_ What You Need to Know About COPD By Jane Farrell article Along with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, affects a patient’s very ability to breathe. COPD, which is also called emphysema or chronic bronchitis, is a progressive lung disease in which the airways of the lungs become damaged, making it hard to breathe. COPD is also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis. According to the National Institutes of Health, COPD is a major cause of death and illness worldwide. In the U.S., it kills more than 120,000 Americans every year, or one every four minutes.
_ Caregiving Doesn't Cause Depression By Jane Farrell article A caregiver’s depression appears to be related to family and genetic factors more than the difficulty of the caregiving itself, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Washington analyzed 1,228 female twins. Some were caregivers and some were not. When it comes to life's stressors, most people would put caregiving at the top of the list. But according to Peter Vitaliano, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at UW, there never have been data actually showing caregiving causes psychological distress.
_ Some Women May Need More Hormone Therapy By Jane Farrell article Researchers have found that for a substantial percentage of women, moderate to severe hot flashes last up to ten years or more after menopause, and that may mean hormone therapy should be prescribed for a longer period of time. Investigators from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine discovered that for most women, moderate to severe hot flashes continue, on average, for just five years after menopause, but more than one third of women have hot flashes for a decade or beyond.
Llama Antibodies Control C. difficile By article Antibodies derived from llamas point the way to the development of new treatments for the deadly opportunistic bacterial pathogen Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).That’s the news from researchers from the Alberta Glycomics Centre at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta in collaboration with researchers at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa. The team has revealed the first molecular views showing how highly specific antibodies derived from llamas may provide a new method for controlling lethal infections from C.
_ Men's Health Testosterone Tx Ups Heart Attack Risk at Any Age By article Previous studies have shown that testosterone therapy raises the risk of heart attacks in men over 65 but new research has found an increased risk of cardiovascular events even when men using the therapy are under 65. Yet as a result of a ubiquitous advertising campaign for testosterone gel and patches, sales of Androgel exceeded those for Viagra in 2013.
_ Aspirin Overprescribed for AFib By article Aspirin is still overprescribed for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation despite the potential for dangerous side effects, according to a study done by the European Society of Cardiology andpublished January 28th 2014 in in the American Journal of Medicine. Another worrying finding was that oral anticoagulants were underprescribed in elderly patients, with aspirin alone more commonly prescribed.
_ The Letter that Can Make You Healthier By Jane Farrell article Patients at high risk of osteoporosis can be identified via an automated letter-generating system that encourages them to follow up on their care, according to researchers. Investigators from the Penn State College of Medicine say that the system effectively promotes osteoporosis intervention and can help prevent future fractures.
_ Spinal Cord Injuries Increasing in Seniors By Jane Farrell article The rate of traumatic spinal cord injuries is rising sharply among older people, with the leading cause appearing to be falls, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins. In fact, the number-one cause of spinal cord injuries overall no longer appears to be motor vehicle crashes, but falls. The injuries suffered in these accidents range from temporary numbness to paralysis. Researchers said their findings indicated that efforts to prevent falls among older people could significantly reduce the number of spinal cord injuries.
_ Toward a Cure for Advanced Prostate Cancer By article A powerful new animal model for metastatic prostate cancer known as RapidCaP reveals a cancer-gene 'switch' that drives metastasis. That is the finding of research done at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island in New York. The study was published on January 24th 2014 in the journal Cancer Discovery.
_ Heart Health When Good Cholesterol Goes Bad By article A dysfunctional version of the normally protective protein that makes high-density lipoprotein (HDL) – the so-called "good cholesterol" –promotes inflammation and coronary artery disease. That’s the finding of researchers at the Cleveland Clinic who discovered the process by which HDL loses its cardio-protective properties, and instead causes atherosclerosis, or the clogging and hardening of the arteries. Their research was published online January 26th 2014 in the journal Nature Medicine.
_ ADT Therapy for Prostate: Counseling Needed By article If the man in your life has been prescribed androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as part of the treatment for prostate cancer, you’re both best off if you’re warned ahead of time about possible side-effects and offered advice about coping strategies.
_ Pain Management BP Med Can Prevent Migraines By article Candesartan, a medication used to treat high blood pressure, is just as effective as more the commonly prescribed propranolol when it comes to preventing migraine attacks. That is the finding of a study from St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Norway and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Better yet, the team learned that candesartan may work for patients who get no relief from propranolol. A release from the university quotes lead researcher Professor Lars Jacob Stovner as saying, "This gives doctors more possibilities and we can help more people."
_ Glaucoma Cases Reduced by Half By Jane Farrell article Glaucoma is a serious issue faced by millions of people, but the likelihood of the condition has been cut in half, probably due to advances in diagnosis and therapy, a new study says Still, researchers also caution that many patients still progress to blindness. Glaucoma affects more than 2.7 million individuals aged 40 and older in the United States and 60.5 million people.
6 Menopause Warning Signs You ShouldnΓÇÖt Ignore (And How to Treat Them) By article By Soriyya Bawa, Executive Content Editor at Agein.com Everyone has heard of menopause and everything that comes with it, like the hot flashes and mood swings. But it seems not many women, or men for that matter, know about perimenopause, the change in hormones that signal the onset of menopause.
_ Heart Health Hope for New Meds for Heart Arrhythmia By article A common mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, is calcium overload in the heart. However, the underlying mechanism has remained a mystery for decades. Now findings published in the January 19th 2014 edition of the journal Nature Medicine report the discovery of a physiological process that causes the calcium-triggered arrhythmias. The researchers at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta in Canada hope their work will one day help design molecularly tailored medications that correct the pathophysiology.
A Protein Plays a Role in AD Memory Loss By article Cleveland Clinic researchers have shown that a protein called Neuroligin-1 plays a critical role in the memory loss seen in Alzheimer's patients. The study was posted online in the January 19th 2014 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience. A release from the clinic notes that amyloid beta proteins accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and induce inflammation. This inflammation leads to gene modifications that interrupt the functioning of synapses in the brain. This leads to memory loss.