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Strep A is showing up in increased numbers of head and neck abscesses

Head and neck abscesses are infrequent complications of upper respiratory infections, but they can occur suddenly and be rapidly progressive. If untreated, the abscesses can lead to airway obstruction, vision loss, intracranial infections, and even death.

17 Sep 2004

Study compares cheap take-home sleep test to expensive polysomnography test

Diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea usually involves polysomnograpy, an overnight sleep test in a sleep clinic or lab. Results of a new study indicate that a take-home sleep test is just as effective as a polysomnography and is less expensive while providing timely results.

17 Sep 2004

Study highlights relationship between schizophrenia and suicide in China

The potential relationship of two important public health problems for China—schizophrenia and suicide—is highlighted by an epidemiological study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

17 Sep 2004

Poverty not linked to winter deaths in elderly

Although Britain has a large burden of excess winter deaths, this study suggests that policies to relieve fuel poverty alone may only be partially successful.

17 Sep 2004

Israeli clinicians keen on using placebos in treating patients

Three out of five Israeli clinicians report using placebos – inactive treatments or drugs – in treating patients, despite the medical profession's official disapproval of their use, say the authors of a BMJ Online First paper this week.

17 Sep 2004

Slimming agents could pose major health risk

Commonly used nutritional supplements and body-building agents for elite athletes could pose an increased risk of cancer according to a study undertaken at the University of Sydney.

16 Sep 2004

Health insurance plans extend efforts to end tobacco use

Nearly three-quarters of all health insurance plans included in a new survey rely on evidence-based clinical guidelines to address tobacco use, and almost all plans, 98 percent, provide full coverage for at least one type of smoking cessation intervention.

16 Sep 2004

Certain people are born with an increased risk of developing alcohol problems

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have determined that although alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence are closely related, the causes of susceptibility are not necessarily the same.

16 Sep 2004

Most people’s diets get healthier from childhood to young adulthood

Adults eat around twice the amount of fruit and vegetables and less fat and sugar than they did as children, a new study suggests.

16 Sep 2004

Celacade shown to reduce risk of death and hospitalization in patients with advanced chronic heart failure

Vasogen has announced that comprehensive results from the Company's phase II trial of Celacade (immune modulation therapy) in advanced chronic heart failure patients were published in the September 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

16 Sep 2004

Marital history is something that's every bit as important in choosing a mate as age, education, religion, and race

You've been married before. Your mate hasn't. According to a University of Michigan study, this kind of mixed marriage is becoming more common even though potential partners in the modern mating game continue to gravitate to others with similar marital histories.

16 Sep 2004

Patient autonomy is an essential factor in motivating effective change in health behavior

Counselors were more successful in motivating smokers to quit when they explored the smokers' personal values, discussed their knowledge of the health risks, and supported patients as they tried to solve their problem, a University of Rochester study has found.

16 Sep 2004

Drug combo may have a greater impact on cancer development

Cancer researchers have long suggested that new targeted drugs may work best when paired with other therapies. In a new study published today in Cancer Research, scientists have taken some of the first steps to demonstrate this synergy in mouse and cell line models.

16 Sep 2004

Sexually explicit television makes teens more sexually active

Teens who watch lots of sexually explicit television programs are about twice as likely to become sexually active as those who don't watch the television shows, an article in this month's Pediatrics reports.

16 Sep 2004

Helping seniors in times of trauma

As Hurricane Ivan pummels the U.S. Gulf Coast, Saint Louis University continues to study what we need to do to ensure Grandma’s safety in case of a disaster.

16 Sep 2004

Red Bull energy drink does not improve a person’s physical performance

Energy drinks – usually a mixture of caffeine, taurine, carbohydrates, B-complex vitamins and gluconolactone – have become very popular in recent years.

15 Sep 2004

Early use of combination-drug treatments could improve HIV survival rates

Survival rates of HIV-positive patients could be improved if combination-drug treatment were begun earlier than current clinical guidelines now recommend, according to a new study by researchers from The New York Academy of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

14 Sep 2004

Estimates may overstate toll of sudden cardiac death

Researchers trying to get a precise picture of sudden cardiac death in Portland, Ore. found that checking with ambulance services, medical examiners and hospitals revealed the actual number of cases was only about one-third the total estimated by a commonly used method that involves reviews of death certificates, according to a new study in the Sept. 15, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

14 Sep 2004

Findings that may help explain links between the stress of traumatic events and increased risk of cardiac death

Reporting findings that may help explain links between the stress of traumatic events and increased risk of cardiac death, researchers said the rate of potentially life-threatening heart arrhythmias doubled during the month after the World Trade Center terrorist attack in 2001 in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, not only in the New York area, but also in Florida

14 Sep 2004

Boys generally at greater risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Boys, in general, and children born to parents who have low education levels, in particular, are at an increased risk for developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to girls and children born to parents with high levels of education, according to a study of 5,701 children in Olmsted County, Minn.

14 Sep 2004