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Zinc supplements safe for chidren with HIV

Zinc-deficient children living in communities where they do not receive adequate amounts of zinc from their diet should be given supplements, even if they are HIV-infected, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

26 Nov 2005

Study finds common pollutants linked to fetal growth retardation

Babies born to women exposed to high ozone levels during pregnancy are at heightened risk for being significantly underweight, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

26 Nov 2005

American physicians may be too liberal in their use of blood transfusions

In an analysis of some 24,000 patient records, the researchers found that Americans rushed to the hospital with heart attack symptoms have significantly higher rates of bleeding and transfusions after treatment than similar patients throughout the world.

21 Nov 2005

Largest hepatitis-C U.S. study defines optimal therapy

Final results of the WIN-R trial,[1] the largest hepatitis C study conducted in U.S. patients, showed that weight-based REBETOL (ribavirin, USP) in combination therapy with PEG-INTRON (peginterferon alfa-2b) achieved significantly higher rates of sustained virologic response (SVR)[2] and lower rates of relapse compared to the combination therapy using a flat dose of ribavirin.

14 Nov 2005

Protein discovery may have implications for treating E. coli 0157:H7 infection

A discovery by Queen's researchers of a previously unknown protein may open the door to more effective treatment of a deadly strain of the E. coli bacteria.

14 Nov 2005

2 million American children at risk of diabetes

According to a new study, as many as 2 million children in the U.S. aged 12 to 19 have a prediabetic condition or prediabetes, that is often linked to obesity and physical inactivity.

8 Nov 2005

Neurological and neuromuscular diseases raise risk of complications from flu

As another flu season approaches, patients with neurological and neuromuscular disease are especially vulnerable to respiratory failure caused by influenza.

3 Nov 2005

Elderly people with the lowest and highest hemoglobin concentrations are at increased risk of death

Increasing evidence indicates that anemia is common in the elderly population, but few studies have assessed the association of anemia with clinical outcomes, such as illness and death, according to background information in the article.

25 Oct 2005

New model important step toward understanding the molecular basis of cell membrane mechanics

A human red blood cell is a dimpled ballerina, ceaselessly spinning, tumbling, bending, and squeezing through openings narrower than its width to dispense life-giving oxygen to every corner of the body.

24 Oct 2005

New device offers potential for accurate and reliable monitoring of brain oxygenation during cardiac surgeries

A new device that uses near-infrared light to non-invasively monitor the oxygenation of the brain during surgery appears to be a promising alternative to the more invasive techniques currently in use, according to a new study by Duke University Medical Center anesthesiologists.

23 Oct 2005

Nitric oxide may help sickle cell patients

Inhaling a small dose of nitric oxide gas may one day help sickle cell patients avoid pain crises and live healthier lives, researchers say.

23 Oct 2005

HIV drug combo Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole highly effective at preventing malaria

A drug combination used to prevent pneumonia and opportunistic bacterial infection in persons with HIV/AIDS has unexpectedly been found to be highly effective at preventing malaria, according to a study published in the November 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

18 Oct 2005

Paying clinicians to reach a common, fixed performance target may produce little gain in overall quality

...and may largely reward those with higher performance at baseline, according to a study in the October 12 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Oct 2005

Researchers reveal basis for hereditary coproporphyria

A research team led by scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston has determined the structure of an enzyme that when defective causes an inherited disease that afflicts sufferers with severe abdominal pain, psychiatric symptoms, skin fragility, and light sensitivity.

9 Oct 2005

Protein secreted by the dog hookworm may advance vaccine development in humans

A paper published in this week's PLoS Medicine shows that vaccination against a protein secreted by the dog hookworm can protect against blood loss and anaemia caused by the same hookworm in dogs.

4 Oct 2005

Lack of oxygen in body tissues creates a defect of red blood cells that further exacerbates the condition by constricting blood vessels in the lung

What's more, the team demonstrated through studies in people and animals that inhalation of a 'souped up' form of nitric oxide, which targets red blood cells, reverses the blood abnormality to restore normal lung pressure.

3 Oct 2005

Combining optical tomography with standard ultrasound imaging can help distinguish early-stage breast cancer

A new study shows that combining a technology called optical tomography with standard ultrasound imaging can help distinguish early-stage breast cancer from non-cancerous lesions--and potentially reduce the number of breast biopsies performed. The study appears in the October issue of the journal Radiology.

27 Sep 2005

Adult sickle cell drug hydroxyurea proves effective in young children

A drug used for the treatment of sickle cell anemia in adults has now been shown to cause significant improvements in very young children with the disorder.

20 Sep 2005

Lowering blood sugar levels could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease

Lowering blood sugar levels could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in both diabetics and non-diabetics, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

19 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