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Prozac helps treat adolescents with depression

The TADS researchers said that major depressive disorder is common, with one in 20 teens affected at varying levels of severity. Like other forms of depression, major depressive disorder has been associated with increased risk of suicidal behavior and with completed suicide.

26 Aug 2004

Household heaters linked to asthma

Exposure to fume emitting heaters during the first year of life is associated with an increased risk of asthma later in childhood, a study of school children in Belmont, NSW has found.

26 Aug 2004

Study emphasizes the importance of monitoring blood pressure and dyslipidemia in patient's with metabolic syndrome

Having three or more traits of the metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease or any other cause, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

High blood pressure increased 30 percent over the last decade in the U.S.

The study found that at least 65 million Americans have hypertension, defined as blood pressure of 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher, using blood-pressure lowering medications, or having been told at least twice by a physician or other health professional that they had high blood pressure (medical history). By that definition, almost a third of U.S. adults have hypertension.

25 Aug 2004

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy reduces artery-clogging plaque

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome appears to reduce artery-clogging plaque, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

Cleaning products and solvents increase risk of asthma

Exposure to the fumes emitted from solvents and cleaning products at home may increase the risk of childhood asthma, suggests a study by Australian researchers from Curtin University and the University of Sydney.

25 Aug 2004

Scientists have uncovered a key driver behind the progression of prostate cancer

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have uncovered a key driver behind the progression of prostate cancer, a discovery that the researchers believe could spawn new treatments to prevent the cancer's spread and extend survival.

23 Aug 2004

Clearing toxins in the brains of Alzheimer's patients can stave off future reductions in cognitive abilities

The ever-slowing capacity to clear the build-up of such toxins as isoprostanes and misfolded proteins that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients causes the death of cells involved in memory and language.

23 Aug 2004

Study finds no link between dental amalgam fillings containing mercury and disease

A new study into whether dental amalgam fillings containing mercury are hazardous to health has found little evidence of an association between amalgam and disease.

23 Aug 2004

Significant link between depression and the development of coronary heart disease

A study of French power company employees has found a significant link between depression and the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). The research is published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, edited in the Department of Social Medicine at Bristol University.

23 Aug 2004

Study sheds light on lymphedema

A study from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Affiliate Center at the University of Helsinki in Finland has shed light on the development of lymphatic vasculature and valves, and may help to develop better treatments for lymphedema.

23 Aug 2004

Peginterferon and Ribavirin combination promising for those with HIV and HCV

Since the introduction of highly active combination drug therapy for HIV, liver failure attributable to infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become a leading cause of death among those infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

22 Aug 2004

Nicotine replacement therapy shown to help teenagers and women

In the first study, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that the nicotine patch seems to work as well, at least initially, for teens as it does for adults. In addition, the patch, the top delivery form of NRT (followed by gum, an inhaler and a nasal spray) worked equally well with or without supplementation by an anti-depressant given to the teens.

21 Aug 2004

COX2 inhibitor lumiracoxib could be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis

The use of non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is widespread to reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis; however the sideeffects of these drugs can be severe, sometimes leading to gastro-intestinal ulcer complications which account for around 7000 US and 1000 UK deaths each year.

21 Aug 2004

People with type 2 diabetes could benefit from atorvastatin

Results of a randomised trial in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that people with type 2 diabetes could benefit from cholesterol-lowering therapy with statins to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, even when they do not have high cholesterol concentrations.

20 Aug 2004

$Longer rehabilitation by six months helps elderly patients to more fully recover from hip fractures$

Longer rehabilitation by six months helps elderly patients to more fully recover from hip fractures

Extending supervised outpatient rehabilitation by six months helps elderly patients more fully recover from hip fractures, according to the first controlled study of its kind. The study also showed for the first time that these patients, previously thought to be too frail for weight training, can benefit from progressive resistance exercise training.

20 Aug 2004

Fruit and vegetables eaten before pregnancy lowers risk of leukemia

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that women who eat more vegetables, fruit and foods containing protein before pregnancy may have a lower risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

20 Aug 2004

Study to compare prostate surgery and drugs

The Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapies (MIST) Consortium for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) has launched a new study to compare long-term benefits and risks of transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) and transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) to a regimen of the alpha-1 inhibitor alfuzosin and the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor finasteride.

20 Aug 2004

Nucleic acid-amplification testing has improved the safety of the nation's blood supply

State-of-the-art testing systems to screen donated blood have improved the safety of the nation's blood supply by preventing the transmission of potentially deadly viruses, according to a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

18 Aug 2004

Majority of LASIK recipients are happy with the results

The majority of the million plus people having LASIK each year to correct their vision are happy with the results, according to a 15-year literature review that indicates most reasons for discontent could be resolved with more patient education before surgery.

18 Aug 2004