Helping COPD patients take their medicine
Over 24 million people in the U.S. have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is the third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. It can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and other symptoms. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD ... READ MORE
Vaccine study focuses on C. diff bacteria
The bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. diff for short) exists throughout the environment, and can often be found inside people’s intestines. While it frequently causes no or few symptoms, it can cause a range of intestinal woes, including frequent diarrhea, inflammation of the colon, fever, nausea and abdominal pain. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening. Those most at risk of ... READ MORE
Studying if fasting protects your brain
The equation to lose weight is simple: Burn more calories than you take in each day. But a popular recent diet trend goes beyond this, promoting fasting two days a week to not just lose weight but gain other benefits, like less inflammation and insulin resistance. Doctors with the National Institute of Aging in Baltimore are conducting a study to see if this intermittent fasting may... READ MORE
Studying if weight loss can help with COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of illnesses that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In people with COPD, the airways in the lungs become partly blocked, which makes it more difficult to breathe. COPD is a progressive disease, and is primarily caused by long-term smoking. It is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Symptoms of... READ MORE
Healthy men 55+ sought for paid research
Some studies show that when you get cold, you burn more calories to keep your body warm. A kind of body fat called brown fat may be especially good at burning calories. Brown fat is a special kind of fat, typically having a greater number of blood vessels, that can quickly generate warmth. For many years, hibernating animals and infants have been known to have brown fat. Recently, it has ... READ MORE
Why is ‘more study’ so often needed?
Q: Why is it that I so often hear about medical news with a wishy-washy conclusion and the last words being “more study needed”? A: online pharmacy buy doxycycline without prescription with best prices today in the USA It’s true. When medical research is described in the news — no matter how promising — the last line is usually a disclaimer about how more research is... READ MORE
Tailored treatments for hard-to-treat cancer
Perhaps chemotherapy was successful at first, but now the cancer is back and growing quickly. Or radiation failed to obliterate all of a tumor. Patients who may have been told that there is nothing else doctors can do are now being sought for a trial of targeted drugs matched to their genetic profiles. A study launched last fall, the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry... READ MORE
Testing acupuncture against side effects
Studies have shown that complementary medical therapies, such as acupuncture, can be highly effective in controlling symptoms of disease without the unpleasant side effects many traditional therapies have. GBMC and Mend Acupuncture are currently conducting a study to look at the use of acupuncture during cancer treatment as a cost-effective, non-drug tool for symptom management. The... READ MORE
Care for hip fracture patients with dementia
Since 1983, researchers in the Division of Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, have been gathering data on more than 2,000 hip fracture patients with the goal of identifying promising ways to improve their recovery. The University of Maryland and the National Institute on Aging are currently recruiting participants for a pilot study that will evaluate a home-based... READ MORE
Easing agitation in Alzheimer’s patients
Anxiety and agitation are commonly found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. These behavioral changes may be caused by different medical conditions, medication interactions, or circumstances that continue to worsen the person’s ability to think. As an individual with dementia is biologically experiencing a loss of their ability to negotiate new information and different stimuli,... READ MORE
