Blood
14 Aug 2007
Virtual Medical Centre: Welcome
Dr Andrew Dean welcomes you to Virtual Medical Centre.
Children's health
14 Aug 2007
Mothers’ Second-hand Smoke Exposure Linked to Psychological Problems for Kids
Children whose mothers were exposed to second-hand smoke while they were pregnant have more symptoms of serious psychological problems compared to the offspring of women who had no prenatal exposure to smoke, according to a new University of Washington study. Writing in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, UW psychologists Lisa…
Children's health
10 Aug 2007
Intervention Needed For Young, Less Educated Smokers With Diabetes
In a recent study, Monika M. Safford, M.D., assistant professor of Preventive Medicine at UAB, and a team of researchers found that nearly half of poorly educated, young adults with diabetes smoke cigarettes, magnifying the health risks associated with early-onset diabetes. This study – the first large, multi-centre study concerning…
Children's health
03 Aug 2007
A Marker for Cardiovascular Disease May Also Indicate Severity of Cognitive Disability among Children with OSA
C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that is often used to detect cardiovascular disease, may also indicate cognitive impairment in children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a new study of children ages 5 to 7. “Children with OSA have increased levels of hsCRP [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein] and also…
Children's health
03 Aug 2007
Study Finds COPD Patients Taking Inhaled Steroids are at Greater Risk for Severe Pneumonia
Patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are increasingly being prescribed inhaled corticosteroids to control exacerbations of the disease, but a new study finds that the anti-inflammatory drugs increase the chances that these patients will be hospitalized for pneumonia. “In a large cohort of patients with COPD, we found that…
Children's health
03 Aug 2007
Exposure to Cats Increases Bronchial Responsiveness in People Without Specific Cat Allergy
Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that increased exposure to cat allergen is associated with greater bronchial responsiveness (BR) in people with certain common allergies, even if they are not specifically allergic to cats. This suggests that reduced exposure to cats may be beneficial for allergic individuals, regardless of…
Children's health
12 Jul 2007
Children of Smokers Have More Than Five Times Higher Levels of a Nicotine Toxin
University of Leicester academics publish results with a powerful message about passive smoking. Children who have at least one parent who smokes have 5.5 times higher levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in their urine, according to a University of Leicester led study published online ahead of print in…
Children's health
11 Jul 2007
No More Choking and Burning Eyes
Allergies, like the common cold and asthma, have basically defied the best efforts of modern medicine to cure them. Now, a doctoral candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy has come up with a new approach that offers hope for getting rid of them. For his efforts,…
Blood
11 Jul 2007
Breakthrough in Research and Treatment of Rare But Devastating Condition
Researchers at Queen Mary University London and the University of Leicester announced a potential breakthrough in the treatment of a rare but devastating medical condition that can affect children and young people. In a world first, the clinicians and scientists from the two universities have already treated one patient with…
