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Patients discontinuing statin medication following an acute myocardial infarction risk death

Patients discontinuing statin medication following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) increase their risk of dying over the next year, say researchers at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Their study was published in a recent issue of the European Heart Journal.

27 Aug 2008

Researchers discover key allergy gene

Together with colleagues from the Department of Dermatology and Allergy and the Center for Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) of the Technische Universitat Munchen, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen have pinpointed a major gene for allergic diseases. The gene was localized using cutting edge technologies for examining the whole human genome at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen.

24 Aug 2008

Australia-PNG partnership wins major research grant to investigate tuberculosis in children

An Australia-Papua New Guinea research partnership that aims to develop a new diagnostic tool to quickly and accurately identify children with tuberculosis has been awarded a sought-after funding grant at the recent International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

24 Aug 2008

Research indicates no justification for denying obese patients knee replacements

Research by scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with colleagues at the universities of Bristol, Oxford and Keele, has shown that there is no justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery.

20 Aug 2008

Working better with Aboriginal clients: addressing sexual health, HIV and hepatitis C

Improving access to sexual health and related services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in NSW will be among the issues discussed at a workshop coordinated by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

19 Aug 2008

Pre-school eating habits affect school performance later on

New research from the UK is suggesting that children's diets in the pre-school years affects how they perform at school later on.

14 Aug 2008

Monosodium glutamate linked to obesity

People who use monosodium glutamate, or MSG, as a flavor enhancer in their food are more likely than people who don't use it to be overweight or obese even though they have the same amount of physical activity and total calorie intake, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health study published this month in the journal Obesity.

13 Aug 2008

Researchers examine safety of internet prescriber service providing erectile dysfunction medications

Online Internet shopping today offers many benefits. You can research a product in the privacy of your own home and purchase most anything by clicking a mouse. But should we be allowed to buy prescription drugs via the Internet, bypassing a traditional office visit or conversation with a physician?

12 Aug 2008

Dietary patterns related to attainment in school: the importance of early eating patterns

School dinners have come under the spotlight recently, but new research suggests that diet in the pre-school years is even more important.

12 Aug 2008

Subtle signs of Alzheimer's appear many years before symptoms appear

Scientists from the University of South Florida and the University of Kentucky report that people who develop Alzheimer's disease may show signs of this illness many decades earlier in life, including compromised educational achievement.

11 Aug 2008

Aspirin, acid-blocker a-day keeps GI bleeding at bay

For patients with clogged heart arteries who take long-term, low-dose aspirin to prevent a cardiac event, adding a stomach acid-blocking drug to their daily routine has been shown to reduce their risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding - an infrequent, but serious side-effect of regular aspirin use.

11 Aug 2008

Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration

Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is the major cause of blindness and poor vision in adults in western countries and the third cause of global blindness, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

10 Aug 2008

Despite warnings one in ten children still use cough and cold medications

According to U.S. researchers, during a given week, one in ten children uses one or more cough and cold medications.

5 Aug 2008

Overuse of cough and cold medications among young children in U.S.

Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that approximately one in ten U.S. children uses one or more cough and cold medications during a given week. These findings appear in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics.

4 Aug 2008

New HIV infections, deaths from AIDS-related causes down; epidemic not over

The number of deaths worldwide from AIDS-related causes decreased by 10% in 2007 to two million, compared with 2.2 million in 2006, according to UNAIDS' 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, which was released Tuesday ahead of the XVII International AIDS Conference, the Los Angeles Times reports (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 7/30).

3 Aug 2008

Bacterial vaginosis may increase risk of HIV infection

A common vaginal infection may make women more susceptible to contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health researchers have found.

31 Jul 2008

Binge drinking in pregnancy increases risk of oral clefts in offspring

A new study by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, shows that pregnant women who binge drink early in their pregnancy increase the likelihood that their babies will be born with oral clefts.

31 Jul 2008

Unusual chromosomal changes increase the risk of schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia have an increased number of unusual chromosomal changes, particularly structural changes that have the potential to alter the function of the genes. These results were published today in the scientific journal Nature.

31 Jul 2008

Minorities less likely to know about breast cancer treatment options

Nearly half of women treated for breast cancer did not know that their odds of being alive after five years are roughly the same whether they undergo mastectomy or breast conserving surgery. Minority women were even less likely to be aware of this important factor of their treatment decision, according to a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

30 Jul 2008

Canadian pandemic research receives funding boost

Densely populated cities and increased air travel can be factors which create and spread pandemic disease. But a McMaster University researcher is working with isolated Hutterite communities to understand the transmission of pandemic diseases like influenza.

29 Jul 2008