Chronic Disease News and Research

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People who use their computers to find health information often wind up in worse condition than if they had listened to their doctor

Using interactive computer tools does improve the medical knowledge of people with diabetes, asthma or other chronic conditions, and does provide them with positive feelings of social support, according to researchers reviewing 28 randomized controlled trials involving 4,042 participants.

18 Oct 2004

Treatment of obesity reduces the onset of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus, and even erectile dysfunction

And according to the University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Gary Wittert, who is championing The Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study, there is a compelling argument for an aggressive intervention program given the high prevalence of obesity and the relationship to the aforementioned health problems.

11 Oct 2004

Discovery of a central memory form of helper T cells that can offer immunity to leishmaniasis

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a "central memory" form of "helper" T cells that can offer immunity to leishmaniasis, a disease that causes considerable death and disfigurement across the globe and has been found in U.S. military personnel returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

8 Oct 2004

Testosterone may help men recover from a stroke

Testosterone – the hormone responsible for male sexual characteristics – may help him recover from a stroke, according to preliminary animal research at Saint Louis University

5 Oct 2004

Australian Medical Association backs Labor’s commitment to focus on mental health

Dr Choong-Siew Yong, Psychiatrist and Chair of the AMA’s Public Health and Ethics Committee, today welcomed Labor’s commitment to focus on mental health as a national health priority

28 Sep 2004

Hong Kong influenza vaccination to start November

Six groups of people at higher risk of flu complications will make up the first category in the Hong Kong Government's Influenza Vaccination Programme, to be implemented in November and December.

27 Sep 2004

Health insurance plans extend efforts to end tobacco use

Nearly three-quarters of all health insurance plans included in a new survey rely on evidence-based clinical guidelines to address tobacco use, and almost all plans, 98 percent, provide full coverage for at least one type of smoking cessation intervention.

16 Sep 2004

Helping seniors in times of trauma

As Hurricane Ivan pummels the U.S. Gulf Coast, Saint Louis University continues to study what we need to do to ensure Grandma’s safety in case of a disaster.

16 Sep 2004

Growing up in polluted towns and cities increases risk of lung health issues

Children who grow up in towns and cities with high pollution levels are at increased risk of lung health issues or low functioning lungs. New research suggests that pollutants from vehicle emissions and fossil fuels have an adverse effect on a child's lung development and can also lower childrens lifetime breathing capacity.

8 Sep 2004

More than one billion people will be over 60 years old by 2025

To help tackle the public health implications of ageing, the World Health Organization today launched Towards Age-Friendly Primary Health Care, new general principles that will serve as guidelines for community-based Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.

6 Sep 2004

First step in using gene therapy to treat glaucoma

Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated they can permanently transfer a functioning gene to targeted tissues within the eye.

2 Sep 2004

Friendly bacteria the key to ulcerative colitis treatment

Affecting an estimated fifty thousand people in the UK, with a particularly high incidence rate in north east Scotland, ulcerative colitis is an acute and chronic disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the large bowel.

17 Aug 2004

Rats as well as humans can become addicted to drugs

The voluntary consumption of drugs is a behavior found in a number of species of animal. But until now it was thought that drug-addiction was a specific behavior of humans.

13 Aug 2004

Clinical benefit for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis patients treated with Raptiva for 30 months

Genentech and XOMA have announced preliminary 30-month (120 weeks) results from an open-label study evaluating the safety and efficacy of long-term continuous treatment with RAPTIVA® (efalizumab) in adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

2 Aug 2004

Tablets which help recovering alcoholics stay off the drink

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Campral (acamprosate calcium) tablets which help recovering alcoholics to stay of the drink. Campral is manufactured by Forest Laboratories and Merck of Darmstadt, Germany.

29 Jul 2004

Botox for the treatment of severe underarm sweating

Botox, or botulinum toxin type A, is commonly known as a wrinkle treatment, but recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved it for the treatment of severe underarm sweating, a debilitating condition called primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

29 Jul 2004

New remote home care monitoring system

People who suffer from chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and heart problems should benefit from a new remote, home care monitoring system that could also bring an end to overcrowded waiting rooms.

22 Jul 2004

Blacks receive transplants at disproportionately low rates

Black people in the United States have reduced access to many medical therapies and liver transplantation is one area where such disparity is suspected to exist.

15 Jul 2004

Adults with asthma may have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

According to a 20-year study published in the July issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), patients with asthma were 12 times more likely than nonasthmatics to develop COPD later in life.

13 Jul 2004

TUNA therapy results in significantly reduced erectile dysfunction

Comparing five-year results of Medtronic TUNA® Therapy (transurethral needle ablation) to surgery for 121 men in their mid-60s with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, a team of urologists found that “for appropriately selected patients with bothersome voiding symptoms, TUNA is an attractive treatment option.”

1 Jul 2004