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(HealthDay) -- Aspirin is still the first line of therapy for patients with unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ticagrelor can be used in place of clopidogrel or prasugrel instead of aspirin or as a second antiplatelet agent, according to a report from the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF)/American Heart Association (AHA) published online July 16 in Circulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-aspirin-first-line-therapy-unstable-anginanstemi.html Cardiology Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:31:44 EST news261714695 (HealthDay) -- A supplement mixture (Souvenaid) containing dietary precursors and specific nutrients can improve memory in drug-naive patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-supplement-mixture-memory-mild-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 12 Jul 2012 05:50:02 EST news261287299 (HealthDay) -- Although the evidence is limited, nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) have a potential role to play in facilitating reduction of added sugar intake, as long as they do not cause a compensatory increase in energy intake, according to a new scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association and published online July 9 in Circulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-nonnutritive-sweetener-role-sugar-intake.html Health Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:00:01 EST news261127965 (HealthDay) -- All patients with psoriasis should be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B core antibody prior to the initiation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor therapy, according to research published online June 25 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-hep-screening-urged-tnf-alpha-inhibitor.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:51:13 EST news260369467 (HealthDay) -- Exposure to specific solvents is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the June issue of the Annals of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-specific-solvents-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:50:01 EST news260040179 (HealthDay) -- Compared with lean patients, obese patients with asthma have higher neutrophil counts and a reduced response to corticosteroid treatment, according to a study published online June 12 in Allergy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-obese-asthma-patients-treatment-response.html Overweight and Obesity Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:10:01 EST news259853979 (HealthDay) -- About 20 percent of patients diagnosed with stage IV metastatic solid tumors do not receive anticancer treatment, according to a study published online June 15 in Cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-therapy-percent-stage-iv-solid.html Cancer Sat, 23 Jun 2012 06:58:31 EST news259653498 Scientists have created versions of the H5N1 bird flu that spread easily among mammals through droplets in sneezes and have concluded that the deadly virus could trigger a global pandemic in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-pandemic-bird-flu-transmissible-air.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:30:08 EST news259594201 (HealthDay) -- A large proportion of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis are underdiagnosed and undertreated for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-psoriasis-patients-undertreated-cv-factors.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:40:01 EST news259577534 (HealthDay) -- Mental imagery (MI) training does not result in an improvement in objective surgical assessment of novice gynecological surgeons performing vaginal hysterectomies (VHs), but does correlate with improvements in resident self-confidence, according to a study published online June 7 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-mental-imagery-doesnt-surgeon.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:03:40 EST news259243406 (HealthDay) -- Weight loss, particularly intentional weight loss, is associated with a reduced incidence of cancer and mortality, especially for women and for obesity-related cancers, according to a review published online June 4 in Obesity Reviews. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-weight-loss-linked-cancer-incidence.html Overweight and Obesity Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:00:01 EST news258983773 (HealthDay) -- Patients with psoriasis have significantly higher odds for having at least one of 14 other autoimmune diseases, according to a study published online June 4 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-psoriasis-tied-autoimmune-diseases.html Immunology Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:30:01 EST news258983810 (HealthDay) -- The association between vascular disease, as measured by abdominal aortic calcifications (AACs), and disc height loss is independent of cardiovascular disease and is largely explained by patient age, gender, and body mass index (BMI), according to a study published in the April issue of The Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-link-vascular-disease-disc-height.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:20:02 EST news258376752 (HealthDay) -- For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who undergo total hip replacement (THR), the rate of major venous thromboembolism (VTE) is significantly higher in those treated with enoxaparin compared to those treated with desirudin, according to a study published online June 4 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-higher-vte-ckd-surgical-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:30:01 EST news258376565 (HealthDay) -- Nearly half of patients continue to use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) even after pH studies confirm that they do not have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and most do not recall being instructed to stop taking PPIs, according to a study published in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-patients-ppis-negative-gerd.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:00:01 EST news258120463 (HealthDay) -- Continuing use of bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with second-line chemotherapy improves overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who have progressed after discontinuation of first-line bevacizumab and chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-asco-avastin-2nd-line-chemo-ups.html Cancer Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:30:01 EST news258120168 (HealthDay) -- Although live head lice obtained from school-aged children in Paris remain susceptible to the insecticide malathion, approximately 14 percent have been found to be resistant to permethrin, suggesting a strong basis for future insecticide resistance, according to research published online May 24 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-lice-permethrin-resistance.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:01:07 EST news258120033 (HealthDay) -- For patients with metastatic melanoma with activating mutations in serine-threonine protein kinase B-RAF (BRAF), treatment with the oral selective MEK inhibitor trametinib is associated with improved progression-free and overall survival, compared with chemotherapy, according to a study published online June 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-asco-trametinib-survival-metastatic-melanoma.html Cancer Tue, 05 Jun 2012 04:10:01 EST news258086357 (HealthDay) -- A statewide coordinated effort across hospitals and emergency medical service (EMS) providers to transport patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to hospitals providing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has resulted in improved outcomes, according to a study published online June 4 in Circulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-statewide-stemi-approach-deemed-successful.html Cardiology Tue, 05 Jun 2012 03:38:13 EST news258086277 (HealthDay) -- Acellular dermal matrices provide good outcomes for patients undergoing breast reconstruction following mastectomy, but the human AlloDerm matrix has a higher seroma rate than porcine Strattice matrix, according to a study published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-acellular-dermal-matrix-safe-breast.html Surgery Sat, 02 Jun 2012 05:30:01 EST news257829880 (HealthDay) -- There is a strong association between degenerative spondylolisthesis and spinous process fracture in patients undergoing interspinous process spacer (IPS) surgery, according to a study published online May 24 in The Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-spondylolisthesis-linked-spinous-fractures.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sat, 02 Jun 2012 04:50:01 EST news257829849 (HealthDay) -- Increasing the number of bone grafts and screws used for fusing multiple cervical spine segments yields a more stable construct that decreases the stresses at the graft end plate and bone-screw interfaces, according to a study published online May 10 in The Spine Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-bone-grafts-tied-spinal-reconstruction.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:38:34 EST news257744286 (HealthDay) -- The incidence of rosacea in the United Kingdom is 1.65 per 1,000 person-years, with alcohol consumption linked to a modest increase in risk and current smoking linked to an decreased risk, according to a study published online May 5 in the British Journal of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-epidemiology-rosacea-kingdom.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 21 May 2012 04:40:01 EST news256791790 (HealthDay) -- For patients with V600 BRAF-mutant solid tumors, treatment with the oral BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib and the oral MEK 1/2 inhibitor trametinib is tolerated and has clinical activity in BRAF inhibitor-naive metastatic melanoma, according to a study released May 16 in advance of presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-asco-dabrafenibtrametinib-metastatic-melanoma.html Cancer Thu, 17 May 2012 13:52:34 EST news256480626 (HealthDay) -- Drug company researchers say they've determined which multiple sclerosis patients are most vulnerable to developing a rare brain infection while taking a powerful drug called Tysabri (natalizumab). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-leukoencephalopathy-factors-idd-ms-drug.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 17 May 2012 05:30:01 EST news256450373 (HealthDay) -- For patients presenting with dyspnea, the additional measurement of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels increases the certainty of diagnosis of heart failure and accelerates initiation of appropriate treatment, but does not reduce medical costs, according to a study published online May 2 in the Journal of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-peptide-ups-diagnosis-heart-failure.html Cardiology Tue, 15 May 2012 13:55:11 EST news256308905 (HealthDay) -- Treatment with sumatriptan and naproxen sodium (suma/nap) is well tolerated and effective in reducing migraine pain in adolescents, according to a study published online May 14 in Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-sumatriptannaproxen-teens-migraines.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 15 May 2012 04:46:07 EST news256275961 (HealthDay) -- In children and adolescents with brain tumors treated with proton radiation, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores are affected by both disease type and treatment, with assessments made by the patients correlating well with those of their parents, according to a study published online May 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-health-related-qol-children-brain-tumors.html Cancer Wed, 09 May 2012 12:58:52 EST news255787046 (HealthDay) -- Neither induction chemotherapy (ICT) nor high-dose radiation boost is associated with an improvement in five-year colostomy-free survival (CFS) in patients with locally advanced anal canal carcinoma (LAACC), according to a study published online April 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-benefit-induction-chemo-high-dose-boost.html Cancer Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:40:01 EST news254659064 "Journals, professional associations, clinical guideline developers, and others need to worry not just that disclosure provides a band-aid to the real problem of the [conflict of interest] itself, but that any attempt to stem the trouble through disclosure policies may actually be worsening the problem," say the editors of PLoS Medicine writing in an editorial that discusses the response to a paper published in the Journal last month, which examined the financial conflicts of interest of members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) responsible for updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-disclosure-financial-conflicts-worsen-medical.html Other Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:00:01 EST news254505557