Here’s another reason to avoid taking unnecessary antibiotics
(Jamie Ducharme/ Time) — Taking certain oral antibiotics may come with an unpleasant side effect, according to new research. A study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that taking any of five types of oral antibiotics was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing kidney stones — mineral and […]
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Breakthrough surgery at CHUM helps lymphedema patients
(Aaron Derfel/ Montreal Gazette) — Some Quebecers suffering from lymphedema — a chronic, aching condition that often results in the swelling of the arms or legs — can now turn to a new surgical treatment offered at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. In a medical first in Quebec, a team of surgeons at the […]
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Generic drug industry agrees to cut prices up to 40% in 5-year deal with provinces
Public drug plans agree not to ask for open tenders in bid to get drug costs lower (CBC News) — Canada’s generic drug industry has agreed to cut prices 25 per cent to 40 per cent for provincial/public drug plans, in exchange for suspending open tenders for five years. The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance made the announcement […]
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Heart attack care dangerously unequal for women, study finds
(BBC News) — Fewer women who suffer a heart attack would die if they were given the same treatments as men, a new study found. Researchers analysed the outcomes of 180,368 Swedish patients who suffered a heart attack over a 10-year period. They found women were three times more likely to die than men in the […]
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In a milestone year, gene therapy is finding a place in medicine
(Associated Press) — After decades of hope and high promise, this was the year scientists really showed they could doctor DNA to successfully treat diseases. Gene therapies to treat cancer and even pull off the biblical-sounding feat of helping the blind to see were approved by U.S. regulators, establishing gene manipulation as a new mode of […]
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Organ donation after death on the rise in Canada, helping to ease some waiting lists, study finds
But rates of donations from living donors have declined, leaving many waiting for kidney transplants (Canadian Press) — A new report says the rate of organ donations from deceased people has risen substantially over the last decade in Canada, while the rate for living donors has declined. The data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information […]
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Millions more will need to lower blood pressure under new guidelines
(Gina Kolata/New York Times) — The nation’s leading heart experts on Monday issued new guidelines for high blood pressure that mean tens of millions more Americans will meet the criteria for the condition, and will need to change their lifestyles or take medicines to treat it. Under the guidelines, formulated by the American Heart Association and […]
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It’s not all in your head: different aches need different treatments
(Healthline) — When there is pressure or pain in your head, it can be difficult to tell whether you are experiencing a typical headache or a migraine. Differentiating a migraine headache from a traditional headache, and vice versa, is important. It can mean faster relief through better treatments. It can also help prevent future headaches […]
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Antibiotic crisis bigger than Aids as common infections will kill, WHO warns
(The Telegraph) — A child’s scratched knee from falling off their bike, common bladder infections among the elderly in care homes and routine surgery to replace broken hips could all become fatal as antibiotics are becoming increasingly useless, the World Health Organisation has said. The crisis is bigger and more urgent than the Aids epidemic […]
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Is light drinking while pregnant okay?
(CNN) — Experts agree that binge or heavy drinking while pregnant is alarmingly dangerous for a fetus, and advise against it — but what about light drinking during pregnancy? It turns out that there’s not much research on just how little a pregnant woman could drink without harming her unborn baby, according to a paper published […]
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