Health News

Identification Of Genetic Markers For Testosterone And Estrogen Level Regulation

Date: Jul-24-2012
A research study led by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Exeter, and Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with a global consortium, has identified genetic markers that influence a protein involved in regulating oestrogen and testosterone levels in the bloodstream...

Decreased Prevalence Of Blindness And Visual Impairment

Date: Jul-24-2012
The numbers of people in Germany who are blind or visually impaired is going down. Robert P. Finger and his co-authors present their findings in the current edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012; 109[27/28]: 484-9). The aging of the population would lead one to expect an increase in the numbers of blind and visually impaired - for in most cases the main reason for loss of vision is an age-related disease. Rates of macular degeneration, for example, and diabetes-related eye disease both go up with age...

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Date: Jul-24-2012
Medical malpractice refers to profesional negligence by a health care professional or provider in which treatment provided was substandard, and caused harm, injury or death to a patient. In the majority of cases, the medical malpractice or negligence involved a medical error, possibly in diagnosis, medication dosage, health management, treatment or aftercare. The error may have been because nothing was done (an act of omission), or a negligent act. Medical malpractice law provides a way for patients to recover compensation from any harms resulting from sub-standard treatment...

What Is Singulair (Montelukast)?

Date: Jul-24-2012
Singulair (montelukast) is a prescription medication for the prevention of asthma attacks for patients aged 12 months or more (adults and children). Montelukast is an LTRA (leukotriene receptor antagonist) which is also used to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies, as well as preventing exercise-induced bronchospasm in adults and children aged 6 years or more. According to Merck & Co. Inc...

What Is Cymbalta (Duloxetine)?

Date: Jul-24-2012
Cymbalta (Duloxetine), which is also sold under the brand names Duzela, Yentreve, Xeristar, and Ariclaim, is an SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor). It is prescribed for the treatment of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, painful peripheral neuropathy (especially diabetic neuropathy), and osteoarthritis pain. Duloxetine is also prescribed for patients with fibromyalgia...

What Is Humira (adalimumab)

Date: Jul-24-2012
Humira (adalimumab) is a TNF inhibitor approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, chronic plaque psoriasis, Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Humira is used for pain relief and to reduce inflammation in a number of autoimmune diseases. Humira belongs to a class of drugs called biologics. Biologics are therapies based on proteins - usually antibodies - which have been developed with DNA technology (genetic engineering). Humira is a fully human monoclonal antibody...

Warding Off Infection With Beneficial Bacteria

Date: Jul-24-2012
While many bacteria exist as aggressive pathogens, causing diseases ranging from tuberculosis and cholera, to plague, diphtheria and toxic shock syndrome, others play a less malevolent role and some are critical for human health.   In a new study, Cheryl Nickerson and her group at ASU's Biodesign Institute, in collaboration with an international team* including Tom Van de Wiele and lead author Rosemarie De Weirdt at Ghent University, Belgium, explore the role of Lactobaccilus reuteri - a natural resident of the human gut - to protect against foodborne infection...

New Formulation To Fill The Deadly Gap In Appropriate HIV Medicines For Infants And Young Children

Date: Jul-24-2012
On the eve of the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a not-for-profit research and development (R&D) organization, announces a new collaboration with Indian drug manufacturer Cipla to develop and produce an improved first-line antiretroviral (ARV) combination therapy specifically adapted to meet the treatment needs of infants and toddlers living with HIV/AIDS...

Protection From Lung Function Impairment And Decline In Smokers May Be Provided By Vitamin D

Date: Jul-24-2012
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse lung function and more rapid decline in lung function over time in smokers, suggesting that vitamin D may have a protective effect against the effects of smoking on lung function, according to a new study from researchers in Boston. "We examined the relationship between vitamin D deficiency, smoking, lung function, and the rate of lung function decline over a 20 year period in a cohort of 626 adult white men from the Normative Aging Study," said lead author Nancy E. Lange, MD, MPH, of the Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital...

Overweight Kids Already Have Risk Factors For Heart Disease

Date: Jul-23-2012
The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, now researchers say that 2 out of 3 severely obese children have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The study is published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The findings from the study are based on data supplied by pediatricians to the Dutch Pediatric Surveillance Unit...