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Determining prognosis in patients with chest pain now easier and more accurate

A new, more precise test is available to improve the accuracy of detecting coronary artery disease and risk of heart attack, and can be done right at the bedside.

22 Jun 2005

Antibiotics not effective for many coughs

In a study of more than 500 patients who were suffering from acute bronchitis or pharyngitis it was found that whether or not antibiotics were prescribed, the irritating bouts of coughing still continued for an average of almost 12 days after the visit to the doctor.

22 Jun 2005

Folic acid improves memory and protects the brain from aging

According to scientists in Holland high doses of folic acid might help slow the cognitive decline of aging.

22 Jun 2005

AAV2 has great potential to be developed as an anti-cancer agent

Six days is all it takes for a common, non-disease-causing virus to kill cervical, breast, prostate and squamous cell cancer cells in laboratory cultures, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

21 Jun 2005

Sleep studied as potential treatment for depression

Two new studies show that insomnia, far from being a symptom or side effect of depression, may instead precede it, making some patients more likely to become and remain mentally ill.

21 Jun 2005

Foxp2 gene plays an essential role in the development of social communication

The association between Foxp2 and language was first identified in a family in which half the members had severe speech and grammar impairments. Studies showed that all the affected family members had a mutation in the Foxp2 gene.

21 Jun 2005

Antibiotics show little benefit for uncomplicated lower respiratory tract infections

Patients with uncomplicated lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchitis, who were given antibiotics had little difference in symptom relief compared to patients who did not receive antibiotics, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

21 Jun 2005

New insight into autoimmune disease

The immune system is a complex and powerful weapon that provides protection against bacteria and viruses that, if left unchecked, would wreak havoc throughout the human body.

21 Jun 2005

Endocarditis infection is increasing due to staphylococcal infection

An international study reveals that infective endocarditis, infection and inflammation involving the heart valves is commonly associated with health care factors and is increasingly due to staphylococcal infection, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Jun 2005

Danger of mixing mobile phones and motoring

The reason talking on a cell phone makes drivers less safe may be that the brain can't simultaneously give full attention to both the visual task of driving and the auditory task of listening, a study by a Johns Hopkins University psychologist suggests.

21 Jun 2005

Genetic predisposition to lung cancer exists

First-degree relatives of black individuals with early-onset lung cancer have twice the risk of lung cancer than first-degree relatives of white individuals with early-onset lung cancer, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Jun 2005

Most children with infective conjunctivitis (pinkeye) do not need treatment with an antibiotic

One in eight school children have an episode of conjunctivitis every year. This amounts to more than 1 million episodes in the UK and more than 5 million in the USA. Diagnosis of the condition is usually straight forward but doctors find difficulty in differentiating a viral cause from a bacterial cause.

21 Jun 2005

Wearing a continuous positive airway pressure device helps heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest

Wearing a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device not only helps heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest, it lowers blood pressure and heart rate well into the morning, apparently, by reducing sympathetic nervous system activity, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Insulin resistance drug with anti-inflammatory effects reduces risk factors

A drug, which reduces insulin resistance and also may have anti-inflammatory and other effects on blood vessels, lowered cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes more than another diabetes medicine, even though both drugs improved blood sugar control equally, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Fish may help prevent heart failure as well as heart attacks

Older people who ate fish once or twice a week had a 20 percent lower risk of developing congestive heart failure during 12 years of follow-up, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Worldwide cost of Alzheimer's disease and dementia estimated at $156 billion

The first estimate of the worldwide direct costs of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care was released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia. As a result, scientists, advocates and those affected by the disease are calling for increased funding for research and support services.

21 Jun 2005

No increase in anxiety or depression when children of people with Alzheimer's get genetic testing

Adult children of people with Alzheimer’s disease were satisfied and unharmed by the experience of genetic risk assessment, even when results suggested they might be at risk, according to a new study presented at the first Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia.

21 Jun 2005