Health & Wellness NewsSeptember 3, 2010

Type 2 Diabetes Drug May Increase Fracture Risk

Study adds to evidence of possible link between thiazolidinediones and bone fractures, researchers say

Patients who take the diabetes drugs known as thiazolidinediones may be at higher risk of bone fracture, new research suggests.

In the study, Dr. Ian Douglas of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and colleagues searched a database of more than 6 million patients in the United Kingdom and found 1,819 people aged 40 and older who had had a bone fracture and had been prescribed a type of thiazolidinedione. The drugs were introduced in the 1990s and are used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Clot-Busting Therapy Under Review

Cardiologists looking at new generation of drugs as Plavix trial shows double dosage best for angioplasty

Even as they digest the latest news on what dose of the clot-dissolving drug Plavix is best during angioplasty, cardiologists are looking at the next generation of clot-busters that could replace Plavix.

Clot-dissolving therapy was the big buzz among cardiologists at last week's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in San Francisco, according to Dr. Daniel I. Simon, a professor of cardiovascular research at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Men Not Being Told Enough About PSA Tests

Pros, cons of cancer screen not understood, research shows

Most men are not being told the pros and cons of PSA tests, two new studies find.

Although PSA tests can detect prostate cancer, they can't predict which cancers are aggressive and which are so slow-growing that they don't need to be treated. This leads to overtreatment, which can have immediate consequences, such as impotence and incontinence, and only a tiny increase in survival, researchers say.

When Pounds Go, Sleep Apnea May Improve

10 percent weight loss increases remission odds, but any amount helps, experts say

People with sleep apnea who are also obese may triple the chances of eliminating their sleep problems by losing weight, a new study suggests.

Losing about 10 percent of their body weight was enough to bring on total or near-total remission, said Gary Foster, head of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, and lead author of the study.

Heart Patients Benefit From At-Home Care, Study Finds

Improvements seen in depression, quality of life

Patients with worsening chronic heart failure may find "hospital-at-home" care is a good alternative to treatment in a traditional hospital, Italian researchers report.

An estimated 5 million North Americans suffer from chronic heart failure, a condition in which the heart struggles to pump blood to the body. In the United States, worsening chronic heart failure is the cause of more than 1 million hospital admissions a year, and patients have a 50 percent risk of readmission within six months of discharge, according to the authors of a study published in the Sept.