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Benefits of vitamin D for cancer prevention

A new study looking at the relationship between vitamin D serum levels and the risk of colon and breast cancer across the globe has estimated the number of cases of cancer that could be prevented each year if vitamin D3 levels met the target proposed by researchers.

22 Aug 2007

Journey distances to hospital and relationship to mortality

The further seriously ill patients have to travel by ambulance to reach emergency care, the more likely they are to die, reveals research in Emergency Medicine Journal.

22 Aug 2007

Shutting up in domestic row not good for women's health

In a new study which examines behaviour, heart disease and mortality in the context of marriage, U.S. researchers have found that suffering in silence can be detrimental to a woman's health.

21 Aug 2007

Once a year treatment for osteoporosis now available in the U.S.

A once-a-year treatment for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis has been given approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

20 Aug 2007

Air pollution linked to poor lung function growth in children

Children who are chronically exposed to higher levels of air pollution show marked deficiencies in lung growth and function, and not just short-term breathing problems, according to researchers in Mexico.

17 Aug 2007

Ambulatory oxygen rarely a benefit in COPD patients without resting hypoxemia

Prescribing ambulatory oxygen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) improves exercise performance, but not the quality of their daily life unless they have resting hypoxemia, according to researchers in Toronto.

17 Aug 2007

Red meat and colon cancer recurrence

Colon cancer patients who eat a diet high in red meat, fatty products, refined grains, and desserts a so-called Western diet may be increasing their chance of disease relapse and early death, report researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

16 Aug 2007

Metformin kills some cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that a commonly prescribed diabetes drug kills tumor cells that lack a key regulatory gene called p53.

16 Aug 2007

Caution urged on use of drugs to raise "good" cholesterol

With 40 percent of all heart attacks and related cardiovascular problems occurring in people who have low levels of so-called "good" cholesterol, researchers have long sought medications to increase the amount of this type of cholesterol in the body's circulation.

16 Aug 2007

Diabetes increases risk of death for patients with acute coronary syndromes

Individuals with diabetes and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) such as a heart attack or unstable angina have an increased risk of death at 30 days and one year after ACS, compared with ACS patients without diabetes, according to a study in the August 15 issue of JAMA .

16 Aug 2007

Living in America - you don't live quite as long!

According to the National Centre for Health Statistics, despite being one of the richest countries in the world, America has dropped to 42nd place in the world rankings of life expectancy.

15 Aug 2007

Diovan (valsartan) granted pediatric exclusivity by FDA

Diovan (valsartan) has been granted pediatric exclusivity by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on studies conducted in children with high blood pressure.

13 Aug 2007

Warfarin versus aspirin for stroke prevention

A study tracking nearly 1,000 over-75s at high risk of stroke has found that the anticoagulant drug warfarin cuts the risk by half in this older population without causing more side-effects than alternatives.

13 Aug 2007

New cancer stem cells could aid breast cancer research

In some ways, certain tumors resemble bee colonies, says pathologist Tan Ince. Each cancer cell in the tumor plays a specific role, and just a fraction of the cells serve as "queens," possessing the unique ability to maintain themselves in an unspecialized state and seed new tumors. These cells can also divide and produce the "worker" cells that form the bulk of the tumor.

13 Aug 2007

More sophisticated model is needed to assess preventive treatment in the elderly

Rather than prolonging life, preventive treatments in elderly people may simply change the cause of death, the manner of our dying, say doctors in this week's British Medical Journal.

11 Aug 2007

Refusal of medical and surgical interventions common among chronically ill elderly

Chronically ill older persons frequently refuse medical and surgical interventions recommended by their physicians, according to a recent study by Yale School of Medicine researchers.

9 Aug 2007

Disparities in figures for drug-related deaths

UK estimates of 'drug-related deaths' (DRDs) include mortalities of drug abusers and non-drug abusers.

9 Aug 2007

Study supports value of social restrictions during influenza pandemics

Although physicians have imposed quarantine orders since at least 1374, when the Port of Venice officially isolated foreigners and shippers for 40 days to keep out infectious scourges, there has been no definitive evidence that public health measures like quarantining the sick and isolating people after exposure to ill people would save lives during an influenza pandemic.

8 Aug 2007

Breast implants and risk of suicide

Women who undergo breast augmentation surgery are nearly three times as likely to commit suicide, according to a study published in the August issue of Annals of Plastic Surgery .

8 Aug 2007

Congress takes major step toward equitable payment for nurse-midwifery services

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 (CHAMP)" (H.R.3162), which expands health care coverage to pregnant women and their children and addresses a long-standing inequity in reimbursement for services of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs).

7 Aug 2007