Health

Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical

In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist at London’s Royal Free Hospital, published a study in the prestigious medical journal Lancet that linked the triple Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine with autism and bowel disorders in children. The study - and Wakefield’s subsequent public statements that parents should refuse the vaccines - sparked a public health panic that led vaccination rates in Britain to plunge.

Continue reading Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical…

Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical

In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist at London’s Royal Free Hospital, published a study in the prestigious medical journal Lancet that linked the triple Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine with autism and bowel disorders in children. The study - and Wakefield’s subsequent public statements that parents should refuse the vaccines - sparked a public health panic that led vaccination rates in Britain to plunge.

Continue reading Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical…

Parkinson’s More Common in Northeast, Midwest

The largest study of its kind finds that Parkinsons disease in the United States is more common in the Midwest and Northeast, and that whites and Hispanics are twice as likely to develop the disease as blacks and Asians.

“Finding clusters in the Midwest and the Northeast is particularly exciting,” study lead author Dr.

Continue reading Parkinson’s More Common in Northeast, Midwest…

Targeting Cancer Stem Cells May Eradicate Tumors

New ways of identifying and studying cancer stem cells in the lab could accelerate understanding of the cells and lead to the development of drugs that target them, British researchers say.

“Radiotherapy and chemotherapy work against all rapidly dividing cells,” he explained. “But there is increasing evidence that cancer stem cells are more resistant than other cells to this treatment.

Continue reading Targeting Cancer Stem Cells May Eradicate Tumors…

Clinical Trials Update: Jan. 29, 2010

Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

The research site is in Indianapolis, Ind.

Your loved one may be eligible for this study of an investigational drug if he or she has mild-to-moderate Alzheimers disease.

Stocks fall on doubts about recovery’s strength

Stocks ended a disappointing January with a loss as investors questioned whether the economy will be able to sustain its big fourth-quarter growth rate. Downbeat earnings at technology companies also pulled stocks down.

January was the worst month for the market since last February. Many market watchers believe January sets the tone for stocks for the rest of the year, and historical data backs that up.

Continue reading Stocks fall on doubts about recovery’s strength…

Three-Fourths of Cancer Patients Have Severe Flares of Pain

Breakthrough cancer pain is a major challenge for 75 percent of adult cancer patients, according to new survey findings released by the American Pain Foundation.

“Were not talking about minor aches and pain. These severe flares of pain often strike without warning, leaving many people fearful of the next crippling episode and unduly burdening patients and their families,” Will Rowe, chief executive officer of the American Pain Foundation, said in a news release from the foundation.

Continue reading Three-Fourths of Cancer Patients Have Severe Flares of Pain…

Health Tip: Who’s a Candidate for Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery, sometimes recommended for obese people, involves re-routing the path that food takes, including shrinking the size of the stomach. But the procedure has a number of risks, including the possibility of post-surgical infection, blood clots or developing gallstones.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says the following people may be candidates for gastric bypass surgery: People who are obese and are unable to lose enough weight by dieting and exercising.

Continue reading Health Tip: Who’s a Candidate for Gastric Bypass Surgery?…

Fake Drugs Bought on the Web Pose Big Health Risks

People who buy prescription medications over the Internet, especially drugs purporting to treat erectile dysfunction, are playing Russian roulette with their lives, a new study contends.

“You may be wasting your money or you may actually be hurting yourself,” said Dr. Margaret E. Wierman, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver and chief of endocrinology at the Denver VA Medical Center, who was not involved with the study.

Continue reading Fake Drugs Bought on the Web Pose Big Health Risks…

Gates makes $10 billion vaccines pledge

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $10 billion over the next decade to research new vaccines and bring them to the world’s poorest countries, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife said Friday.

“We must make this the decade of vaccines,” Bill Gates said in a statement. “Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries.

Continue reading Gates makes $10 billion vaccines pledge…