Health News

HIV cure may lie in radioimmunotherapy

Date: Dec-05-2013
A new study suggests targeting HIV with radioimmunotherapy could eradicate HIV from infected cells. If given in conjunction with highly active antiretroviral therapy, it may form the basis of a cure.Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) kills human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the bloodstream, it does not completely eliminate it from the body because the virus can linger in infected cells and replicate.

Microscopic hazards in your home this winter

Date: Dec-05-2013
Allergies are traditionally associated with spring and summer, when high pollen counts fill the air and leave hay fever sufferers sneezing and scratching at sore eyes. But winter brings its own allergens, with dust mites and mold spores spelling misery for a whole new batch of sufferers.Allergic reactions occur when the immune system responds to the presence of a foreign substance. When it suspects an invasion, the immune system produces proteins called antibodies.

Social services must overcome multiple challenges to reach 'invisible' homeless women

Date: Dec-05-2013
The high prevalence of complex and gendered-related issues affecting the lives of homeless women makes it important for social workers to build meaningful and trusting relationships with this hard-to-reach group. Homeless women "are used to making themselves invisible in order to survive" and many barriers currently prevent them from accessing the services they need. But when homeless women feel valued and listened to, they are able to begin to take control of their own lives.

Omega-3s cross blood-brain barrier in Alzheimer's patients

Date: Dec-05-2013
The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from harmful chemicals in the blood, but it also blocks drugs from reaching it. However, researchers have suggested that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can cross this barrier in Alzheimer's patients, influencing markers for the disease and inflammation.The researchers, from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, have published their research in the Journal of Internal Medicine.They note that omega-3s, along with other polyunsaturated fatty acids, accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS) throughout gestation.

Global dementia set to treble by 2050, says G8 briefing

Date: Dec-05-2013
A new analysis suggests that the number of people worldwide living with dementia is set to treble by 2050. Alzheimer's Disease International, a federation of Alzheimer associations, reveals their findings in a policy briefing on the global impact of dementia ahead of the first G8 Dementia Summit set to take place in the UK on December 11th.One of the summit's goals is to agree a new international approach to dementia research and policy.

NIH workshop report urges new focus on pulseless electrical activity

Date: Dec-05-2013
Led by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Robert J. Myerburg, M.D., a dozen experts in sudden cardiac arrest have issued a major report on pulseless electrical activity aimed at improving the dismal survival rate among the increasing number of people who suffer this mechanism of cardiac arrest that does not respond to defibrillation.

IFPMA and Global Fund collaborate to help protect patients from fake medicines

Date: Dec-05-2013
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has announced a broad-based partnership to help prevent patients from being harmed by fake medicines. Fake medicines put patients and the general public at risk. Patients believe they are receiving genuine treatment, when instead they are getting potentially dangerous products that could cause further illness, disability or even death. Their use can also lead to the development of treatment resistance.

Blood pressure drug could double up as first treatment for common form of dementia

Date: Dec-05-2013
A 4p per day drug for high blood pressure could become the first ever treatment for one of the most common forms of dementia within a decade, say two leading charities. The widely prescribed drug amlodipine has shown promising effects in people with vascular dementia, the most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's Society and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) today (3 December 2013) announce the beginning of a major new £2.25m clinical trial to test the drug's effectiveness in people with the condition.

Leaders of more than 250 hospitals call on Congress to stop Medicaid cuts

Date: Dec-05-2013
Members of America's Essential Hospitals are among more than 250 hospitals and health systems that have called on Congress to halt "crippling" cuts to Medicaid funding for care of the uninsured and other vulnerable patients.In a Dec. 2 letter to House and Senate lawmakers, hospital leaders said statutory cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) funding - more than $18 billion through 2019 - "simply cannot be justified," now that about half the states have rejected Medicaid coverage expansion.

New guidelines stress importance of vaccinating immunocompromised patients

Date: Dec-05-2013
People with compromised immune systems - such as those with cancer, HIV infection and Crohn's disease - are especially vulnerable to illness and most should receive the flu shot and other vaccinations, notes a new guideline released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Vaccination rates tend to be lower in patients with compromised immune systems in part because their physicians may be concerned about safety and effectiveness.