Heart Disease :: Raising HDL may limit heart disease progression
For people with low levels of “good” (HDL) cholesterol and coronary disease, treatment aimed at increasing HDL levels is worthwhile, researchers report.
Treatment
Hair Care :: Dandruff and Hair Care
Dandruff is a harmless condition that involves an acceleration in the normal shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp.This dead skin accumulates as white flakes in the hair and sometimes causes itching. The condition is most common in young adults.
Alzheimer’s disease :: Curcumin in curry may keep Alzheimer’s at bay
A spice used for thousands of years, curry, may be a powerful new weapon in fighting Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers said.
Leukemia :: Clolar approved for childhood leukemia
Genzyme Corp. announced that its drug Clolar has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of children with difficult or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Migraine :: Surgery helps relieve migraines
Surgical treatment of migraine reduced missed work days by 73 percent and significantly lowered the annual cost of migraine care for patients, according to a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Osteoarthritis :: Acupuncture relieves pain and improves knee osteoarthritis
Acupuncture provides pain relief and improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee and serves as an effective complement to standard care. This landmark study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), both components of the National Institutes of Health. The findings of the study – the longest and largest randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial of acupuncture ever conducted – were published in the December 21, 2004, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Mucositis :: Palifermin – Kepivance – to treat mucositis with cancer treatments
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new intravenous biologic product, palifermin (trade-name Kepivance) to help reduce the chance that certain cancer patients, those with blood cancers undergoing chemotherapy and radiation in preparation for bone marrow transplants, will develop mucositis. Palifermin also shortens the duration of the condition.
Neurology :: Test for Devic’s syndrome – neuromyelitis optica
The Mayo Clinic has developed the first test for neuromyelitis optica or NMO, a blinding, paralyzing disease often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis.
Depression :: Gene linked to Depression
A mutant gene that starves the brain of serotonin, a mood-regulating chemical messenger, has been discovered and found to be 10 times more prevalent in depressed patients than in control subjects, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Patients with the mutation failed to respond well to the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, which work via serotonin, suggesting that the mutation may underlie a treatment-resistant subtype of the illness.
HIV :: Two Cipla AIDS medicines back on WHO prequalification list
The World Health Organization (WHO) is reinstating two antiretrovirals manufactured by Cipla Ltd., India, in its list of prequalified medicines. The two medicines (which are used in the treatment of AIDS) had been delisted by WHO in May this year due to non-compliance with international standards at the contract research organizations (CROs) hired by Cipla to conduct bioequivalence tests on the products.