Modern Health Therapy

Hormonal therapy administered to women soon after menopause may increase their interest in sex, but does not improve memory, according to a study published tomorrow in the journal Neurology.

The study, led by Pauline Maki, professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Illinois, is the largest conducted on the effects of hormone therapy and involved 180 women aged 45 to 55 years who had their last period of one to three years earlier.

These women were given, randomized, placebo or hormone therapy consisting of a daily dose of estrogen and progesterone for four months. (more…)

A team of researchers has succeeded in eradicating a type of aggressive brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme in lab mice by combining the action of the immune system with genetic and chemical therapy.

20 percent of primary brain cancer is glioblastoma multiforme, a type of tumor survives only 5 percent of patients five years after diagnosis.

Scientists wanted to use the immune system to destroy brain cancer cells had to face two challenges: to recruit defensive cells that recognize the tumor antigen, called dendritic cells from bone marrow and help them to recognize tumor cells. (more…)

French researchers reported in the British Medical Journal, that menopausal women who take pills and hormone replacement therapy, are more than twice the risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots.

The review of 17 studies suggested that the risk was also significantly higher during the first year of treatment.

Blood clots in the arteries are a common cause of heart attack and stroke (CVA), while those staying in the veins can cause death if taken into the lungs. (more…)

This is according to a study presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Dallas, Texas. Chronic bad breath, or halitosis, usually occurs by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth, producing substances with a strong sulfur smell.

It is estimated that 25% of adults suffer the embarrassment that causes bad breath and the percentage would reach 50% among older adults. In a study that lasted 28 days and was conducted on 14 adults with halitosis, a team led by Peter Moses, a student at the School of Dentistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, found that brushing twice a day with fluoride containing triclosan and clean the surface of the tongue solve the problem.

Triclosan is an antibacterial drug used to treat acne, hand soaps, detergents and deodorants. “Most toothpastes do not contain triclosan,” said Dr. Joseph J. Zambon, who participated in the study. Triclosan is present in the Colgate Total toothpaste, which makes Colgate-Palmolive Co., which funded the study. (more…)

A new therapy against rheumatoid arthritis British researchers have developed will be available within five years.

Therapy, consisting of a single shot, works like a vaccine, say scientists at the University of Newcastle, who now want to do a pilot study with volunteers.

The treatment involves removing the patient’s body cells, which are manipulated and then re-injected into the affected joint, today reported the newspaper The Daily Telegraph. ” (more…)