Filters close
16-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Good Dental Hygiene may Prevent Heart Attacks, U of Minnesota Study Finds
University of Minnesota

Bacteria found in dental plaque near diseased gums can induce clumping of blood platelets, a University of Minnesota study has found. Such clumping is an early step in the formation of blood clots, the precipitating event in heart attacks. While previous reports have linked bacterial infections to the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque in coronary arteries, the researchers believe this to be the first evidence linking bacteria to the event that directly causes most heart attacks.

15-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
February 15, 1998 Annals of Internal Medicine Tipsheet from the American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians (ACP)

1) Screening for chlamydia is cost effective versus no screening and subsequent treatment of the disease. 2) Annals of Internal Medicine Launches New Series to help physicians lead the charge to redesign health care. 3) Treatment options, counseling, followup and survelliance skills need to be employed by physicians and other health care workers with individuals that have recently been exposed to HIV via sexual relations. 4) Alendronate, a bisphosphonate, has been shown to prevent bone loss in women without osteoporosis.

15-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Women Younger Than 30 Need To Be Screened For Chlamydia
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Inexpensive screening of all sexually active young women under 30 for Chlamydia trachomatis infection would vastly reduce infertility and the costly medical complications of this sexually transmitted disease, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study.

Released: 14-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Cardiovascular Deaths are Reduced Through Risk Factor Intervention
American Society of Hypertension (ASH)

Lives are saved when older men with high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors, such as high cholesterol levels, diabetes or smoking, follow risk factor intervention programs and change their life style.

14-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Genes Influence Damage from a High-Fat Diet
American Heart Association (AHA)

While you can control how much saturated fat and cholesterol you eat in foods, you can't yet control whether your genetic inheritance will turn these fats against you or will confer some protection from them.

Released: 14-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
New England Journal of Medicine Published Study Shows Blood Filters Significantly Reduce Incidence of Alloimmunization and Resistance to Platelet Transfusion
Pall Corporation

The results of a study funded by the NIH to avoid rejection to platelet transfusion, found that leukocyte (white blood cell) reduction of platelet components by filtration significantly reduced the incidence of refractoriness.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Policy Update from the American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Association (APA)

Position statements, guidelines, and action papers adopted as official APA policy include: 1) Importance of using self-help to ameliorate treatment, 2) Compassion and an open door to new research on medical efficacy of marijuana, 3) Physicians also deserve rights to privacy, 4) APA provides guidance on tough child custody issues...(more)

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Breast Reconstruction Using Tissue "Expanders" Improves Results for Breast Cancer Survivors
Spectrum Science Communications

Women considering breast reconstruction following mastectomies for breast cancer expressed strong satisfaction with a novel approach in surgery, reports a researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Medicinals aid Indians and forest
Cornell University

Indigenous people of the rain forest -- not pharmaceutical companies --should grow newly identified medicinal plants to combat malaria and other tropical diseases, Cornell University Professor of Environmental Studies Eloy Rodriguez says Feb. 15 in a AAAS lecture, "Natural Medicines of the Amazonas: Evolution of Drug Selection by Indigenous Tribes and Wild Primates."

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Scientists designing compound to fight malaria
 Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins chemists have developed new compounds that show promise for treating malaria by making the disease-causing parasite self-destruct.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
New Partnership to Study Mental Health in Managed Care: AHCPR and Kaiser Permanente Announce Joint Research Project
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The Federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) today announced a joint research project with Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Northern California that could help all managed care organizations target and provide appropriate health services for enrollees and family members suffering from depression or other mental health symptoms.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
What can economists teach addicts? Federally-backed research will tell
University of Vermont

The hefty tax on cigarettes being debated in Congress is supported by research at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Medical Alchemy Could Cut Heart Failure Deaths; University of Maryland Scientists Turn Sodium Channels into Calcium Channels
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Embargoed release: University of Maryland scientists transform sodium channels into calcium channels. Their findings have important implications for development of new drugs for cardiovascular, neurological and muscular diseases.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
New Research Suggest REM is about Eyes not Dreams
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

A Columbia University researcher is "stirring" up conventional views on the function of rapid eye movement(REM) sleep. According to David Maurice, Ph.D., professor of ocular physiology in the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, REM sleep may have more to do with vision than with dreams.

Released: 12-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Bone Cement...The New Approach to Facial Reconstruction
Temple University Health System

Bone Cement Permits Surgeons To Restore Normal Facial Contours

Released: 12-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Researchers Establish Parameters in Epilepsy
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Two or three unprovoked seizures may greatly increase the risk for more seizures and should be necessary criteria for diagnosing epilepsy, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. The study, published in the Feb 12 New England Journal of Medicine, establishes the first mathematically sound definition of epilepsy. The data could lead to a better understanding of seizure occurance and more appropriate treatment intervention.

Released: 12-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Finding may lead to new drugs to treat autoimmune disorders
University of Iowa

A University of Iowa researcher may have made a key advance in finding more effective and safer drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders.

Released: 12-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Digital Holography System Helps Neurosurgeons
Communications Plus

Rancho Mirage, CA ó Physicians reporting at the annual spine-section meeting of the combined American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) societies this week will describe how the Digital Holographyô System from VoxelÆ (NASDAQ:VOXL) helps them diagnose and treat disorders of the spine.

Released: 11-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Tulane University and University of Rochester medical researchers find that a vaccine therapy for ovarian cancer using genetically altered tumor cells could improve the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy treatments. The research will be presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists.

Released: 10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Plastic Surgeons Advise Lipoplasty Patients
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS) recommends that people considering lipoplasty, popularly known as liposuction, be fully informed about the procedure before surgery. In a position statement issued today, the organization states that lipoplasty is believed to be generally safe, provided that patients are carefully selected, the operating facility is properly equipped, and the physician has proper surgical education with special training in body contouring.

Released: 10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Chocolates, Flowers, Love Notes? Here's What Not to Give Your Valentine
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

As prologue to a soon-to-be-published study that confirms the efficacy of valacyclovir--a new, more potent, cost-effective and convenient anti-herpes medication--the study's lead author warns that stopping the spread of genital herpes will take more than popping a pill or avoiding sex during outbreaks.

Released: 10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Endometrial cancer study raises questions about standard treatment
Stanford Medicine

Women facing surgery for endometrial cancer may want to think twice before embarking on a lengthy course of radiation treatments after the operation, a national study chaired by a Stanford researcher suggests.

10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Daily Smoking May Lead to Major Depression
Henry Ford Health

Daily smokers have twice the risk for major depression compared to people who have a history of smoking on an occassional basis, according to a Henry Ford Health System study.

10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Delivery by vaginal birth may return abnormal pre cancerous pap smears to normal
Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Medical researchers from the University of California-Irvine and the State University Hospital at Stony Brook, NY, have determined that a vaginal delivery will result in an increased postpartum regression rate for pregnant women with abnormal antepartum cervical cytology. Their findings will be presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists.

10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Society of Gynecologic Oncology

A revolutionary new tool has been introduced which will help women determine their risk of being attacked by one of the most deadly of all killers: reproductive cancer (cancer of the ovaries, uterus, and cervix). The Women's Cancer Network (WCN) website, at www.wcn.org, is the world's first interactive reproductive cancer website and allows a woman to instantly receive an assessment of her risk for developing these cancers.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Low B vitamin levels common in many people linked to increased heart disease, stroke risk
American Heart Association (AHA)

As much as one-fifth of the U.S. population may be at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes because they do not eat enough food with vitamin B-6 and folic acid, according to a report in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Approximately 80% of women with cervical cancer receive a favorable prognosis if treated with a radical hysterectomy and early radiotherapy. However, in the last 30 years, the 20% mortality rate of patients following surgery has not improved. Now, medical researchers specializing in the treatment of women's cancers have completed research that offers hope to women recovering from treatment for this deadly disease. Their findings will be presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Medical researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have conducted the first long-term follow-up of ovarian cancer patients having a negative second-look laparotomy, after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. Their findings will be presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Researchers show that stroke awareness programs are effective; also find that women are more likely to get the message
American Heart Association (AHA)

Through a public awareness campaign, researchers in Normal, Ill. were able to significantly improve people's knowledge of stroke warning signs and, in the process, found that women were more apt to listen to stroke messages than men.

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
AHCPR National Advisory Council to Meet February 12
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The press is invited to attend a meeting of the National Advisory Council (NAC) for Health Care Policy, Research, and Evaluation on February 12, 1998. The Council provides advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) on matters related to AHCPR activities.

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Male Brain Ages Faster than Female, Ford Researchers Say
Henry Ford Health

Researchers at Henry Ford Health System have discovered evidence that suggests the male brain shrinks faster with age than the female brain.

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Connectivity Expo '98 Will Feature Research Ready for Market
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

A virtual "flight" through a colon, new math and high-resolution telescopes, a promising new cancer-fighting technique, and new information about plant growth hormones. What do these technological innovations have in common?

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
February Health News Tips from UT Southwestern
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Repeated heartburn should sound an alarm; Navel battle reduces fat, risk for health problems; Parents of colicky babies need attention, too; Knock yourself out with fitness boxing; Antibiotics cannot cure all ear infections

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
First Patient Begins National Emphysema Treatment Trial
Temple University Health System

Temple University Hospital enrolled the first patients into both the clinical therapy and surgical portions of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) within the past week. The first NETT patient to enter the surgical portion also received lung volume reduction surgery this week at Temple University Hospital.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Vitamin Therapy Holds Promise for Stroke Prevention
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Protection from strokes may be found in high doses of vitamins B6, B12 and folate. A University of Maryland researcher reports that high doses of B-vitamins lower homocysteine, an amino acid associated with increased stroke risk when levels in the blood are even slightly elevated.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Heart attack survivors can lower stroke risk by taking cholesterol-lowering drug, study says
American Heart Association (AHA)

New data reveal that the cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin (Pravachol) can significantly reduce the risk of a stroke or ministroke in people who have previously suffered a heart attack.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
B-vitamins lower homocysteine levels in the blood; may reduce vessel damage in stroke patients
American Heart Association (AHA)

A trio of B vitamins given to a group of people who had suffered a stroke reduced their homocysteine levels and improved biochemical "markers" in their blood that indicate injury to artery walls -- damage that can lead to strokes.

9-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Genetics may explain why African Americans more at risk for strokes caused by bleeding in the brain
American Heart Association (AHA)

Genetic variations in apolipoprotein E, a key protein involved in the transport and disposal of cholesterol in the body, may be associated in African Americans with the occurrence of a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Regional Cancer Center Consortium Formed to Study Biological Therapy of Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Roswell Park Cancer Institute will host the first meeting of a Regional Cancer Center Consortium for Biological Therapy of Cancer, February 19-21, in honor of the Institute's Centennial.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Young African-Americans Run Higher Risk of Stroke
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Two studies by University of Maryland neurologists-one completed and one just beginning-address the higher risk of stroke that young African-Americans face.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Falling May Be Linked To Neurological Disorder In Elderly
University of Michigan

Nearly one in three people over age 65 and not living in a nursing home fall each year---and those falls often result in serious injury and significant cost. Now, through a series of studies, researchers have documented a strong link between falling and a neurological disorder called peripheral neuropathy.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Three-Day Treatment Cures Decades-Old Case of Malaria
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Johns Hopkins physician has discovered that a 74-year-old woman originally diagnosed with a blood cell cancer actually had a very mild case of malaria that lasted for as many as 70 years. Once he nailed down the cause of her symptoms, he cured her within three days.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Study finds incidence of stroke over 40 percent higher than previously stated figures
American Heart Association (AHA)

The number of Americans afflicted with a stroke each year is estimated to be about 500,000 -- but that number is too low, according to a report in today's Stroke: A Journal of the American Heart Association.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Bench-mark project finds wide variance in levels of care for acute ischemic stroke among academic medical centers
American Heart Association (AHA)

While medical professionals may understand how and why a stroke happens, researchers say the wide variation in treatment of stroke patients shows that much professional education is needed to ensure they receive the most up-to-date care.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Survey finds acute stroke teams gaining prevalence
American Heart Association (AHA)

There may be a lower cost solution to fighting stroke that doesn't involve new equipment or new therapies. Researchers say the formation of an acute stroke team (AST), comprised of stroke-savvy health professionals, can streamline stroke care in major medical centers.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
"BAT"mobile attempts to speed response time to stroke patients
American Heart Association (AHA)

By using high-tech telecommunications equipment, researchers hope to reduce the time it takes to determine whether an individual having a stroke can be safely given the potentially life saving clot-busting treatment.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Incidence of Stroke to Skyrocket well into The 21st Century
American Heart Association (AHA)

Approximately 400,000 Americans have a first-ever stroke each year, and according to researchers from the University of Iowa, current trends indicate that number will increase steadily, surpassing the 1 million mark in 2050.

Released: 5-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
CRN Urges Federal Policy Makers to Incorporate Folic Acid, B6 Findings Into Life-Saving Health Messages
Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)

High intakes of two B vitaminsæfolic acid and B6æcan reduce the risk of heart disease in women by 45 percent, announced Harvard University researchers in the February 4, 1998, Journal of the American Medical Association.

Released: 5-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Organ Rejection Drug Also Shows Promise For The Treatment Of Kidney Disease
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Johns Hopkins evaluation of a drug commonly used to prevent rejection of kidney transplants has found that it also may help patients with severe symptoms of kidney disease.

Released: 5-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Heart Disease Prevention And Treatment Tip Sheet
University of Michigan

February is American Heart Month and the American Heart Association (AHA) has launched a nationwide campaign to educate people---especially women---about the dangers of heart disease and stroke.



close
5.78929