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New treatment option for patients who have moderately active ulcerative colitis

Results of a study presented today by a Mayo Clinic physician at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) in Orlando, Fla., offer a new treatment option for patients who have moderately active ulcerative colitis.

1 Nov 2004

Cigarette smoking can dramatically affect appetite and weight control

The study by researchers in the Department of Pharmacology and the CRC for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases found that mice exposed to four days of cigarette smoke displayed significant loss of appetite, fat tissue and body weight.

1 Nov 2004

Researcher finds no long-term benefit of using glucosamine for knee joint pain

A popular food supplement used to treat osteoarthritis pain in knee joints has been shown to have no long-term beneficial effect, according to a national study conducted by a University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow working at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada

1 Nov 2004

Hormone therapy findings suggest a complex relationship between marketing, scientific evidence and prescribing patterns

Pharmaceutical companies slashed their promotional spending for hormone therapies by more than a third following reports in July 2002 of health risks associated with the drugs, but within the year they beefed up their marketing efforts to promote lower-dose forms of the medications

1 Nov 2004

First home-testing device for phenylketonuria (PKU) patients

Home-testing kits have made it easier for diabetics and hypertension patients to track their conditions, but such self-monitoring hasn’t been possible for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).

1 Nov 2004

Suspected case of Japanese encephalitis in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a suspected case of Japanese encephalitis (JE) involving a five-year-old boy living in Lau Fau Shan.

1 Nov 2004

Interim recommendations on low-carb diets

From the extreme Atkins Diet to the more modest Zone Diet, low carbohydrate diets are all the rage, embraced by celebrities and the general public alike as a quick way to lose weight.

1 Nov 2004

Pegasys with ribavirin combo may best for reducing hepatitis C viral levels

Interim study results indicate a certain drug combination treatment may suppress the hepatitis C virus more quickly than another.

1 Nov 2004

FDA approves Nastech vitamin B-12 deficiency nasal spray

Nastech Pharmaceutical Company has announced receipt of an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Nascobal (Cyanocobalamin, USP) Nasal Spray for the treatment of vitamin B-12 deficiency.

1 Nov 2004

New therapy under development for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

A new therapy under development for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea predominance appears to provide significant improvements in measures of quality of life, according to a study presented at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

1 Nov 2004

Patients are receiving initial diagnosis of celiac disease at an older age

Patients are receiving initial diagnosis of celiac disease at an older age and with a shorter duration of symptoms, according to a retrospective study presented today at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

1 Nov 2004

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has announced progress toward expanding the nation's supply of vaccines for flu season

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified about 5 million doses of influenza vaccine from foreign manufacturers; HHS has been able to recoup an additional 300,000 doses of the injectable vaccine originally bought for federal employees and the military; and a major pneumonia vaccine manufacturer plans to triple its production.

29 Oct 2004

FDA warns of risks associated with using decorative contact lenses

This Halloween season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again warning consumers about the serious risks of using decorative contact lenses distributed without appropriate involvement by an eye care professional.

29 Oct 2004

Genetic evidence to support an inherited tendency to retain salt

Researchers at the University of Chicago have found genetic evidence to support the sodium-retention hypothesis, a controversial 30-year-old theory that the high rate of hypertension in certain ethnic groups is caused, in part, by an inherited tendency to retain salt.

29 Oct 2004

DASH diet may have health benefits that go beyond lowering people's risk of heart disease

The popular DASH diet, established by the National Institutes of Health as a way to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, may have health benefits that go beyond its stated purpose of lowering people's risk of heart disease, according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

29 Oct 2004

Chronic diseases linked to obesity could put the brakes on economic progress in many developing countries

Chronic diseases linked to obesity could put the brakes on economic progress in many developing countries unless urgent action is taken, experts warned at the opening of the first major international conference on obesity in Africa yesterday (Oct 28).

29 Oct 2004

Fetal tissue restores lost sight from retinitis pigmentosa

Three years ago Elisabeth Bryant believed she would be blind for the rest of her life. "I couldn't see anything," she says. Now, although her vision is not perfect, she can see well enough to read, play computer games and check emails.

28 Oct 2004

FDA approves artificial spinal disc for use in treating pain associated with degenerative disc disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an artificial spinal disc for use in treating pain associated with degenerative disc disease (DDD), a general term applied to degeneration of the lumbar spinal discs which serve as cushions between the spinal vertebrae.

28 Oct 2004

Marijuana-like compounds may aid Parkinson's disease, pain and obesity

No longer a pipe dream, new animal research now indicates that marijuana-like compounds can aid a bevy of debilitating conditions, ranging from brain disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease, to pain and obesity.

28 Oct 2004

New Drug Application for Velac accepted for filing by the FDA

Connetics Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the Company's New Drug Application for Velac

25 Oct 2004