourages Patients' Self-Care Behaviors.(diabetes)
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Carol Kakalec Kohn, MS, ELS(D), senior medical writer - Diabetes patients who have the support of their families tend to manage their disease better, especially when it comes to exercise, diet, and taking...

Endurance Training Has Greater Health Benefits Than Resistance Training.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - People who want the most bang for their exercise buck would do well to choose endurance training over weight training, according to a new study in the European Journal...

Fatty Fish Consumption Could Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Consumption of fatty fish such as salmon, herring, and mackerel could reduce the risk of prostate cancer, epidemiologists in Sweden say. Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids contained in...

Doctors Don't Talk Sex With Their Lesbian And Gay Patients.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Four out of 10 health care providers don't ask their gay and lesbian patients about their sexual practices, according to the second annual GayHealth.com online survey. Avoiding the subject of sex puts...

Guidelines Based On Age Not Sophisticated Enough.(cancer screening)
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Cancer screening guidelines that recommend a test based on age are too simplistic, argues a new study from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California. The authors recommend a more...

Adolescent Risk Taking Tied to Perceived Parental Monitoring.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - "Its 9 o'clock. Do you know where your teenage daughter is?" Parents who can't answer that question should expect alarming behavior from their adolescents,...

Sensitivity Of MRI Is Less Accurate Than Originally Presumed.(magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing acoustic tumors)
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- An acoustic neuroma (sometimes termed a neurolemmoma or schwannoma) is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor that arises on the eighth cranial nerve, leading from the brain to the inner ear. This nerve has two...

Researchers Discover Gene That Retards Aging In Mice.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) - Life extension and anti-aging research got a boost from scientists at The Jackson Laboratory, University of Michigan, and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. A team headed by Jackson...

Computer Use Doesn't Increase Risk.(of carpal tunnel syndrome)
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Using a computer at work doesn't increase your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, according to a study published in the June 12, 2001, issue of Neurology. "We wanted to do this study because...

GERD Could Be Tempered By H. pylori Eradication.(gastroesophageal reflux disease )
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25- (NewsRx Network) -- Eradication of a bacterium present in the stomach could reduce the frequency of a common gastric disorder characterized by heartburn and chest pain, according to a study from Switzerland. There is little...

Early Results Of Website-Based Health Management Interventions Study Outlined.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) - Health professionals attending the recent American Occupational Health Conference in San Francisco, California, got a glimpse of the year-to-date findings of a randomized two-year study measuring the...

Religion, Morals Stall Efforts Against AIDS.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Religious beliefs and moral values have stalled efforts to come up with a plan that would set tough new targets to combat AIDS worldwide, officials involved in negotiations said. Three weeks before a draft...

Glucose Deficit Affects Young And Old.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Next time an older person says that thinking is exhausting, believe it. Concentration, researchers say, drains glucose from a key part of the brains of young and old rats, but dramatically more from older...

New Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Key Staff Announced.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- NewsRx Network, Atlanta, Georgia, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, has announced top staff appointments, including a new editor-in-chief and publisher for its...

Low-Income Mothers Judge Children's Weight Using Their Own Criteria.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Whether a child is "fat" or "solid" may depend on the eye of the beholder. Preschoolers who meet growth chart definitions of obesity are not necessarily considered...

Tying Television Privileges To Exercise May Curb Childhood Obesity.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Imposing television (TV) limitations based on exercise may help obese children to lose weight, according to a report in Pediatrics. Researchers at the University of...

Survival Gap Between African Americans And Caucasians May Be Closing.(prostate cancer )
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- The survival gap may be narrowing between African Americans and Caucasians who have had prostate cancer and have been treated with radical prostatectomies, according to a new Wayne State University (WSU) study....

New Smoking Cessation Tool Being Studied.(an oral nicotine solution that can be added to beverages)
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) - Smokers may eventually have another available tool to help them kick the habit: an oral nicotine solution that can be added to their favorite beverage. Dr. Eric C. Westman, assistant professor in the...

Pediatricians Urged To Ask Patients About Rape.
June 25, 2001... 2001 JUN 25 - (NewsRx Network) -- Citing disturbing statistics showing adolescents have the highest rate of rape in the U.S., the American Academy of Pediatrics says doctors should ask patients at their annual checkups if they have ever been...