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Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in children

The Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network has launched its second clinical trial to study NASH, a liver disease that resembles alcoholic liver disease but occurs in patients who drink little or no alcohol. The first trial, launched in January of this year, focuses on adults, while the second trial studies the disease in children.

27 Sep 2005

Magnetic shoe insoles did not effectively relieve foot pain

...researchers report in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. And the results indicate that patients who strongly believed in magnets had pain relief even if they were given false magnets to wear.

26 Sep 2005

Effects of 10 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants studied

Because clinical depression is so disabling and affects more than 16 percent of adults in the United States at some time in their lives, researchers have worked hard to develop more effective treatments. But how much better are the newer pharmaceuticals?

21 Sep 2005

Abatacept, marketed as Orencia appears to offer pain relief and increased mobility to rheumatoid arthritis patients

A new drug appears to offer pain relief and increased mobility to rheumatoid arthritis patients who have exhausted their other medical treatment options.

21 Sep 2005

Drug AMD-3100 may help cancer patients who need stem cell transplants

A new drug may help cancer patients mobilize the cells necessary to restore their blood-forming system after high-dose chemotherapy, according to results from a clinical trial at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and at other centers across the nation.

19 Sep 2005

Helix receives approval to conduct a clinical trial of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b in Sweden

Helix BioPharma today announced that it has received approval from Sweden's drug regulatory authority, the Medical Products Agency (MPA), to conduct a Phase II clinical trial of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b in patients with ano-genital warts (condylomata acuminata), who are positive for infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV).

12 Sep 2005

Budesonide provides lasting relief for Crohn's disease patients

In a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers found that budesonide capsules are an effective treatment to prolong and maintain the period of remission of Crohn's Disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that budesonide is effective for inducing remission of Crohn's disease.

12 Sep 2005

Two common weight loss supplements promoted as ephedra-free and safe for dieters caused increased heart rate among healthy people

...and could have harmful health effects in some people, according to a study by University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) scientists. Their placebo-controlled clinical study is the first to examine the pharmacological effects of these re-formulated dietary supplements.

10 Sep 2005

Letrozole following tamoxifen may benefit women with breast cancer

Switching to the drug letrozole following 5 years of treatment with tamoxifen reduces the risk of hormone-dependent breast cancer recurrence, but not overall survival, among postmenopausal women, according to a new study in the September 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

7 Sep 2005

Long hours equal to alcohol in impairing young doctors

Fatigued medical residents' performance on attention tests and on a driving simulator is comparable - or worse - than their performance after drinking three to four cocktails, according to research from Brown Medical School and University of Michigan.

6 Sep 2005

Part of largest randomised international trial program ever conducted in atrial fibrillation (AF) discontinued

Study treatments for the ACTIVE W trial of the ACTIVE (Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial with Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events) program have been discontinued due to a significant difference in efficacy, in favour of the standard oral anticoagulation (OAC) over antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel plus aspirin).

6 Sep 2005

Strokes and heart attacks can be prevented in people with high blood pressure

Most strokes and heart attacks in people with high blood pressure can be abolished by simply combining effective, modern blood pressure lowering drugs with treatment to reduce cholesterol.

6 Sep 2005

Study - no effect of fish oil on life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia

In patients with an increased risk of heart rhythm problems, cardiac arrest or arrhythmia, eating fish oil did little to reduce that risk.

6 Sep 2005

Phase II clinical study of ularitide

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) today highlighted results of a Phase II clinical study of ularitide, a synthetic form of a natriuretic peptide synthesized in the kidney for patients with acute decompensated congestive heart failure (ADHF).

5 Sep 2005

Vitamin B may do more harm than good in heart attack patients

Researchers from Norway have found that treating patients who have had a heart attack with high doses of B vitamins does not lower the risk of getting another heart attack or stroke. Contrary to expectations, B vitamins may do more harm than good.

5 Sep 2005

Use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel before a coronary angioplasty reduces risk of cardiovascular death

Use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel before a coronary angioplasty reduced the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke within 30 days following the procedure, according to an article in the September 14 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

5 Sep 2005

World's largest study on acute coronary syndromes

A Canadian-led study involving researchers from 41 countries has demonstrated in the world's largest study of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) that a new anti-thrombotic therapy is safer and as effective as the traditional therapy used in preventing heart attacks, death and ischemia in people with serious heart conditions.

5 Sep 2005

Recent evidence suggests caution in prescribing hormone therapy for breast cancer

One of the most effective new treatments for breast cancer is a hormone therapy. Aromatase inhibitors work by powerfully blocking the conversion of androgen precursors into estrogens, which lowers estradiol levels in the bloodstream and estrogen levels in peripheral tissues.

4 Sep 2005

Medication before angiograph significantly reduces risk of heart attack

According to new research if patients are given the a drug which reduces platelet activity in the blood risk of heart attack and cardiovascular death before and after angioplasty is reduced.

4 Sep 2005

Treating nighttime heartburn improves sleep and boosts quality of life

The first major multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial addressing therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) related sleep disorders is published in the September issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

1 Sep 2005