PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The effect of rosuvastatin on incident pneumonia: Results from the JUPITER trial

2012-03-20
(Press-News.org) Statins may prevent pneumonia, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Researchers from Israel and the United States analyzed data from the JUPITER trial, a randomized, double-blind trial with placebo control groups conducted at 1315 sites in 26 countries to look at the use of the statin rosuvastatin in disease prevention. The trial involved 17 802 men aged 50 years or older and women aged 60 years or older without a history of heart disease or diabetes.

Patients were randomized to receive either a placebo or rosuvastatin, a statin used to treat high cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease. During a median follow-up period of almost two years, the researchers found that 214 people in the statin group compared with 257 people in the placebo group contracted pneumonia.

"Participants randomly assigned to receive rosuvastatin had a modest reduction in the incidence of pneumonia compared with participants assigned to the placebo group," writes Dr. Victor Novack, Soroka University Medical Center, Israel and coauthors.

"Although a number of observational studies have suggested a protective effect of statin use on the incidence of pneumonia and other infections, we are not aware of any evidence from prior randomized trials that specifically evaluated this question," state the authors.

The authors conclude that the "absolute risk reduction observed in this primary prevention setting was small, and the effects on infection may be greater in other settings."

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Blood testing for sensitivity, allergy or intolerance to food

2012-03-20
Blood testing to determine a link between food and illness is increasingly common, but some tests are not considered diagnostic and can lead to confusion, according to a primer in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Both traditional physicians and holistic medicine practitioners may offer blood testing to diagnose adverse reactions to food. A food allergy is a specific immunologic reaction to a food that can be reproduced with exposure to the food in question. An intolerance is an adverse reaction without an immunologic response, such as lactose intolerance. However, ...

Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for March 20, 2012, issue

2012-03-20
1. Dapagliflozin Effective Add-on for Patients with Inadequately Controlled Blood Glucose Experts caution that long-term safety data is still lacking Even on high doses of insulin, some patients with type 2 diabetes still have poorly controlled blood glucose levels. Increasing doses of insulin raises the risks for weight gain, hypoglycemia, fluid retention, and congestive heart failure, so physicians may choose to add additional medications rather than increase the insulin dose. Dapagliflozin, the first in the class of selective renal sodium glucose contransporter (SGLT) ...

Some orbits more popular than others in solar systems

Some orbits more popular than others in solar systems
2012-03-20
Computer simulations have revealed a plausible explanation for a phenomenon that has puzzled astronomers: Rather than occupying orbits at regular distances from a star, giant gas planets similar to Jupiter and Saturn appear to prefer to occupy certain regions in mature solar systems while staying clear of others. "Our results show that the final distribution of planets does not vary smoothly with distance from the star, but instead has clear 'deserts' – deficits of planets – and 'pile-ups' of planets at particular locations," said Ilaria Pascucci, an assistant professor ...

Hutchinson Center scientists break through pancreas cancer treatment barrier

2012-03-20
SEATTLE – Pancreas cancer tumors spread quickly and are notoriously resistant to treatment, making them among the deadliest of malignancies. Their resistance to chemotherapy stems in part from a unique biological barrier the tumor builds around itself. Now scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a way to break through that defense, and their research represents a potential breakthrough in the treatment of pancreas cancer. In a paper to be published in the March 20 issue of Cancer Cell, senior author Sunil Hingorani, M.D., Ph.D., an associate member ...

Breaking the backbone of triple-negative breast cancers

2012-03-20
Putting the brakes on an abundant growth-promoting protein causes breast tumors to regress, according to a study published on March 19th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Triple-negative breast tumors lack all of the known growth receptors that serve as treatment targets in other types of breast cancer, making this the most clinically challenging subtype of the disease. Patients with these tumors tend to relapse earlier and have shorter disease-free survival. Andrei Goga and colleagues now show that triple-negative breast tumors express elevated levels of the ...

Sudden blood pressure drop with position change linked to higher risk of heart failure

2012-03-20
People whose blood pressure drops rapidly when they move from lying down to standing, known as orthostatic hypotension, may have a higher risk of developing heart failure, according to research published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. The link between orthostatic hypotension and heart failure was stronger in people 45-55 years old compared to those 56-64, researchers said. High blood pressure, which was present in over half of people who developed heart failure, may be partially responsible for the association. Over an average 17.5 years of follow-up, ...

JCI early table of contents for March 19, 2012

2012-03-20
EDITOR'S PICK A clearer understanding of glaucoma | Back to top Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness worldwide. In glaucoma patients, the optic nerve, which relays information from the eye to the brain, is damaged, though the molecular cause of nerve damage is unclear. Dr. Simon John, from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues specifically wanted to understand the earliest events that lead to optic nerve damage in glaucoma. Using a mouse model of the disease, the researchers showed that inflammatory immune cells called monocytes cross ...

Trauma drives HIV epidemic in women

Trauma drives HIV epidemic in women
2012-03-20
Physical violence, sexual abuse and other forms of childhood and adult trauma are major factors fueling the epidemic of HIV/AIDS among American women. Scientists have known for years that traumatized women are at greater risk of becoming infected. Now, two new studies from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Harvard Medical School demonstrate that a high rate of trauma among women already infected with HIV also plays a role in the epidemic. Described in back-to-back papers in the journal AIDS and Behavior, the new work demonstrates that women with ...

A clearer understanding of glaucoma

2012-03-20
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness worldwide. In glaucoma patients, the optic nerve, which relays information from the eye to the brain, is damaged, though the molecular cause of nerve damage is unclear. Dr. Simon John, from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues specifically wanted to understand the earliest events that lead to optic nerve damage in glaucoma. Using a mouse model of the disease, the researchers showed that inflammatory immune cells called monocytes cross blood vessels and invade the optic nerve. Remarkably, mice treated ...

Open surgical and minimally invasive hernia repair techniques compared

2012-03-20
CHICAGO – The minimally invasive hernia repair procedure known as total extraperitoneal inguinal hernioplasty (TEP) was associated with higher patient satisfaction, less chronic pain and less impairment of inguinal (groin) sensation compared to the open surgical Lichtenstein repair, according to a study published in the March issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Chronic pain and hypoesthesia (reduced sensitivity) are increasingly measured after inguinal hernia repair but few randomized clinical trials have compared TEP with Lichtenstein repair, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of automated external defibrillators in private homes

University of Phoenix College of Social and Behavioral Sciences leadership publishes white paper on trauma-informed education

Microbial iron mining: turning polluted soils into self-cleaning reactors

Molecular snapshots reveal how the body knows it’s too hot

Analysis finds alarming rise in severe diverticulitis among younger Americans

Mitochondria and lysosomes reprogram immune cells that dampen inflammation

Cockroach infestation linked to home allergen, endotoxin levels

New biochar-powered microbial systems offer sustainable solution for toxic pollutants

Identifying the best high-biomass sorghum hybrids based on biomass yield potential and feedstock quality affected by nitrogen fertility management under various environments

How HIV’s shape-shifting protein reveals clues for smarter drug design

Study identifies viral combinations that heighten risk of severe respiratory illnesses in infants

Aboveground rather than belowground productivity drives variability in miscanthus × giganteus net primary productivity

Making yeast more efficient 'cell factories' for producing valuable plant compounds

Aging in plain sight: What new research says the eyes reveal about aging and cardiovascular risk

Child welfare system involvement may improve diagnosis of developmental delays

Heavier electric trucks could strain New York City’s roads and bridges, study warns

From womb to world: scientists reveal how maternal stress programs infant development

Bezos Earth Fund grants $2M to UC Davis and American Heart Association to advance AI-designed foods

Data Protection is transforming humanitarian action in the digital age, new book shows

AI unlocks the microscopic world to transform future manufacturing

Virtual reality helps people understand and care about distant communities

Optica Publishing Group announces subscribe to open pilot for the Journal of the Optical Society of America B (JOSA B)

UNF partners with Korey Stringer Institute and Perry Weather to open heat exercise laboratory on campus

DNA from Napoleon’s 1812 army identifies the pathogens likely responsible for the army’s demise during their retreat from Russia

Study suggests two unsuspected pathogens struck Napoleon's army during the retreat from Russia in 1812

The 25-year incidence and progression of hearing loss in the Framingham offspring study

AI-driven nanomedicine breakthrough paves way for personalized breast cancer therapy

Fight or flight—and grow a new limb

Augmenting electroencephalogram transformer for steady-state visually evoked potential-based brain–computer interfaces

Coaches can boost athletes’ mental toughness with this leadership style

[Press-News.org] The effect of rosuvastatin on incident pneumonia: Results from the JUPITER trial