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PRIMARY PULMONARY HYPERTENSION GENE DISCOVERED

The discovery of the gene associated with the inherited form of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) by Drs. Jane H. Morse of Columbia University and James A. Knowles of the Columbia Genome Center is indeed a major breakthrough. Their study, funded in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health and published in the September issue of th...

Painkillers Do Not Shorten Dying Patients' Lives

According to some British researhers increasing doses of painkillers to ease the agony of terminally ill patients does not shorten their lives.Some health professionals have criticized the practice, comparing it to euthanasia, but doctors at St Christopher's Hospice in London claim patients receiving higher doses of drugs such as morphine live just as long as those who do not. In re...

Potential New Cancer Gene Identified

A Johns Hopkins University research team has discovered a new family of genes that contributes to the process of malignancy, shedding new light on the abnormalities that give rise to the aggressive childhood cancer, Burkitt's lymphoma - as well as lymphoma, leukemia, prostate, ovarian, lung, and breast cancer. Characterized by rapidly growing abdominal tumors, Burkitt's lymp...

Thyroid hormone treatment hastens recovery after cardiac surgery

Thyroid hormone treatment after surgery requiring heart bypass speeds recovery in children undergoing correction of congenital heart defects, according to a clinical trial published in The Lancet. The effects were greatest in the patients who underwent long and difficult surgeries. Following trauma or surgery or during a critical illness, thyroid hormone concentrations plummet. Ma...

Startling Expose – Physicians Often Have No Regular Source Of Health Car

Startling! But true! In a censure of the doctors around the world, a study conducted by researchers at the prestigious Yale and Johns Hopkins Universities has revealed that more than a third of physicians have no regular source of healthcare Dr. Cary P Gross of Yale University is New Haven, Connecticut says, ‘ these physicians without a regular source of health care are less likely than...

Patients often assume wrongly that they are allergic to penicillin

A team of researchers who reviewed medical literature on the accuracy of penicillin allergies has come out with a startling expose!!!! Nearly 80% of people who claim that they are allergic to penicillin actually are under the misconception that they are allergic to the drug. The researchers led by Dr. Alan R. Salkind, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Misso...

Diabetes and Depression often go hand-in-hand

An analysis of 25 years of data has revealed that diabetes and depression go hand in hand for many people. People with Diabetes are twice as likely as non-diabetics to suffer from depression, researchers say. The June issue of Diabetes Care carries the report of this study. Dr. Patrick Lustman of Washington University School of Medicine and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Cente...

Indian Doctor granted US patent on organ regeneration

Dr. Balakrishna Ganapat Rao Matapurkar, from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi has created history of sorts by winning the first patent on organ regeneration from the American patent office for his technique in successfully regenerating / repairing organs in human beings. A few weeks ago the American patent office granted him a patent on this technique. Dr. Matapurkar was able to...

Hypertensive Drug Improves Sexual Dysfunction in Hypertensive Men

Losartan, a new anti hypertensive drug appears to improve sexual function among the hypertensive men with erectile dysfunction. As the cause of impotence, really it is the disease process itself, probably from reduced vascular compliance. According to American Journal of Medical sciences, a study evaluated hypertensive men with erectile dysfunction and found that their overall sexual sat...

Coronary stent leads to complications

It is believed that the rate of clot formation inside a coronary stent is three times higher than the previous procedures. Now a days, the majority of angioplasties involve placement of a stent - a tiny metal device, inside the coronary artery to keep it open. But the very act of placing a stent in the artery irritates the vessel walls and may promote formation of a clot - ironically, th...

Obesity shortens lifespan

According to a research obese heart patients live on average four years less than their slim counterparts.Being seriously overweight also hastens the onset of heart disease by an average of seven years compared to people who stay slim. It has long been known that obesity is linked to heart disease, but researchers from Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina, have become the fi...

Hypertensives could benefit regular alcohol consumption

A recent study reported by researchers in the Journal of Hypertension indicates that hypertensive patients could reduce their cardiovascular morbidity and improve their atherosclerotic risk profile by consuming alcohol on a regular basis. The researchers indicated that serum lipoprotein(a), a powerful predictor of organ damage, was reduced with regular alcohol consumption. The researchers...

Whiplash injury causes persistent

Researchers at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, in a first of its kind study compared a group of whiplash patients with a group of ankle injury patients. They found that those who suffered a whiplash injury had pain in the neck, head, shoulder, arm and even lower back which persisted for up to a year. In the study of the two groups, pain in the ankle injury group declined rapidly, mor...

Another Potential Of Stem Cells Discovered: Used For Growing Cartilage

In a breakthrough, scientists have successfully converted human embryonic stem cells into cartilage cells, raising hope that in future, replacement cartilage could be grown for transplantation for a number of injuries and medical // problems, including sports injuries, new cartilage for people having hip replacements, and even for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. The research, to...

Healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of developing hypertension

Mayo clinic reports that though you have a normal blood pressure, you may develop hypertension later in your life, which can be controlled by maintaining a healthy life style. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg//, which fluctuates depending on your age and life style. Healthy life style can be maintained by having active physical activity or daily exercise or walk for 30 minutes a day...

New UK Policy Threatens The Flexible Working Scheme

The British Medical Association (BMA) said that the financial crisis would put an end to the new scheme, which helps the lady doctors wanting to work part-time after childbirth. // This scheme comes under the National Health Center (NHS). But ministers are posing a threat to stop the scheme and transferring the powers to the regional health bosses. This move was taken mainly...

Angiotensin-II-receptor blockers - Treat kidney failure

Drugs used to treat high blood pressure have been found to also help slow the progress of kidney failure. Three separate drug trials reveal that the angiotensin-II-receptor blockers, which include losartan and irbesartan, can be used to treat kidney failure, one of the commonest complications in diabetes. // In the first trial, carried out by doctors in Boston, USA, 1500 patients...

Relating heart protection and antihypertensive drugs

Maintaining a normal blood pressure is essential in the prevention of heart disease and is controlled by antihypertensive drugs, say researchers. Dr Jan Staessen and colleagues from Leuven, in Belgium, set out to determine whether it is the pharmacological properties of antihypertensive drugs or the reduction of blood pressure that accounts for the cardiovascular outcome in hypertensive p...

Eating More Often May Help Lower Cholesterol

A person's cholesterol levels may depend not only on what he or she eats, but also how often. The Researchers found that middle-aged and older adults who ate frequently throughout the day had lower "bad" LDL cholesterol levels compared with those who tended to down one or two large meals per day. This was despite the fact that the frequent eaters, on average, had a higher calorie and fat...

Teens listen to parents about smoking

Contrary to the notion of the rebellious teenager who spurns parental guidance in favor of peer influence, new study findings suggest that adolescents who think their parents disapprove of smoking are less likely to pick up the habit. Teens are much less likely to smoke if they think their parents disapprove of the habit. Parental disapproval works even if the parents are smokers. Pa...

Choose the correct hypertensive drug

Hypertensive or blood pressure medication should always ensure the best outcome for the patient. This should be taken care by the doctors in order to avoid the side effects relating to these drugs. Several different drugs lower blood pressure effectively.// According to researchers at Texas University it is necessary to find out which to prescribe.Recent trials show that there are strikin...

Antenatal kerosene exposure endangers child's sight

A research has found that if pregnant women whose jobs require too much exposure to solvents like kerosene, gasoline,glues etc may be more likely to have chilren with defective eyesight. Head researcher Dr. Gideon Koren and colleagues//, from Toronto published this in Jornal of Occupational health. They found that poor vision acuity (sharpness) were more common among children whose mo...

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to challenge patents on drug

Pharma major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories will continue to aggressively challenge patents on drugs in the US despite the recent denial of a 180-day marketing exclusivity to its generic Omeprazole 40 mg capsules by the US Food and Drug Administration. Omeprazole is indicated for the treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers. The FDA granted the marketing exclusivity to Andrx group of the US....

Fasten belt at the back seat

Belting up the seat belts at the back seat of the car is essential. According to researchers in Japan the majority of deaths of front-seat car passengers could be prevented if those in the back used seat belts.We already know that using a rear seat belt// reduces death and severe injury in a car crash among those wearing one. What has not been clear is the effect that belting up at the ba...

Risk Of Decongestants In Hypertensive Patients

Having a stuffy nose can be unpleasant, but doctors say that discomfort is minor compared to the risk of taking over-the-counter decongestants if you have high blood pressure. Though they are generally safe, many popular cold and flu medicines contain decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, which doctors say may aggravate blood pressure problems.// And while products c...

Beta-Carotene May Aid Diabetics

Abnormal low-density lipoprotein(LPD), lipid composition and anti-oxidant content are associated with an increased liability to oxidation of LDL derived from diabetic patients.//Researchers designed a study to compare the oxidation of LDL drawn from patients with diabetes mellitus to normoglycemic controls. They also sought to follow-up the effects of dietary beta-carotene supplementation...

Composite fillings to hasten work procedures

Amorphous calcium phosphate is showing great covenant in dental restorative work, say researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology at Ohio.//This ACP has new physical-chemical properties,” says Tyndall Don, Ph.D., a researcher at OSU. “It’s more soluble than other calcium phosphates and has a tendency to convert to the stable dental mineral hydroxyapatite, which is th...

Stent shows promise in keeping arteries open

A new approach to keeping heart arteries flowing smoothly after angioplasty shows surprising success in early testing. Doctors released the longest follow-up with the new technique - the drug-coated stent. //In testing on 50 patients over 3 years, they found it to be 100 percent effective. More than 2 million Americans undergo angioplasty annually, and the new approach is likely to b...

Lactobacillus Supplements shorten the duration of diarrhoea

Supplements containing bacteria commonly found in yogurt can help shorten the duration of diarrhoea in children by nearly a day. Researchers reviewed 11 international// studies that examined the effectiveness of a type of bacteria known as Lactobacillus for the treatment of diarrhoea in children, most of whom were younger than age 4 and were hospitalized. The Lactobacillus was generally g...

Failure of Drug-Coated Stent

Evidence is growing that stents with certain drugs helps them do a better job of keeping blood vessels open after these vessels have been cleared surgically. But a new report suggests not all drugs work equally well.// Researchers found that stents coated with a derivative of the cancer drug paclitaxel - which inhibits cell division - failed to keep blood vessels open in the majority of a...

New viewpoint on Hypertension

According to researchers, a new study shows that the distinction between the two blood pressure figures increases the risk of death in kidney patients.// A blood pressure reading always consists of two figures - the systolic reading (top figure) and the diastolic reading (bottom figure). Researchers at University of Texas, now report upon the impact the difference between the two known as...

Hypertensive drugs may cause cough

Hypertensive drugs in general have a common side effect- cough. Iron supplementation cures the annoying cough that often plagues people on a widely-used blood pressure medication.// The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are often used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure and other cardiac conditions. But up to 40% of people on ACE inhibitors are troubled by a cough...

Hepatitis E virus made impotent

A ribozyme, an enzyme that can be used to kill the deadly Hepatitis E virus has been designed by Indian scientists. The ribozyme had been designed using the viral clones and would kill the virus by cutting RNA.// The efficacy of the ribozyme was being tested on animals. The cloned virus could also be used for diagnostic purposes to detect the presence of Hepatitis E virus. <br...

Liver key to extending life

According to an anti-ageing research, the liver is a neglected key. Professor David Le Couteu, a geriatrician, of the Concord Hospital, felt that there are many wonderful things about getting older, with a background in clinical pharmacology and toxicology.//Your mortgage is paid off, your children have moved out, you're not embarrassed about who you are, and you have the benefit of wisdo...

Lyme disease is a persistent problem

A new trial shows that the symptoms of Lyme disease linger despite antibiotic treatment.Lyme disease, caused by a bacterium that lives in tiny ticks, sometimes produces very long-lasting fatigue and cognitive problems. Even though antibiotic treatment is standard, researchers in Texas feel that this treatment would not be enough to clear up the problem.// They studied 40 Lyme patien...

Abbott Laboratories to buy Biocompatibles' cardiovascular stent business

Abbott Laboratories said it has agreed to acquire the cardiovascular stent business of Biocompatibles International PLC for $234.5 million in cash. Abbott said the deal will strengthen its portfolio of products and will expand its international presence in the vascular business for polymer-coated stents - tiny metal tubes that keep blood vessels open.// Abbott has been the exclusive U...

Hypertension drugs could lower Disability

According to reseasrches, drugs used to treat hypertension could delay muscle loss and disability in seniors. Dr.Graziano Onder, research associate at University of Hopkins has suggested new, beneficial effects of (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) ACE-inhibitor //drugs, which are widely used for hypertension, beneficial effects on muscle strength and overall physical performance in older ad...

Tennis gives protection against heart disease lifelong

Researchers at the University of Hopkins University, men who keep up playing tennis throughout life are less prone to have a heart attack than those who are less active. They have been following a group of medical students at college during 1950 and 1960. //They asked them about participation in tennis, golf, football, baseball and basketball. Those who reported the greatest skill in ten...

Preventing 'white coat' hypertension

Researchers at the University of Southampton say that docotors are not the best people to assess blood pressure. White coat hypertension is a well-known problem - it means that your blood pressure //may go up when it's measured by a doctor (the 'white coat') but be lower if a practice nurse measures it, or if you measure it yourself. Researchers in, England, have been looking at the whit...

Many factors influence sexual potency

Sexual potency can be influenced by various reasons. Many advertisments with regard to potency have brought the subject of impotence to the attention of thousands of people.// Impotence was once a taboo subject, but attitudes are changing.Many men are taking help, particularly as large segments of the population age. Many men suffer from impotence. Estimates range from 12 million to 30 mi...