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First data released on genetic basis of adverse drug events

The first data offering health care professionals a better look into the genetic basis of certain types of adverse drug events was released today by the FDA and the International Serious Adverse Event Consortium (SAEC).

10 Feb 2009

New heart valve inserted through small chest incision

When 91-year-old Irvin Lafferty was diagnosed with severe blockage of his heart valve-hardening that is formally known as aortic valve stenosis-open-heart surgery was out of the question.

10 Feb 2009

Clinicians override most electronic medication safety alerts

Computer-based systems that allow clinicians to prescribe drugs electronically are designed to automatically warn of potential medication errors, but a new study reveals clinicians often override the alerts and rely instead on their own judgment.

10 Feb 2009

End-of-life expert develops user-friendly guides for both doctors and patients

Years ago, dying patients in most communities often had a single option if they needed hospice care.

10 Feb 2009

Nightly dose of vitamin B12 an effective canker sore therapy

A team of physicians at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has discovered that a nightly dose of vitamin B12 is a simple, effective and low risk therapy to prevent Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (RAS), better known as "canker sores."

10 Feb 2009

Experts say multivitamins have no impact on older women's risk of cancer or heart disease

A study by scientists in the United States has found that the long-term use of multivitamins have no impact on a postmenopausal woman's risk of cancer or heart disease.

10 Feb 2009

Drinking lots of soda raises risk for early kidney disease in women

Women who drink two or more cans of soda pop per day are nearly twice as likely to show early signs of kidney disease, a recent study has found.

9 Feb 2009

Scientists identify protein key to Lyme disease

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a protein that may help give Lyme disease its bite.

9 Feb 2009

Researcher develops method to combat congenital heart disease in children

Congenital heart defects account for five times more deaths annually than all childhood cancers combined.

9 Feb 2009

When it comes to treating heart attacks, experience matters

New research shows that patients have a much better chance of survival when both their hospital and their physician have a strong track record in treating heart attack with angioplasty and stenting.

9 Feb 2009

Adolescents should participate in decisions about end-of-life care

Conversations between adolescents suffering from chronic illnesses and their families about end-of-life wishes well before a serious event occurs won't discourage hope for recovery or cause additional emotional or mental harm to young patients, according to new research from Children's National Medical Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital published in the journal Pediatrics.

9 Feb 2009

Continuation of statin treatment associated with lower risk of death

Patients with high cholesterol levels who continually take statins appear to have a lower risk of death over four to five years, regardless of whether they already have diagnosed heart disease, according to a report in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Feb 2009

Micro RNA plays a key role in melanoma metastasis

Scientists have long wondered how melanoma cells travel from primary tumors on the surface of the skin to the brain, liver and lungs, where they become more aggressive, resistant to therapy, and deadly.

9 Feb 2009

New genomic test can personalize breast cancer treatment

A set of 50 genes can be used to reliably identify the four known types of breast cancer, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions.

9 Feb 2009

New diagnoses encourage people to make health behavior changes

Older adults appear more likely to quit smoking or lose weight following a recent diagnosis of heart disease, diabetes or another serious condition, according to a report in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 Feb 2009

Multivitamin use not linked to women's risk of cancer, heart disease or death

Postmenopausal women who take multivitamins appear to have the same risk of most common cancers, cardiovascular disease or dying of any cause as women who do not take multivitamin supplements, according to a report in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 Feb 2009

Minority health-care clinics separate but unequal

A study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine may shed new light on why minority Americans have poorer health outcomes from chronic conditions such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.

9 Feb 2009

Long-term use of inhaled corticosteroid drugs increases risk of pneumonia for COPD patients

Newly published research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine finds that a popular class of anti-inflammatory inhalers significantly increases the risk of pneumonia in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

9 Feb 2009

Link found between humidity and influenza virus survival and transmission

A new study by Oregon researchers has found a significant correlation between "absolute" humidity and influenza virus survival and transmission.

9 Feb 2009

Immunosuppressant medication cyclosporine may be cost-effective for dry eye syndrome

A topical eye emulsion consisting of cyclosporine (a medication used to reduce transplant rejections or to treat arthritis and psoriasis) may be a cost-effective treatment for dry eye syndrome that does not respond to other therapies, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

9 Feb 2009