Written on July 28, 2011 by Jade Haigh
Dentists may be able to help spot undiagnosed diabetes or identify people with pre-diabetes, a new study suggests.
By identifying people with the disease who are unaware of their condition, routine dental checkups present an opportunity for dentists to help fight the diabetes epidemic, said the study authors, from the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City.
Periodontal disease is an early complication of diabetes, and about 70 percent of U.S. adults see a dentist at least once a year, the studys senior author, Dr. Ira Lamster, dean of the College of Dental Medicine, said in a university news release.
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Written on July 27, 2011 by Jordan Ballard
ACCRA, Ghana
Jimmy Carter watched in horror as the inches- (centimeters-) long worm emerged from the breast of a woman in remote northern Ghana. That was in the 1980s. The former U.S. president dedicated himself to eradicating the sickness and estimated it would take 10 years.
On Thursday, after 23 years of hard work and a major setback, Ghana finally declared victory.
“Ghana’s triumph over Guinea worm disease serves as a reminder to the world and the remaining endemic countries that the greatest challenges can be overcome with hard work, political commitment, and the support of the international community,” Carter said in a statement from the Atlanta-based Carter Center.
At a celebration in Ghana’s northern Tamale city, Vice President John Mahama announced that the West African nation has completed 14 consecutive months reporting no indigenous cases, indicating that the cycle of Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, has been broken.
Ghana had 180,000 cases in 1989.
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Written on July 27, 2011 by Jett Dooley
Strokes have spiked in the U.S. among pregnant women and new mothers, probably because more of them are obese and suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease, researchers report.
Hospitalizations for pregnancy-related strokes and “mini strokes” jumped from about 4,100 in 1994-95 to around 6,300 in 2006-07, a 54 percent increase, researchers said, extrapolating from figures in a large federal database.
“That is a very, very alarm-raising statistic that we need to take extremely seriously,” said Dr.
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Written on July 27, 2011 by Jordan Ballard
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Possibly tainted papayas from Mexico may be the cause of a U.S. food-poisoning outbreak that’s affected more than 90 people in 23 states.
A company in South Texas is recalling papayas imported from Mexico that may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. The recall covers Blondie, Yaya, Mananita and Tastylicious brand papayas sold before July 23, the reported.
Of the 90 reported food-poisoning cases, 17 have occurred in Illinois.
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Written on July 26, 2011 by Jade Haigh
Hepatitis and HIV activists have called for pharmaceutical companies and drug regulators to provide earlier access to new hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies in development to people at greater need of treatment, including people on transplant wait lists and those coinfected with HCV and HIV. These demands were issued following a meeting of 50 activists, researchers, regulators and pharmaceutical representatives held in early June in Sitges, Spain.The recent approval of Incivek (telaprevir) and Victrelis (boceprevir) has ushered in a new era of treatment for people with HCV. Read All Post…
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