Health & WellnessS


Attention

More than half of US drug safety studies never see the light of day

James Randerson
The Guardian
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:05 UTC
The results of more than half of all clinical trials that demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of new drugs are not published within five years of the drug going on the market, according to an analysis of 90 drugs approved by US regulators between 1998 and 2000.

The researchers, who traced the publication or otherwise of 909 separate clinical trials in the scientific literature, wrote that the failure of drug companies to publish the evidence relating to new medicines amounted to "scientific misconduct". They said it "harms the public good" by preventing informed decisions by doctors and patients about new medicines and by hampering future scientific work.
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Health

Honey Effective In Killing Bacteria That Cause Chronic Sinusitis


Science Daily
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:20 UTC
Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to research presented during the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.*

Image
©iStockphoto/Ivan Mateev

The study, authored by Canadian researchers at the University of Ottawa, found that in eleven isolates of three separate biofilms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicicillin-resistant and -suseptible Staphylococcus aureus), honey was significantly more effective in killing both planktonic and biofilm-grown forms of the bacteria, compared with the rate of bactericide by antibiotics commonly used against the bacteria.
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Health

Dark Chocolate: Half A Bar Per Week To Keep At Bay The Risk Of Heart Attack


Science Daily
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:15 UTC
Maybe gourmands are not jumping for joy. Probably they would have preferred bigger amounts to support their passion. Though the news is still good for them: 6.7 grams of chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease.

Image
©iStockphoto/Stepan Popov
Moderate consumption of dark chocolate may be good for your health.

A new effect, demonstrated for the first time in a population study by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Milan.

The findings, published in the last issue of the Journal of Nutrition, official journal of the American Society of Nutrition, come from one of the largest epidemiological studies ever conducted in Europe, the Moli-sani Project, which has enrolled 20,000 inhabitants of the Molise region so far. By studying the participants recruited, researchers focused on the complex mechanism of inflammation. It is known how a chronic inflammatory state represents a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, from myocardial infarction to stroke, just to mention the major diseases. Keeping the inflammation process under control has become a major issue for prevention programs and C reactive protein turned out to be one of the most promising markers, detectable by a simple blood test.
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Health

Acupuncture Reduces Side Effects Of Breast Cancer Treatment As Much As Conventional Drug Therapy


Science Daily
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:10 UTC
Acupuncture is as effective and longer-lasting in managing the common debilitating side effects of hot flashes, night sweats, and excessive sweating (vasomotor symptoms) associated with breast cancer treatment and has no treatment side effects compared to conventional drug therapy, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented September 24, 2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.

Findings also show there were additional benefits to acupuncture treatment for breast cancer patients, such as an increased sense of well being, more energy, and in some cases, a higher sex drive, that were not experienced in those patients who underwent drug treatment for their hot flashes.

"Our study shows that physicians and patients have an additional therapy for something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors and actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects. The effect is more durable than a drug commonly used to treat these vasomotor symptoms and, ultimately, is more cost-effective for insurance companies," Eleanor Walker, M.D., lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology in Detroit, said.

The reduction in hot flashes lasted longer for those breast cancer patients after completing their acupuncture treatment, compared to patients after stopping their drug therapy plan.
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Health

Benefit Of Combination Therapy For Alzheimer's Disease Confirmed


Science Daily
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:08 UTC
Extended treatment with Alzheimer's disease drugs can significantly slow the rate at which the disorder advances, and combination therapy with two different classes of drugs is even better at helping patients maintain their ability to perform daily activities.

Results from the first long-term study of the real-world use of Alzheimer's drugs, published by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in the July/September issue of Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, support a level of effectiveness that may not be immediately apparent to patients or their family members.

"There has been the impression that these drugs only work for some patients and for a limited amount of time," says Alireza Atri, MD, PhD, of the MGH Department of Neurology, lead author of the current study. "One of the problems in judging these drugs has been that patients naturally continue to decline, which can make them think the drugs have stopped working. But our study, which has some unique strengths, indicates that treatment does have long-term benefit."
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People

Mining Boom, Overseas Travel Linked To Increase in New HIV Cases in Australia, Researchers Say


Kaiser Network
Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:43 UTC
A mining boom in the Australian states of Western Australia and Queensland is contributing to an increase in the number of new HIV cases in the region, particularly among heterosexual men, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, a "large number" of new cases are among heterosexual men in the region who vacation in Asia.

There were 1,051 new cases in 2007 -- a 5% increase from 998 new cases recorded in 2006 and a 50% increase from 718 new cases recorded in 1999 -- according to a report released Wednesday by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. Don Baxter, executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, said there has been a 68% increase in HIV cases contracted overseas by heterosexual West Australian men between 2002 and 2004, and 2005 and 2007.
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Info

U.S. briefing warns that fear can worsen the effects of a chemical or biological attack


United Press International
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:54 UTC
Washington -- The number of people suffering psychologically induced symptoms could far outweigh the number of actual victims in a chemical, biological or nuclear incident, according to a confidential Department of Homeland Security briefing document.

"Mass psychogenic illness" can "spread rapidly throughout a population," says the briefing, citing incidents in California in 2003 and Chechnya in 2005.

The briefing, prepared in 2006 but only leaked last week, defines mass psychogenic illness as "a phenomenon in which social trauma or anxiety combines with a suspicious event to produce psychosomatic symptoms, such as nausea, difficulty breathing, and paralysis."
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Evil Rays

Cell Phone may Perk up Brain Cancer Risk among Kids

Neelam Goswami
The Med Guru
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:28 UTC


Child on cell phone
©Unknown

Over the past two decades, cell phones have gone from being a luxury to a necessity. Today, more and more people are relying on cell phones and a sizable group of consumers for the gadgets are the youngsters. But, the mobile phones use can adversely affect the mental health of youngsters, reveals a new study.

The study by the Swedish researchers suggests that children and teenagers are five times more likely to suffer a type of brain cancer later in life if they use cell phones. In their research, the experts found that teenagers who started using mobiles at young age were five times more likely to suffer from glioma, a type of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor that arises from glial cells.
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Evil Rays

Cell phone could damage your sperm

Ben Wasserman
Food Consumer
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:19 UTC
Long term use of cell phone has already been associated with brain tumor. Now a new study suggests that simply carrying a cell phone with talk mode on could damage sperm.

The study by researchers at Cleveland Clinic showed cell phones left on talk mode in a pocket increased oxidative stress and reduced antioxidants in the semen.
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Health

Don't look to a doctor for understanding


Los Angeles Times
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:52 UTC
Doctors provide little in the way of empathy, even when their patients seem to ask for it, according to a study in the Sept. 22 Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers looked at real doctor/patient encounters between 137 patients and their oncologists or thoracic surgeons from a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Doctors could respond to concrete concerns, such as that a patient was feeling physical pain, or was having trouble getting an appointment. But they largely ignored patients' emotional concerns -- even when that concern was an outcome of surgery, or how long they had left to live.

Here's a sample of an encounter reported in the study when the patient received the diagnosis:
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