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High-risk patients need improved guidance on heart attacks

Varying advice means patients at high-risk of having a heart attack are unclear about when symptoms are potentially life threatening and when they should call an ambulance, argue a group of heart specialists in this week's BMJ.

9 Jul 2007

Link between autism and triple vaccination questioned again

According to a new but as yet unpublished study, the number of children in Britain with autism is far higher than previously thought.

8 Jul 2007

New working principle in cancer treatment

Due to defects in chromosomal distribution, a majority of tumor cells would not be able to survive were it not for a trick that cancer cells have developed to avoid this chaos in the genetic material.

5 Jul 2007

When to move into a nursing home

When is the right time to suggest parents or loved ones can no longer live safely on their own?

4 Jul 2007

Lung cancer patients taking Tarceva who develop a rash fair better

The appearance of a rash in cancer patients treated with erlotinib (Tarceva) is strongly associated with longer survival, according to researchers from the drug's developer, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

4 Jul 2007

Targeted nalmefene with simple medical management in the treatment of heavy drinkers

Problem drinkers who took a craving-curbing drug whenever they felt the desire to imbibe reported fewer heavy drinking days each month than drinkers who took a look-alike placebo pill, but both groups reported marked reductions in heavy drinking days.

4 Jul 2007

Complementary and alternative therapies for diabetes

People with diabetes are risking their health by not discussing their use of complementary and alternative therapies with the health professionals managing their conventional treatment.

4 Jul 2007

AMA sics drug salesmen on doctors charge groups at annual meeting

The big topic at the American Medical Association's annual meeting this summer was not Michael Moore's Sicko but the AMA's sic-ing drug salesmen on doctors by selling its database.

3 Jul 2007

Skin rash actually signifies better outcomes for pancreatic and lung cancer patients

The appearance of a rash in cancer patients treated with erlotinib (Tarceva) is strongly associated with longer survival, according to researchers from the drug's developer, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

3 Jul 2007

Popular snack food involved in latest food scare in the U.S.

In the latest food scare to hit the United States consumers are being warned not to eat a popular snack food because of contamination from Salmonella.

2 Jul 2007

Young adult smokers are highly motivated to quit

Despite tried and true methods to quit smoking, young adults do not take advantage of these proven smoking cessation treatments that can double their chances of quitting, University of Illinois at Chicago public health researchers report.

29 Jun 2007

FDA cautions on Veggie Booty snack food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat Veggie Booty snack food, marketed by Robert's American Gourmet, due to possible contamination with Salmonella Wandsworth, bacteria that cause gastrointestinal illness.

29 Jun 2007

How medical homes promote equity in health care

Providing minority patients a medical home in which they have a regular doctor or health professional who oversees and coordinates their care would help eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities and promote more health care equity, says a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

28 Jun 2007

Men and women with multiple sclerosis equally transmit the genetic risk of the disease to their children

The research contradicts the results of a recent study, which found affected fathers were more likely than affected mothers to transmit the risk of developing MS to their children.

28 Jun 2007

An active mind in old age reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease

How often old people read a newspaper, play chess, or engage in other mentally stimulating activities is related to risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published June 27, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2007

Electronics to the rescue of sloppy doctors

Doctors are famous for sloppy scribbling - and handwritten prescriptions lead to thousands of medication errors each year.

28 Jun 2007

British doctors call for easier abortions

British doctors are calling for access to abortions to be made quicker and easier for women; the move would bring Britain in line with many other European countries.

27 Jun 2007

Use of SSRIs during pregnancy does not increase the risk for most birth defects

Use of certain antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors most commonly known as SSRIs, during pregnancy does not significantly increase the risk for most birth defects, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, released in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

27 Jun 2007

Childhood injections could be replaced with oral doses of the medicine

Children suffering from pneumonia could be spared the pain of the doctor's needle, thanks to new research funded by the British Lung Foundation.

27 Jun 2007

Emotions can affect recovery from hip surgery

A patient's emotional state plays a significant role in his or her recovery from hip surgery, suggests Saint Louis University research published this month.

27 Jun 2007