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Drug montelukast reduces trips to doctor for childhood asthma attacks

Young children with attacks of sporadic, recurring asthma who were treated with the prescription drug montelukast by their parents had fewer unscheduled trips to the doctor, missed less days from school or childcare, and caused their parents to take fewer days off work for their care.

15 Feb 2007

Slow-release morphine helps chronic persistent cough

Slow-release morphine helped a group of patients with long-term, treatment-resistant chronic cough reduce their daily cough score levels by 40 percent.

15 Feb 2007

New Kaiser Permanente research aims to reveal genetic and environmental causes behind deadly and disabling diseases

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research is launching one of the largest research projects in the United States to examine the genetic and environmental factors that influence common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, asthma and many others.

15 Feb 2007

Mechanism driving iron overload in thalassemia identified

Led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, an international group of scientists has pinpointed a specific genetic relationship as the cause of dangerous iron overload in persons with a form of the inherited blood disease, beta-thalassemia.

14 Feb 2007

Marijuana gives relief from chronic pain for AIDS sufferers

Researchers have found that people suffering from chronic foot pain as a result of the AIDS virus gained relief from smoking marijuana.

14 Feb 2007

New oral blood thinner

A new oral blood thinner is being compared to an old standby to see if it works as well and is easier to manage long term, researchers say.

13 Feb 2007

Dipeptidyl peptidase I critical for early growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Surgery is the only treatment for an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a weak spot in the body's main artery that dilates dangerously over time.

13 Feb 2007

People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds worse off following heart attack

People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who suffer a heart attack come to the emergency department more often, are less likely to be treated aggressively and have higher mortality rates a year after the attack, says new University of Alberta research that has important implications for access to cardiac care.

13 Feb 2007

New breast cancer drug Exemestane shows great potential to save lives

In what will be welcome news to millions of women suffering from breast cancer, trials of a new drug have found it lowers oestrogen levels in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer and has the potential to save more than 1,000 lives a year in the UK alone.

13 Feb 2007

Seasonal flu vaccine offers some protection from H5N1

The yearly influenza vaccine that health officials urge people to get each fall might also offer certain individuals some cross protection against the H5N1 virus commonly known as bird flu, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

13 Feb 2007

New patented technology for next generation of DNA and RNA microarrays

A novel invention developed by a scientist from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) could revolutionize biological and clinical research and may lead to treatments for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and genetic and infectious diseases.

13 Feb 2007

Vasectomy and trouble with words

Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who are cognitively normal.

13 Feb 2007

Breast cancer survival rates improved by novel drug sequence

Changing the way women are treated for breast cancer could improve their overall chance of survival, according to research published in the Lancet.

13 Feb 2007

Some doctors do not tell patients about treatments they oppose

Some physicians do not tell patients about treatments -- such as contraception, abortion or sedation for dying patients -- that they are morally opposed to, according to a study published in the Feb. 8 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Washington Post reports.

13 Feb 2007

Women who donate eggs for stem cell research face few health risks

Women who donate their eggs for stem cell research or in vitro fertilization are not at increased risk of health complications, and most of the risks are a result of the hormones used to stimulate their bodies to release more than one egg, according to a report commissioned by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and released by the Institute of Medicine, Bloomberg reports.

13 Feb 2007

WFP resumes programs providing food to people with TB, HIV in Cambodia

The World Food Program has resumed its programs providing people living with HIV and tuberculosis in Cambodia with access to food after receiving aid from Spain and the U.S., the agency said on Thursday, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports.

13 Feb 2007

More insurers, programs offer 'open access' hospice care

Increasing numbers of hospice programs and private insurance companies are allowing patients to receive medical treatments while participating in hospice care, the New York Times reports.

13 Feb 2007

Causes of heart failure

In most cases, heart failure is due to the impaired ability of the heart muscle to pump blood through the body. However, in some cases, the heart no longer functions normally because it is not filled properly. This process is largely determined by the elastic scaffold protein titin.

12 Feb 2007

Researchers discover how to fight iron disorders with a drug against hypertension

We all know that iron deficiencies are dangerous, but also too much iron is bad for our health. Our body stores excess iron in various tissues, where it can lead to organ failure and even death if not treated before irreversible damage has occurred.

12 Feb 2007

New approach to nerve repair with novel silk-based products

A new company, Neurotex Ltd, has been established to develop novel silk-based products that have the potential to provide a new generation of nerve repair materials and treatments.

12 Feb 2007