Age likely a factor in colon cancer chemotherapy

2010-03-16T16:00:19Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Older patients with colon cancer are less likely to receive chemotherapy after surgery than younger people but have fewer serious side-effects when they do get the treatment, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.</p><p>When older patients do receive the treatment, it tends to be at a less toxic dose and over a shorter period than younger patients receive, according to a study in t...

Brain scans show signs of early Alzheimer's: study

2010-03-15T13:30:14Z

<div><p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - People with a family history of Alzheimer's disease often have clumps of a toxic protein in their brains even though they are perfectly healthy, researchers said on Monday.</p><p>They said the findings could lead to new ways to identify people most likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, when there is still time to do something about i...

FDA rules out bisphosphonate, thigh fracture link

2010-03-10T18:00:07Z

<div><p>BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators said on Wednesday they have found no link between oral bisphosphonate osteoporosis medications such as Merck & Co Inc's Fosamax and certain thigh bone fractures.</p><p>The

Pfizer Alzheimer's disease drug fails in study

2010-03-03T14:32:21Z

<div id="subtitle">Pfizer says Alzheimer's treatment Dimebon did not meet any goals in 1st late-stage trial</div><div><p>A promising Alzheimer's disease drug Pfizer Inc. and a partner are developing failed to work in a late-stage study, a startling disappointment after the potential blockbuster kept symptoms from worsening for a year in a prior test.</p><p>Pfize...

Summary Box: Alzheimer's drug fails in late test

2010-03-03T12:46:15Z

<div id="subtitle">Summary Box: Alzheimer's drug in development by Pfizer, Medivation fails to work in late test</div><div><p>DRUG DISAPPOINTMENT: After strong results in a midstage study, an Alzheimer's drug Pfizer Inc. is developing with a partner unexpectedly failed to work in a late-stage patient test.</p><p>WHAT'S NEXT: Scientists at Pfizer ...

Medivation tumbles on Dimebon trial failure

2010-03-03T09:45:20Z

<div id="subtitle">Medivation loses about two-thirds of value on negative study results for Alzheimer's drug</div><div><p>Shares of Medivation Inc. plunged Wednesday after the failure of Dimebon, an Alzheimer's drug the company is developing with Pfizer Inc.</p><p>Medivation stock lost about two-third...

Brain images suggest Alzheimer's drug is working

2010-02-28T19:15:08Z

<div><p>LONDON (Reuters) - New imaging technology suggests an experimental drug for Alzheimer's reduces clumps of plaque in the brain by around 25 percent, lifting hopes for a medicine that disappointed in clinical tests two years ago.</p><p>Bapineuzumab -- being developed by Pfizer Inc, Irish drugmaker Reuters Health) - Elderly adults with poor vision, particularly untreated vision problems, may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those with better vision, a new study suggests.</p><p>Researchers found that among 625 older Americans with initially normal cognition, those who said they had poor vision even with corrective lenses were more likely to develop dementia over the next...

Feeding tubes may be overused in demented patients

2010-02-22T10:16:30Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Whether or not a person with advanced dementia winds up with a feeding tube inserted down their throat may have more to do with economic concerns than his or her wishes, suggests a new study out in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).&am...

Amgen sees positive data in bone drug study

2010-02-22T10:35:48Z

<div id="subtitle">Amgen says potential bone drug tops rival in late-stage study on prostate cancer patients</div><div><p>Amgen Inc. said its osteoporosis drug candidate denosumab beat a rival drug in reducing and delaying the rate of fractures in men with prostate cancer during a study.</p><p>The drug, also called Prolia, is viewed by

Daily pill helped cure osteoporosis in mice, rats

2010-02-22T10:51:58Z

<div><p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - A once-a-day pill helped completely rebuild bone in rodents with severe osteoporosis, a finding that could lead to a new class of drugs to treat the brittle-bone disease in humans, U.S. researchers said.</p><p>The team tested a compound that bloc...

British dementia costs seen rising, research urged

2010-02-22T12:22:15Z

<div><p>LONDON (Reuters) - Dementia costs Britain 23 billion pounds ($37 billion) a year, more than cancer and heart disease combined, and the number of sufferers is expected to rise nearly 20 percent to over a million by 2025, experts said Wednesday.</p><p>A study for the Reuters Health) - Men with impaired brain function may be at higher risk of suffering a stroke, even if these impairments are quite minor, a new study published today in the journal Neurology hints.</p><p>Several studies have suggested a link between seriously impaired cognitive function and stroke, Dr....

Understanding the Job of Gerontology Nursing

2010-02-22T12:54:20Z

With the rapid aging of the American population resulting in more and more seniors in need of continuing medical care, the health care industry has responded by devoting more attention than ever before to the unique treatment needs of elderly patients. The nursing segment of the health care industry has responded with equal vigor, and many nurses now focus their educational endeavors in the field of gerontology - the care of older adults. Gerontological nursing is now one of the fastest growi...

Judge refuses to dismiss Fosamax case, sets trial

2010-02-22T13:29:56Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Manhattan federal judge refused on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Merck &amp; Co Inc's osteoporosis drug Fosamax caused jaw damage to an Indiana woman during the nearly eight years she took the pill.</p&...

New target for fighting Alzheimer's: study

2010-02-22T14:30:26Z

<div><p>French researchers said Tuesday they had found a promising new target in the fight against Alzheimer's, the debilitating brain disease that causes irreversible memory loss and dementia.</p><p>In laboratory experiments, a team led by Etienne-Emile Beaulieu of the

More blood pressure worry: It's linked to dementia

2010-02-22T14:55:49Z

<div id="subtitle">HEALTHBEAT: Study will put to test growing evidence linking high blood pressure to dementia</div><div><p>If the cardiologist's warnings don't scare you, consider this: Controlling blood pressure just might be the best protection yet known against dementia.</p><p>In a flurry of new research, scientists scanned people's brains to show hypertension fuels a kind of scarring linked to later developm...

Dimebon An Older Russian Antihistamine Now Being Touted For Alzheimers Disease

2010-02-22T16:48:27Z

Dimebon, or Dimebolin Hydrochloride, is an alternative medication for Alzheimer?s disease. It originated in Russia as an antihistamine for allergies and hayfever. It has been sold in Russia over-the-counter but after several antihistamines were introduced to the market, thus, it became less popular.<br><br>Dimebon is not the latest drug for Alzheimer's disease. Russians have b...

What Are the Causes and Symptoms of Alzheimer?s and Other Dementias?

2010-02-22T17:17:11Z

What Is Alzheimer's disease?<br><br>Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible disease of the brain that affects somebody memory and additional abilities.<br><br>How Common Is Alzheimer's disease?<br><br>Alzheimer's disease is the common form of dementia in people age sixty-five and over. Across 5.2 million Americans are approximated to have Alzheimer's disease. By 2050 this number is expected to reach eleven...

Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

2010-02-22T19:45:43Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only staves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging.</p><p>In one study, researchers found evidence that engaging in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or yo...

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