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Rotavirus vaccine given the green light

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has recommended a new vaccine for routine use against rotavirus infection.

22 Feb 2006

Ebola DNA vaccine shows promise

Vical Incorporated has announced that an Ebola vaccine candidate administered using Vical's proprietary DNA delivery technology was safe and well tolerated, and produced both antibody and T-cell Ebola-specific responses in all healthy volunteers who received the full 3 doses of vaccine.

21 Feb 2006

$Calcium and Vitamin D helps reduce risk of hip fractures in older women$

Calcium and Vitamin D helps reduce risk of hip fractures in older women

Taking calcium and Vitamin D slightly decreased the risk of hip fractures in older women, but not the risk for other types of fractures or for colorectal cancer, according to the latest findings from the federally funded Women's Health Initiative. Additionally, the supplements slightly increased the incidence of kidney stones.

21 Feb 2006

Calcium plus vitamin-D supplementation does an older body good

The older the woman, the more likely it is that consistent use of calcium and vitamin-D supplements will play a role in reducing her risk for osteoporosis, according to the results of a large national clinical trial conducted as part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

20 Feb 2006

Lower doses of clot-busting drug safer for stroke patients

A Johns Hopkins study has shown that patients treated for a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, or intracerebral hemorrhage, survived more often if given 1 milligram instead of the previously studied 3 milligram dose of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

19 Feb 2006

Rimonabant produces sustained weight loss long term

Use of the weight-loss medication rimonabant produced modest yet sustained weight loss after 2 years, and improved HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, according to a study in the February 15 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

17 Feb 2006

Tetrabenazine cuts down involuntary movements in Huntington's disease

The medication tetrabenazine cut down involuntary movement in patients with Huntington's disease on average by about 25 percent, with many patients experiencing a greater improvement, according to a study in the February 14 issue of the journal Neurology.

17 Feb 2006

Vitamin E is one of the first lines of defense in human lung tissue against the ravages of cigarette smoke

A new study has found that supplements of vitamin C can largely stop the serious depletion of vitamin E that occurs in smokers, demonstrating for the first time in humans a remarkable interaction between these two antioxidants as they work together.

17 Feb 2006

Study examines treatment to maintain blood pressure in those with disorder causing postural drops

Use of a medication called pyridostigmine alone or in combination with low-dose midodrine appears to improve standing blood pressure in patients with orthostatic hypotension, a fall in blood pressure associated with postural changes and standing

17 Feb 2006

Estrogen therapy does not reduce the risk of heart attack in healthy postmenopausal women

Estrogen therapy does not appear to reduce the risk of heart attack or coronary death in healthy postmenopausal women, although some data suggest a lower coronary heart disease risk in women aged 50 to 59 years, according to a new article in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

16 Feb 2006

Diuretics improve exercise capacity in patients with congestive heart failure

Diuretics reduce the risk of death, delay heart deterioration and improve exercise capacity in patients with congestive heart failure, a new review of studies shows.

16 Feb 2006

Rifaximin effective in treating flatulence and irritable bowel syndrome

In the first study of its kind, researchers discovered that rifaximin, an antibiotic used to treat diarrhea, is an effective treatment for abdominal bloating and flatulence, including in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients.

16 Feb 2006

The pros and cons of new anti-obesity drug

According to researchers at New York's Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, an anti-obesity drug that turns off the same brain circuits which trigger the marijuana-induced hunger pangs, appears to produce sustained weight loss among patients.

16 Feb 2006

Hormone replacement therapy protects against heart disease in younger women

According to a new study hormone replacement therapy using estrogen does not appear to protect postmenopausal women from heart disease.

14 Feb 2006

Saw Palmetto not effective at relieving prostate problems

The herbal remedy saw palmetto is no more effective than a placebo at treating symptoms related to enlargement of the prostate gland, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

13 Feb 2006

Drugs formerly contraindicated for inflammatory bowel disease prove beneficial for pain relief

According to two studies published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, prescription painkillers are effective in easing the pain of patients with dormant inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and are not likely to cause symptom flare-ups in IBD patients in remissions

12 Feb 2006

Kegel exercises reduce urinary incontinence in women

Women suffering from urinary incontinence can benefit from pelvic floor muscle training, commonly known as Kegel exercises, according to a new review of studies.

5 Feb 2006

Study looks at placebo effect

The debate about the existence of a placebo effect has heated up over the past year as more and more lab experiments are detecting immediate physiological responses to placebos.

2 Feb 2006

Hormone hydrocortisone (cortisol) supplementation improves ventilator weaning

Intensive care unit physicians can increase the success of mechanical ventilation weaning and shorten the weaning period by identifying critically ill patients who have adrenal insufficiency and treating them with the hormone hydrocortisone (cortisol).

2 Feb 2006

Phase II clinical trial for new gene transfer drug study

As many as 8-10 million Americans have Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), by age 70, roughly 20 percent of the population has it, and people with PAD face a six-to-seven times higher risk of heart attack or stroke.

2 Feb 2006