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Category: Medicine

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 11, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Study demonstrates new diagnostic method to predict survival/relapse outcomes in classic Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:
B.C. team makes a breakthrough in lymphoma treatment
Reference:
Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Survival in Classic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 10, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Early stage study shows virus can destroy prostate cancer cells: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Tumor-Melting Virus vs. Prostate Cancer

Reference:

Oncolytic Viral Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Efficacy of Reovirus as a Biological Therapeutic

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 9, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Study shows that women who drank more alcohol gained relatively less weight... because they ate less!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Cheers! A Drink a Day May Keep the Pounds Away

Reference:

Alcohol Consumption, Weight Gain, and Risk of Becoming Overweight in Middle-aged and Older Women

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 8, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Medication reduces effects of celiac disease : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Researchers take aim at digestive disorder

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 4, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Preliminary data suggest relationship between diet success and genes: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Genes point to best diets

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 1, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Disease-modifying drug reduces brain protein plaques in Alzheimer patients: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Neuroimaging technique shows potential of bapineuzumab treatment and might be useful in assessing other drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease

Reference:

11C-PiB PET assessment of change in fibrillar amyloid-β load in patients with Alzheimer’s disease treated with bapineuzumab: a phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose study

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 23, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Treatment to reduce peanut allergy reactions enters its next study phase: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Peanut allergy treatment could be on the horizon

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 22, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Coma patient is not able to communicate: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Belgian coma patient can’t communicate after all

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 18, 2010

 
icon for podpress  One in five Canadians has high blood pressure: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

One in five Canadians has high blood pressure

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 16, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Study states lifetime risk of asthma is 1 in 3, another study questions that result: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

1 in 3 chance of developing asthma: study

Reference:

What Is the Lifetime Risk of Physician-diagnosed Asthma in Ontario, Canada?

Comment:

This study depended on accurate diagnoses of asthma. However, it was unable to assess whether these patients indeed did have the disease. A study published in the CMAJ in 2008 concluded that 30 per cent of asthma diagnoses were incorrect.

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 11, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Broken hearts: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Hearts can actually break

Reference:

Stress Cardiomyopathy

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 10, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Paxil and tamoxifen- Sunday House Call returns: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Paxil, Tamoxifen May Be a Risky Combo

Reference:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and breast cancer mortality in women receiving tamoxifen: a population based cohort study

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 9, 2010

 
icon for podpress  More studies will evaluate effectiveness of "Liberation" treatment for MS: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Centre to test for controversial condition linked to MS

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 8, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Sodas and pancreatic cancer risk: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Weekly pop may double risk of pancreatic cancer risk

Reference:

Soft Drink and Juice Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 8, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Sodas and pancreatic cancer risk: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Weekly pop may double risk of pancreatic cancer risk

Reference:

Soft Drink and Juice Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 5, 2010

 
icon for podpress  real-time closed-loop insulin pump: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Artificial pancreas hope for children with diabetes

Reference:

Manual closed-loop insulin delivery in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a phase 2 randomised crossover trial

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 29, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Flu activity below normal levels: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Flu activity ’significantly below’ normal for January, agency says

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 28, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Surgical procedure best for common heart problem: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Surgical procedure best for common heart problem

Reference:

Comparison of Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy and Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 27, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Study will put to test growing evidence linking high blood pressure to dementia: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Study will put to test growing evidence linking high blood pressure to dementia

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 21, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Avoiding the salt of the Earth: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Half a teaspoon less salt a day could save 100,000 lives, study finds

Reference:

Projected Effect of Dietary Salt Reductions on Future Cardiovascular Disease

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 20, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Salt intake awareness campaign begins: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:
Give your head a shake

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 19, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Erectile dysfunction as a predictor of heart disease: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Erectile Dysfunction Predicts Heart Disease

Reference:

Does Erectile Dysfunction Contribute to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Prediction Beyond the Framingham Risk Score?

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 18, 2010

 
icon for podpress  You say concussion, I say ABI: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

‘Concussion’ underplays severity of injury: doctors

Reference:

“My Child Doesn’t Have a Brain Injury, He Only Has a Concussion”

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for

 
icon for podpress  More accurate peanut allergy test could be on the way: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

More accurate peanut allergy test could be on the way

Reference:

Component-resolved diagnostics facilitate the diagnosis of peanut allergy

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Not all peanut-sensitized children experience allergic reactions on exposure. Tests that could discriminate peanut allergy from tolerance without the need to perform oral food challenge would be extremely useful. Within the context of a population-based birth cohort, Nicolaou et al (p 191) determined, on the basis of peanut challenge, the proportion of children with peanut allergy among those considered peanut-sensitized using skin prick tests, sIgE measurements, or both (with whole peanut extract) and investigated whether blood tests with component-resolved diagnostics (microarray with major peanut and cross-reactive components) could differentiate peanut allergy from tolerance. Although approximately 1 in 10 children 8 years of age in the United Kingdom is peanut sensitized, on the basis of the oral food challenge, only 1 in 50 has peanut allergy. Component-resolved diagnostics revealed marked differences in the pattern recognition between subjects with peanut allergy and peanut-tolerant subjects (see Figure). Children with peanut allergy had higher responses to Ara h 1 to 3, whereas peanut-tolerant children had higher responses to grass components and cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants. Ara h 2 offered the best discrimination between the groups. These data confirm that the majority of children considered peanut sensitized on the basis of standard test responses do not have peanut allergy and suggest that measurement of IgE response to Ara h 2 might prove to be a clinically useful tool in predicting peanut allergy.

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 12, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Watching TV increases heart disease and cancer risk: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Couch time may cut life short, study suggests

Reference:

Television Viewing Time and Mortality. The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab)

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 11, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Do nut-free zones on airplanes make sense to you: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Air Canada ordered to create nut-free buffer zones

A CFRA web poll asked this question and I discussed this with Steve Madely. This is a continuation of our discussion from last week.

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 8, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Nut free zones on planes: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Air Canada ordered to create nut-free buffer zones

Comment:

This is a classic illustration of poor risk evaluation. There is no information available in this article to help me answer the basic questions when examining a health claim.

How many people suffer anaphylactic reactions on airplanes that require emergency treatment? How many have died? What is the incidence of these occurrences?

Has there been any evidence to show what the risk reduction would be with setting this policy? Will there be any subsequent evaluation to look at outcomes? And if the outcome demonstrates little to no reduction of risk or incidence, will there be a push to rescind this edict?

Have proactive measures by people who have nut allergies prior to boarding the plane been sufficient to prevent anaphylaxis?

This is a classic illustration of the precautionary principle eloquently discussed by this man.

An exerpt from the website Junkfood Science illustrates this point.

Food allergy deaths have only been tracked by the CDC since 1998, using death certificates coded using ICD-10 classifications (the 10th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases). ICD-10 hasn’t yet been universally adopted, which makes the accuracy of its figure unreliable. It reports that of 2.5 million deaths among all ages in the U.S. in 2005, 11 people died from a food allergy in 2005, with the number from peanuts unknown.

Perhaps the most accurate population data on peanut-related deaths among children comes from the UK. Its national death statistics and pediatric surveillance system has recorded death statistics for nearly all children and it reported that only one child, a 15-year old, died from a peanut allergy between 1990 and 2000.

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 7, 2010

 
icon for podpress  Alzheimer’s Treatments Worked Better When Combined, Study Says: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:
Alzheimer’s Treatments Worked Better When Combined, Study Says

Reference:

Modeling an Anti-Amyloid Combination Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 29, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Drug-Resistant E. Coli Called Significant Threat: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Drug-resistant bacterium cause for alarm: Canadian pathologist

Drug-Resistant E. Coli Called Significant Threat

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 21, 2009

 
icon for podpress  The genetic sequence of cancer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Full Genetics of Cancer Mapped

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 21, 2009

 
icon for podpress  The CyberKnife approach to treating cancer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

CyberKnife revolutionizes brain surgery

Reference:

CyberKnife background information

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 17, 2009

 
icon for podpress  H1N1 may crowd out seasonal flu this year: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Swine Flu May Mean Seasonal Strain Won’t Emerge in U.S. Winter

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 16, 2009

 
icon for podpress  The third wave: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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H1N1 ‘not done yet’: Canada’s top doctor

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 15, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Cancer Risks and Radiation Exposure From Computed Tomographic Scans: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Radiation from CT scans causing cancer: study

Reference:

Cancer Risks and Radiation Exposure From Computed Tomographic Scans

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 14, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Drug combo boosts advanced HER-2 breast cancer survival: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Drug Combo boosts advanced breast cancer survival
Comment:
This approach to treatment applies only to HER-2 breast cancers that according to the article represents 1 in 4 breast cancers.

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 11, 2009

 
icon for podpress  New mechanism for nerve repair: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Scientist discovers new way to repair damaged nerves

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 10, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Research suggests that everyday germs may prevent diseases in adulthood: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Research suggests that everyday germs may prevent diseases in adulthood

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 9, 2009

 
icon for podpress  H1N1 pandemic severity update : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sources:
British researchers say little evidence Tamiflu works, but WHO says the drug is useful

Swine Flu Pandemic May Be Less Severe Than Expected

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 7, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Costs of diabetes care to increase: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:
Diabetes called a brewing ‘economic tsunami’

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for December 2, 2009

 
icon for podpress  New experimental technique may reduce bone marrow transplant rejections: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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New technique could revolutionize stem-cell transplants

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 27, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Vaccine implant destroys cancer tumours in mice: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Vaccine implant destroys cancer tumours in mice

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 26, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Cuts in salt would reduce stroke, heart risks: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Cuts in salt would reduce stroke, heart risks: study

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 24

 
icon for podpress  New mechanism for cause of Multiple Sclerosis hypothesized: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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MS group to fund research into ‘liberation procedure’

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 23, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Overuse of antivirals risks making virus resistant: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Overuse of antivirals risks making virus resistant

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 18, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Watchful waiting for slow growing prostate cancers: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Watchful waiting for prostate cancer is safe

Reference:

Clinical Results of Long-Term Follow-Up of a Large, Active Surveillance Cohort With Localized Prostate Cancer

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 17, 2009

 
icon for podpress  New evidence reevaluates breast cancer screening: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

Sources

Delay routine mammograms until 50: experts

Panel: Screening mammograms should start at 50

 

References

Screening for Breast Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Patient Information: Breast Cancer Screening

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 12, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Hobson's choice: the H1N1 vaccine initiative: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source: Cost of vaccinating the nation hits $1.5-billion and climbing

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 10, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Battle With Heart Disease Moves to the Doctor's Office: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source: Battle With Heart Disease Moves to the Doctor’s Office

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 4, 2009

 
icon for podpress  Diet sodas may be hard on the kidneys: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Diet sodas may be hard on the kidneys

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for October 28, 2009

 
icon for podpress  What to look for if your infant or child shows signs of flu: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Patient Information: Influenza symptoms and treatment
Ottawa Public Health Recommendations: When to see your doctor, stay home or head to the emergency room

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for October 26, 2009

Answers to listeners questions.

I will be on a special two-hour listener phone in show on H1N1 to be broadcast on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 3 PM EDT on Rob Snow’s Afternoon Edition on 580 CFRA in Ottawa.

 
icon for podpress  H1N1 quick snappers: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download