Diuretics Said To Be Less Effective Than Blood Pressure Pill Combo According to a study that included more than 11,000 patients in the United States, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, it has been said that a pill that contains two blood pressure drugs was more effective than a diuretic-based strategy in reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular problems and death in people with high blood pressure. These recent reports state that the patients took either a tablet containing benazepril (an ACE inhibitor) and amlodipine (a calcium channel blocker) or a tablet that contained benazepril and hydrochloro-thiazide, a type of diuretic (water pill). Reportedly, both combination pills helped reduce blood pressure in more than 75 percent of patients, however, those taking the first pill had 20 percent fewer cardiovascular events than those taking the other combination pill with the diuretic. For interested persons, the Avoiding Cardiovascular Events Through Combination Therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension (ACCOMPLISH) study was published in the Dec. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. In addition, it is noteworthy of mention that according to the authors of the study, the results were so significant that the trial was stopped early. Furthermore, it should be stated that this study was funded by Novartis, one of the companies that offer two-drug tablets for treatment of high blood pressure. The researchers said the findings suggest the need to change current blood pressure control guidelines, which call for initial treatment with a diuretic, with other drugs added only as needed to lower blood pressure. Study leader Dr. Kenneth Jamerson, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a member of the U-M Cardiovascular Center, said in a university news release: "This robust study showed us that switching patients to a single-pill combination meant that twice as many patients got to their blood pressure goal, regardless of previous therapy." He adds: "The significant reduction in cardiovascular events we observed in patients will, I hope, show physicians that earlier use of a combination medicine, especially with amlodipine, may be in the best interest of the patients." At this stage, drawing from related statistics, as many as 73 million Americans have high blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other health problems. To conclude this report, according to background information in the news release about the study, drugs can help control blood pressure, but many patients have trouble taking the multiple medications they need, which is why combination pills were developed. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com ============================================================

For Some Hepatitis C Therapy Is Of No Use New research has suggested that maintenance therapy using low-dose peginterferon doesn't help patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C. Particularly for thos who haven't responded to an initial round of treatment. It is noteworthy of mention that the study also showed a surprising health decline in patients with liver disease over the course of four years. Study author Dr. Adrian Di Bisceglie, chief of hepatology and co-director of the Liver Center at Saint Louis University, said in a university news release: "This course of treatment had been adopted by a number of doctors in the U.S. and in other countries, though it had yet to be proven to work. That practice should be stopped, based on the results of this trial. There is no rationale for using maintenance therapy. The treatment is clearly ineffective. About half of patients with chronic hepatitis C fully recover after an initial course of peginterferon and ribavirin antiviral therapy that can last from six months to a year. Other patients (non-responders) may show improvement, but the virus isn't eliminated. It is noteworthy of mention that the study included 1,050 non-responder patients with advanced liver disease. Half of them received low doses of peginterferon for 3.5 years to try to suppress the hepatitis C virus and slow progression of liver disease. The other patients were assigned to a control group. Reportedly, after four years, 30 percent of patients in both groups had developed liver failure, liver cancer, or had died. Among those who had milder cirrhosis at the start of the study, 10 percent to 12 percent developed severe liver disease. Both of these findings surprised the researchers. De Bisceglie said: "Hepatitis patients in these circumstances got very ill over the course of four years, surprisingly so. The lesson we learned is that once chronic hepatitis C gets to the stage of advanced fibrosis, patients can decline rapidly." For interested persons, the study was published in the Dec. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. To conclude this story, it should be stated that approximately 4 million people in the United States are infected with hepatitis C, and 10,000 to 12,000 of them die each year. Hepatitis C is caused by virus that's transmitted through direct contact with an infected person's blood. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com =======================================================

Doctors' Business Ties To Be Revealed By Cleveland Clinic Recent reports have indicated that in what could be viewed as a first major U.S. medical center, the Cleveland Clinic this week started to publicly report business ties between its 1,800 staff doctors and scientists and drug and medical device makers. One of the nation's leading medical research centers website is said to contain such disclousure of such financial links. Dr. David J. Rothman, president of the nonprofit Institute on Medicine as a Profession, told The New York Times that: "They are breaking a new path here." At this stage, according to related critics, in the United States, doctors' and scientists' connections to industry are often kept secret, a practice that can harm the integrity of medical research and patient care, according to critics. It is noteworthy of mention that the Cleveland Clinic's move was praised by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R- Iowa). Very tellingly, he is said to have introduced legislation to force drug and medical device makers to disclose payments they make to doctors. To conclude, Grassley said in a statement that: "Patients deserve easy access to information about their doctors' relationships with drug companies and the Cleveland Clinic is making that possible." For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com ===========================================

Additional Measures To Assist Medical Residents Suggested By Report According to an institute of Medicine report released Tuesday, it has been reported that more needs to be done to ease the workload of doctors-in-training in the United States. Background investigation into this report depicts that five years ago, new regulations capped the working hours of young doctors to about 80 hours per week. In addition, the Associated Press reports that the new report offers recommendations to further improve conditions for overworked medical residents doing on-the-job training. To conclude, the Institute of Medicine said: -Residents working the maximum 30-hour shift should get an uninterrupted five-hour sleep break after 16 hours. -There should be better overlapping of schedules during shift changes to reduce chances for error as one doctor transfers patients' care to the next doctor. -Experienced physicians should more closely supervise residents. -The number of mandatory days off each month should be increased and the number of hours between shifts should be extended depending on how long the resident worked, during day or night. -Sleep deprivation can cause fatigue that leads to serious medical errors. Before new caps on resident hours were issued in 2003, some residents in specialties could average 110 hours of work a week. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com ===============================================

Asthma Could Be Alleviated Via Breathing Exercises According to a study by Scottish researchers, it has been reported that asthhma breathing exercises can improve a patient's quality of life. With one caveat though: they don't reduce the need for inhalers. Very tellingly, the University of Aberdeen study included nearly 200 adults being treated for mild to moderately severe asthma. It is reported that approximately 50% of the patients did three sessions of breathing exercise training provided by a physiotherapist, while the rest received information and advice about their disease. It is said that after one month, both groups showed improvements in quality of life. However, after six months, the patients in the breathing exercises group were significantly less anxious and depressed, and tended to control their asthma better than those in the information/advice group. For interested persons, the study appears in the current issue of the journal Thorax. The researchers noted that previous research had suggested that the amount of symptoms experienced by asthma patients was associated with the degree of control they felt they hade over their lives, the researchers noted. To conclude this report, the researchers emphasized that while this study suggests that breathing exercises may benefit patients with mild to moderate asthma that isn't well controlled, patients must not substitute these exercises for asthma medications. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com =================================================

Report Says Americans' Health May Decline According to the 2008 America's Health Rankings report released Wednesday, it has been said that Americans' health improved by 18 percent between 1990 and 2000, but has leveled off over the past four years and may be about to decline. Apparently, USA today reports that Weight gain, tobacco addiction and rising rates of chronic diseases are the most serious threats to previous advances in the nation's health. Reed Tuckson, of the United Health Foundation, one of the report sponsors, along with the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention is quoted as saying: "This is a perfect storm." To reach this conclusion, researchers analyzed 22 health measures, including access to medical care, immunizations, prenatal care, infant mortality, heart disease deaths, infectious disease deaths, smoking cessation, violent crime, and occupational fatalities. Delving further into this report, Vermont, the healthiest state, had a lower smoking rate than the national average (17.6 percent vs. 20 percent), a slower increase in obesity than the national rate, and a higher percentage of people with health insurance. To conclude, according to the report, Louisiana, the least healthy state, had a high infant death rate, high cancer death rates, and high rates of racial disparities in health care. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com ========================================================

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Said To Be Linked To Preemies' Low Blood Pressure Australian research has stated that premature infants often have lower-than-normal blood pressure that persists during the first six months of life. Apparently the Australian researchers related to this study say that this is said to possibly be one reason these infants are more prone to (SIDS). As they stated, one theory of the cause of SIDS is a profound drop in blood pressure during sleep, from which the infant cannot recover. Lead researcher Rosemary S.C. Horne, of the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research at the Monash Institute of Medical Research at Monash University in Melbourne explains: "Premature babies are at increased risk for SIDS, and we investigated a possible mechanism of how these babies could be at increased risk." Background investigation into this report depicts that for the study, Horne's team monitored the heart rates of 25 premature infants, comparing them with 20 infants born at term. The researchers looked at the infants' blood pressure at two to four weeks, two to three months, and five to six months. Very tellingly, they discovered that phat preterm infants had lower blood pressure during sleep compared with normal-term infants. This was true during all the periods the blood pressure was measured. Systolic blood pressures in preterm infants were 11 mm Hg to 14 mm Hg lower than in full-term infants, Horne said. "This may be clinically significant," she noted. "We hypothesize that if blood pressure is already low in preterm babies, then if there was an event during sleep that made it fall even further they may be at risk of a profound drop in blood pressure," Horne said. "In addition, this may explain the risk of preterm babies having an increased risk of SIDS and it may also indicate that these preterm babies, although they appear well and healthy, may have long-term alterations in their cardiovascular control," she said. For interested persons, the findings were published in the December issue of Pediatrics. Another SIDS expert also said it's not known whether low blood pressure increases the risk of SIDS. Dr. Carl E. Hunt, an adjunct professor of pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md. elaborates: "The unresolved question is whether these differences in blood pressure have any relevance for the increased risk for SIDS that preterms have -- that's unclear." He concludes our report by stating: "The extent to which the inability to recover normal blood pressure is a precipitating event for SIDS, we have no idea. It's difficult to prove and it has not been proven." For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com =========================

Wheezing In Babies May Be Influenced By Folate in Early Pregnancy According to a new Norwegian study, it has been said that infants whose mothers take folic acid (folate) during early pregnancy may have an increased risk for respiratory illness. What might be ironic is that folate is recommended to reduce the risk of birth defects, in addition , several countries fortify their flour with folic acid. To reach this conclusion, it should be noted that researchers examined data on more than 32,000 children born between 2000 and 2005 who were part of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Background investigation into this report depicts that he mothers had been surveyed about their dietary habits and intake of supplements (including folate) at several points before and after the birth of their children. For interested persons, the study appears in the current issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Delving further into this report, it is revealed that the researchers noted that folate and other vitamins affect a biochemical process called methylation, which in turn alters genetic activity. On a concluding note, studies in mice have shown that high levels of folic acid and other similar substances in early pregnancy increase the risk of allergic asthma in offspring. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com

Research Says Talking With Passengers Is Less Dangerous Than Car Cell Phone Use A new report has found that drivers talking on a cell phone are more distracted and more susceptible to mistakes than if they were speaking with a friend sitting next to them in the car. As was explained by study author Frank Drews, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City: "We think it is basically a process of joint attention, so when you have a person sitting next to you who is experienced as a driver, that person actually understands something about traffic, supports you actively in dealing with traffic." He adds: "You get very supportive behavior that shows not only in gestures but in switching the conversation . . . to what is happening in the driving environment." At this stage, it is noteworthy of mention that studies on the dangers of driving while talking on the cell phone abound, but there has been little on talking to a person in a vehicle. Delving further into this report, this study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, involved 41 men and women ranging in age from 18 to 26. It should be stated that even yet another expert agreed, adding that the new data was necessary and important. Robert D. Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the Highway Safety Research Center, at the University of North Carolina reportedly says: "The public and, to a lesser extent, the research community has had this question for some time: What's the difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger. Conceptually, it's clear there's somebody else in the car, who sees what's going on. This documents with evidence how that plays out." To conclude, the message: Talk to a real person, not on the cell phone, while you're steering and shifting in addition, if you notice you're talking to someone on a cell phone while they're driving, politely end the conversation. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com =============================================================

Biggest Cause of Drug-Induced Liver Damage Said To Be Antibiotics Newly published reports have stated that researchers say antibiotics are the single largest class of drugs that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI). At this stage, drawing from related statistics, it is said that the condition accounts for about 13 percent of cases of acute liver failure in the United States and is the most common cause of death from acute liver failure. In addition, it is noteworthy of mention that DILI is caused by a wide range of prescription and nonprescription medications, nutritional supplements and herbal products. To reach this conclusion, in a new study, Indiana University School of Medicine researchers looked at patients with suspected DILI and found that 73 percent of cases were caused by a single prescription medication, 9 percent by dietary supplements, and 18 percent by multiple agents. Patients with acetaminophen-related liver damage weren't included in the study. It is noteworthy of mention that lead author Dr. Naga P. Chalasani and his associates found that more than 100 different agents were linked with DILI and that antibiotics (45.5 percent) and nervous system agents (15 percent) were the most common. Furthermore, it is said that there was no association between patient gender and severity of DILI, but patients with diabetes had more severe DILI. For interested persons, the study was published in the journal Gastroenterology. Background investigation into this report depicts that Chalasani said in an American Gastroenterological Association news release that "DILI is a serious health problem that impacts patients, physicians, government regulators and the pharmaceutical industry. Further efforts are needed in defining its pathogenesis and developing means for the early detection, accurate diagnosis, prevention and treatment." Also, it should be stated that the researchers noted that DILI remains a diagnosis of exclusion, which means that detailed testing needs to be performed to exclude other causes of liver disease. For The Latest Health News Keep it Locked Here at BodyHealthsoul.com =============================================================================