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Crateagus extract postpones cardiac events in patients with congestive heart failure

An herbal medicinal substance, Crataegus Extract WS:1442, safely extends the lives of congestive heart failure patients already receiving pharmacological treatment for the disease, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session.

30 Mar 2007

New cardiovascular treatment approaches

In an era of increasing death and illness from heart and blood vessel disease - which also can impair kidney function - Mayo Clinic researchers have designed two promising new cardiovascular treatment approaches.

30 Mar 2007

Education and support programs improve long-term outcomes for high-risk cardiac patients

More than 30 percent of patients who suffer heart failure die within one year, but education and support programs have been shown to improve that statistic.

30 Mar 2007

Blood pressure control with Clevidipine

Researchers report that an investigational anti-hypertensive therapy may perform better in controlling blood pressure than standard treatments for patients undergoing heart surgery, during a presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session.

30 Mar 2007

Lack of care for older breast cancer patients

Older women with breast cancer get a lower level of care than younger women, researchers at The University of Manchester have found.

From The University of Manchester 29 Mar 2007

Withdrawal of Pergolide products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that manufacturers of pergolide drug products, which are used to treat Parkinson's disease, will voluntarily remove these drugs from the market because of the risk of serious damage to patients' heart valves.

29 Mar 2007

MRI evaluation of the contralateral breast in women recently diagnosed with breast cancer

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of women who were diagnosed with cancer in one breast detected over 90 percent of cancers in the other breast that were missed by mammography and clinical breast exam at initial diagnosis, according to a new study.

28 Mar 2007

Patient adherence an essential factor for successful tuberculosis treatment

Nearly 2 million people die from tuberculosis each year, mainly in the poorest countries. The pathogen, Koch's bacillus, can pass easily by aerial infection from one individual to another. The spread of the disease, favoured by the Aids epidemic and the appearance of multi-resistant strains, has led WHO to make tuberculosis control one of the world's main health priorities.

27 Mar 2007

Medications plus lifestyle changes work as well as angioplasty to reduce deaths in stable heart-disease patients

Coronary revascularization with stenting or balloon angioplasty combined with optimal medical therapy is no more effective in preventing a heart attack, other major cardiovascular events or death in patients with stable heart disease, than optimal medical therapy alone, results of a new study conducted in 50 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada has shown.

27 Mar 2007

Researchers look at whether creatine slows progression of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are leading one of the largest clinical trials ever for Parkinson's disease.

25 Mar 2007

Stanford brain tumor vaccine to be tested nationally

When Susan Wright learned that she had a type of fatal, rapidly growing brain cancer at age 46, her doctors at the University of Florida told her she wouldn't live more than 18 months.

22 Mar 2007

Controlling HIV/AIDS in India - an immense challenge

Controlling HIV/AIDS in India is an "immense" challenge for the country's National AIDS Control Organization -- which is preparing to launch on April 1 the third phase of its National AIDS Control Program, a new five-year, $2.6 billion program that aims to reduce the number of new HIV cases and improve access to treatment in the country -- NEJM national correspondent Robert Steinbrook writes in a perspective piece.

22 Mar 2007

Some people with HIV/AIDS in Zambia are abandoning their antiretroviral drug regimens for ineffective cures

Some people living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia are abandoning their antiretroviral drug regimens for ineffective drugs that in recent weeks have been promoted in the media as cures for the disease, the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV and AIDS said on Monday, AFP/Independent Online reports.

22 Mar 2007

Global tuberculosis epidemic has levelled off

The global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic has levelled off for the first time since WHO declared TB a public health emergency in 1993. The Global Tuberculosis Control Report released today by WHO finds that the percentage of the world's population struck by TB peaked in 2004 and then held steady in 2005.

22 Mar 2007

Atorvastatin shows potential as a new treatment for spinal cord injuries

A multidisciplinary investigation led by Inderjit Singh, Ph.D, of the Medical University of South Carolina, has resulted in a new treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). The study investigates the efficacy of atorvastatin (AT), (i.e. Lipitor) as a treatment for spinal cord injuries following trauma.

22 Mar 2007

Treating sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure reduces incidence of stroke

Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea who have significantly higher serum levels of inflammatory markers that serve as precursors to coronary artery disease, as well as lesions associated with silent brain infarction, have an elevated risk of stroke, according to a group of Japanese medical researchers.

19 Mar 2007