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Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic."

Heart and bone damage from low vitamin D tied to declines in sex hormones

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone.

Nation's hip fracture rate could drop 25 percent with aggressive osteoporosis prevention

November 2, 2009 (Downey, Calif.) -- Aggressively managing patients at risk for osteoporosis could reduce the hip fracture rate in the United States by 25 percent, according to a Kaiser Permanente

Irrational exuberence behind recent stock gains, says UAB finance expert

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A second straight week of stronger-than-expected third quarter earnings from a broad cross section of U.S. industries has held the nation's Dow Jones Industrial Average above the psychological benchmark of 10,000 points for the week of Oct. 19, but the climb isn't likely to last, says a finance expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Study examines use of clinical and cost-effectiveness data for drug coverage decisions

A comparison of national agencies that play a role in determining drug coverage decisions in Britain, Canada and Australia finds that uncertainty regarding clinical effectiveness is a key issue in coverage decisions, with other factors including the ability to negotiate price and societal values, according to a study in the October 7 issue of JAMA.

Vitamin D deficiency in younger women is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure

Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.

Researchers examined women enrolled in the Michigan Bone Health and Metabolism Study and analyzed data from 559 Caucasian women living in Tecumseh, Mich.

Insufficient levels of vitamin D puts elderly at increased risk of dying from heart disease

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age. The research, just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the death rates of those 65 and older.

New type of sirolimus-eluting stent demonstrates superior results

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 -- A new type of sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) successfully showed significantly greater neointimal suppression than the paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) with greater vessel wall integrity surrounding the stent, confirming the finding of superiority of the SES over the PES stent for the trial's primary endpoint of in-stent late loss.

Brown economists measure GDP growth from outer space

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Outer space offers a new perspective for measuring economic growth, according to new research by three Brown University economists. In a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, J. Vernon Henderson, Adam Storeygard, and David N.

Milk drinking started around 7,500 years ago in central Europe

The ability to digest the milk sugar lactose first evolved in dairy farming communities in central Europe, not in more northern groups as was previously thought, finds a new study led by UCL (University College London) scientists published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.

Newly improved NIST reference material targets infant formula analysis

Chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have issued a new certified reference material -- a standardized sample backed by NIST -- for determining the concentrations of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in infant and adult nutritional formula and similar products.

Hip fracture rates decline in Canada

Standardized rates of hip fracture have steadily declined in Canada since 1985, with a more rapid decline between 1996 and 2005 and a more marked decrease among individuals age 55 to 64 years, according to a report in the August 26 issue of JAMA.

Study finds Medicare prescription benefit program has exceeded expectations

The program created to provide Medicare recipients with prescription drug benefits exceeded expectations during its first two years, extending pharmacy coverage to most seniors while reducing their overall spending on drugs, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics

Aug. 21, 2009 -- Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now think they know why.



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