You may have heard claims that the supplement coenzyme Q10 can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system and improve certain heart diseases. There are also claims it can help fight cancer, Parkinson’s disease, wrinkles, diabetes, gum diseases and many other problems.
There may be as many as 70 million Americans with prehypertension. If these people can be treated pharmacologically to avoid or delay progression to clinical hypertension, there would be significant benefits to them and the overall health of the population. The recent TROPHY study seems to lead to that conclusion. However, two editorials published in the November issue of the American Journal of Hypertension emphatically argue that the study is flawed and the conclusions reached are misleading.
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced that its Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patch, DAYTRANA tm (methylphenidate transdermal system), has significant efficacy in reducing the symptoms of ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years, even when the ADHD patch is taken off earlier than the recommended nine hours. The ability to remove the patch earlier than the recommended nine-hour wear time allows physicians the opportunity to manage the potential for late-day side effects, such as lack of appetite or difficulty sleeping. These phase IIIb clinical trial results were reported today at a major scientific and educational meeting of child and adolescent psychiatrists in San Diego, Calif.
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Flamel Technologies (NASDAQ:FLML) announced FDA approval of once-a-day Coreg CR (carvedilol phosphate) extended-release capsules, for the treatment of three cardiovascular conditions: 1. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension. 2. A heart attack that has reduced how well the heart pumps (known medically as post-myocardial infarction left ventricular dysfunction). 3. Mild to severe heart failure.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a long range plan that will help to guide research in type 1 diabetes for the next decade. Advances and Emerging Opportunities in Type 1 Diabetes Research: A Strategic Plan identifies goals and objectives to exploit recent scientific advances in combating this autoimmune form of diabetes.
Children with high blood pressure may be at risk for sleep breathing disorders, according to a small study reported at the American Heart Association’s 60th Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.
If you follow a Mediterranean diet your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease could be 68% lower than people who don’t, say researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, New York. You can read about this study in the journal Archives of Neurology, October issue.
Breastfed babies are more intelligent because a higher percentage of highly educated mothers tend to breastfeed, say researchers from the Medical Research Council (UK) and the University of Edinburgh. A higher percentage of breastfed babies are brought up in a mentally stimulating environment. You can read about this study in the British Medical Journal.
Children who are overweight as toddlers or preschoolers are more likely to be overweight or obese in early adolescence, report researchers in a collaborative study by the NIH and several academic institutions. The researchers periodically collected height and weight measurements of a sample of children, beginning at age 2 and continuing until age 12. Their analysis, appearing in the September Pediatrics, provides some of the strongest evidence to date that overweight in early childhood increase the chances for overweight in later life.
New data suggests that women who have undergone a successful surgery to repair congenital heart defects can become pregnant, but they may have clinically significant complications. Until recently, pregnancy was discouraged in women who have undergone the so-called “Fontan operation” to correct complex birth defects of the heart. However, case reports and one clinical study suggest that women can become pregnant and deliver healthy infants.