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1 billion people with high blood pressure by 2025

The proportion of the world’s adult population with high blood pressure is predicted to increase from a quarter to a third by 2025, totalling over one billion, conclude authors of a study published in this week’s issue of The LANCET.

13 Jan 2005

Evaluation of BAY 43-9006 (Sorafenib) for pancreatic cancer

Oncologists from USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center are running tests on a new pancreatic cancer drug that targets the cancer from two directions.

13 Jan 2005

Alternative therapies and conventional medical therapies should be held to same standards

Stating that health care should strive to be both comprehensive and evidence-based, a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies calls for conventional medical treatments and complementary and alternative treatments to be held to the same standards for demonstrating clinical effectiveness.

13 Jan 2005

Smoking marijuana is associated with increased risk of many of the same symptoms as smoking cigarettes

Smoking marijuana is associated with increased risk of many of the same symptoms as smoking cigarettes--chronic bronchitis, coughing on most days, phlegm production, shortness of breath, and wheezing, according to a Yale study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

13 Jan 2005

Low carbohydrate diet may prevent Alzheimer's disease

Researchers found that a low carbohydrate diet that reduced total caloric intake by 30% prevented the development of a fundamental feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mice genetically engineered to develop the disease. The diet eliminated amyloid plaque development, which is the underlying pathology in AD.

12 Jan 2005

New tool to assess the quality of home health care

University of Michigan researchers are part of a team that has developed a new tool to assess the quality of home health care, with the goal of improving care and providing meaningful feedback about the care.

12 Jan 2005

Gene transfer used to deliver antibodies to fight Anthrax

Using gene transfer technology, investigators were able to immunize mice against anthrax in just 12 hours, according to new research featured in the February 2005 issue of Molecular Therapy, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT).

12 Jan 2005

Study identifies potentially valuable applications for new drug Nifrolidine

Along with aiding efforts to study addicted smokers, a new drug that attaches only to areas of the brain that have been implicated in nicotine addiction may help studies of people battling other disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

12 Jan 2005

Steady points to need for more rigorous evaluation of complementary & alternative medicine use

In a comparison of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by adults in 1997 and 2002, researchers from Harvard Medical School found more than one in three U.S. adults (36.5 and 35.0 percent, respectively) used at least one form of CAM.

12 Jan 2005

Pancreatic beta-cells play an important role in the existence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Researchers have discovered that pancreatic beta-cells, which are responsible for insulin secretion, play an important role in the existence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that affects up to 10 percent of reproductive aged women.

12 Jan 2005

Scientists uncover new evidence to help explain statins’ effects in Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists at Jefferson Medical College and the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have taken another step in understanding the potential effects of anti-cholesterol drugs on Alzheimer’s disease.

12 Jan 2005

More research needed to explore links between physical activity and built environment

Myriad Genetics initiates phase 3 clinical trial of Flurizan

Myriad Genetics announced today that it has initiated enrollment in a Phase 3 human clinical trial of its lead therapeutic candidate, Flurizan (MPC-7869), in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

12 Jan 2005

Screening for malaria necessary for U.S. soldiers returning from Afghanistan

Nearly 40 U.S. Army Rangers returning from Afghanistan in 2002 may have contracted malaria because of inadequate use of preventive measures, according to a study in the January 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Jan 2005

First new guidelines in more than a decade for managing asthma during pregnancy

The report reflects new medications that have emerged and updates treatment recommendations for pregnant women with asthma based on a systematic review of data on the safety of asthma medications during pregnancy. An executive summary ("Quick Reference") of the guidelines is published in the January issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

12 Jan 2005

Infants have much to say if adults will only listen

A baby's first sounds, other than crying, may baffle parents. Is that soft "coo" the sound of contentment? Boredom? Nothing more than a reflex?

12 Jan 2005

A little anxiety can be a good thing when it comes to cancer symptoms

A little anxiety can be a good thing when it comes to cancer symptoms according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They report that people with low overall anxiety levels were more apt to ignore symptoms of rectal cancer for long periods of time, thereby delaying treatment.

12 Jan 2005

Patient education on aerosol therapy key to effective asthma control

New evidence-based guidelines for the selection of aerosol medication devices conclude that health-care providers should avoid basing device selection exclusively on device efficacy. Instead, the choice should be based on other patient-related factors.

10 Jan 2005

Medical recommendations can conflict with a patient’s religious beliefs

Physicians may encounter situations in which their medical recommendations conflict with a patient’s religious beliefs, according to an article in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Jan 2005

Weight, fitness and lifestyle are important factors contributing to metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome, a group of several abnormalities, including obesity and high blood pressure, in one individual was identified in 10.4 percent of 36-year-old study participants, according to an article in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Jan 2005