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Poor diet while pregnant can harm your baby

We all know that smoking and drinking when pregnant can harm the baby, but new research published in The Journal of Physiology suggests that poor diet may also cause long-lasting, irreversible damage in offspring from heart disease to diabetes.

30 Jun 2008

Being born over 10 pounds increases risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis

People who have a birthweight over 10 pounds are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis when they are adults compared to individuals born with an average birthweight, according to a study published by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery online in advance of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. While the mechanism for this association is unclear, the study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor and highlights a potential way to decrease the incidence of the disease.

30 Jun 2008

Watermelon provides Viagra-like effects

A cold slice of watermelon has long been a Fourth of July holiday staple. But according to recent studies, the juicy fruit may be better suited for Valentine's Day.

30 Jun 2008

WHO says smoking bans work and benefit everyone

A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the effectiveness of smoking bans and their benefit for everyone.

30 Jun 2008

Sudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of stroke

Preliminary research culled from a national medical insurance records database in Taiwan suggests that sudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of vulnerability to stroke, foreshadowing an actual cerebrovascular event by as much as two years, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

27 Jun 2008

New device blocks stomach nerve signals - alternative to existing bariatric surgeries

A new implantable medical device, developed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic researchers, shows promise as a reversible and less extreme alternative to existing bariatric surgeries, according to findings published in the current issue of the journal Surgery.

26 Jun 2008

New clinical trial for patients with asbestos-associated lung cancer

The Mesothelioma Center within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center is now recruiting patients for a clinical research study of a new targeted radiation and chemotherapy protocol for pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung's lining that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

26 Jun 2008

Online assistance from pharmacists helps control high blood pressure, study finds

Online-based care from a pharmacist helped people control their high blood pressure more than twice as well as people who did not have the additional resources, according to a study published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

26 Jun 2008

Penn researchers propose major changes to informed consent for transplantation

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine physicians and bioethicists are calling for a new, more standardized way for patients in need of organ transplants to be informed of the risks they face. If adopted, their policy recommendations could promote greater equity in how organs are allocated while restricting patients' abilities to "cherry-pick" the best organs.

26 Jun 2008

Losartan shows promise in treating Marfan syndrome

A small study in 18 pattients assessing the effectiveness of the drug losartan for treating Marfan syndrome in children has yielded encouraging results.

25 Jun 2008

Ranbaxy receives tentative approval to manufacture Valganciclovir hydrochloride tablets

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), announced today that the company has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Valganciclovir Hydrochloride Tablets, 450 mg. Total annual market sales for Valganciclovir HCl Tablets were $239 million (IMS - MAT: March 2008).

25 Jun 2008

Harbor House to assist transplant and critical care patients, families

A dream of local heart transplant patients and volunteers is coming true much earlier than expected thanks to a generous gift provided by a local nonprofit organization.

25 Jun 2008

An implantable sensor to revolutionise the management of heart disease

An implantable sensor providing 24 hour monitoring for patients with chronic heart problems will be developed thanks to a new grant, scientists announce today.

25 Jun 2008

Queensland ambulance officers save lives with clot busting drug treatment

In February this year paramedics in Queensland became the first in Australia to provide potentially lifesaving drugs to heart attack victims as part of a research project funded by the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS).

25 Jun 2008

Children, adolescents living with HIV have higher rates of risk factors for cardiovascular issues

Children and adolescents living with HIV have higher rates of risk factors for cardiovascular issues than HIV-negative children and adolescents, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, the Miami Herald reports. In addition, many antiretroviral drugs can increase cardiovascular risk factors, the Herald reports.

24 Jun 2008

Neglected infectious diseases go untreated, undiagnosed in hundreds of thousands of low-income residents in the U.S.

Hundreds of thousands of low-income U.S. residents in inner cities, the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, areas near the Mexico border and tribal reservations remain undiagnosed and untreated for diseases that are prevalent in Africa, Asia and Latin America, according to an analysis published on Monday in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, USA Today reports.

24 Jun 2008

Nerve cells derived from stem cells may one day provide improved brain treatments

Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have, for the first time, genetically programmed embryonic stem (ES) cells to become nerve cells when transplanted into the brain, according to a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

24 Jun 2008

Controversial diet drug Rimonabant now available on the NHS in Britain

A controversial diet drug has been approved for use on the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain.

24 Jun 2008

Premature babies feel pain but don't show it

Brain scans of premature babies undergoing a simple medical procedure have revealed though they may appear to be pain free, they are experiencing pain.

24 Jun 2008

Drug-releasing coronary artery stent use linked with decrease in procedures to unblock coronary arteries

The widespread adoption of the use of drug-releasing coronary artery stents into routine practice is associated with a decrease in the need for repeat procedures to unblock coronary arteries and also do not appear to increase the risk of death, compared to bare-metal stents, according to a study in the June 25 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association

24 Jun 2008