NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be at increased risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to the results of a longitudinal study investigating the temporal relationship between the two conditions. “Physicians should keep...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Definitive chemoradiotherapy is an effective treatment than can be dispensed with no significant toxicity in elderly patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, according to a 13-year study conducted at Rouen University Hospital in France. The study included all...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The presence and severity of mental illness are associated with an increased risk of asthma, according to study findings in the December issue of Chest. Further research, however, is needed to determine the nature of the relationship and the underlying mechanisms. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, tight perioperative control of blood glucose levels is linked to a lower risk of, and failure, Belgian investigators report. As reported in Critical Care published online December 4, Dr. Patrick...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Long-term exposure to anticholinergic agents is associated with poor memory and executive function in older men, according to a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society for December. “Given the established link between acute anticholinergic toxicity and...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is increased somewhat in patients with diabetes, according to results of a meta-analysis published in Diabetes Care for December. “Although the relative risk is moderate, given the rapidly increasing incidence and...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The results of a case-control study suggest that the benefit of colonoscopy in preventing colorectal cancer deaths is largely limited to left-sided malignancies. “While colonoscopy remains the gold standard for evaluation of the colon, our study sheds light on some of...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Patients who are undernourished after experiencing an acute stroke benefit from intensive protein and energy supplementation during inpatient rehabilitation, according to results of a pilot study conducted at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in New York and reported in the...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Intensive treatment to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduces carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a secondary analysis from the Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics Study (SANDS) trial. The...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Results of a phase I trial suggest that intralesional transfer of plasmid interleukin (IL)-12 enhanced by electroporation for treatment of metastatic melanoma is “safe, effective, reproducible, and titratable,” according to a report published November 24 ahead of...