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2007 |
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Viagra may reduce effects of hormonal stress on heart
October 30, 2005
Viagra, famous for improving men's sexual function,
also appears to reduce the effects of hormonal stress on the heart
by 50 percent, claims a report by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
Viagra (sildenafil) works by helping
genital blood vessels expand to maintain an erection, but more recently,
it also has been used as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension.
However, the drug has been thought to have no direct effect on the
heart.
"Unlike what was previously thought, drugs like Viagra
can in fact alter heart function," said researcher Dr. David
Kass, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins. The report appeared
in Monday's online edition of Circulation.
Botulinum toxin can lessen facial pain, research
shows Botulinum toxin, already used to treat migraines and eye spasms,
also may help reduce intense facial pain called trigeminal neuralgia,
said a study in this past week's Neurology.
People with trigeminal neuralgia suffer sudden, severe pain in one
side of the jaw or cheek. The pain lasts several seconds and can
be repeated in a series of attacks, which can be triggered by normal
actions such as talking, swallowing or brushing teeth.
Currently, anticonvulsant medication is the main form of treatment,
and surgery is also an option.
In this study, American and Brazilian researchers looked at the
effects of botulinum toxin type A in 13 people with trigeminal neuralgia.
The study found the patients had a significant decrease in pain
10 days after receiving the botulinum toxin injection, and they
were almost symptom-free after 20 days.
After 60 days, four of the patients no longer
needed medication, and others had cut their medication use by more
than 50 percent.
Having a good boss helps heart health, study finds. If you want
to protect your heart, take a look at your job -- and your boss.
British civil servants who felt they were being treated fairly at
work were at reduced risk of coronary heart disease, a new study
reports.
And perceptions of how fair their supervisor was appeared to be
a key factor in how well they felt justice was being served.
"This is the first study to demonstrate that justice at work
may protect against coronary heart disease," said lead author
Mika Kivimaki, a professor at the University of Helsinki and the
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland. The
study appeared in Monday's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Report: Increase oxygen during colorectal surgery Giving higher
concentrations of supplemental oxygen during elective colorectal
surgery reduces the risk of surgical site infections, a new study
found.
And the practice comes with very little downside, if any, said the
authors of the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Wound infections are among the most common serious complications
of surgery. Supplemental oxygen costs only a few cents per patient
and is essentially risk-free. Providing extra oxygen halves the
risk of infection and should be used in most patients," said
study co-author Dr. Daniel I. Sessler, chairman of the department
of outcomes research at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
To read more, visit…
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051030/NEWS06/510300417/1083/LIVING01
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