State & Lake

Older adults at risk of dangerous drug interactions — At least 2.2 million older adults in the United States take medications in combinations that could trigger potentially dangerous drug interactions and cause gastrointestinal bleeding, breakdown of muscles, disruption of heart rhythm and other serious medical problems, according to a new study by researchers at the [...]

Food poisoning can sometimes lead to chronic illness — Campylobacter, a bacterium associated with raw chicken, is now recognized as a leading cause of the sudden acute paralysis known as Guillain-Barre syndrome. Certain strains of salmonella, the bacterium involved in the recent outbreak in Mexican raw jalapeno and serrano peppers, can cause arthritis. And E. [...]

Scientists: Cell Phones cause Kidney Failures — Now scientists sat exposure to the phones’ low-level radiation causes red blood cells to leak haemoglobin. The build-up of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body, can lead to heart disease and kidney stones.  The findings will heighten alarm over the safety of mobile phones which are used [...]

Sugary Soft Drinks Linked to Kidney Disease - People who drink two or more soda drinks per day increase their risk of kidney damage that could lead to kidney disease; the strongest risk was associated with lower-weight women and with drinking non-cola sodas, according to data published in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  [...]

Lupus affects the brain very early in the disease — Results of a brain imaging study suggest that the brain may be affected very early in the course of lupus, even before the disease is diagnosed.  Among a group of 97 patients with newly diagnosed SLE, 25 percent had brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging [...]

Attention to bones important in women with lupus — Among premenopausal women taking steroids for lupus, various treatments preserve bone mineral density and “should be considered” for preventing the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, advise researchers in a report published this month.  [Read More]

Social Security Blogger Includes Lupus Info – A popular blogger and former social security disability examiner, Tim Moore, recently added a post on his blog My Social Security Disability Blog providing information for those filing on the basis of lupus.  The social security administration recognizes lupus as a disability, but many people still have difficulty [...]

Memory a Problem for Lupus Patients, Study Finds — The National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver has discovered that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) tend to have subtle problems with attention, memory and reasoning when compared to those without lupus. The research group studied 67 SLE patients free of psychiatric and neurologic [...]

Male circumcision lowers cervical cancer risk: study — Three studies published on Wednesday add to evidence that circumcision can protect men from the deadly AIDS virus and the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.  They found under 15 percent of the circumcised men and 22 percent of the uncircumcised men were infected with the [...]

Estrogen in moisturizers may worsen breast cancer — Breast cancer patients who apply moisturizers may be dosing themselves with estrogen without even knowing it, investigators reported at a breast cancer symposium in San Antonio.  Dr. Adrienne Olson, with Breastlink in Hawthorne, California, and colleagues analyzed 16 widely available moisturizers for estrogen-like compounds. None of the [...]

Fruits, veggies slash breast cancer risk: U.S. study – Certain breast cancer survivors who load up on fruits and vegetables, eating far more than current U.S. guidelines, can slash their risk the tumors will come back by nearly a third, according to a U.S. study released on Monday.  The finding only held for women who [...]

Adding Just A Few Pounds May Put You At Risk During Sleep - Holiday Weight Gain Holds Hidden Danger — Indulging in high-calorie foods during the holidays resulting in weight gain, especially around the neck, may lead to more problems than facing yourself in the mirror after the new year, says a Diplomat of the [...]

Blue and Broke for the Holidays - Economic woes ratchet up mental health problems already more common this time of year: “Mental health problems are common and spike more often during the winter months not only because of the holidays, but also because of seasonal affective disorder,” said Dr. Timothy Fong, assistant professor of psychiatry [...]

After Severe Heart Attack Women Get Less Needed Hospital Treatment And More Likely To Die — A new US study suggests that following a severe heart attack, women are less likely to get the care they need in hospital at the time they need it and they are more likely to die compared to men.  [...]

Early-Stage Kidney Disease In Diabetes Patients Could Be Reversed By Vitamin B1 — Researchers at the University of Warwick have discovered high doses of thiamine - vitamin B1 - can reverse the onset of early diabetic kidney disease. The team has discovered taking high oral doses of thiamine can dramatically decrease the excretion of albumin [...]

Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble - Vitamin D deficiency - which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness - may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well [...]

FDA Declines to Approve Targanta Antibiotic — The U.S. drug regulators decided not to approve the company’s injectable antiobiotic oritavancin until an additional clinical study is performed.  The drug oritavancin treats skin infections caused by antiobiotic-resistant superbugs like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). [Read More]

Coping with Lyme disease:  Local victims hope to warn others to take precautions — Three generations of a Jack Tobichuk’s Foxboro family have been stricken with Lyme disease. And Foxboro police officer Doug Miller is quietly suffering with late-stage Lyme. After a five-day hospitalization in Boston, Miller, 58, is hooked up at home to a [...]

Lupus knocks down mother of four — A little less than a year ago, Susan was working and providing a good living for herself and her four children.  She provided daycare in her home, so feeling tired at the end of the day wasn’t unusual.  “But then I had real fatigue. I wanted to sleep [...]

Cell Receptor Identified As Target For Anti-inflammatory Immune Response — Researchers at The Rockefeller University found that a receptor known to shield HIV and Hepatitis C from an effective immune response is also essential to the therapeutic effects of a common anti-inflammatory drug, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The finding opens up new possibilities for developing drugs [...]

Link Between Low Potassium Land High Blood Pressure – As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as important as high levels of sodium - especially among African Americans, according to research presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in [...]

Blood pressure gap leads to deaths of 8,000 blacks — The lives of nearly 8,000 black Americans could be saved each year if doctors could figure out a way to bring their average blood pressure down to the average level of whites, a surprising new study found. The gap between the races in controlling blood [...]

Live Web Chat Examines Healthy Eating And Weight Management In Lupus — An estimated 1.5 million Americans and at least five million people worldwide are living with some form of lupus, an unpredictable and potentially fatal autoimmune disease. While medications are important to managing lupus, there also are a number of lifestyle adjustments people with [...]

AARP Suspends Marketing, Sales Of Benefit Plans Due To Grassley Inquiry — AARP on Friday said it would suspend marketing and sales of health insurance plans after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week said the plans are misleading and do not work in typical situations, CQ HealthBeat reports (CQ HealthBeat, 11/7). The plans, offered by [...]

Green tea may delay onset of type 1 diabetes - A powerful antioxidant in green tea may prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.   Researchers were testing EGCG, green tea’s predominant antioxidant, in a laboratory mouse with type 1 diabetes and primary Sjogren’s syndrome, which damages moisture-producing [...]

Risk of kidney failure higher among blacks with lupus nephritis - Racial and ethnic disparities in systemic lupus erythematosus, and one of its worst complications, kidney failure, continue to grow in the U.S. The number of new cases of kidney failure due to lupus occurring among African Americans has now surpassed that in Caucasians, with [...]

Why Popeye Has Good Blood Sugar — Popeye’s power vegetable can do good things for your body, too — like fortify it against blood sugar problems.  That’s right. Eating spinach — and other leafy greens — was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in a recent study.  [Read More]

Heart Attack Risk Increased Globally By ‘Western’ Diet — The typical Western diet - fried foods, salty snacks and meat - accounts for about 30 percent of heart attack risk across the world, according to a study of dietary patterns in 52 countries reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers identified three [...]

Study Shows How Breastfeeding Transfers Immunity To Babies – A BYU-Harvard-Stanford research team has identified a molecule that is key to mothers’ ability to pass along immunity to intestinal infections to their babies through breast milk.  This is why previous studies have shown that formula-fed infants have twice the incidence of diarrheal illness as breast-fed [...]