Month: June 2012

No link seen between bone drugs, colon cancer

Your Health Matters

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who use certain bone-building drugs may not have a decreased risk of colon cancer, a new study finds — despite prior evidence suggesting the drugs might offer some protection. The drugs, called bisphosphonates, include brands like Fosamax, Boniva, Reclast and Actonel, along with generic versions. They are used to prevent and treat the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, which mainly strikes older women. The drugs can also be used to help treat cancer that has spread to the bone from other sites in the body. …

GenVec’s cattle vaccine gets conditional approval, shares up

Your Health Matters

(Reuters) – GenVec Inc said its foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine got a conditional approval from a U.S. regulator, sending its shares up 17 percent. The vaccine is GenVec’s first approved product. The company said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)issued a conditional license to Antelope Valley Bios Inc, which manufactures the vaccine under a contract from GenVec. Foot-and-mouth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hooved animals, although not usually fatal. …

More Hispanics die waiting for a heart transplant

Your Health Matters

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Hispanic patients in need of a heart transplant are 50 percent more likely to die before they get one than white patients, according to new research. And although that wasn’t the case for black transplant patients in the study, the results suggest they have a higher chance of dying soon after they’ve received a donor heart than whites. “All of us have recognized that ethnicity and race play a role in outcomes,” said Dr. Ashish Shah, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, who was not involved in this research. …

Ex-NFL players join to sue league on head injuries

Your Health Matters

(Reuters) – More than 2,000 former NFL players have joined forces in a lawsuit due to be filed on Thursday alleging the league deliberately and fraudulently concealed from players the risk of brain injury from playing professional football. The master complaint joins together more than 80 lawsuits previously filed by former players on a topic that has generated increasing concern following the suicides of former players such as Pro Bowl linebacker Junior Seau on May 2. The 86-page lawsuit was due to be filed shortly at U.S. …

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Lifestyle vies with heredity in centenarian stakes

Your Health Matters

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Genetics may be the best predictor of longevity, but lifestyle choices, including staying connected with family and friends, are key components to reaching the age of 100, according to a new poll released on Wednesday. More than 80 percent of 100 men and women who have already hit the milestone said being socially active had helped them get there, and a similar number of baby boomers believe it will help them reach their 100th birthday. …

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