Research shows brain produces serotonin as an immune response
Economist Apr 6, 07 8:55 CDT
(Newser)
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Clinical depression may be treatable with bacteria, doctors at Bristol University posit. They got the idea when they observed lung cancer patients inoculated with harmless Mycobacterium vaccae who showed reduced symptoms and improved mental health. The brain produces serotonin as an immune response, the docs hypothesized, raising the low serotonin levels associated with depression and resulting in a sunnier outlook.
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Why? They don't make pharmeceutical companies enough money
New York Times Apr 5, 07 9:51 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Ralph Moss writes about why inexpensive cancer treatments get no research dollars. The publisher of a newsletter that covers both conventional and alternative cancer therapies, Moss blames the inability to patent already discovered and available chemicals and drugs for the situation.
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Depression is more dangerous before the baby is born, researchers say
Financial Times (UK) Apr 4, 07 8:40 CDT
(Newser)
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Most new mothers with post-partum depression are ill long before their babies are born, the first study of clinical depression during pregnancy has found. The research, conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, shows that depression, triggered by a natural increase in stress hormones during pregnancy, is a "hidden" cause of infant mortality, the FT reports.
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Plan will offer bonuses for boosting patients' use of preventive services
Los Angeles Times Apr 4, 07 8:32 CDT
(Newser)
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The country's largest health insurer says it will pay up for good health--offering bonuses to employees who boost patients' use of preventive medical services. WellPoint Inc.'s plan is intended to encourage participation in programs like diabetes management, which helps patients handle their medical needs before they end up in the emergency room.
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Study finds almost any negative emotion seems to prompt medication
Washington Post Apr 3, 07 6:58 CDT
(Newser)
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Shrinks are too quick to term patients clinically depressed, says a new study reported in the Washington Post . Researchers argue that a quarter of "acute grief reactions," the standard symptom of depression, may in fact constitute normal responses to stress; they blame the bloated psychopharmaceutical industry, in part, for the inaccurate triage.
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Could be available for human transplants in three years
Guardian (UK) Apr 2, 07 7:11 CDT
(Newser)
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A British team has grown a human heart valve from stem cells—a breakthrough certain to ignite as much controversy as hope. Sir Magdi Yacoub, professor of cardiac surgery at Imperial College, tells the Guardian that growing a whole human heart from stem cells is less than a decade away: "I wouldn't be surprised if it was some day sooner than we think."
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Sedatives shown to double death rates
Guardian (UK) Mar 30, 07 10:13 CDT
(Newser)
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Sedatives commonly prescribed to Alzheimer's and dementia patients are leading to their premature death, new research reported in the Guardian concludes. The drugs, called neuroleptics, combat the diseases' more alarming symptoms, including agitation and hallucinations. Their widespread off-label use in the U.K.—where they're licensed only for schitzophrenia—is being called a scandal.
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Lower fertility found in men whose moms scarfed beef during pregnancy
BBC Mar 28, 07 8:23 CDT
(Newser)
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Men whose mothers ate a lot of beef during pregnancy have lower sperm counts, finds a study attempting to track the effect of growth hormones fed to cattle. While the specific chemicals weren't identified, sons of pregnant women who ate beef more than seven times a week were three times as likely to have sperm counts below the fertility threshold.
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Uses near-infrared rays to illuminate tumors and sort benign from malignant
Daily Telegraph (UK) Mar 27, 07 12:58 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A new type of breast scan promises to pick up the tumors mammograms often miss and to distinguish between benign and malignant masses—without surgery. The technology relies on harmless near-infrared light to illuminate the masses, which glow when exposed to a particular chemical combination.
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Hyped as the next big doping scandal, there's not much evidence it even works
Slate Mar 27, 07 11:47 CDT
(Newser)
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Crusaders against performance enhancing drugs should lighten up about Human Growth Hormone: In the sports version of the war on drugs, anabolic steroids are heroin and HGH is marijuana, writes Daniel Engber. Studies haven't shown any definitive increase in athletic abilities resulting from taking HGH, and they have minimal harmful side effects.
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Better blood flow doesn't translate in to fewer heart attacks
Los Angeles Times Mar 27, 07 8:17 CDT
(Newser)
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Stents used to open arteries are no more useful than conventional drug treatment for patients who haven't yet had a heart attack, a new study reveals. In more than 2,000 patients over five years, those who had surgery suffered the same number of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths as those received only drugs.
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Implant delivers shocks to lower blood pressure
Los Angeles Times Mar 26, 07 10:42 CDT
(Newser)
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A pacemaker-like implant that relies on small electrical shocks may cut the risk of heart attack and stroke in half for patients with drug-resistant hypertension, a new study shows. The device, which sends electrical shocks through the neck's carotid arteries, tricks the brain into thinking blood pressure is even higher than it is—and the body kicks in to lower it.
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Doctors are using Adderall for pediatric obesity, pleasing
parents but raising ethical alarms
CNN Mar 23, 07 10:12 CDT
(Newser)
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Pediatricians are giving Adderall, the pill that got America's kids to pay attention in class, to patients without ADHD but looking to shed extra pounds. One of the drug's side effects is appetite suppression, and "off-label" prescriptions are working for some chunky but otherwise normal teenagers. Parents worried about obesity and teasing are delighted, but some doctors are worried.
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Fraudulent sales of "medicinal ants" earned him $400 million
Washington Post Mar 21, 07 3:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A pyramid scheme built on an ant farm earned a Chinese entrepreneur over $400 m