Health News - Thursday, January 11, 2007
British scientists have discovered a potential new way to identify people who have a higher risk of developing heart disease. Telomeres, tiny strands of DNA at the ends of chromosomes which seem to contain secrets about aging, may also hold clues about who is more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.
The researchers, who measured telomere length in leukocytes, or white blood cells, in 1,500 men aged 45-64 years old, found short telomeres indicate a higher likelihood of developing heart disease. Continue reading
By genetically removing a particular protein, scientists have developed cattle that seem to be resistant to mad cow disease, according to a report in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Dr. Juergen A. Richt with the United States Department of Agriculture in Ames, Iowa and colleagues generated cattle lacking the prion protein (PrP) and monitored them for growth and general health status from birth to 20 months of age. PrP in its normal formation does not cause disease in cattle, but when it takes on a configuration containing misfolds, it results in mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Continue reading
Patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia are about 33 percent less likely to die if they are up to date with their influenza vaccinations, even if the effectiveness of the vaccine is suboptimal, results of a 4-year study suggest.
Despite its known benefits, many people who have the greatest risk are not vaccinated, Dr. David N. Fisman and associates note in the Archives of Internal Medicine. One reason may be the fact that the vaccine does not prevent all cases of influenza, although it is likely to make the illness less severe. Continue reading
Pfizer Inc. said on Wednesday it is considering an over-the-counter form of its Viagra anti-impotence drug as it faces tough competition from Eli Lilly and Co.'s longer-acting Cialis treatment.
"As with many of our products, Pfizer has routinely evaluated a number of options (for Viagra), including different formulations, new indications, over-the-counter, etc., and continues to do so," Pfizer said in a statement provided to Reuters. It was the first time Pfizer had disclosed interest in an over-the-counter form of Viagra, a company spokeswoman said, but she declined to comment further when asked about the possible merits of a nonprescription form of the drug. Continue reading
When women and men have lung cancer of the same stage and are given the same treatment, the women are more likely to survive, according to the findings published in the journal of Chest.
Lung cancer "is the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women worldwide," Dr. Robert James Cerfolio and colleagues from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, write. Several studies using data from national cancer registries have shown that men and women differ in lung cancer survival. The present study was different in that it determined survival in men and women who were diagnosed with lung cancer, treated based on the same algorithm, and then followed for up to 7 years. Continue reading