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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

New blood pressure-lowering drugs reduce stroke risk by 50%

According to researchers the new types of blood pressure-lowering drugs are more effective in preventing strokes and heart attacks and save even more lives.

5 Sep 2005

Rett Syndrome gene discovery

Adrian Bird of the University of Edinburgh and colleagues report in the online issue of Molecular Cell that the "Rett Syndrome protein", MeCP2, only binds to genes with a specific sequence of nucleotide bases. This knowledge will aid in the identification of the genes that are regulated by the gene MECP2

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

Can a new combination treatment prevent a secondary stroke in children with sickle cell anemia?

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will lead a national Phase III clinical trial to investigate whether a new combination treatment can prevent a secondary stroke in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and eliminate the need for nightly injections with a drug that reduces iron overload in these patients.

1 Sep 2005

C. elegans worm provides clues to dealing with human disease

A step towards understanding cell mutations that cause a variety of human diseases, particularly in children -- including that which brings about premature aging and early death -- has been taken by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

1 Sep 2005

Legs For Life free national screening program can save legs

The screening is essential for diabetics in order to prevent amputation, heart attack and stroke, because one-third have PAD, but most do not present classic symptoms.

1 Sep 2005

Complex chemotherapy cocktails offers pluses, minuses in advanced endometrial cancer

Complex chemotherapy cocktails offer about one extra month of life to patients with end-stage endometrial cancer but also can result in severe, possibly fatal, side effects, according to the first systematic review of studies addressing the topic.

1 Sep 2005

High care standards mean GPs are worth their weight in gold

According to the UK Department of Health, the first results from a scheme, called the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), show that by performing beyond expectation, family doctors earned their surgeries thousands of pounds in bonuses.

1 Sep 2005

Unrecognized hypertension is common among emergency room patients, especially African Americans

Half of the study participants with high blood pressure reported that they were not under medical care for the condition. Further, the majority of this group stated that they had never been told that they had high blood pressure.

1 Sep 2005

Discovery of gene that may play a role in centronuclear myopathy

By studying the molecules that regulate the formation of muscle, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a gene that may play a role in a rare muscular disease in humans.

31 Aug 2005

Extra-virgin olive oil tastes good and is also an anti-inflammatory

After a tasting experience at a molecular gastronomy meeting in Sicily, biologist Gary Beauchamp of Pennsylvania University decided to analyse freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil and found a chemical that acted like ibuprofen in the oil.

31 Aug 2005

U.S. to toughen mad cow safeguards after case in Texas

The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) has now formally closed its investigation of the first native U.S. case of mad cow disease, in June this year.

31 Aug 2005

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome in children may be helped by cancer drugs

Children who suffer from a rare disease called progeria, which accelerates aging and often kills patients when they are in their teens, may possibly be helped by drugs being developed to treat cancer.

31 Aug 2005

International SHAPE project reveals massive public lack of awareness on heart failure

An international survey of the public's awareness of heart failure has revealed a woeful and worrying level of ignorance, according to the lead author of the research, which is published (Wednesday 31 August) in Europe's leading cardiology journal European Heart Journal.

31 Aug 2005

When it comes to heart bypass surgery, women twice as likely to die

According to a new study when it comes to heart bypass surgery, women are nearly twice as likely as men to die from complications.

30 Aug 2005

Designer molecules that combine metals such as copper with natural organic materials could treat diseases in the body

That's the finding of chemists at Ohio State University, who have successfully tested such molecules against portions of HIV and Hepatitis C virus RNA in the laboratory. They've also created molecules that act like ACE, or angiotensin-converting enzyme, inhibitors - drugs that are used to lower blood pressure.

30 Aug 2005

Step towards understanding cell mutations that cause a variety of human diseases

A step towards understanding cell mutations that cause a variety of human diseases, particularly in children - including that which brings about premature aging and early death - has been taken by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

30 Aug 2005

Viagra fights heart and lung diseases

German researchers have reported on the impact of Viagra on pulmonary hypertension at the Frontiers of Vascular Medicine Conference at Monash University this week.

30 Aug 2005