A new study suggests that, when treating locally invasive prostate cancer, patients response to hormone therapy which is the standard treatment may be significantly improved by adding radiotherapy to the treatment regimen.
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Patients who are diagnosed with aortic stenosis, a narrowing and stiffening of the aortic valve in the heart, have for years faced a dire prognosis: either undergo risky open heart surgery, or face a two-year mortality rate of over 50 percent. But now a new artificial heart valve that can be inserted without any major surgery may allow old or frail patients to obtain the life-extending benefits of valve replacement without the risk of extensive surgery.
Recent statistics on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States offer mixed news about the prevalence of these illnesses among Americans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that, while new syphilis infection rates have fallen slightly in 2010, STDs still take an enormous toll on the country, with 19 million new STD infections each year in the U.S., costing the country $17 billion on an annual basis.
Two studies on obesity just published in the New England Journal of Medicine both found that primary care physicians (PCPs) can deliver safe and effective weight-loss interventions.
It turns out that the extra pudge around your waistline may lead to more than just an increased risk of diabetes or heart disease it may also increase your risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Josh Bloom Medical Progress Today, Spotlight Feature 11/4/11
New FDA Drug Warning May Deprive Cancer Patients of Vital Medicine
Josh Bloom, Boston Herald November 4, 2011
Federal drug R&D ill conceived. Vertex thriving with own resources
The good news is that, in many states across the country, fewer teenagers are smoking cigarettes but the bad news is that many of them have begun to smoke flavored cigars instead. While flavored cigarettes were prohibited by the FDA in 2009, flavored cigars, including Black & Mild cigarillos, are exempt from the ban.
LigoCyte, a small biotech based in Montana has been working for years on a vaccine for norovirus (the so-called stomach flu, or cruise ship virus). And it looks like they may really have something.
We were disappointed to learn that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has taken an unfavorable stance toward modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs), advising the FDA to set high hurdles for the manufacturers of such products before they can market them as less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. The IOM report released yesterday concluded that MRTPs, which include a variety of smokeless tobacco products and clean nicotine del
Malaria is still one of the leading causes of death in sub-Saharan Africa, but great progress is being made. According to the organization Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM), the incidence of malaria and malarial deaths has recently fallen by over 90 percent in several southern African countries. The recent decline is no small feat, given that malaria once killed over one million people each year mostly children under five and pregnant women.
Speaking of getting your children vaccinated on schedule, a disconcerting trend in some pediatric practices has been reported in a new study: Over half of pediatricians surveyed report that they are willing to alter a child s immunization schedule at a parent s request.
The pharmaceutical industry has been struggling. How bad is it? A report on Monday from Deloitte and Thompson Reuters reveals that investment returns from the research and development (R&D) of new drugs have fallen nearly 30 percent in the last year alone.
New York City s roll-your-own (RYO) cigarette shops are getting attention due to the city s attempt to end what they deem illicit tax avoidance by the RYO makers. At issue is the tax loophole that such businesses happily exploit: The loose tobacco they sell for their high-speed cigarette rolling machines is subject to only a fraction of the taxes that would be fixed on a commercially produced pack.
Twelve pills instead of 270. Once a week instead of once a day. Three months instead of nine. These are the promising new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to treat tuberculosis.
The executive arm of the European Union, the European Commission is, once again, considering an end to its ban on the export of Swedish snus to other EU countries. The Commission, which has considered lifting the ban several times before, has frequently been made aware of the comparatively low smoking and cancer rates in Sweden, the only EU country where snus (smokeless tobacco contained in small sachets) is legally available.
In Louisiana, two U.S. Senators are pushing back against the NRDC s relentless efforts to promote their usual irresponsible, unscientific claims. Despite rigorous screening measures and protocols for ensuring the safety of Gulf Coast seafood following last year s devastating oil spill, the NRDC continues to claim that these food products contain toxic levels of chemicals and are dangerous to eat.
Norovirus, the cause of the so-called stomach flu, or cruise ship virus, is the second most common illness in the U.S. (the common cold is the first), and it's also the leading cause of foodborne illness. The virus causes acute gastroenteritis characterized by stomach pain, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. It s not only unpleasant, but it can be life-threatening as well. That's why ACSH's Dr.
It certainly had a nice run. In fact, the nicest of any drug ever. But the Lipitor party ends today and while Pfizer's attempt to derail generic sales by selling the drug over the counter might be a good business move, it is a bad medical move. And not even original.
Aspirin may help reduce the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) following the cessation of anticoagulant therapy, reports a new study. VTE is a potentially life-threatening condition in which larger veins in the pelvis and leg become inflamed, and a clot forms as a consequence. These clots can break off and now called emboli travel up the venous system to the heart, and then out into the lung circulation, where they block pulmonary arteries. This can cause illness ranging from cough and shortness of breath, to sudden death.
And while Dr. Landrigan may believe that environmental toxins are the cause of several neurological disorders, a new study published in Nature Genetics supports the more likely theory that genetics play a much bigger role specifically for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Although about one third of U.S. children are overweight, less than a quarter of these children s parents could recall their doctors telling them that their children were overweight, according to the results of a recent survey. Researchers led by a specialist in obesity and adolescent medicine at the University of North Carolina s School of Medicine surveyed nearly 5,000 parents of children ages two to 15 over the course of almost a decade.
In his latest blog post for Medical Progress Today, ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom uses his unique brand of sardonic humor to lambaste California s Proposition 65.
A regular, low dose of aspirin has long been thought to be an effective preventive measure against heart attack and stroke, but a large new analysis of data from several clinical trials suggests that reductions in mortality extend only to people with a history of cardiovascular disease.
Although he initially viewed the study as nothing more than nonsense, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom was dismayed to discover wide media pickup of a reckless report claiming that, somehow, 14,000 Americans had died as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident last March in Japan. So, in an op-ed posted yesterday on Forbes.com, he debunks the study authors bizarre claims.
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