Health Discoveries in 2011-02
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Some forms of MS aided by plasma exchange
February 25, 2011
Severe flares of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be eased by plasma exchange (plasmapheresis), a blood-filtering procedure, but will not help advanced stages of the disease, according to a recent issue of Neurology.
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Hearing device benefits children when started at early age
February 23, 2011
A Dutch study found that children who were fitted with bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) benefitted when they had loss in one or both ears.
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Obesity adds to pain of patients with fibromyalgia
February 22, 2011
Patients with fibromyalgia who are also obese have more severe symptoms, including pain, reduced physical strength, less flexibility and sleep disturbances, according to a recent issue of The Journal of Pain.
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Cancer drug has good results in infant eye treatment
February 17, 2011
An inexpensive cancer drug injected into the eyes of preterm infants who develop a condition that can lead to blindness was found to be more effective than laser treatments.
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Expectations may influence painkiller effectiveness
February 17, 2011
Patients' expectation that their pain-killers won't work may be able to reduce the effectiveness of the drugs, a study by British and German researchers found.
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New pacemaker for safe MRIs approved by FDA
February 9, 2011
A heart pacemaker that can be used safely when a patient is scanned by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam has been approved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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More sun and vitamin D may lower MS risk
February 9, 2011
Australian researchers have found that higher levels of vitamin D and greater sun exposure may lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the February issue of the journal Neurology.
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Shingles recurrences more common than previously believed
February 9, 2011
Repeat cases of shingles are more likely to develop than previously believed, based on patients tracked for eight years after they experienced the disease, researchers at Olmsted Medical Center in Minnesota found.
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New prostate guidelines lower initial exam age to 45
February 8, 2011
New guidelines in the treatment of an enlarged prostate lower the index age at which doctors should initially examine men for the condition from age 50 to age 45, according to the American Urological Association (AUA)
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CRT-D heart treatment found to benefit women most
February 8, 2011
A study on heart patients in the U.S., Canada and Europe found that cardiac sysynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) is twice as effective in preventing heart failure in women than in men.
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