Archive for January, 2010
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Environmental factors associated with skin aging identified in twin study
Friday, January 15th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Results from a US twin study suggest that history of skin cancer, smoking, being heavier, and not using sunscreen all contribute to skin photoaging.
Interestingly, alcohol consumption appeared to be significantly associated with lower photodamage scores.
“Photoaging – the most recognized form of extrinsic aging of the skin – describes changes brought about by long [...]
Statins may decrease risk of developing cataracts.
Friday, January 15th, 2010Source: DIA Daily
The UK’s Daily Mail (1/15, Hagan) reports that, according to a study published in the Annals of Epidemiology, “statins could cut the chances of developing cataracts by nearly 40 percent.” In a “study of 180,000 people,” Israeli researchers found that “men aged between 45 and 54 who took the [...]
Statins may reduce stroke risk.
Friday, January 15th, 2010Source: DIA Daily
HealthDay (1/14, Edelson) reported that statins may reduce the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Investigators looked at “data from clinical trials including almost 267,000 participants.” The research “showed an overall 12 percent reduction in stroke incidence among [...]
New anti-clotting drug performs better than Plavix in study.
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Source: DIA Daily
MedPage Today (1/13, Peck) reported that, “among patients who underwent planned stenting for treatment of acute coronary syndromes, those treated with the investigational antiplatelet agent ticagrelor (Brilinta) had fewer cardiovascular events than patients who received clopidogrel (Plavix).” This “finding emerged from a prespecified subset analysis of the PLATO [...]
Aggressive statin therapy ‘improves endothelial function’
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Switching from standard to aggressive statin therapy is associated with an improvement in endothelial function, driven primarily by a reduction in cholesterol levels, a clinical trial has found.
These data support the clinical benefits of achieving and maintaining target low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, say the study authors writing in the Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis.
Masaaki [...]
Grapefruit and drug interactions are real but alternatives may exist
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010By Judy Creighton THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s true that some prescription drugs can interact with grapefruit and its juice and in some cases cause severe reactions.
In the early 1990s a team of researchers at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., discovered that something in grapefruit inhibits an enzyme that is important for the breakdown [...]
Antidepressant, antipsychotic polypharmacy on the rise
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Polypharmacy involving antidepressant and antipsychotic medications has increased significantly since the mid-1990s, with many of these combinations not supported by data from clinical trials, say US researchers.
“These trends put patients at increased risk of drug–drug interactions with uncertain gains for quality of care and clinical outcomes,” say Ramin Mojtabai (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, [...]
Large Price Jumps Reported for Small but Vital Drugs
Monday, January 11th, 2010Source: New York Times
Prices for a small but growing number of brand-name drugs have risen more than twofold in recent years as drug makers seek to squeeze greater profits out of often small-selling but vital medicines, according to Congressional investigators.
Medicines like Adderall for attention deficit disorder, Inderal for chest pain and Sumycin for infections were among 416 brand-name [...]
Tiotropium may reduce mortality in COPD patients
Monday, January 11th, 2010Treatment with the long-acting anticholinergic tiotropium is associated with reduced all-cause and cardiovascular (CV)-related mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), results from a systematic review show.
Bartolome Celli (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and colleagues reviewed safety data from 30 randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled clinical trials of tiotropium with a duration [...]
Understanding your asthma medications
Friday, January 8th, 2010Source: CHealth
Types of medicationsAsthma medications can fall into three general categories: relievers, controllers, and combination medications.
Reliever medications, sometimes referred to as rescue medications, help stop the symptoms of an asthma attack. They are used as needed and are most effective when used at the first sign of asthma symptoms, such as shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, [...]
