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Simple arm exercises could help beat peripheral vascular disease

Scientists at Sheffield Hallam University have discovered that simple arm exercises could help beat a crippling leg condition that affects one in twenty people over 55 in the UK.

From Sheffield Hallam University 8 Jun 2006

Fatigue is a major problem after liver transplantation

A new study on fatigue experienced by patients after undergoing liver transplantation found that it is a major problem that does not tend to improve with the passage of time.

1 Jun 2006

Health disparities in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), a group of autoimmune diseases involving chronic inflammation of the joints, can adversely affect health-related quality of life, often into adulthood.

31 May 2006

Music can help patients cope with chronic pain

Researchers in the U.S. have confirmed that listening to music can have a significant positive impact on the perception of chronic pain.

29 May 2006

Music can alleviate chronic pain and depression

Listening to music can reduce chronic pain by up to 21 per cent and depression by up to 25 per cent, according to a paper in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

24 May 2006

Pros and cons of starting multiple sclerosis treatment early

An editorial accompanying a published debate on the pros and cons of starting treatment early in the course of multiple sclerosis comes down in favor of early treatment for this potentially devastating disease.

23 May 2006

Unnecessary urinary catheters - study

A study of 1,586 hospitalized patients age 70 and older at two Ohio hospitals indicates that 24 percent were given medically unnecessary urinary catheters, according to investigators led by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

23 May 2006

New rheumatoid arthritis drugs may put patients at risk of infections and cancer

Anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) therapies are a tried and tested type of medication used for treating rheumatoid arthritis and the drugs provide benefit to many of thousands of patients worldwide.

21 May 2006

Most disabled people in L. America don't get appropriate help

Only 2 percent of some 85 million disabled people in Latin America have received medical help appropriate to their needs, said a report published on Friday.

16 May 2006

German scientists synthesize new compound that reduces stroke damage

A group of German scientists has synthesized a new compound that dramatically decreases the damage to neurons in rats demonstrating stroke symptoms.

16 May 2006

Full year of treatment with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine helps infants and children with toxoplasmosis

The first long-term study shows that treatment with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine (two anti-parasitic drugs) during the first year of life leads to a lasting reduction in brain and eye damage for children with congenital toxoplasmosis.

16 May 2006

Healthy habits and appropriate treatments help prevent stroke

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a major source of disability in the United States. Every year about 700,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke, resulting in nearly 158,000 deaths.

10 May 2006

Debate over medical malpractice litigation continues

The Senate is expected to vote soon on legislation to impose a federal cap on noneconomic damages in malpractice suits, following on similar bills that passed the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate last year.

10 May 2006

'Autistic' mice may provide clue to cause of autism

Scientists in the United States have apparently created "autistic" mice by deleting a gene in key parts of the brain.

8 May 2006

Olanzapine appears to lower or delay full-blown psychosis

For young people who clearly seem to be developing early signs of schizophrenia, treatment with the antipsychotic drug olanzapine appears to lower or delay the rate of conversion to full-blown psychosis, according to an article by a Yale School of Medicine researcher in the May issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.

3 May 2006

Researchers recommend national uniform newborn screening tests

In a new study, conducted for the federal government and published in a supplement to the May issue of the journal Pediatrics, Stephen M. Downs, M.D. and Aaron E. Carroll, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine, recommend a national uniform panel of newborn screening tests which they found to be cost saving as well as life saving.

3 May 2006

Ability to complete quarter-mile walk a powerful predictor of health outcomes in elderly

Walking fitness makes a significant difference in predicting the likelihood of future disability in the elderly, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

2 May 2006

Transplanted stem cells hoped to be able to regenerate damaged heart muscle in first heart attack victims

Rush cardiologists are hoping that transplanted stem cells can regenerate damaged heart muscle in those who experience a first heart attack. The study involves an intravenous infusion of adult mesenchymal stem cells from healthy donor bone marrow that might possibly reverse damage to heart tissue.

28 Apr 2006

Doctors show concern over rising preterm births

Doctors in the BMJ have expressed concern over the apparent increase in preterm births. The concerns are based on research showing that preterm deliveries increased by 22% from 1995 to 2004. Even among low risk women aged 20-40, there was a 51% increase in early delivery.

25 Apr 2006

Herbal medicines may be as effective as pain medication for short-term low back pain

The herbal preparations devil's claw, white willow bark and cayenne plasters may be as effective as pain medication for short-term low back pain and are better than placebo, a new systematic review of studies has found.

18 Apr 2006