Medical – Page 19 – Bianca Nogrady

Cannabis linked to serious cardiovascular complications

July 7, 2014No Comments

From Medicine Today, June 2014: Cannabis use is associated with a significant increase in the risk of serious cardiovascular complications such as acute coronary syndrome, arteriopathies and acute cerebral angiopathy, according to data from the French Addictovigilance Network. Researchers found 1.8% of the 1979 cannabis-related reports to the Network, which collects physician data on serious … Continue reading Cannabis linked to serious cardiovascular complications

The health costs of early menopause

July 7, 2014No Comments

From Medicine Today, June 2014: Early natural menopause is associated with a moderate but significant increase in the risk of heart failure, particularly among smokers, a large prospective population-based study has found. Data from 22,256 postmenopausal women in the Swedish Mammography Cohort showed those who experienced natural menopause between 40 and 45 years of age … Continue reading The health costs of early menopause

Does BMI measure up?

June 19, 2014No Comments

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 19 June 2014 Do you know your Body Mass Index, also known as BMI? It’s easy to calculate – simply take your weight in kilograms and divide it by the square of your height in metres. If the number you reach is between 20 and 25, congratulations. You are one … Continue reading Does BMI measure up?

Radiation exposure in children with heart disease highest for transplants

June 17, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 9 June 2014: Children with heart disease are cumulatively exposed to relatively low levels of ionizing radiation from imaging procedures – less than the average annual background exposure in the United States – although those who have undergone more complex procedures such as heart transplants or cardiac catheterization experience significantly greater exposure, … Continue reading Radiation exposure in children with heart disease highest for transplants

Can homeopathy ‘work’ even when there’s no evidence?

May 23, 2014No Comments

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 23 May 2014: The debate about the effectiveness of homeopathy is nothing new. Most recently it made headlines after Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council released a draft information paper on homeopathy which found there were “no health conditions for which there was reliable evidence that homeopathy was effective”. … Continue reading Can homeopathy ‘work’ even when there’s no evidence?

Salt targets could reduce cardiovascular disease burden and health expenditures

May 6, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 6 May 2014: MELBOURNE – Reducing salt intake to less than 5 g/day could reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease by 11% and significantly decrease out-of-pocket health expenditures, particularly among economically vulnerable middle-income households, according to a modeling study of South Africa’s salt reduction policy. The study used surveys and epidemiological data to … Continue reading Salt targets could reduce cardiovascular disease burden and health expenditures

Significant improvements in adherence, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol with polypill

May 6, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 6 May 2014: A polypill combining aspirin, simvastatin, and two antihypertensive drugs has shown a significant improvement in adherence as well as reductions in blood pressure and LDL cholesterol in patients with existing heart disease, according to data from a large international multicenter trial. The Single Pill to Avert Cardiovascular Events (SPACE) … Continue reading Significant improvements in adherence, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol with polypill

Unblocking the antibiotics pipeline

May 3, 2014No Comments

From ABC Science, 2 May 2014: The time has come for a major rethink on antibiotics believes Monash University researcher Professor Jian Li. “People think you can throw antibiotics in the system or in the patient and it will kill the bacterial cells, but actually there are two major factors we have to consider,” says … Continue reading Unblocking the antibiotics pipeline

Does diet affect children’s behaviour?

May 1, 2014No Comments

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 1 May 2014: Talk to many parents and they’ll list a number of foods guaranteed to turn their normally well-behaved offspring into an uncontrollable monster. But speak to those who spend their days working with children who have behavioural problems and you get a very different perspective. Parenting forums, blogs … Continue reading Does diet affect children’s behaviour?

Young adult stroke leaves one in eight dependent

May 1, 2014No Comments

From Medicine Today, April 2014: One in eight individuals who experience ischaemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage before the age of 50 years still struggle to function independently 10 years after the event, say researchers. A study of 722 patients aged 18 to 50 years presenting with their first stroke, haemorrhage or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) … Continue reading Young adult stroke leaves one in eight dependent