Aspirin - It has been proved that low doses of Aspirin taken daily can reduce the risk of a first heart attack by an average of 30% in men but a recent publication based on a 10 year long study on Women's health found no difference between the results in women for those who were on placebo and those on Aspirin. The only age group that proved positive to the previous study was the age group greater than 65 years. This probably is related to the estrogen level which decreases after menopause. Estrogen is protective for the heart. Nevertheless low-dose aspirin did reduce the risk of stroke in women of all ages.
Asthma - New York University found two more risk factors for Asthma - Flour and Laughter
Autism - Autism has been said to be related to vaccination in previous studies but a recent study by the Mayo Clinic challenges this opinion. They found that the apparent increase in Autism can be traced to improved awareness of the disease and the changes in the way the condition is diagnosed but not necessarily to immunizations
Avian Flu - The possiblity of a flu pandemic has kept health officials all over the world busy. The dreaded H5N1 strain of the virus has affected 132 people and half of them have already died. The only reason more humans haven't died is that the particular flu virus has difficulty transmitting from one person to another. Although a single mutation can change the whole scenario.
BiDiL - BiDil is a prescription medicine for the treatment of heart failure in self-identified African American patients who are already being treated with standard therapy. It was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). BiDil combines two ingredients (isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine hydrochloride) that cause arteries and veins to dilate, or expand. BiDil is indicated for the treatment of heart failure in addition to standard therapy in self-identified black patients to:
- Improve survival
- Prolong time to first hospitalization for heart failure
- Improve patient-reported functional status
Breast Cancer - Herceptin, a powerful drug for treating advanced cases of HER2- positive breast cancers , has been found to reduce recurrence of early stage of HER2 cancers by 46%.
Colon Cancer - Two studies -
(1) One study reported that patients taking 1,200 mg of the mineral daily for four years had 36% fewer colon polyps, even five years after the trial ended, than those who didn't take calcium.
(2) In a separate study, women taking more than 800 mg of Calcium every day reduced the risk of colorectal cancer by 46%.
Prostate Cancer - The prostate uses Vitamin D - that the body makes in response to sunlight - to grow normally and crowd out cancer cells in the organ. The study found that men with high exposure to sun had half the risk to prostate cancer than men who spent most of their days indoors.
Cloning - World's first genetically cloned puppy, Snuppy, created from a single cell from the ear of an Afghan hound by Woo Suk Hwang and team at the Seoul University.
Diabetes - According to a 12 year study of milk drinking men, switching to low- or non-fat dairy products reduces the risk of diabetes. Another risk factor according to another study is exceeding the BMI of 30, which actually doubles the risk.
- Newly developed insulin delivery modes - Nasal sprays and Inhalers
- Other products - Blood sugar monitors with less painful laser lancets
Down Syndrome - A new screening test which factors in the mother's age, a fetal ultrasound measurement and related hormones can be conducted in the 11th week of pregnancy and has shown to have 87% accuracy. An integrated test that combines result from first- and second trimester screens in 96% accurate.
Episiotomy - A compilation of 55 years of research showed that women who have episiotomies are at a greater risk of insjury, take longer time to heal and don't have a better sex life.
Fish Oil ( Omega - 3s) - Oil from Salmon, Sardines and Mackerel has been known to be protective for heart but a recent study showed that if taken in excess, they increased heart- rhythm abnormalities , especially in patients with implantable defibrillators.
Heart - A study in Johns Hopkins has managed to find the pathophysiology of Stress Cardiomyopathy ( also known as " Broken Heart Syndrome " - often mistaken for a classic heart attack). The syndrome is caused by a surge of adrenaline and other stress hormones that temporarily stuns the heart muscle. There is no permanent damage to the heart and patients usually show a dramatic recovery in a few days.
Marijuana - One controlled study showed that a canabis extract " Sativex " not only alleviated the pain of Rheumatoid arthritis but actually suppressed the disease.
An earlier study showed that synthetic cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana, can reduce the inflammation in the brain and may protect it from the cognitive decline associated with alzheimer's disease.
Malaria - The three dose regimen of Vaccine RTS,S ( developed by Glaxo Smith Kline ) decreased the number of clinical cases in age group 1-4 by 36% and the number of severe cases fell by 50%.
Polio - 2005 was supposed to be the year of world-wide eradication of Polio but 1,499 cases were reported. Health officials world wide are optimistic about eliminating the paralytic scourge by 2006.
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