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Literacy at less than a ninth-grade level almost doubles the five-year risk of mortality among elderly people

The literacy and mortality study analyzed data on 2,512 participants in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study that was conducted by the National Institute on Aging from 1999 to 2004.

4 Aug 2006

Diagnosis and referrals for kidney disease fall well short of need

Results of a national study of 304 U.S. physicians, in which "mock" patients' symptoms were presented for diagnosis, suggest that a sizeable percentage of primary care doctors probably fail to properly diagnose and refer patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

3 Aug 2006

Stopping antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients could be beneficial

Stopping antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients from time to time could reduce the side effects and costs of the treatment, according to a study in this week's issue of The Lancet.

3 Aug 2006

Smokers who experience significant pain smoke more

Smokers who experience significant pain smoke more cigarettes per day than those who are not regularly in pain, according to a study published by researchers at the University of Kentucky.

3 Aug 2006

Smoking interacts with genetic risk factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis among older Caucasian women

Smoking increases the chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women who otherwise lack genetic risk factors for the disease.

2 Aug 2006

FDA approves next seasons flu vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it has approved this year's seasonal influenza (flu) vaccines that include the new strains of virus judged likely to cause flu in the Northern Hemisphere in 2006-2007.

2 Aug 2006

Guidelines on atrial fibrillation recommend new approach

Risk factors for stroke should be used to determine whether anti-clotting therapy is given to people with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation (AF), according to revised Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

2 Aug 2006

Gout is a significant independent risk factor of heart attack

First study to show that among men with no previous history of coronary artery disease, gout is a significant independent risk factor of heart attack.

2 Aug 2006

Lung disease study hope for premature babies

A Europe-wide trial involving premature babies is investigating whether the risk of chronic lung disease can be halved if they are given nitric oxide gas to breathe shortly after birth.

1 Aug 2006

Smart cancer drug on sale in the UK

A new "smart" cancer drug will be available to patients in Britain today which works by deploying two chemical 'bullets' that attack specific molecular targets, starving tumours of nutrients and inhibiting the enzyme that signals cells to multiply.

31 Jul 2006

Promising therapy for Lou Gehrig's disease delivers antisense drug directly to nervous system

Researchers have designed and tested a molecular therapy in animals that they hope will be a major development in the fight to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease.

27 Jul 2006

Honey more effective than antibiotics

A household remedy millennia old is being reinstated: honey helps the treatment of some wounds better than the most modern antibiotics.

27 Jul 2006

Nitric oxide reduces lung disease in premature, very-low-birth-weight infants

Delivering nitric oxide to the lungs of premature, very-low-birth-weight infants during their second week of life improves their chances of surviving without chronic lung disease, according to a national study of nearly 600 babies.

26 Jul 2006

Midlife physical activity and mobility in older age

More physical activity in midlife translates to more physical mobility in old age, researchers conclude in a new study of older adults living in the Chianti region of Italy.

26 Jul 2006

Periodic 'deep inflation' helps prevent ventilator-induced lung injury

Ventilation therapy burst into the public consciousness more than 60 years ago with the "iron lung" and the polio epidemic.

26 Jul 2006

Poor sense of smell among alcoholics associated with prefrontal cognitive dysfunction

Prior research has shown that chronic alcoholism is associated with numerous olfactory deficits in odor judgment, odor identification, odor sensitivity, and the ability to qualitatively discriminate between odors.

26 Jul 2006

New nerve-stimulation treatment for epilepsy helps!

A unique nerve-stimulation treatment for epilepsy developed at UCLA offers a potential new alternative for tens of thousands of individuals unable to control their seizures with medication and ineligible for surgery.

26 Jul 2006

Reduced levels of antiinflammatory cytokines in patients with chronic widespread pain

Chronic widespread pain, a common medical condition, can be difficult to treat and is often associated with fatigue, poor sleep and depression.

26 Jul 2006

Disease-specific gene expression profiles in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

They sleep together, eat together, and most people find it impossible to tell them apart. Identical twins who grow up together share just about everything, including their genes.

26 Jul 2006

Remicade receives European approval for treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Schering-Plough Corporation today announced that the European Commission has approved the use of Remicade (infliximab) as monotherapy in the treatment of active and progressive psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients who show intolerance to methotrexate or for whom methotrexate is contraindicated.

26 Jul 2006