MedPage Today (1/5, Gever) reported that individuals "taking tiotropium bromide (Spiriva) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appear to be at decreased risk for death and cardiovascular events compared with placebo," according to research published in the Jan. issue of CHEST. When investigators "pooled safety data from 30 clinical...

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Bloomberg News (1/1, Bennett) reported, "Erection problems are more common among men with a disorder that causes sufferers to have an irresistible urge to move their legs than those without the condition," according to a new Harvard paper in Sleep. In fact, those experiencing restless leg syndrome "15 or more times per month have almost a t...

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Source: MedWire News Recommended vitamin D intake may be too low to achieve optimal reduction of falls and fracture risk, study findings suggest. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari (University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland) and co-authors studied patient data from eight randomized controlled trials of falls (n=2426) and 12 of non-vertebral fracture risk (n=...

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Source: MedWire News The treatment and illness beliefs of patients with bipolar disorder predict medication adherence and may represent a potential target for modification, say UK researchers. Adherence to medication is a crucial factor in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder, with non-adherence found to range from 20% to 60%. This leads...

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Source: MedWire News Asthma patients who attend primary health care centers (PHCCs) with asthma clinics tend to have better knowledge about their disease than those who attend PHCCs without such clinics, research shows. Writing in the Primary Care Respiratory Journal, Karin Lisspers and team from Uppsala University in Sweden explain: “To e...

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HealthDay (12/30, Dotinga) reported that, according to a study published online in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, "placebos can help psoriasis patients get by on smaller doses of a steroid drug that dampens their immune systems." Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center gave "one group" of "46 patients with mild and mod...

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The AP (12/30, Mason, Mendoza) reports that healthcare professionals treating HIV/AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa are witnessing an "unforeseen consequence of good intentions." Resistance is growing as clinics suffering from a shortage of new antivirals turn to "inferior meds" -- a scenario being played out around the world. A decade ago, ...

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MedWire News Administration of the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5) tadalafil citrate is associated with a reduction in oxidative stress and increased serum levels of paraoxonase(PON)-1, Turkish researchers have shown. They say their findings support a potentially beneficial impact of PDE5 inhibition on the cardiovascular system, provi...

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