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Review of health benefits of grape polyphenols

A growing body of research data suggests that consuming foods rich in polyphenols from grapes - including red wine - helps reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review article in the November issue of Nutrition Research.

28 Oct 2008

Obesity reality check

Sydney University's Institute of Obesity, Nutrition & Exercise (IONE) will today draw together some of Australia's leading obesity experts to review and measure the effectiveness of our response as a nation to the obesity epidemic.

27 Oct 2008

Improved communication about medications reduces complications among patients using common blood thinner

Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

27 Oct 2008

Nanocort demonstrates safety and good response in phase I/II trial for rheumatoid arthritis

Galapagos NV has announced that Nanocort has demonstrated safety as well as a faster and more pronounced decrease in rheumatoid arthritis disease symptoms compared to reference medication.

27 Oct 2008

Anxiety disorders latest worry in high blood pressure

Family doctors and psychiatrists should carefully monitor the heart health of patients with anxiety disorders, Dr. Simon Bacon told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2008, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "People with anxiety disorders are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension) over one year than those of us who are anxiety free," says Dr. Bacon, a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Hypertension is a leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease."

27 Oct 2008

Study reveals factors of exceptional health in old age

Elderly people who have a positive outlook, lower stress levels, moderate alcohol consumption, abstention from tobacco, moderate to higher income and no chronic health conditions are more likely to thrive in their old age, according to a study in the October issue of the Journals of Gerontology, Medical Sciences.

27 Oct 2008

Respiratory syncytial virus may hide in the lungs, lead to asthma

Conventional wisdom has been that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - a common virus that causes infection in the lungs - comes and goes in children without any long lasting impact.

27 Oct 2008

The sooner the better when it comes to HIV/AIDS treatment

New research into HIV/AIDS therapy has found that starting treatment with drugs for the AIDS virus may be better sooner than later as victims are more than 70% less likely to die when they started taking cocktails of HIV drugs earlier than currently recommended.

27 Oct 2008

Purple tomatoes the latest in the arsenal against cancer

British scientists have developed purple tomatoes which they believe may possibly help fight cancer.

27 Oct 2008

Human rhinovirus found to manipulate genes

Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds. But in reality, it's not the virus itself but HRV's ability to manipulate your genes that is the true cause of some of the most annoying cold symptoms.

26 Oct 2008

Simple gene-based blood test, quicker, more accurate evaluation for cystic fibrosis

Researchers at National Jewish Health have identified a simple gene-based blood test that more accurately and quickly measures cystic fibrosis patients' response to therapy than current tests.

26 Oct 2008

High dose flu vaccine boosts immune response in elderly

Giving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases.

26 Oct 2008

Exposure to low doses of mercury changes the way the arteries work

An international team of researchers has shown that mercury is another important factor in cardiovascular disease as it changes the way arteries work. One of the possible sources of exposure of humans to mercury is by eating contaminated fish.

23 Oct 2008

Sudden cardiac death number one risk for patients on dialysis

In a 10-year study of more than a thousand kidney failure patients, sudden cardiac death emerged as the number one cause of death for patients on dialysis, according to a Johns Hopkins researcher. The study, already published online and appearing in the Nov. 2 issue of Kidney International, identified systemic inflammatory response and malnutrition as key risk factors for the fatal heart attacks.

22 Oct 2008

High-dose hormone treatment might reduce risk for posttraumatic stress disorder

Cortisol helps our bodies cope with stress, but what about its effects on the brain? A new study by Cohen and colleagues, appearing in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, suggests that the answer to this question is complex.

22 Oct 2008

Google.org helps identify future disease hot spots

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has announced grants of more than $14 million to support partners working in Southeast Asia and Africa to prevent the next pandemic.

21 Oct 2008

Teva granted FDA approval for Fentanyl transdermal system

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Fentanyl Transdermal System, 25 mcg/hour, 50 mcg/hour, 75 mcg/hour and 100 mcg/hour, the AB-rated generic equivalent of Ortho McNeil's chronic pain treatment Duragesic. Shipment of this product has commenced.

20 Oct 2008

Chronic disease keeping older Australians out of the workforce

Chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis may be keeping more than 660,000 older Australians out of the workforce, Sydney University academics have found.

20 Oct 2008

Genes that control cell death may play role in age-related hearing loss

Several genes that play a role in how our body's cells normally auto-destruct may play a role in age-related hearing loss, according to research published online in the journal Apoptosis - a journal devoted to the topic of cell suicide, or programmed cell death.

19 Oct 2008

FDA grants orphan drug status to Reata's pancreatic cancer drug

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that RTA 402 has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. RTA 402 is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with pancreatic cancer, and is also in Phase 2 development for chronic kidney disease.

16 Oct 2008