Health News
Genes involved in the devastating disease Lupus, which affects 50,000 people in the UK, are identified.
A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells offers hope of a treatment for muscular dystrophies.
Scientists find stronger evidence that caffeine ups miscarriage risk - even when consumed in moderation.
Campaigners are calling for rules on junk food marketing to children to be tightened.
On Wednesday, January 23, The Lung Association will launch a campaign to help Canadians push their provincial governments to tackle the issue of smoking in cars when children are present. The Association wants provincial governments to ensure people "butt out" if they are driving with kids. Starting on January 23, 2008, Canadians will be able to take part in the campaign by visiting www.cleanairforkids.
Using a mobile phone before going to bed could stop you getting a decent night's sleep, research suggests.
An elderly person's risk of falling is too often overlooked when trying to prevent them from getting serious fractures, for instance of the hip or wrist, according to an article published in this week's BMJ. The Finnish authors says studies show that if the focus were to be switched to how at risk someone is of falling, rather than whether they have the bone disease osteoporosis, then considerably more fractures in elderly people could be prevented.
A series of recent scientific publications have exaggerated the benefits and underplayed the harms of drugs to treat pre-osteoporosis or "osteopenia" potentially encouraging treatment in millions of low risk women, warn experts in this week's BMJ.The authors believe that this represents a classic case of disease-mongering: a risk factor being transformed into a medical disease in order to sell tests and drugs to relatively healthy people.
The NICE guidelines on follow-up for breast cancer patients need urgent revision, warn experts in this week's BMJ.More than 1.2 million women and men worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and it is now recognised as a chronic disease that can recur even after 20 -30 years. Survival continues to improve, so new cancers are now more common in many patients than recurrence because the treatments of the first cancer are so effective.
In elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL),* six cycles of CHOP-14 chemotherapy** in combination with eight applications of rituximab (R-CHOP-14) is as efficacious as eight cycles of R-CHOP-14 and should be the preferred treatment for elderly patients, according to authors reporting in an Article to be published early Online and in the February issue of The Lancet Oncology.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved additional changes to the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal (Skin) Patch label to include the results of a new epidemiology study that found that users of the birth control patch were at higher risk of developing serious blood clots, also known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), than women using birth control pills. VTE can lead to pulmonary embolism.
Pfizer, who make the smoking cessation drug Chantix (varenicline), have updated the drug's labelling in the United States to reflect the fact patients may experience "serious neuropsychiatric symptoms", including suicidal behaviour.Chantix was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2006 as a prescription drug to help smokers quit.
Bif NakedCarlo Alegri/Getty ImagesBif Naked, Canadian punk rocker, 36-year-old newlywed, vows to keep working on two new albums while in treatment for breast cancer. Bif, born Beth Torbert, found...
Sunday is the hardest night of the week to get a good, undisturbed sleep, research suggests.
The New York Times on Thursday examined whether breast implants are the kind of "annuity medicine" that will require routine surgical "tune-ups" and whether they expose patients to increased medical risk and unreasonable out-of-pocket expenses. Doctors in the U.S.
The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health-related legislation.Birth Certificates California: Under a new state law (SB 850) that went into effect Jan. 1, parents of stillborn infants can request a "Certificate of Still Birth" through the state
Pros, Cons Of Drug Proven To Prevent Prostate Cancer Should Be ... Science Daily (press release) - 15 hours ago
Many people with diabetes feel constantly overworked and underpaid for performing the many tasks required to manage their diabetes. Dr Hirsch offers ways to deal with diabetes burnout. Read his answer...