Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses. In people, common symptoms of influenza are fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, and weakness and fatigue.
Study reveals genetic link between mammographic density and breast cancer – A University of Melbourne study has revealed that certain breast cancer genetic variants increase mammographic density, confirming the link between mammographic breast density and breast cancer.
Benefit of HPV Vaccination, Frequent Screening for Women over 41 is Likely to be Low – The overall potential benefits of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations or frequent HPV screenings for women over the age of 41 are low, concludes a new study published online February 15 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Women with gout at greater risk of heart attack than men — Independent risk of gout on the risk of acute myocardial infarction among elderly women: A population-based study – Women with gout are at greater risk of a heart attack than men with the disease, indicates research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Few women take tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer – Researchers with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have found that the prevalence of tamoxifen use for the prevention of breast cancer among women without a personal history of breast cancer is very low.
Blood test can predict rheumatoid arthritis before symptoms arise — Study confirms elevated cytokine levels are early indicator of disease – Researchers from University Hospital in Umea, Sweden, have identified several cytokines, cytokine-related factors, and chemokines that increase significantly prior to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease onset.
New data on rotavirus vaccine from Mexico and Africa show lifesaving impact in the developing world — Evidence informed WHO recommendation that all countries introduce rotavirus vaccine – Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe, acute gastroenteritis among infants and young children throughout the world and is responsible for an estimated 527,000 deaths among children under five each year.
Common antidepressant drugs linked to lactation difficulties in moms – Women taking commonly used forms of antidepressant drugs may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Landmark heart treatment study — Atrial fibrillation treatment with catheter shows better results than drug therapy – Treating a common heart rhythm disorder by burning heart tissue with a catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments, according to a landmark study published in the Jan. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are more likely to receive tissue plasminogen activator on weekends than on weekdays. – Stroke patients admitted to the hospital on the weekend appear more likely to receive the clot-dissolving medication tissue plasminogen activator than patients admitted during the week. However, stroke death rates appear similar among weekend and weekday admissions.
Each pound at birth lowers risk of developing TB — Just one more pound may help a newborn avoid tuberculosis later in life. – Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at how much protection additional birth weight added against developing the disease years later. They found that every 1.1 pounds of birth weight decreases the risk of developing tuberculosis later by 46 percent among identical twins.
It is not too late for those who have not been immunized against the novel H1N1 influenza A virus or seasonal influenza to protect themselves from a potentially serious and possibly fatal illness. – It is not too late for those who have not been immunized against the novel H1N1 influenza A virus or seasonal influenza to protect themselves from a potentially serious and possibly fatal illness.
Johns Hopkins researchers say vaccine appears to ‘mop up’ leukemia cells Gleevec leaves behind — Team cautions that results are very preliminary and they cannot yet rule out other reasons for success – Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers say preliminary studies show that a vaccine made with leukemia cells may be able to reduce or eliminate the last remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients taking the drug Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec).
