18 Jul, 2011
Cost High Cost
A new study examining the cost-effectiveness of drugs to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States finds that the health gains from these drugs come at a very high cost compared to basic therapy to control the symptoms of MS and compared to treatments for other chronic diseases. The research is published in the July 20, 2011, online issue of , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Disease-modifying drugs for MS became available in the 1990s.
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18 Jul, 2011
Strategy Strategy First
US advocates are marking the one-year anniversary of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy by reviewing what has been achieved and what still needs priority attention. The three principal goals of NHAS are: *Reducing HIV incidence; *Increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes; and *Minimizing HIV-related health disparities. The National Minority AIDS Council said the viability of NHAS is dependent upon the full support of President Obama, Congress and members of the public health community. “While not perfect, initiatives like [CDC’s] Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Planning and Implementation and [HHS’] 12 Cities Project are promising programs aimed at identifying ways to effectively allocate funds and identify gaps in infrastructure and services,” the council added. Michael Read more…
17 Jul, 2011
Early Eye Test
PARIS (AP) Scientists in Australia are reporting encouraging early results from a simple eye test they hope will give a noninvasive way to detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease.Although it has been tried on just a small number of people and more research is needed, the experimental test has a solid basis: Alzheimer’s is known to cause changes in the eyes, not just the brain. Other scientists in the United States also are working on an eye test for detecting the disease.A separate study found that falls might be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s. Read more…
17 Jul, 2011
Brain Injury Injury Traumatic Brain Traumatic Brain Injury
Years after a single traumatic brain injury (TBI), survivors still show changes in their brains. In a new study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggest that Alzheimer’s disease-like neurodegeneration may be initiated or accelerated following a single traumatic brain injury, even in young adults.
Over 1.7 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, and beyond the immediate effects, growing evidence demonstrates that a single TBI may initiate long-term processes that further damage the brain.
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17 Jul, 2011
Breast Cancer Cancer
Experts have earlier warned that alcohol consumption increases the risk of contracting breast cancer. Now for the first time, a new study has shown that it also raises the risk of a woman dying from it once she has.
According to researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Milan, women who drank as little as two small glasses of wine on a daily basis were more likely to die from breast cancer if they later developed it than those who drank less.
A typical 125ml glass of wine contains between eight and 12 grams of alcohol while a pint of strong lager contains nearly 24 grams.
The researchers studied 264 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1987 and 2001 and had also taken part in lifestyle studies that gathered information on their alcohol consumption before diagnosis.
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