New technology in dentistry might seem like an unquestionably good thing. But as dentists are using these technologies more and more often to detect and treat problems that may not need to be treated, patients and some dentists are becoming concerned.
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There may be tests beyond a blood pressure reading beyond even considering standard risk factors such as LDL and HDL cholesterol that could help assess a patient s risk of cardiovascular disease, suggests a new study. By measuring the burden of calcium in the coronary arteries, say German researchers, it is possible to distinguish between people who have different cardiovascular risk levels even among those who have similar blood pressure readings.
Viral load tests which essentially count the number of HIV particles in a patient s circulation are routinely used to assess the status of an HIV patient. This allows them to recommend optimal modes of therapy and make more accurate predictions of the future course of the infection. The newer test has largely replaced the CD4 T-cell count, an older assay used to measure immune function in HIV positive patients.
In what has become an annual tradition, the activist organization Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has released a list of so-called dangerous toys that parents should avoid buying this holiday season. The list, entitled Trouble in Toyland, reports on over a dozen toys that supposedly go against federal safety standards, with violations ranging from claims of excessive phthalate or lead levels to more reasonable concerns, such as choking hazards.
Although memory impairment is one of the defining traits of Alzheimer s disease, a study just published in Neurology suggests that memory loss among older adults may have other possible etiologies.
Even when elderly individuals begin to show signs of cognitive impairment, it s difficult to know who will go on to develop Alzheimer s disease. A new study suggests that using a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to measure the levels of certain protein biomarkers may help predict whether a patient with mild cognitive impairment is at risk for the disease.
When the FDA rejected two petitions in November that aimed to ban a number of antibiotics from animal production, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom expressed concern that continued use of certain antibiotics in animals may promote the growth of drug-resistant bacteria that could affect humans. So, when the agency announced yesterday that it would prohibit the use of a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins in cattle, swine, chickens, and turkeys, Dr.
The authors of two recent studies related to stillbirth note that such devastating losses are associated with an increasingly high incidence of preterm labor and premature births.
A late-stage trial of the drug Gilenya (fingolimod) has brought good news for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a disease for which treatments have become more effective and common over the past decade.
Women who get their tan from a bottle are less likely to expose themselves to harmful UV rays, according to a study just published in the Archives of Dermatology.
A new study has found more evidence to link cigarette smoking to one type of skin cancer, supporting earlier studies that have observed significant associations between the two. This study, published in Cancer Causes Control, found a significantly increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma among female smokers.
When it comes to packing on the pounds, it turns out that not all excess weight gain is the same. At least those are the results of a new study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, which found that, when it comes to consuming excess calories, diets low in protein actually lead to loss of lean body mass (muscle and organ tissue), unlike normal or high-protein diets, which increase lean body mass.
Women who have undergone surgical menopause do not have a greater risk of bone fracture than women undergoing natural menopause, according to a new study in the journal Menopause.
ACSH friend and former FDA Assistant Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, writes about the trials and tribulations of current pharmaceutical R&D in a new op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
ACSH is proud to announce the latest installment of its annual publication, The Top Ten Unfounded Health Scares. Before we officially ring in 2012, we d like to reflect on the most popularized yet most inaccurate health scares of the past year. From Dr. Oz s nonsense arsenic and apple juice scare to unfounded fears of eating supposedly contaminated Gulf seafood, ACSH debunks these allegations and more. Click here for the full list.
As one ACSH staffer has remarked, Dr. Keith Ayoob s nutrition articles in USA Today are a breath of fresh air. Dr. Ayoob is a dietitian and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
In the past year, much has been written about the shortage of critical generic drugs in this country. This has been accompanied by a whole lot of talk, including an executive order from President Obama, basically repeating the same message that previously came from the FDA and congress: That the government can require that companies report an impending shortage or planned cessation of the manufacture of a drug, but cannot force them to make any drug.
As the fight to curb the obesity epidemic wears on, a new meta-analysis finds that child obesity prevention strategies, such as those that emphasize more physical activity, can effectively help kids lose weight, especially among children between the ages of six and 12.
As research in cardiovascular health evolves, experts have carved out a new category for patients who have a blood pressure reading that falls into the gray area between normal and hypertensive.
ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom makes a compelling case for the extension of patents on pharmaceuticals today, in a debate on the issue in The Wall Street Journal s Big Issues: Health Care report. The expiration of patents on many of the pharmaceutical industry s most profitable drugs poses an enormous threat to the industry and its efforts to continue to research and develop new drugs. As Dr. Bloom explains:
Contrary to the common trend of news stories that implicate phthalate plasticizers in the causation of nearly all human diseases, these compounds have played an important role in significant advances in medical equipment technology. Such compounds have allowed manufacturers to create materials that are both strong and flexible.
As media reports continue to promote misguided claims about the risk of smokeless tobacco products compared to cigarettes, it s clear that the word still isn t out that certain types of smokeless tobacco carry both a significantly lower risk than smoking and can help smokers quit.
While various groups have been pushing to remove soda and junk foods from the school environment, a new study suggests that the availability of such products (however they are defined) in schools may actually have no effect on childhood obesity.
Kids may start seeing more fruits and veggies on their lunch plates and fewer French fries, following new standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday for school meals. Coordinating with First Lady Michelle Obama s Let s Move! campaign, the new regulations aim to fight childhood obesity and improve nutrition.
Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking. These have long been recognized as major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Now, a study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine starkly demonstrates just how significantly these factors increase a person s risk of stroke or heart attack.
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