Studies and Analyses

The loss of 2 or more inches in height during adulthood serves as a powerful predictor of osteoporosis in the hip, and thus the risk for hip fractures, in elderly women, according to a new study at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The finding has led researchers to recommend that primary care physicians routinely screen aging patients for height loss.

“May is National Osteoporosis Month, and in 2004, an osteoporotic or fragility fracture of the hip should be preventable,” said Dr. S

Cohort study of sibling effect, infectious diseases, and risk of atopic dermatitis during first 18 months of life BMJ Online First

Having siblings, keeping a pet, or living on a farm helps protect infants against the development of atopic (allergic) diseases, but early infections increase the risk, according to new research from Denmark. This study will be available on bmj.com on Friday 30 May 2004.

Researchers conducted four separate interviews with over 24,000 pregnant wom

Women born in the summer have fewer children on average than women born at other times of the year, according to research published today (Thursday 29 April) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1].

The findings, from a study of more than 3,000 Austrian women, show that despite the advent of modern contraception a woman’s birth month influences her reproductive performance, just as it has been found to do within historic populations.

Lead researcher

A recent study of Parkinson’s disease patients who use the medication pergolide shows a possible link between pergolide and injured cardiac valves. Study details and conclusions will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.

Valvular heart disease has been reported by various groups, totaling about 25 patients with Parkinson’s disease who take pergolide. “These reports are anecdotal, from uncontrolled ca

Direct to consumer ads can be misleading, say researchers

Pharmaceutical ads marketed directly to the consumer may minimize the risks and exaggerate the benefits of medications, often confusing the public about what drugs are most effective, but Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) researchers have found a remedy. The solution, they say, lies in a “prescription drug benefits box,” a standardized table on every direct-to-consumer (DTC) ad that would present FDA approval data in clear, easy t

The progression from HIV infection to AIDS and death from AIDS is more rapid in people living in developing countries than those living in the United States and Europe, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences and Chiang Mai University in Thailand. The researchers tracked the length of time between HIV infection and AIDS among young Thai men. They also studied the death rate of the men 5-7 years after th