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Nitromed heart drug designed for blacks wins U.S. approval

A new heart drug designed specifically for blacks has been approved by U.S. officials.

26 Jun 2005

Drug bust in San Francisco could be start of new campaign against pot

Indictments have been issued by federal authorities charging 19 people with running a $5 million international drug ring that used three medical marijuana dispensaries as a front.

26 Jun 2005

Study shows significant improvement in body image following cosmetic surgery

The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation announced this week results of a new study that showed patients have significant and sustained improvements in body image after surgery.

23 Jun 2005

Double whammy of chemo plus surgery extends life for lung cancer patients

Recent research which has shown that chemotherapy can significantly lengthen life in many patients with lung cancer, has meant that doctors, for the first time in decades, have begun making major changes in the treatment of the disease.

23 Jun 2005

New drug delays the onset of diabetes

New research has shown that an experimental drug, designed to reset the body's immune system, could delay the need for extra insulin in some people with recently diagnosed juvenile diabetes.

23 Jun 2005

Thank God, most doctors believe in God

According to a recent study most doctors believe in God and an afterlife. This conclusion apparently contradicts earlier research which showed that in general, people tend to become less religious as education and income levels rise.

23 Jun 2005

AAV2 has great potential to be developed as an anti-cancer agent

Six days is all it takes for a common, non-disease-causing virus to kill cervical, breast, prostate and squamous cell cancer cells in laboratory cultures, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

21 Jun 2005

Sleep studied as potential treatment for depression

Two new studies show that insomnia, far from being a symptom or side effect of depression, may instead precede it, making some patients more likely to become and remain mentally ill.

21 Jun 2005

Foxp2 gene plays an essential role in the development of social communication

The association between Foxp2 and language was first identified in a family in which half the members had severe speech and grammar impairments. Studies showed that all the affected family members had a mutation in the Foxp2 gene.

21 Jun 2005

Researchers discover mechanism that causes a protein to clump together in brain cells of people with Parkinson's disease

The protein clumping is part of a "vicious cycle," the researchers said. As the proteins cluster, they inhibit an enzyme that normally breaks them down, leading to the formation of even more masses.

21 Jun 2005

Wearing a continuous positive airway pressure device helps heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest

Wearing a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device not only helps heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest, it lowers blood pressure and heart rate well into the morning, apparently, by reducing sympathetic nervous system activity, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Insulin resistance drug with anti-inflammatory effects reduces risk factors

A drug, which reduces insulin resistance and also may have anti-inflammatory and other effects on blood vessels, lowered cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes more than another diabetes medicine, even though both drugs improved blood sugar control equally, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Fish may help prevent heart failure as well as heart attacks

Older people who ate fish once or twice a week had a 20 percent lower risk of developing congestive heart failure during 12 years of follow-up, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Worldwide cost of Alzheimer's disease and dementia estimated at $156 billion

The first estimate of the worldwide direct costs of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care was released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia. As a result, scientists, advocates and those affected by the disease are calling for increased funding for research and support services.

21 Jun 2005

No increase in anxiety or depression when children of people with Alzheimer's get genetic testing

Adult children of people with Alzheimer’s disease were satisfied and unharmed by the experience of genetic risk assessment, even when results suggested they might be at risk, according to a new study presented at the first Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia.

21 Jun 2005

First new treatment for Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis)

Scientists at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have proved that a single course of one antibiotic may hold the key to curing the parasitic worm disease Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) that has been one of the most common causes of global disability since Biblical times.

21 Jun 2005

Researchers isolate substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury

Purdue University researchers may have isolated the substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury, a discovery that could also improve treatments for a host of other neurodegenerative conditions.

21 Jun 2005

Effect of new Italian law on the choices available to infertile parents

Three presentations to the '21st annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology highlighted the effect of the new Italian law on the choices available to infertile parents.

21 Jun 2005

Risks are too high for pregnant women during the summer

Most pregnant women don't drink, speed, or behave recklessly; yet many will end up in trauma rooms across Canada this summer.

21 Jun 2005

Vascular disease most common cause of male erectile dysfunction

A preeminent cardiologist reports, for the first time in a large prospective study, that certain of his patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and heart problems can now safely use erection drugs that help up to 80% of men restore function and quality of life.

21 Jun 2005