Chronic News and Research

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Effective treatment of smell loss with theophylline

Despite the fact that millions of Americans are believed to have lost their sense of smell (hyposmia), no effective method exists to treat many of these people.

8 Apr 2008

Abdominal fat increases the risk of death

Women who carry excess fat around their waists were at greater risk of dying early from cancer or heart disease than were women with smaller waistlines, even if they were of normal weight, reported researchers from Harvard and the National Institutes of Health.

8 Apr 2008

Neglect or abuse in childhood linked to adult inflammation, depression

A history of neglect or abuse in childhood appears to be associated with depression and inflammation in adulthood, a combination that may increase cardiovascular risk, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Apr 2008

Asthma and smoker's lung: dry airways play a key role

Dry airways may not only play a central role in the development of the inherited lung disease cystic fibrosis, but also in much more common acquired chronic lung diseases such as asthma and smoker's lung, the cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

8 Apr 2008

ACP reports on how scheduled Medicare pay cuts will affect patients

Medicare patients - many of whom have multiple chronic illnesses - face severe difficulty in receiving healthcare if Congress does not act to avert pending cuts to Medicare payments, according to first-hand reports from physicians who specialize in internal medicine released today by the 125,000-member American College of Physicians (ACP).

8 Apr 2008

Nasal irrigation can relieve sinus symptoms safely, cheaply

Your spring cleaning routine might include vacuuming the coils on your refrigerator and storing bulky sweaters and corduroy pants. You may want to add to that list, according to a University of Michigan Health System expert, another area that could use some cleaning.

7 Apr 2008

Tart cherries cut heart/diabetes risk factors

Tart cherries - frequently sold dried, frozen or in juice - may have more than just good taste and bright red color going for them, according to new animal research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

7 Apr 2008

Rare genetic variants have big impact on blood pressure

Yale University researchers report in the journal Nature Genetics that they have discovered that rare genetic variants can be associated with a dramatically lower risk of developing high blood pressure in the general population.

7 Apr 2008

Transplanted dopamine neurons are affected by the Parkinson's disease process

A new groundbreaking study published in Nature Medicine has implications for the future of transplantation and stem cell therapies as a treatment for Parkinson's disease.

7 Apr 2008

Lip balms and glosses may increase your chances of developing a skin cancer

Wear sunscreen on your face everyday? Think you're covered? Well think again.

7 Apr 2008

Ibuprofen and acetaminophen shown to increase muscle mass and muscle strength

Taking daily recommended dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen caused a substantially greater increase over placebo in the amount of quadriceps muscle mass and muscle strength gained during three months of regular weight lifting, in a study by physiologists at the Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University.

7 Apr 2008

Periodontitis and human papillomavirus combined increase risk for tongue cancer

Persons with periodontitis who also are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) are at increased risk of developing tongue cancer, new research conducted at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine has shown.

7 Apr 2008

FDA approves TREANDA (bendamustine hydrochloride) for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Cephalon, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved TREANDA (bendamustine hydrochloride) for Injection for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease, on March 20, 2008.

7 Apr 2008

Pregnant teens don't get no smoking message

According to a new study pregnant teenagers don't get the no smoking message and almost half of all Australian teenage prospective mothers continue to smoke during pregnancy.

7 Apr 2008

Continuous oral contraceptives better at easing pain, bleeding

Continuous oral contraceptives may be more effective than the standard 28-day birth control pills in suppressing the ovary, according to researchers.

4 Apr 2008

Aripiprazole has potential for treating alcohol dependence

Aripiprazole is currently approved to treat bipolar disorder as well as schizophrenia. A new study has found that it significantly and dose-dependently increases the sedative effects of alcohol and, to a lesser degree, decreases the euphoric effects of alcohol. Future research will need to examine the beneficial versus the side effects of aripiprazole for treatment of alcohol dependence.

4 Apr 2008