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Study shows link between fructose and pancreatic cancer proliferation

Pancreatic cancers use the sugar fructose, very common in the Western diet, to activate a key cellular pathway that drives cell division, helping the cancer to grow more quickly, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

4 Aug 2010

Periodontal disease may increase risk of cognitive dysfunction: Researchers

NYU dental researchers have found the first long-term evidence that periodontal (gum) disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease in healthy individuals as well as in those who already are cognitively impaired.

4 Aug 2010

Smokefree enters joint venture with Colorado to market smoke-free pharmacological products

Smokefree Innotec, Inc. Thomas Schroepfer, CEO, announced today that the Company has executed a Joint venture agreement with a Colorado research and development corporation focusing on natural holistic and herbal medical compounds, operating out of laboratory facilities located in Colorado Springs. The business objective is to jointly develop and market several smoke-free high tech natural and herbal pharmacological products, initially based upon an oral delivery system utilizing the innovative technology developed for the "REAL Smokefree Cigarette". Under this joint venture Smokefree Innotec, Inc. will provide its smoke-free products and devices, and its venture partner will provide all the medical extract formulations to the Company.

4 Aug 2010

Smokers are 11 times more likely to develop subareolar abscess

Women who smoke or pierce their nipples are more likely to develop a breast abscess, according to a new study in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Researchers at the University of Iowa found the odds of developing primary breast abscess were six times higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, and smokers were 11 times more likely to develop subareolar abscess. Breast abscesses were 15 times more likely to recur in smokers than in nonsmokers. In addition, this study is one of the first to provide clinical evidence that nipple piercing is also a risk factor for subareolar breast abscess, with the onset of abscess occurring from one month to seven years from the time of piercing.

4 Aug 2010

Warnings on stop smoking drug Champix

The smoking cessation drug Champix (sold in the US as Chantix) has allegedly made fifteen people commit suicide since January 2008 in Australia. Another 191 patients have reported suicidal thoughts and related effects. The latest available figures from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) suggest a doubling in the numbers of suicides linked to Champix (Varenicline) since July last year with six people committing suicide.

3 Aug 2010

Tobacco companies alleged liaison with Liberals for cigarette packaging questioned

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called forth the opposition to explain “what understandings” there were between the Liberal Party and the tobacco industry after revelations of a $5 million industry-funded advertising campaign against the Labor Party with the help of Liberals. The tobacco giants are unhappy with Labor's plan to push for plain packaging for tobacco. The federal government earlier this year announced that it wanted cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging, without brand logos, images and colours, from 2012.

3 Aug 2010

EITC programs directly linked to higher birth weights: Study

Relieving poverty during pregnancy can reduce the incidence of low- birth-weight babies and may help break the succession of childhood poor health, a study published in the August 2010 issue of the American Sociological Review has found.

3 Aug 2010

Americans halved their risk of dying from CHD over past 20 years: Study

By smoking less, watching their cholesterol and lowering their high blood pressure, Americans halved their risk of dying from coronary heart disease over the past 20 years, a new study shows.

3 Aug 2010

Study explores role of genetic influence on ulcerative colitis

Adults diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after age 50 are more likely to achieve remission from their symptoms than patients diagnosed at younger ages, even when those patients receive similar treatments, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

3 Aug 2010

Disparities in cardiovascular disease risk linked to socioeconomic differences between races: Study

A new UCLA study suggests that disparities in cardiovascular disease risk in the United States are due less to race or ethnicity than to socioeconomic status.

2 Aug 2010

Aradigm closes private placement with Novo Nordisk

Aradigm Corporation today announced that it has entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement providing for the issuance by the Company of 26 million shares of the Company's common stock to Novo Nordisk A/S in a private placement as consideration for the termination of a promissory note in favor of Novo Nordisk under which approximately $9.1 million is currently outstanding, representing an effective price per share of $0.3505.

2 Aug 2010

Abnormal sleep duration adversely affects cardiovascular health

A study in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Sleep suggests that regularly sleeping for more or less than seven hours per day is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

2 Aug 2010

Study shows estrogen stabilization may protect women from brain aneurysms risk

Results from a retrospective, case-control study presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) 7th Annual Meeting could have significant implications for women at risk of brain aneurysms as data shows that oral contraceptives (OC) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may yield the additional benefit of protecting against the formation and/or rupture of brain aneurysms – balloon-like sacks that form in a weakened artery wall and, upon bursting, can cause severe disability or death.

31 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicare at 45; The politics of entitlement spending; Deciding health care's value

Forty-five years ago today, the creation of Medicare transformed our health-care system and our nation. It helped to make us a stronger and more prosperous country by freeing older Americans from the fear that sickness or injury would cost them their lifetime savings and security. ... The reason we have the Medicare we have today is that over the last 45 years, we have repeatedly acted to strengthen and update it for changing times (Kathleen Sebelius, 7/29).

31 Jul 2010

No More Excuses No More Lung Cancer 5K Run/Walk comes back to Georgia

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance-Georgia announced the return of the No More Excuses No More Lung Cancer 5K Run/Walk. Taking place on Saturday, November 6, 2010, the run/walk will raise awareness for lung cancer to help reduce the stigma of the disease, expand the grassroots movement for the disease and inspire others to join the cause to increase compassion and support to all those impacted by lung cancer

30 Jul 2010

Insured Americans are using fewer medical services while employers consider wellness incentives

Insured Americans are using fewer medical services, raising questions about whether patients are consuming less health care as they pick up a greater share of the costs. The drop in usage is showing up as health-care companies report financial results. Insurers, lab-testing companies, hospitals and doctor-billing concerns say that patient visits, drug prescriptions and procedures were down in the second quarter from year-ago levels. Others say that consumers are beginning to forgo elective procedures like knee replacements.

30 Jul 2010

E-cigarette aerosol decreases over time in smoke-out interval, researchers find

Stronger suction is required to smoke "electronic cigarettes" - marketed as tobacco-free nicotine delivery systems - than conventional brands, with possible adverse effects on human health, researchers at the University of California, Riverside report.

29 Jul 2010

ACS CAN report finds nearly half of all states falling short on legislative solutions to prevent, fight cancer

Nearly half of all states are falling short on legislative solutions to prevent and fight cancer, according to a new report released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). However, despite budget crises in several states, some state lawmakers still made positive progress in the fight against a disease that will kill an estimated 569,000 people in the United States this year.

29 Jul 2010

Aggressive prostate cancer patients tend to retain denser bones

Men who develop prostate cancer, especially the more aggressive and dangerous forms that spread throughout the body, tend to retain denser bones as they age than men who stay free of the disease, suggests new research from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Jul 2010