A single dose of sildenafil, a blood vessel widening vasodilator, prevented rebound pulmonary hypertension and significantly reduced the duration of mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit (ICU) infants being withdrawn from inhaled nitric oxide therapy.This research appears in the first issue for November 2006 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.Lara Shekerdemian, M.D. [click link for full article]

Topiramate (Topamax), a drug commonly prescribed to treat seizures and migraine headaches, can increase the propensity of calcium phosphate kidney stones, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.A study - the largest cross-sectional examination of how the long-term use of topiramate affects kidney-stone formation - appears in the October issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. [click link for full article]

The discoverers of the unique mouse line that is resistant to cancer have begun to pin down how the process works and found that white blood cells in these mice overwhelm normal defenses of cancer cells.In a report in Cancer Immunity, a journal of the Academy of Cancer Immunology, posted on line 31-Oct-2006, Zheng Cui, M.D., Ph.D., and Mark C. Willingham, M.D. [click link for full article]

Researchers have developed a simple, noninvasive way to measure right ventricular function in the heart to predict survival of adults who suffer from pulmonary hypertension.The research appears in the first issue for November 2006 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.Paul M. Hassoun, M.D. [click link for full article]

A study published in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseasesrefutes the frequently repeated claims that a comprehensive salt reduction would not produce any overall health benefits, or would even increase diseases and shorten the life-span.Professors, Dr. Heikki Karppanen of the University of Helsinki and Dr. [click link for full article]

Forget so-called “energy drinks.” A new analysis by University of Georgia researchers finds overwhelming evidence that regular exercise plays a significant role in increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue.”A lot of times when people are fatigued the last thing they want to do is exercise,” said professor Patrick O’Connor, co-director of the UGA exercise psychology laboratory. “But if you’re physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help. [click link for full article]

University of Minnesota cancer researchers found that children who received radiation treatment for cancer face an increased risk for brain and spinal column tumors later in life. The study will be published in the Nov. 1, 2006, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. [click link for full article]

A new study found that individuals who had tested positive for hepatitis C (HCV) but later tested negative for the virus were significantly less likely to become infected again compared to those who had never been infected, even though they had the same exposure risks.The results of this study appear in the November 2006 issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [click link for full article]

The largest-ever study on the effects of health care co-payment costs on emergency department visits has revealed that requiring patients to pay for a portion of the cost can reduce the number of visits. The study also finds that this decrease does not negatively affect health.”The results of this study are encouraging in that these modest co-payments appeared to reduce health care use, and therefore overall costs, without harming patients,” says Dr. [click link for full article]

The odds of a woman in Pakistan being blind are 30 percent higher than for a Pakistani man according to a new survey published in the November 2006 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS).Researchers from the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology in Peshawar, Pakistan, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England conducted a survey of 16,600 adults 30 years of age of older. [click link for full article]