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Caring for our Children

A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study shows that parents, pediatricians and child care providers are equally unknowledgeable about guidelines that recommend whether children should be excluded from child care due to particular illnesses.

28 Nov 2005

Lowering of LDL level shows limited benefit for patients with previous heart attack

Patients who have had a heart attack and are treated with a high dose of a statin drug did not have significant reduction in the primary outcome of major cardiac events (coronary death, nonfatal acute heart attack, or cardiac arrest with resuscitation), but did appear to have reduced risk when certain secondary outcomes (composite end points of any coronary heart disease event) were examined, according to a study in the November 16 issue of JAMA.

26 Nov 2005

Methylphenidate may be effective in treating autism

Methylphenidate, a medication used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may be effective in treating hyperactivity symptoms in children with autism and related pervasive developmental disorders, researchers report in the November Archives of General Psychiatry.

26 Nov 2005

Zinc supplements safe for chidren with HIV

Zinc-deficient children living in communities where they do not receive adequate amounts of zinc from their diet should be given supplements, even if they are HIV-infected, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

26 Nov 2005

Researchers identify genes affected by Methotrexate (MTX)

A Queen's University study of fruit flies that may revolutionize the way birth defects are studied has identified the genes affected by a widely-prescribed drug known to cause birth defects.

26 Nov 2005

Diets rich in meat increase the likelihood of developing chronic respiratory symptoms

A new study finds that eating mostly meat, refined starches, and sodium may increase the likelihood of developing chronic respiratory symptoms, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

21 Nov 2005

Acoustics experts say medical sound pollution is widely recognized, rarely addressed

Announcements blare from overhead speakers. Electronic devices beep. Heating and cooling systems rumble. Employees and visitors speak loudly.

21 Nov 2005

Tamoxifen reduces the risk of invasive and noninvasive breast cancer

Data from additional years of follow-up of a large randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of tamoxifen for the prevention of breast cancer confirm that the drug reduces the risk of invasive and noninvasive breast cancer, according to a report that appears in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

21 Nov 2005

Warnings on popular asthma drug could damage drug giant

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending new restrictions on the asthma drug Advair.

21 Nov 2005

Exercise and you'll live longer

According to a new report even moderate levels of physical exercise can prevent heart disease and prolong life, and the degree of benefit increases as the level of physical activity rises.

16 Nov 2005

Prevalence of major psychiatric disorders is as common in cancer patients

The prevalence of major psychiatric disorders is as common in cancer patients as they are in the general population, with the exception of panic disorder which had elevated rates compared to the general population (5 percent versus 1.7 percent, respectively).

14 Nov 2005

Antibiotics overprescribed for sore throat

Physicians prescribe antibiotics for more than half of children with sore throat, exceeding the expected prevalence of strep throat, and used nonrecommended antibiotics for 27 percent of children who received an antibiotic prescription, according to a study in the November 9 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2005

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may prevent the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with Barrett's oesophagus

Barrett’s oesophagus is a metaplastic disorder that develops in about 10% of people with chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Every year about 0.5%-1% of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus develop oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

10 Nov 2005

Vitamin D sufficiency may be more important than high calcium intake for maintaining calcium metabolism

Calcium intake levels of more than 800 mg/day may be unnecessary for maintaining calcium metabolism if vitamin D status is adequate, according to a study in the November 9 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

10 Nov 2005

Vacations bring good health and happiness for women

Women who take vacations frequently are less likely to become tense, depressed or tired and are more satisfied with their marriages, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wis.

10 Nov 2005

Fc gamma receptor gene variants associated with rheumatoid arthritis

People with a specific combination of variants of two genes, encoding two different receptors for the antibody Fc gamma, are three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than individuals with different variant combinations.

10 Nov 2005

Vaccine for a type of blood cancer - follicular lymphoma

A team of researchers has demonstrated the clinical efficacy and benefits of a vaccine for a type of blood cancer, follicular lymphoma, amongst first time relapse patients. Specialists from two University of Navarre centres – the University Hospital and the Research Centre for Applied Medicine (CIMA) - have worked jointly since 2001 on the research.

9 Nov 2005

Aspirin and ibuprofen may significantly reduce the risk of esophageal cancer among people with Barrett's esophagus

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, may significantly reduce the risk of esophageal cancer among people with Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition associated with chronic heartburn that affects an estimated 1 million to 2 million Americans.

8 Nov 2005

Sildenafil reverses symptoms of Raynaud's

German researchers have discovered yet another use for Viagra (sildenafil), they say it relieves the symptoms and improves the circulation of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.

8 Nov 2005

MIT speeds up robotic muscles

Robots, both large and micro, can potentially go wherever it's too hot, cold, dangerous, small or remote for people to perform any number of important tasks, from repairing leaking water mains to stitching blood vessels together.

7 Nov 2005