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New anti-HIV medication etravirine shows great promise

The AIDS Institute, a national public policy research, advocacy, and education organization, is encouraged with the FDA's approval of the first new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) in nearly a decade.

4 Feb 2008

Vaginal probiotic product reduce recurrence rate of bacterial vaginosis

A newly published double blind, randomised, placebo controlled study(1) shows that EcoVag, a patented vaginal probiotic product from the Danish company, Bifodan, significantly reduces the recurrence rate of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) following antibiotic treatment.

31 Jan 2008

New Zealand warns of risk from anti-epileptic drugs

New Zealand's Ministry of Health drug regulation arm Medsafe is alerting health care professionals about a small increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in patients taking anti-epileptic medicines.

31 Jan 2008

Antidepressants might be worthless for treating low back pain

The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

30 Jan 2008

Arthritic knees remain painful after arthroscopic surgery

Trimming damaged tissue through arthroscopic surgery does not relieve pain and swelling in arthritic knees any better than simply flushing loose debris from the joint, according to a new review of evidence.

25 Jan 2008

OTC cough medicine: Not worthwhile for children or adults?

Alert parents know that small children should not take over-the-counter cough medications.

24 Jan 2008

No clear evidence that antidepressants assist in the management of chronic low back pain

Doctors commonly prescribe antidepressants for patients with low back pain for three main reasons; to relieve pain; reduce mild depression and improve a person's mood; and improve sleep.

24 Jan 2008

Hawthorn extract helps the heart

Taking hawthorn extract can help control symptoms of chronic heart disease such as low abilities to work and walk, and also improve a range of heart-related measurements.

24 Jan 2008

Cranberries might help prevent urinary infections in women

Evidence supports drinking cranberry juice a familiar home remedy to treat urinary tract infection (UTI), according to a new review from Scotland.

24 Jan 2008

Researcher transplants stem cells to try to save patients' legs

A Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researcher has launched the first U.S. trial in which a purified form of subjects' own adult stem cells was transplanted into their leg muscles with severely blocked arteries to try to grow new small blood vessels and restore circulation in their legs.

23 Jan 2008

Anti-smoking drug Chantix adds suicide to it's warning label

The anti-smoking drug Chantix, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2006, will in future carry a warning about the possibility of suicidal thoughts in patients who take it.

21 Jan 2008

Immune modulation therapy can help heal patients with heart failure

Modifying the immune system of a patient with heart failure reduces the patient's risk of death and the need for hospitalization, according to research published in The Lancet.

21 Jan 2008

FDA approves etravirine tablets for HIV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved etravirine tablets for the treatment of HIV infection in adults who have failed treatment with other antiretrovirals.

21 Jan 2008

New HIV drug will help millions

Statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that as many as 33 million people worldwide are currently living with the HIV virus which also killed 2 million people in 2007.

20 Jan 2008

Arthritis drug Etanercept clears up symptoms of psoriasis

New research from the United States has found that a drug commonly used to treat arthritis significantly reduces the symptoms of psoriasis in children.

20 Jan 2008

Selective publication means unfavorable drug studies rarely get published

A new report claims that almost a third of the research done on antidepressant drugs is never published in medical literature and most of those unpublished reports are unfavorable.

20 Jan 2008

Calcium and vitamin D is more effective than calcium alone in preventing bone loss in elderly women

Previous studies have shown that high calcium intake can help prevent bone loss. This latest study, however, demonstrated that calcium therapy, although initially successful at preventing bone loss, was no different from placebo after three or five years.

18 Jan 2008

Selective reporting of antidepressant trials exaggerates drug effectiveness

Selective publication in reporting results of antidepressant trials exaggerates the effectiveness of the drugs, according to a report in the January 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

17 Jan 2008

New drug lets kids feel good in their skin

Maria Anichini, a 20-year-old junior at Columbia College, zipped up a fetching black lace cocktail dress with spaghetti straps to go out with friends the other night.

17 Jan 2008

Vitamin D2 supplements may help prevent falls among high-risk older women

Vitamin D2 supplements appear to reduce the risk of falls among women with a history of falling and low blood vitamin D levels living in sunny climates, especially during the winter, according to a report in the January 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

16 Jan 2008