Chronic Disease News and Research

RSS

New therapeutic approach that could help eliminate dormant HIV infection

US scientists have tested a new therapeutic approach that could help eliminate dormant HIV infection that current treatments miss. The researchers report these preliminary findings in a proof-of-concept study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

11 Aug 2005

Current clinical practice guidelines are not written with older adults with multiple illnesses in mind

The aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases pose challenges to the development and application of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), according to background information in the article. In 1999, 48 percent of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older had at least 3 chronic medical conditions and 21 percent had 5 or more.

10 Aug 2005

Relationship between allergies and mold spores in lawns

"Have you ever driven down the road and seen someone mowing the lawn wearing a mask? This is an example of the relationship between allergies and mold spores in lawns. Dr. Phil Colbaugh, research plant pathologist at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Dallas, cites a common image seen in Texas throughout the warm weather months.

2 Aug 2005

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has broken the immune system's code

The human opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has broken the immune system's code, report researchers from the University of Chicago, enabling the bacteria to recognize when its host is most vulnerable and to launch an attack before the weakened host can muster its defenses.

1 Aug 2005

Research examines the effect of visual impairment on Alzheimer's disease patients in nursing homes

One in three nursing home residents who have Alzheimer’s disease are not getting their vision corrected so they can see clearly, according to new Saint Louis University research in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

20 Jul 2005

Researchers have identified a highly specific pathway that causes inflammation in lung tissue

...a discovery that could help in the design of more targeted treatments for patients with various lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis.

30 Jun 2005

Leader of Scotland's doctors address to annual conference of BMA

Speaking as Scotland’s politicians prepared to debate the final stages of a smoking ban, the leader of Scotland’s doctors congratulated Ministers for their commitment to the public health agenda. In his address to the Annual Conference of the BMA in Manchester today (Wednesday 29 June 2005), Dr Peter Terry, chairman of the BMA in Scotland said:

29 Jun 2005

Results of global bipolar disorder consumer survey

The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) today announced results of a global bipolar disorder consumer survey, Thinking Ahead, at the World Congress of Biological Psychiatry.

29 Jun 2005

New breast cancer drug not available to all who need it

Unless things change breast cancer patient Barbara Clark will probably have to sell her house to pay for an expensive drug called Herceptin.

28 Jun 2005

The potential benefit that IVF children bring to society far outweighs the cost of 'producing' them

Dr. Maria Granberg, from the Fertilitetscentrum, Göteborg, Sweden, told the conference that, although the total cost of IVF financed by health care systems in Nordic countries had increased over the last few years, it was still highly profitable to society.

27 Jun 2005

Planned home births a safe otption shows finds new study

Planned home births for low risk women in the United States are associated with similar safety and less medical intervention as low risk hospital births, finds a study in this week’s BMJ.

16 Jun 2005

Orlistat, a drug that decreases fat absorption, appears helpful for improving weight management in obese adolescents

When combined with diet, exercise and behavioral therapy, orlistat, a drug that decreases fat absorption, appears helpful for improving weight management in obese adolescents, compared with placebo, according to an article in the June 15 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Jun 2005

Breakthrough on chronic disease management by GPs

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that the Australian Government’s introduction of chronic disease items to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) would deliver a double benefit to GPs and their patients.

9 Jun 2005

Study to improve symptom awareness

Asthma sufferers who have difficulty recognising the early warning signs of an attack are being targeted by a new RMIT University study.

6 Jun 2005

Two-year study shows lifestyle-related chronic illness begins early

As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases among American children, signs of risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases - previously thought of as adult disorders - are on the rise among youth.

3 Jun 2005

Every U.S. child and adult will be obese by 2044

Advertisements on television and in newspapers consistently hype the latest diet fads. News reports comment on the latest research about the negative effects of obesity on Americans.

2 Jun 2005

Medical Research Council funds research to look at cannabis based medicines in multiple sclerosis treatment

A trial to determine whether cannabis-based medicines can reduce disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

24 May 2005

Lack of funds hampering important child health study

US Congress should boost funding for an important study to identify the risk factors for childhood chronic disease, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

19 May 2005

Remicade shows promise in treating ulcerative colitis

Results from two Phase III, placebo-controlled clinical trials found that approximately two-thirds of patients with moderate to severe, active ulcerative colitis (UC) treated with Remicade (infliximab, 5mg/kg) demonstrated a significant improvement in symptoms.

16 May 2005

Fitness and strength decline during pregnancy, but recover in approximately six months

Fitness and strength decline during pregnancy and the early postpartum period, but improve by approximately 27 weeks postpartum regardless of the mother’s body mass index (BMI), according to research in the May issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

16 May 2005