Stent Archives

Herpes medication does not reduce HIV transmission risk

Study demonstrates modest reduction in HIV disease progression, leads to new insights about HIV transmission. – A recently completed international multi-center clinical trial has found that acyclovir, a drug widely used as a safe and effective treatment to suppress herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), which is the most common cause of genital herpes, does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission when taken by people infected with both HIV and HSV-2.

Probiotics may help ward off obesity

Study in pregnant women suggests probiotics may help ward off obesity – One year after giving birth, women were less likely to have the most dangerous kind of obesity if they had been given probiotics from the first trimester of pregnancy, found new research that suggests manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help fight obesity.

Benefits of anti clotting medications reduced by heartburn drugs

Study shows benefits of anti-clotting medications reduced by common heartburn drugs. Proton pump inhibitors interfere with anti-clotting protection of clopidogrel. – The anti-clotting action of the medication clopidogrel (Plavix) can be compromised by common drugs for the treatment of heartburn and ulcers resulting in a roughly 50% increase in the combined risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke and other serious cardiovascular illnesses, according to a new study presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions.

Drug eluting stents prove more effective

Study conducted by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation is published in the New England Journal of Medicine; Largest randomized comparison of drug-eluting and bare-metal stents ever performed. – The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) announced that its landmark study comparing the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents and bare-metal stents was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Teachers’ ignorance is putting children with asthma at risk

Teachers? ignorance is putting children with asthma at risk – Introduce clear guidelines for schools on their responsibilities for supporting children with asthma. – A disturbing three quarters of teachers are not completely confident about what to do if a child in their class has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack, yet asthma is the most common long-term condition affecting children in the UK and on average there are two children with asthma in every classroom.

Autism linked to brain abnormalities in toddlers

Imaging study finds evidence of brain abnormalities in toddlers with autism – Toddlers with autism appear more likely to have an enlarged amygdala, a brain area associated with numerous functions, including the processing of faces and emotion, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Plan B as OTC for 17 year old women

17 year old young women will soon be allowed to buy morning-after contraceptive pills Plan B without a doctor’s prescription as OTC. – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will not appeal a U.S. District Court order that 17 year old girls should have unrestricted, over-the-counter access to Plan B or so-called “emergency contraception.”

Memory performance worsens with age

Social factors may have a negative effect on older adults’ memory performance. – Thinking your memory will get worse as you get older may actually be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that senior citizens who think older people should perform poorly on tests of memory actually score much worse than seniors who do not buy in to negative stereotypes about aging and memory loss.

New Medicare health plan would save $35 billion

Avalere Health Finds New Plan to Reform Medicare Post-Acute and Long Term Care System Could Save U.S. Approximately $35 Billion Over Ten Years – Saying the opportunity now exists for the Obama Administration and Congress to both enhance U.S. seniors’ care choices as well as save approximately $35 billion over ten years by adopting a new Medicare post-acute and long term care reform plan, the nation’s leading long term care advocacy organizations today warned any broad-based reform of the nation’s health care system in the months ahead will be incomplete without including long term and post-acute care.

Meth use during pregnancy linked to abnormal brain in baby

Prenatal meth exposure linked to abnormal brain development. – A first of its kind study examining the effects of methamphetamine use during pregnancy has found the drug appears to cause abnormal brain development in children.

Prostate cancer vaccine Provenge prolongs survival

PROVENGE Significantly Prolongs Survival in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer in Pivotal Phase 3 IMPACT Study. – Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN) announced that the pivotal Phase 3 IMPACT study of PROVENGE (sipuleucel-T) in men with advanced prostate cancer met its primary endpoint of improving overall survival compared to a placebo control.

Stroke linked to genetic changes

Scientists discover genetic variant tied to increased stroke risk – First study to identify common variant influencing susceptibility in US. – Scientists have identified a previously unknown connection between two genetic variants and an increased risk of stroke, providing strong evidence for the existence of specific genes that help explain the genetic component of stroke.