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Loneliness may be heredity

Heredity helps determine why some adults are persistently lonely, research co-authored by psychologists at the University of Chicago shows.

13 Nov 2005

University of Alberta researchers pioneer gene therapy to restore alveoli and lung capillaries in damaged rat lungs

The good news is that medical advances in perinatal care have allowed us to save many more premature babies. The bad news is they're often at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia--a chronic lung disease caused by having to place the tiny infants on ventilators and oxygen-rich therapy for acute respiratory failure.

13 Nov 2005

New understanding of the disease process involved in atherosclerosis

The progression of the artery-clogging disease atherosclerosis is linked to the inability of specialized bone marrow cells to continuously repair damage to the arterial lining, Duke University Medical Center researchers have demonstrated.

13 Nov 2005

Habitual coffee drinking is not associated with an increased risk of hypertension in women

Habitual coffee drinking is not associated with an increased risk of hypertension in women, although an association was found with the consumption of sugared or diet colas, according to a study in the November 9 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2005

Meditation associated with increased cortical thickness

Meditation is known to alter resting brain patterns, suggesting long lasting brain changes, but a new study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows meditation also is associated with increased cortical thickness.

13 Nov 2005

Taking either COX-2 inhibitors or NSAIDs after a heart attack increases the risk of death

In recent years, evidence has shown that patients treated with selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors are at increased risk of heart attack and death. COX-2 inhibitors are used primarily to treat pain and arthritis in patients at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

13 Nov 2005

Pretreating a vein graft with edifoligide prior to coronary bypass graft surgery does not lower the rate of graft failure

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States, according to background information in the article. In appropriately selected patients, CABG surgery results in improved survival, relief of angina, and improved quality of life. Despite frequent use of artery grafts, vein grafts remain the most frequently used conduit.

13 Nov 2005

Obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of stroke

An observational study of more than 1,000 patients at the Yale Center for Sleep Medicine found that obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of stroke or death from any cause, and that the risk is linked to sleep apnea severity.

13 Nov 2005

Statins reduce the risk of stroke after carotid artery endarterectomy

Carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA) is the most commonly performed operation to prevent stroke in the United States. However, the operation itself carries a small risk of stroke.

13 Nov 2005

Cancer survivors require tailored follow-up plans

Citing shortfalls in the care currently provided to the country's 10 million cancer survivors, a new report recommends that each cancer patient receive a "survivorship care plan."

13 Nov 2005

Hopkins study finds no "cognitive decline" after use of heart-lung machine during bypass surgery

The use of a cardiopulmonary heart pump during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery does not significantly damage such high-level mental tasks as thinking, reasoning and remembering, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers recently published in Neurology.

10 Nov 2005

Sleep apnea sufferers have double the risk of stroke and death

Apparently as many as 4 percent of Americans suffer from extreme daytime fatigue because their sleep apnea forces them to repeatedly wake up if only for a second.

10 Nov 2005

Urban Britain is a recipe for heart disease

Researchers at The University of Manchester’s Medical School, working with teams in India and Birmingham, have found that people moving from South Asia to the UK significantly increase their risk of contracting cardiovascular disease (CVD).

From The University of Manchester 9 Nov 2005

Support for heart implants to be returned to manufacturers after death

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is throwing it's weight behind a policy that would mean implantable heart defibrillators would be returned to their manufacturers to be studied for possible defects after the patient dies.

9 Nov 2005

Relax girls - it's not the coffee that's raising your blood pressure!

According to the latest study, having a coffee drinking habit is not going to increase your blood pressure if you are a woman, but knocking back the colas is a different kettle of fish!

9 Nov 2005

One in five Americans has or is at serious risk for developing diabetes

At least one in five Americans has or is at serious risk for developing diabetes, meaning millions are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, key health organizations are warning.

8 Nov 2005

Sildenafil reverses symptoms of Raynaud's

German researchers have discovered yet another use for Viagra (sildenafil), they say it relieves the symptoms and improves the circulation of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.

8 Nov 2005

Aspirin may prevent skin cancer

Australian scientists say that common drugs such as aspirin may hold the key to reducing the risk of developing skin cancer.

8 Nov 2005

2 million American children at risk of diabetes

According to a new study, as many as 2 million children in the U.S. aged 12 to 19 have a prediabetic condition or prediabetes, that is often linked to obesity and physical inactivity.

8 Nov 2005

Statin drug reverses learning and attention deficits in a mouse model of the genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis type I

This week, researchers report evidence that a statin drug already shown to be safe for use in humans has proven effective at correcting cell-cell communication and curing learning disfunction in a mouse model of Neurofibromatosis type I, a human genetic disorder that causes learning disabilities in millions of people worldwide.

7 Nov 2005