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Acute stress boosts flu shot response in women

Women who participated in short bouts of physical or mental activity before receiving a flu shot produced more antibodies than other women, according to the first study of this effect in humans.

7 Mar 2006

Mutant genes trigger AMD but may lighten the way to new treatments

According to new research in the U.S., the most common form of blindness in the elderly, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), can be attributed to just two genes which trigger the condition.

7 Mar 2006

White Americans far more likely than black Americans to die soon after the death of a spouse

The longitudinal study of 410,272 elderly American couples indicates that the "widowhood effect" -- the increased probability of death among new widows and widowers -- is large and enduring among white couples but undetectable among black couples, suggesting that blacks may somehow manage to extend marriage's well-documented health benefits into widowhood.

7 Mar 2006

Popular painkiller linked to 2000 deaths

Why more women die than men after heart bypass surgery

According to researchers, infections - including those acquired in hospitals, could explain why women die more frequently than men after heart bypass surgery and the explanations for this sex difference are controversial.

28 Feb 2006

senSAVE offers 24-hour telemedicinal health care

senSAVE is a radio networked monitoring system of intelligent sensors. The sensors for wireless ECG data recording are integrated into a shirt.

27 Feb 2006

Study shows survival advantage for men treated with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy compared to observation

A new study shows older men with early stage prostate cancer survive longer if they are treated versus not being treated in favor of the "watchful waiting" approach advocated by many physicians for older men with other health problems.

27 Feb 2006

Lifestyle choices help maintain our brain and emotional health

Heart health risk factors and lifestyle choices, such as exercise, learning new things and staying socially connected, are associated with maintaining brain health as we age according to a new report.

24 Feb 2006

Surgery for obesity now covered by Medicare

The U.S. government says obese elderly or disabled patients are now eligible for a range of surgical weight-loss procedures under the U.S. Medicare health insurance plan.

23 Feb 2006

Guidelines will help malnourished patients

Doctors and nurses in the UK have been issued with new guidelines to help them identify patients who may be malnourished.

22 Feb 2006

Heart health and lifestyle help seniors maintain brain power

A comprehensive review says heart health risk factors and lifestyle choices, such as exercise, learning new things and staying socially connected, help keep brains healthy as we grow old.

22 Feb 2006

Demographic and economic consequences of anti-aging therapies

In the 21st century, state-of-the-art anti-aging technologies may extend human lifespans at an unprecedented rate, bringing with them a host of social and economic challenges, says biologist Shripad Tuljapurkar of Stanford University.

20 Feb 2006

Cooking on wood stoves affects women in developing countries

Women in developing countries who cook over a wood stove for years and inhale the smoke can develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and experience the same clinical characteristics, diminished quality of life and increased mortality rates as tobacco smokers.

17 Feb 2006

Major Alzheimer's discovery

A team from the Faculty of Medicine at Universiti Laval and the research centre at CHUQ (Centre hospitalier universitaire de Quibec) has discovered a natural defence mechanism that the body deploys to combat nerve cell degeneration observed in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

17 Feb 2006

FOLFOX now treatment standard for colorectal cancer in the United States

One of the newest and most potent chemotherapies for colon cancer is as safe and effective for the elderly as it is for younger patients, based on a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-led data review.

16 Feb 2006

A high level of education means Alzheimer's hits later, but harder and faster

According to researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, high levels of education may help ward off Alzheimer’s disease, but they also speed up its progression once the disease has developed.

16 Feb 2006

Almost half of heart attacks are not recognised

According to Dutch researchers almost fifty percent of heart attacks are not recognised as such.

14 Feb 2006

Anticholinergic drugs may lead to mild mental impairment in elderly

Anticholinergic drugs may lead to mild cognitive (mental) impairment in elderly people, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

7 Feb 2006

Researcher identifies key to macular degeneration progression

Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati UK HealthCare physician and Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, announced a discovery by his research team that will impact how physicians and patients approach treatment for macular degeneration.

7 Feb 2006

Link between dementia and cancer

By expressing a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease in the brain of the fruit fly, researchers have demonstrated an intriguing link between neuronal death and proteins previously associated with cancer.

7 Feb 2006