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Statins lessen heart attack risk

For patients with undiagnosed heart disease, taking medications known as statins and beta-blockers may mean the difference between suffering a heart attack as a first symptom versus experiencing mild chest pain.

24 Feb 2006

New tool helps predict pregnancy outcomes

Physicians must consider a number of variables when treating couples who cannot naturally conceive because of factors involving both the woman and man.

23 Feb 2006

Statins and beta blockers may reduce heart attack risk

For patients with undiagnosed heart disease, taking a statin or beta blocker could mean the difference between experiencing mild chest pain, or having a full-blown heart attack as a first symptom. That's the finding of a Kaiser Permanente study in the February 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

21 Feb 2006

Medical research must put public interests before commercial decisions

Doctors employed by pharmaceutical companies must always put the best interests of patients before their medical research, even if it brings them into conflict with their employers, according to new practical advice from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine published in the February issue of International Journal of Clinical Practice (IJCP).

21 Feb 2006

Headache and migraine in primary care

Family doctors are almost twice as likely to prescribe drugs to middle aged women with headache as they are to men of the same age, reveals research in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

21 Feb 2006

New system accurately predicts mortality of older Americans

Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center have created an index that is 81 percent accurate in predicting the likelihood of death within four years for people 50 and older.

20 Feb 2006

New guide helps doctors determine normal height loss

As we age we can expect to shrink an average of three to four centimeters. Such loss is normal due to shrinkage of the disks within the spine.

19 Feb 2006

Blood clot warning to go on Ortho Evra birth control patch

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says early results of a new study show that women who use the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch are twice as likely to develop blood clots than others who took a birth control pill.

19 Feb 2006

Lessons for clinical trials from natalizumab in multiple sclerosis

Concerns over the fast tracking of new drugs for commercial licensing are raised by a senior doctor in this week's British Medical Journal.

17 Feb 2006

Older asthmatics have increased cancer risk

New research shows that older adults with asthma are at an increased risk for developing cancer, and adults with asthma are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease and other chronic health conditions.

17 Feb 2006

Cutting angioplasty risks

Significant gains made through multi-hospital cooperative effort led by U-M Cardiovascular Center and funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

16 Feb 2006

Emerging infectious agents pose new risks for people with bleeding disorders

An international team of scientists, including a hematologist from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, has concluded that people with bleeding disorders such as hemophilia remain at risk from emerging infectious agents in plasma and blood transfusions. For this reason, recombinant therapies, that is, those produced in the laboratory, must always be an option

16 Feb 2006

Grapefruits help reduce cholesterol

A grapefruit a day - particularly the red variety - can help keep heart disease at bay, according to a new study by Israeli researchers.

16 Feb 2006

Grapefruit reduces risk from heart disease

Heart disease patients who eat one grapefruit daily can significantly reduce the levels of cholesterol in their blood in comparison to patients who do not eat the fruit, a new study has found. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.

16 Feb 2006

Herbal supplements and plastic surgery don't mix well

Natural herbal supplements are supposed to help boost our immune systems, give us more energy and make us generally healthier.

14 Feb 2006

UT Southwestern embraces robotic technology to advance future of surgery

Having a surgeon with four arms is one of the advantages of the latest robotic technology now being studied at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

14 Feb 2006

Asthmatics more likely to have heart disease and cancer

According to new research adults with asthma are twice as likely to have heart disease and older asthmatics have an increased risk of cancer.

14 Feb 2006

Americans prefer to leave child's sex to chance

Most people would not choose the sex of their child if given the option, according to a new nationwide survey. The study is the first to examine the demand and preferences for sex selection among the U.S. general population.

14 Feb 2006

Acne drug which causes birth defects too hard to monitor

According to the birth watchdog group the March of Dimes, preventing birth defects from a widely used acne drug is too heavy a burden on doctors, patients and pharmacists.

13 Feb 2006

Physician counseling and computer assessment may improve teen health behaviors

A program that combines advice from a primary care physician with computer assessment, mailings and phone calls may help teens improve some aspects of their diets and physical activity levels, according to a study in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

9 Feb 2006