Heart failure patients may get benefit from testosterone supplements

Testosterone supplements may help heart failure patients – Testosterone supplements helped heart failure patients breathe better and exercise more. This new research analyzed four randomized clinical trials of patients with moderate to severe chronic heart failure. Patients were given commercial testosterone supplements by injection, patch or gel.

Physically active children have better cardiometabolic measures

Regardless of How Much Time Sedentary, Higher Amounts of Time Being Physically Active Associated With Better Cardiometabolic Measures Among Children – Higher amounts of time with moderate to vigorous physical activity were associated with better cardiometabolic risk factors (such as measures of cholesterol, blood pressure and waist size), regardless of the amount of time spent sedentary. National and international public health authorities agree that children and adolescents should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) daily.

29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis research doubles number of genes associated with the disease — Critical insight provided into the disease mechanisms behind multiple sclerosis – Scientists have identified 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis, providing key insights into the biology of a very debilitating neurological disease. Many of the genes implicated in the study are relevant to the immune system, shedding light onto the immunological pathways that underlie the development of multiple sclerosis.

Scorpion stings treatment Anascorp approved in US

FDA approves the first specific treatment for scorpion stings – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Anascorp, the first specific treatment for a scorpion sting by Centruroides scorpions in the United States.

Getting stroke patients back on their feet

Large NIH funded rehabilitation study looks at getting stroke patients back on their feet – In the largest stroke rehabilitation study ever conducted in the United States, stroke patients who had physical therapy at home improved their ability to walk just as well as those who were treated in a training program that requires the use of a body-weight supported treadmill device followed by walking practice.

Elderly must start tai chi to prevent falls

New guidelines for preventing falls in the elderly include: start tai chi, cut-back on meds – In the first update of the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatric Society’s guidelines on preventing falls in older persons since 2001, they now recommend that all interventions for preventing falls should include an exercise component and that a number of new assessments should be used, including; feet and footwear, fear of falling, and ability to carry out daily living activities.

Protein may improve muscle function of muscular dystrophy

Human protein improves muscle function of muscular dystrophy mice – A novel potential therapy based on a natural human protein significantly slows muscle damage and improves function in mice who have the same genetic mutation as boys with the most common form of muscular dystrophy, according to a paper published online Dec._27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tests can predict falls in Parkinson’s disease

Tests help predict falls in Parkinson’s disease – A group of tests may help predict which people with Parkinson’s disease are more likely to fall, according to a study published in the June 23, 2010, online issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Exercise may keep cancer patients healthier

Exercise may keep cancer patients healthier during, after treatment – Breast and prostate cancer patients who regularly exercise during and after cancer treatment report having a better quality of life and being less fatigued, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.