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Researcher finds no long-term benefit of using glucosamine for knee joint pain

A popular food supplement used to treat osteoarthritis pain in knee joints has been shown to have no long-term beneficial effect, according to a national study conducted by a University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow working at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada

1 Nov 2004

Patent issued for nanotechnology bone biomaterial

Competitive Technologies announced today that patent number 6,808,561 has been issued by the US Patent Office for Dr. Brian R. Genge's nanotechnology bone biomaterial developed at the University of South Carolina (USC).

1 Nov 2004

Emotion-focused therapy - pioneering new treatment for emotional trauma and depression

If fighting emotion with emotion sounds unconventional, that’s because it is. York University Psychology Professor Leslie Greenberg is one of only a handful of researchers on the cutting edge of treatment for psychological trauma and depression using emotion-focused therapy, or EFT – a treatment he pioneered.

1 Nov 2004

Tamiflu significantly reduced the risk of pneumonia in patients diagnosed with flu

Treatment with the antiviral medication Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) significantly reduced the risk of pneumonia in patients diagnosed with flu, according to a new retrospective cohort study of over 70,000 Americans.

1 Nov 2004

Do cholesterol-reducing drugs decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes in diabetics?

International researchers will, for the first time, present findings from the landmark 4D trial about whether a cholesterol-reducing drug decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes with type 2 diabetics on dialysis at the American Society of Nephrology’s 37th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.

1 Nov 2004

Although age isn’t considered when matching kidney donors with their recipients, it should be

Although age isn’t considered when matching kidney donors with their recipients, it should be, according to a new study being presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 37th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.

1 Nov 2004

Hormone therapy findings suggest a complex relationship between marketing, scientific evidence and prescribing patterns

Pharmaceutical companies slashed their promotional spending for hormone therapies by more than a third following reports in July 2002 of health risks associated with the drugs, but within the year they beefed up their marketing efforts to promote lower-dose forms of the medications

1 Nov 2004

Brain imaging technology shows how the adult dyslexic brain can change

New findings from researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center in collaboration with Wake Forest University School of Medicine have shown that there is hope for individuals suffering a life-long history of reading problems.

1 Nov 2004

First home-testing device for phenylketonuria (PKU) patients

Home-testing kits have made it easier for diabetics and hypertension patients to track their conditions, but such self-monitoring hasn’t been possible for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).

1 Nov 2004

McGuinty Government introduces changes to eye care services

The McGuinty government is making changes to the way OHIP insures routine eye exams, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.

1 Nov 2004

Researchers provide concrete evidence about how the human eye evolved

When Darwin's skeptics attack his theory of evolution, they often focus on the eye. Darwin himself confessed that it was "absurd" to propose that the human eye, an "organ of extreme perfection and complication" evolved through spontaneous mutation and natural selection.

1 Nov 2004

Discovery of a number of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of the hepatitis C (HCV) NS3/4 protease

InterMune announced today the presentation of preclinical data on the discovery and characterization of a number of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of the hepatitis C (HCV) NS3/4 protease.

1 Nov 2004

South Australia imposes smoking restrictions on high-rollers

South Australia has become the first Australian State to impose restrictions on smoking in casino high-roller or ‘VIP’ rooms.

1 Nov 2004

Comprehensive studies of sleep and medical intern performance

better understand the impact sleep has on medical intern performance, researchers at BWH pioneered two studies both designed to underscore and support efforts hospitals can take to improve patient safety.

1 Nov 2004

Suspected case of Japanese encephalitis in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a suspected case of Japanese encephalitis (JE) involving a five-year-old boy living in Lau Fau Shan.

1 Nov 2004

Interim recommendations on low-carb diets

From the extreme Atkins Diet to the more modest Zone Diet, low carbohydrate diets are all the rage, embraced by celebrities and the general public alike as a quick way to lose weight.

1 Nov 2004

New research into psychotropic drugs

Issues surrounding the prescription of psychotropic drugs for people with learning difficulties are highlighted in a newly completed research project, Medication Matters, by Dr Jackie Rodgers and colleagues at the Norah Fry Research Centre at the University of Bristol.

1 Nov 2004

Grant to develop high speed DNA sequence reader

Sequencing of the human genome is one of the major scientific advances of our time. But with 3 billion base pairs, initial sequencing of the human genome took 11 years and cost $1 billion to complete in 2002. Today, it costs up to $50 million to sequence 3 billion base pairs.

1 Nov 2004

High prevalence of cigarette smoking among Chinese men indicates an urgent need for smoking prevention

Adopting a westernized lifestyle has spelled disaster for many people in China, where 60 percent of men smoke cigarettes, more than half of women are exposed to secondhand smoke at home and one in four men and women breathe smoke-filled air at work.

1 Nov 2004

Warning on Alzheimer drug mix up

Janssen Pharmaceutica, manufacturer of the Alzheimer drug galantamine (Reminyl), says it has learned of 10 cases in which individuals who should have gotten Reminyl accidentally received the diabetes drug glimepiride (Amaryl).

1 Nov 2004