http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Although there were promising results in a phase 2 trial, patients with mild Alzheimer disease who received the drug tarenflurbil as part of a phase 3 trial did not have better outcomes on measures of cognitive decline or loss of activities of daily living compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study in the December 16 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news180116942.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:29:57 EST news180116942 (AP) -- Federal scientists say AstraZeneca's cholesterol pill Crestor lowers the risk of heart attack, death and stroke in patients without a history of heart disease, though some safety concerns remain. http://www.physorg.com/news179755868.html Medicine & Health Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:30:01 EST news179755868 Patients with a cluster headache, which is characterized by bouts of excruciating pain usually near the eye or temple, were more likely to report being pain-free within 15 minutes of treatment with high-flow oxygen than patients who received a placebo treatment, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news179513515.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:20:40 EST news179513515 Cells from heart attack survivors' own bone marrow reduced the risk of death or another heart attack when they were infused into the affected artery after successful stent placement, according to research reported in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure. http://www.physorg.com/news179513071.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:45:30 EST news179513071 Supplementation with a selenium-based antioxidant compound decreased the risk of developing new polyps of the large bowel - called colorectal metachronous adenomas - in people who previously had colorectal polyps removed. http://www.physorg.com/news179472835.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:34:33 EST news179472835 Cannabis can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Neurology, found that five out six randomized controlled trials reported a reduction in spasticity and an improvement in mobility. http://www.physorg.com/news179118127.html Medicine & Health Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:30:01 EST news179118127 Can treatments that reduce risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD) also help combat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that affects millions of Americans? CVD and AMD share some risk factors-such as smoking, high blood pressure, and inflammation-and a recent study found that people who have early-stage AMD are more likely to develop heart disease. This month's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reports on how two heart disease treatments, low-dose aspirin and statin medications, may impact AMD risk and disease progression. http://www.physorg.com/news178892149.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:17:06 EST news178892149 A short time ago, Swedish scientists published a paper suggesting the existence of a genetic disposition to respond to placebo, thus giving rise to debate in the media about a possible "placebo gene." In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106[46]: 751), Matthias Breidert and Karl Hofbauer summarize the most recent data about placebos. http://www.physorg.com/news178801340.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:02:40 EST news178801340 (PhysOrg.com) -- The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at chemists in 2005, data obtained by Oxford University researchers has shown. http://www.physorg.com/news178529794.html Medicine & Health Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:37:01 EST news178529794 (PhysOrg.com) -- Glaxo-SmithKline has joined forces with Nabi Pharmaceuticals to produce a vaccine to help smokers give up their addiction permanently. http://www.physorg.com/news177922617.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:02 EST news177922617 Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of 12 sites nationwide participating in the first Phase 2 clinical trial to test gene therapy treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The study is the first multicenter neurosurgical intervention in Alzheimer's research in the U.S. http://www.physorg.com/news177688251.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:11:55 EST news177688251 A new study carried out at the University of Haifa has found that the hormone oxytocin, the "love hormone", which affects behaviors such as trust, empathy and generosity, also affects opposite behaviors, such as jealousy and gloating. "Subsequent to these findings, we assume that the hormone is an overall trigger for social sentiments: when the person's association is positive, oxytocin bolsters pro-social behaviors; when the association is negative, the hormone increases negative sentiments," explains Simone Shamay-Tsoory who carried out the research. http://www.physorg.com/news177245481.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:20:01 EST news177245481 (AP) -- People looking for natural cures will be happy to know there is one. Two words explain how it works: "I believe." It's the placebo effect - the ability of a dummy pill or a faked treatment to make people feel better, just because they expect that it will. It's the mind's ability to alter physical symptoms, such as pain, anxiety and fatigue. http://www.physorg.com/news177082827.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:45:24 EST news177082827 The Placebo effect has long been recognized as a factor in determining the efficacy of various medical intervention therapies. A newly published study, "Direct Evidence for Spinal Cord Involvement in Placebo Analgesia"*, by Eippert, Finsterbusch, Bingel and Buchel of the Departments of Systems Neuroscience and Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendof in Germany finds quantitative-observable physical evidence of the effects of suggestion. http://www.physorg.com/news175154908.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:09:02 EST news175154908 Unexpectedly, inflammation markers do not appear to be involved with the chemopreventative effect of aspirin on colorectal adenomas, according to a brief communication published online October 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news174585295.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:40:02 EST news174585295 Women who developed new-onset breast tenderness after starting estrogen plus progestin hormone replacement therapy were at significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer than women on the combination therapy who didn't experience such tenderness, according to a new UCLA study. http://www.physorg.com/news174583812.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:40:01 EST news174583812 Patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can benefit from triple therapy that includes a long-acting β-agonist (LABA), an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and an anti-muscarinic agent, according to researchers in Germany. http://www.physorg.com/news174197600.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:00:03 EST news174197600 Abatacept, a member of a new class of drug that targets immune cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is effective against RA, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The review examines recent trials to assess safety and efficacy of the drug. http://www.physorg.com/news174077828.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:30:02 EST news174077828 When used "off-label," the antidepressant amitriptyline works just as well as placebo in treating pain-predominant gastrointestinal disorders in children, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news173594336.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:45:47 EST news173594336 (PhysOrg.com) -- On Thursday, an international research team reported that a new AIDS vaccine tested in more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand protected a small but significant minority against infection. The new results mark the first time any vaccine has shown even partial success in clinical trials. http://www.physorg.com/news173425498.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:10:02 EST news173425498 Could medicines used for depression also treat chronic, severe indigestion? Scientists at Mayo Clinic suspect they can and, backed by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), they are testing that premise in a nationwide clinical trial. http://www.physorg.com/news172403221.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:00:01 EST news172403221 A dietary ingredient derived from a melon rich in antioxidant superoxide dismutase enzymes has been shown to relieve stress. In a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, published in BioMed Central's open access Nutrition Journal, researchers found that the supplement decreased the signs and symptoms of perceived stress and fatigue in healthy volunteers. http://www.physorg.com/news172177447.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:50:02 EST news172177447 Gene Signal, a company focused on developing innovative drugs to manage angiogenesis based conditions, today announced the publication of interim results from a phase II study suggesting that the antisense oligonucleotide GS-101 (eye drops) is safe and effective at inhibiting and regressing corneal neovascularisation (abnormal new blood vessel growth). Neovascularisation in this part of the eye is a major risk factor in corneal graft rejection, the most common transplantation procedure that saves the sight of approximately 46,000 people worldwide each year. http://www.physorg.com/news171000159.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:03:12 EST news171000159 A national team of researchers led by scientists at Mayo Clinic has found that a common treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver disease, is not helpful for patients, according to a study published this month in the journal Hepatology. http://www.physorg.com/news170682180.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:43:47 EST news170682180 A new study reveals that when it comes to pain control, the "placebo effect" involves evolutionarily old pain control pathways in the human brainstem, the part of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord. The research, published by Cell Press in the August 27th issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating mechanistic insight into how and why simply expecting that a treatment will reduce pain can act as an effective analgesic. http://www.physorg.com/news170511046.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:20:02 EST news170511046 The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) was commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) to investigate whether patients with depression benefit from taking drugs belonging to the selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) drug class. Up till now, 2 of these drugs have been approved as antidepressants in Germany: venlafaxine and duloxetine. The Institute published its final report on 18 August. According to this report, the benefit of both drugs has been proven compared to a sham drug (placebo): patients respond better to the therapy and suffer less from the symptoms of depression. Moreover, there are indications that both drugs protect against relapse in addition to alleviating symptoms. http://www.physorg.com/news170419956.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:30:03 EST news170419956 Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an uncommon chronic liver disease characterized by progressive inflammation and destruction of the bile ducts. The disease progresses slowly, usually leading to biliary cirrhosis, portal hypertension and liver failure over a 10-15 year period. PSC is a common cause of adult cholestatic liver diseases and a primary source behind many of the liver transplantations in U.S. adults. At least 70% of PSC cases are associated with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), usually ulcerative colitis. Currently, there is no cure for PSC and prospective treatments remain ineffective. http://www.physorg.com/news169898396.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:20:04 EST news169898396 An analysis of the adverse events reported following distribution of quadrivalent human papillomavirus recombinant vaccine since 2006 indicates that adverse event rates were consistent with pre-licensing data and expected background rates of other vaccines, with the exception of a higher proportion of reports of fainting and blood clots, according to a study in the August 19 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news169831472.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:40:04 EST news169831472 (PhysOrg.com) -- For years, trials of pharmaceuticals have revolved around the double-blind test, controlled with a placebo, in which not even those conducting the investigation knew who was receiving what treatment. Tests moved through various phases, and months of evaluations were made between each phase. All the while, participants and investigators were kept from knowing who had what treatment, in the hopes that it would limit the bias involved. But now that traditional method of testing is being challenged. Instead, pharmaceuticals are considering "adaptive design", which allows them to change the trial's set-up to adapt it to the information being received. http://www.physorg.com/news169478268.html Medicine & Health Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:18:57 EST news169478268 Patients with stage III or IV melanoma taking ipilimumab and the oral steroid budesonide to reduce side effects did not have less diarrhea, a known side effect of ipilimumab, according to results of a phase II trial published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news169229472.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:40:06 EST news169229472