Aquatic exercise could benefit fibromyalgia sufferers

The addition of an aquatic exercise programme to the usual care for fibromyalgia in women, is cost-effective in terms of both health care costs and societal costs. – Patients suffering from fibromyalgia could benefit significantly from regular exercise in a heated swimming pool, a study published today in the open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy shows. The findings suggest a cost effective way of improving quality of life for patients with this often-debilitating disorder.

Genentech’s Avastin with chemotherapy approved for advanced breast cancer

FDA grants accelerated approval of Avastin in combination with Paclitaxel Chemotherapy for first-line treatment of advanced HER2-negative breast cancer. – Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for Avastin (bevacizumab), in combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy, for the treatment of patients who have not received chemotherapy for their metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer.

Growth hormone enhances immunity in HIV patients

Growth hormone (GH) treatment was found to increase the immunity in HIV patients. It increased the thymic mass, and increased the number of immune cells HIV patients had circulating in their blood. – Growth hormone helps boost the immune system of HIV patients, revealed by researchers. Growth hormone (GH) treatment was associated with increased thymic mass, and increased the number of immune cells HIV patients had circulating in their blood.

Reducing kids’ salt intake lowers soft drink consumption

A reduction in salt intake could play a role in helping to reduce childhood obesity through its effect on sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption. – Children who eat less salt drink fewer sugar-sweetened soft drinks and may significantly lower their risks for obesity, elevated blood pressure and later-in-life heart attack and stroke, researchers reported in the print and online issue of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Vitamin E increases tuberculosis risk in smokers

Vitamin E supplementation may transiently increase tuberculosis risk in males who smoke heavily and have high dietary vitamin C intake. – Six-year vitamin E supplementation increased tuberculosis risk by 72% in male smokers who had high dietary vitamin C intake, but vitamin E had no effect on those who had low dietary vitamin C intake, according to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Music listening improves stroke patients’ recovery

Music listening improves stroke patients’ recovery

Listening to music in the early stages after a stroke can improve patients’ recovery, according to new research published online in the medical journal Brain – Researchers from Finland found that if stroke patients listened to music for a couple of hours a day, their verbal memory and focused attention recovered better and they had a more positive mood than patients who did not listen to anything or who listened to audio books.

Glucosamine no better than placebo in reducing hip pain

Although many patients use glucosamine to treat osteoarthritis, available studies have reported inconsistent effects of glucosamine on symptoms and joint changes. In addition, previous studies have more often included patients with knee than with hip osteoarthritis. – A new, two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that glucosamine sulfate was no better than placebo in controlling hip pain, the ability to do normal activities and the progression of hip osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is a natural substance found in healthy joint cartilage.

Stem cells may aid stroke recovery

Human embryonic stem cell-based therapies have the potential to help treat stroke disease. – Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Laser to detect potential diseases via breath

By blasting a person’s breath with laser light, scientists have shown that they can detect molecules that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer. – By blasting a person’s breath with laser light, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder have shown that they can detect molecules that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer.

Excess bodyweight raises cancers risk

Excess bodyweight, expressed as increased body-mass index (BMI), is associated with the risk of some common adult cancers. – Increased body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of common and less common cancers, and the level of risk can vary between the sexes and different ethnic groups depending on the type of cancer.

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