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Researchers test whether huperzine A can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are testing whether huperzine A, a natural moss extract used in Chinese medicine, can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2004

New targets for combating infections in medical implants

Navarre researcher, Jaione Valle Turrillas, has identified two genes that could help as targets for pharmaceutical drugs that fight the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria - one of the bacteria which causes most infections in medical implants.

8 Oct 2004

Aspirin might well be considered the top utility player in the medicine cabinet

This cheap over-the-counter drug can be used not only for fever, pain and arthritis, but to prevent heart attack, stroke or angina. It also may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Yet aspirin also has side effects worth considering, and its very accessibility may hamper its use.

8 Oct 2004

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat severe head injuries is actually dangerous

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat patients with severe head injuries—common practice worldwide for the past 30 years—is actually dangerous and associated with around a 20% increase in death within two weeks of hospital admission, conclude authors of an international study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

8 Oct 2004

Britain's Chief Medical Officer has announced new measures to tackle and eliminate tuberculosis in Britain

The Plan, Stopping Tuberculosis in England, provides a strong commitment to tackle the disease by increasing the awareness of the disease amongst health professional and the public, establishing high quality surveillance to monitor the disease concentrating on high risk groups, identifying the infection early, and ensuring excellence in clinical care for patients with TB.

7 Oct 2004

Vioxx: an unequal partnership between safety and efficacy

Last week’s dramatic withdrawal of the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) is discussed in this week’s lead editorial in THE LANCET, which comments that more vigilant drug licensing is vital to prevent the endangering of patients’ health.

7 Oct 2004

Ecstasy does affect the memory of people who take it

The 'party drug' Ecstasy does affect the memory of people who take it, especially in high-pressure situations, according to a new study by an ANU Clinical Psychology PhD student.

7 Oct 2004

Call for UK and Luxembourg governments to put access to quality cancer treatment at the top of their health agendas

Speaking today at a workshop on 'Cancer treatment: a priority for patients in Europe', cancer specialists and representatives of cancer patients called on the UK and Luxembourg governments to put access to quality cancer treatment at the top of their health agendas during their Presidencies of the EU in 2005.

7 Oct 2004

Chiropractic care may reduce anxiety symptoms

A recent study, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), describes a 19-year old female diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) who suffered from somatic and psychiatric symptoms for two years.

6 Oct 2004

18 percent of seniors with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip medicines due to costs

A recent nationally representative survey of older adults finds that 18 percent of those with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip some of their prescription medicines because of out-of-pocket cost pressures, and 14 percent do so at least every month.

6 Oct 2004

Understanding how microbes in the gut interact with the body could lead to new a understanding and novel treatments for diseases

Understanding how microbes in the gut interact with the body could lead scientists and doctors to new a understanding and novel treatments for diseases say scientists from Imperial College London and Astra Zeneca.

6 Oct 2004

Australian researchers hunt for eczema genes

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) is halfway through a major project examining possible genetic causes of atopic dermatitis which is the most common form of eczema.

6 Oct 2004

Eight out of ten women take some form of therapeutic drugs during pregnancy

The advice from the British National Formulary (British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain) is that all drugs should be avoided if possible during the first three months – and only prescribed at all if the benefits to the mother outweigh the risk to the foetus.

6 Oct 2004

Cocaine addicts experience a decrease in D2 receptors affecting brain regions involved with movement, as well as motivation

A new study builds on previous research showing that cocaine-addicted people have a low expression of specific dopamine receptors—D2 receptors—in a portion of the brain called the striatum.

6 Oct 2004

Noncardiac surgery risky for older heart failure patients

When heart failure patients undergo surgery for other health problems, they are much more likely to die or suffer complications than similar patients who have coronary artery disease

6 Oct 2004

Expert says it is unlikely bird flu will reach Canada

United Nations officials warn the outbreak of bird flu is far from over and continues to spread in Thailand and Vietnam. An expert at The University of Western Ontario says it is unlikely the disease will reach Canada but travellers should take precautions.

5 Oct 2004

One group of drugs that is effective in fighting HIV may also be promoting the death of sensory nerves in the skin

One group of drugs that is effective in fighting HIV may, paradoxically, also be promoting the death of sensory nerves in the skin, according to a study presented October 5, 2004, at the 129th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in Toronto.

5 Oct 2004

U.S. healthcare industry reaction to the withdrawal of Vioxx from the world-wide market

NDCHealth has announced U.S. healthcare industry reaction to the Sept. 30 announcement by Merck & Co. that it was withdrawing its anti-arthritic medication Vioxx from the world-wide market.

5 Oct 2004

Compound derived from fruit and vegetables could be used to improve the effects of an established cancer drug

The drug, mitomycin C (MMC), is a well-known anticancer treatment used mainly against solid tumours in the bladder and lower bowel. It is activated by enzymes naturally found in the human body, but its use is limited by severe side effects at higher doses.

5 Oct 2004

Receiving a blood transfusion is associated with a greater risk of death for patients with acute coronary syndromes

The use of invasive procedures for treatment of ischemic heart disease has more than tripled in the past 2 decades and is likely to increase in high-risk patients, according to background information in the article.

5 Oct 2004

Drugs News and Research

Researchers test whether huperzine A can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

New targets for combating infections in medical implants

Aspirin might well be considered the top utility player in the medicine cabinet

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat severe head injuries is actually dangerous

Britain's Chief Medical Officer has announced new measures to tackle and eliminate tuberculosis in Britain

Vioxx: an unequal partnership between safety and efficacy

Ecstasy does affect the memory of people who take it

Call for UK and Luxembourg governments to put access to quality cancer treatment at the top of their health agendas

Chiropractic care may reduce anxiety symptoms

18 percent of seniors with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip medicines due to costs

Understanding how microbes in the gut interact with the body could lead to new a understanding and novel treatments for diseases

Australian researchers hunt for eczema genes

Eight out of ten women take some form of therapeutic drugs during pregnancy

Cocaine addicts experience a decrease in D2 receptors affecting brain regions involved with movement, as well as motivation

Noncardiac surgery risky for older heart failure patients

Expert says it is unlikely bird flu will reach Canada

One group of drugs that is effective in fighting HIV may also be promoting the death of sensory nerves in the skin

U.S. healthcare industry reaction to the withdrawal of Vioxx from the world-wide market

Compound derived from fruit and vegetables could be used to improve the effects of an established cancer drug

Receiving a blood transfusion is associated with a greater risk of death for patients with acute coronary syndromes

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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