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Can rimonabant slow atherosclerosis?

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center has announced that they have launched a study to determine whether an experimental drug, rimonabant, can slow atherosclerosis, the fatty build-up in arteries that creates heart attack risk.

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

Why anti-obesity cortisol reducing supplements do not work

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have revealed that the cortisol/obesity connection, touted by many weight-loss supplement marketers, may be even more tenuous than first thought.

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

Remifemin black cohosh extract shown to reduce menopausal symptoms

The controversy over Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) rages on. Over 40 million American women are within menopause age, and in five years the numbers will increase to over 60 million.

2 Feb 2006

Pregnancy does not provide protection against depression

Pregnancy has historically been described as a time of emotional well-being, providing "protection" against psychiatric disorder, but a new study says the hormonal changes which occur during pregnancy do not protect women from depression, and those taking antidepressants may need to continue despite concerns about fetal damage.

2 Feb 2006

Controlling neglected diseases will boost fight against HIV, TB and Malaria

Achieving success in the global fight against the "big three" diseases - HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which together account for 5.6 million deaths a year - may well require a concurrent attack on the world’s most neglected tropical diseases, says a team of researchers in the international open access journal PLoS Medicine.

2 Feb 2006

Regular use of COX-2 inhibitors reduces breast cancer risk

A case-control study published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer observed that daily use of selective COX-2 inhibitors, including celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx), was associated with a 71% reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

2 Feb 2006

Deer antlers provide important clues for stem cell research

Research carried out by veterinary scientists at the Royal Veterinary College reveals that deer antler regeneration may use stem cells and involves similar mechanisms to those used in limb development.

2 Feb 2006

Chinese medicine shows promise as treatment for sperm genetic abnormalities

Bioscientists from the University of Kent have called for clinical trials to further investigate how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may have a positive effect on sperm genetic abnormalities, and thereby influence the success rate of male infertility treatment.

2 Feb 2006

Celebrex and Vioxx reduce the risk of breast cancer

According to a new study, the regular use of drugs such as Celebrex and Vioxx significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer.

30 Jan 2006

Children with headaches have problems sleeping

According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic children who have frequent headaches often also have sleep problems.

30 Jan 2006

Bird flu jab for chickens could halt spread of the virus

U.S. researchers say they have produced a vaccine in less than a month which completely protects chickens from the deadly H5N1 virus.

29 Jan 2006

African American & native Hawaiian smokers at most risk of developing lung cancer

Researchers in the U.S. have found that amongst the population of smokers who light up to 30 cigarettes a day African Americans and native Hawaiians are at most risk of developing lung cancer.

29 Jan 2006

Enter Prince Charles! into the obesity debate

Prince Charles has entered the obesity debate and has cautioned the British public against becoming like the 'super size' Americans.

29 Jan 2006

HIV testing and counseling reduces high-risk sexual behavior and prevents HIV transmission in Tanzania

Offering free HIV tests instead of charging a small fee is more cost-effective at preventing HIV infections and draws in three times as many people for testing, according to a Duke University Medical Center study conducted in Tanzania.

27 Jan 2006

Women at greater risk of subsequent stroke than men

Among patients who have suffered a single stroke, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, along with colleagues at other institutions, have found that severe stenosis, or narrowing, of the arteries in the head represents a major risk factor for the development of a subsequent stroke.

27 Jan 2006

BRCA1 gene inhibits estrogen and progesterone

It's been known that the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 regulates use of estrogen in breast and other cells, but now researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that it also controls activity of a second sex steroid hormone, progesterone.

27 Jan 2006

Study may provide new hope for cancer patients

New study by Mount Sinai researchers may lead to improved stem cell therapies for patients with compromised immune systems due to intensive cancer therapy or autoimmune disease. The study is published in this week's issue of Cell.

27 Jan 2006

Oocyte cryopreservation - allows women to freeze their eggs

Researchers at the Yale Fertility Center are now offering a cutting edge reproductive procedure called oocyte cryopreservation that allows women to freeze their eggs and use them at a later time to conceive a child.

27 Jan 2006