People with a likely history of depression who take varenicline (Chantix®) do not report more severe mood symptoms, medication side effects, or less success quitting smoking compared to people with no history of depression taking this drug.
The findings by Group Health, Free & Clear, and SRI International researchers are reported in a Journal of General Internal Medicine article Read the rest of this entry »
For the millions of Americans with food allergies, the importance of being educated about food allergy and prepared to treat a reaction is not to be underestimated. On March 28, the first of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network’s (FAAN) 16th annual Food Allergy Conferences will be held in Baltimore, Md. The conference will help both those who have food allergies and those who care Read the rest of this entry »
After a bitterly cold and snowy winter, many look forward to the warmer, breezy, sunny days of this new season, but along with the arrival of spring come the dreaded itchy eyes, scratchy ears and throat and sneezing, all symptoms of allergies.
"Tree pollen blown around by the wind is the allergen people will react to first this season, sometimes before you see the buds," explained Dr. Catherine Monteleone, an associate professor of medicine Read the rest of this entry »
A study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that men who took a daily folic acid supplement of 1 mg daily had more than twice the risk of prostate cancer compared with men who took a placebo.
The finding came from a secondary analysis of the Aspirin/Folate Polyp Prevention Study (AFPP), a placebo-controlled randomized trial to determine the Read the rest of this entry »
Many immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. have post-traumatic stress disorder and those with severe cases "can be in denial about what happened to them" in their home countries, "avoid overwhelming memories, or refuse treatment because of lingering fears of past dealings with powerful institutions," according to advocates, the Boston Globe reports. As of December 2007, about 151,200 Read the rest of this entry »
Researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have linked higher levels of the hormone aldosterone to high blood pressure and blood vessel disease in African Americans. Aldosterone is secreted by the adrenal glands and causes salt retention by the kidneys.
The study appeared in the December 18, 2008, American Journal of Hypertension.
"The prevalence Read the rest of this entry »
Newborns whose first few months of life coincide with high pollen and mold seasons are at increased risk of developing early symptoms of asthma, suggests a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
Researchers found that children born in the high mold season, which generally encompasses the fall and winter months, have three times the odds of developing wheezing - often an early sign of Read the rest of this entry »
The toxic gas formaldehyde is contained in building materials including carpeting, curtains, plywood, and adhesives. As it is emitted from these sources, it deteriorates the air quality, which can lead to "multiple chemical sensitivity" and "sick building syndrome", medical conditions with symptoms such as allergies, asthma, and headaches. The prevalence of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds Read the rest of this entry »
New research published today in Nature Neuroscience suggests that beta blockers could be the answer to weakening or erasing painful or emotional memories for patients who experience phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Commenting on these new findings, Mind’s Chief Executive Paul Farmer said:
"This is fascinating Read the rest of this entry »
VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic products, today announced it has initiated a second pivotal Phase 3 study of avanafil, its investigational new drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Avanafil is a next-generation, fast-acting, selective, investigational oral phosphodiesterase Read the rest of this entry »
Men who experience erectile dysfunction between the ages of 40 and 49 are twice as likely to develop heart disease than men without dysfunction, according to a new Mayo Clinic study.
Researchers also found that men with erectile dysfunction have an 80 percent higher risk of heart disease.
"The highest risk for coronary heart disease was in younger men," says researcher Jennifer St. Sauver, Read the rest of this entry »
The National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund has awarded 20 Advocacy in Action grants totaling $100,000 to member organizations selected by a competitive application process to assist groups in forwarding advocacy locally.
"These grants offer our member organizations support as they work to advance our goal of eradicating breast cancer," said Fran Visco, president of NBCCF. Read the rest of this entry »
A PhD thesis defended at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has investigated the relationship between adolescents’ perception of their physical qualities and their psychological well-being and unwellness.
Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone. To Read the rest of this entry »
Genes, psychological adversity in childhood, and recent or ongoing psychological stress may combine to cause major depression, write Dr. Sanjay Mathew and colleagues from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York in a review published in CMAJ.
"Major depressive disorder is thought to result from the complex interplay of multiple inherited Read the rest of this entry »
If you’ve ever wondered why some allergic reactions progress quickly and may even become fatal, a new research report published in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology () provides an important part of the answer. In the report, scientists from Queen’s University of Belfast, University of Oxford and Trinity College Dublin show for the first time that eotaxin, a chemical that helps immune cells locate the Read the rest of this entry »
An article published in the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association claims that many dentists are at risk of suffering from a chronic mood disorder known as dysthymia. It’s a condition the Universit?© de Montr?©al Department of Dentistry is fighting - preventively.
Dysthymia is characterized by loss of appetite, low levels of energy, desperation, excessive anger, social withdrawal and working Read the rest of this entry »
Anxiety and depression before and during fertility treatment does not affect the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or of her cancelling her treatment, according to a study published in Europe’s leading Read the rest of this entry »
New clinical data presented show first-in-class direct renin inhibitor Rasilez® (aliskiren), known as Tekturna® in the US, provides significantly greater blood pressure reductions in patients with high blood pressure aged 65 and over, compared to the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril[1].
Results from the Read the rest of this entry »
Dr. J. Francois Eid has performed more internal penile implant surgeries than anyone in the world and has built a reputation for excellence in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). After examining the latest generation of Inflatable Penile Prosthesis (IPP) and Artificial Urinary Sphincter (AUS) technologies from American Medical Systems (AMS) and Coloplast Corporation, reviewing pertinent studies, and drawing on his 20 years of experience Read the rest of this entry »
Brain cells can adopt a new chemical code in response to cues from the outside world, scientists working with tadpoles at the University of California, San Diego report in the journal Nature this week.
The discovery opens the possibility that brain chemistry could be selectively altered by stimulating specific circuits to remedy low levels of neural chemicals that underlie some human ailments.
Dark tadpoles don pale camouflage Read the rest of this entry »
In patients who receive implantable cardiac defibrillators after a sudden heart event, there is a higher likelihood of death within five years if they experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a report released on November 3, 2008 in Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
When a life-threatening heart condition is severe and Read the rest of this entry »
Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced proof of concept in a Phase 1 Trial of ALV003, an oral protease therapy in development to detoxify gluten, intended for use by patients with celiac disease. The trial results confirmed that single doses of up to 1,800 mg of ALV003 were safe and tolerable in healthy volunteers. Doses at the 300 mg level achieved up to a 96% reduction of gluten in a meal in the stomach Read the rest of this entry »
Anyone with a nose knows the rotten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide, a gas generated by bacteria living in the human colon. Now an international team of scientists has discovered that cells inside the blood vessels of mice - as well as in people, no doubt - naturally make the gassy stuff, and that it controls blood pressure.
Having discovered that hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, is produced in the thin, Read the rest of this entry »
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded a $1.5 million grant to combat youth suicide to Alaska’s Division of Behavioral Health, Department of Health and Social Services. Funding will be $500,000 per year.
Buy diflucan without prescription Alaska youth age Read the rest of this entry »
Many older adults worry a lot. Almost one in 10 Americans over age 60 suffer from an anxiety disorder that causes them to worry excessively about normal things like health, finances, disability and family. Although antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can improve anxiety symptoms Read the rest of this entry »